Interesting Facts

Did you know?  Did you know that the what appears to be a middle initial on an Acadian time is more than that? Actually, when researching Acadian ancestors, that middle letter often tells us who this ancestors father was or what the ancestral line itself is. When searching for my grandfather Damien LeBlanc, on my father's birth record in New Bedford, MA I found him listed as Damien S. LeBlanc - I haven't found that on any of the other 16 children's birth records. What that S really stands for is Damien's father's name, Sylvain and so it goes.

Interesting Notes on a Symbol of Acadia

On August 15, 1995, the star studded blue, white and red Acadian Flag was recognized by the Govenor General of Canada as a historic flag of Canada being the official symbol of the Acadian people since 1884. Thus antedating the Canadian flag by exactly 80 years and 6 months. The grant of arms and flag to the Société Nationale d'Acadie specifically names the Acadian standard as the National Flag of Acadia and it is now depicted and entered on page 74 of Volume III of the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada The Acadian flag originated in Miscouche 116 years ago and it may be the oldest existing emblem of a French people in North America, antedating the flag of Québec by 65 years, and the Acadian flag of Louisiana by nearly 81 years. The Acadian flag is not the French flag as some mistakingly call it. It was chosen by the people of Acadia gathered in Miscouche 11 years after Prince Edward island entered confederation. It is a made in Canada flag. What makes it purely Acadian is the gold star on the French colours of blue, white and red, which represents the Acadian patron saint, Our Lady of the Assumption, much the same way as Saint George, Saint Andrew, and Saint PAtrick represent the patron saints of England, Scotland and Ireland respectively. Acadians chose their patron saint in 1881, Pope Pius XI confirmed it by a decree on January 19, 1938. (From the Journal Pioneer, August 2000, "The Flutter of Flags - a Healthy Pride" by David LeGallant and sent to me by James Perry who lives on Prince Edward Island.)


This is a list of where the Acadians were deported from and where they were exiled to in 1755. 

PLACE EXILED FROM Annapolis Royal Minas Basin(Les Mines) Chignectou Pisiquid Pré des Boudreau Grand-Pré Halifax Port-Latour Cap-Sable

PLACE EXILED TO So. Carolina/Massachusetts/Connecticut New York/Ile St-Jean Virgiania/Maryland/So.Carolina/Connecticut So. Carolina/Pennsylvania/Georgia Maryland/Virginia/Massachusetts/Pennsylvania Connecticut/Virginia/Massachusetts Maryland/Pennsylvania North Carolina Massachusetts Massachusetts

In 1758, the British wanted to expatriate the Acadians from Ile St-Jean/Prince Edward Island. Three ships that sailed from Ile St-Jean for France were lost at sea and all of its human cargo perished. These ships were the Duke William, Violet and the Ruby.
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS 

NEW BRUNSWICK

The Village of Memramcook was incorporated by Order in Council 95-343 on 8 May 1995. This village takes in the former Village of Saint-Joseph; and the Local Service Districts of Breau Creek, Cormier's Cove, La Hêtrière-McGinley Corner, Memramcook, Memramcook East, Pré-d'en-Haut, Shediac Road, and a portion of the Parish of Dorchester.

NOVA SCOTIA

Although applied first on September 29, 1621, when Sir William Alexander (1567?-1640) received a grant of "the lands lying between New England and Newfoundland ... to be known as Nova Scotia, or New Scotland", the name did not become fixed on the map until after the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Prior to this, the name Acadia was generally used by the French to denote the Maritime provinces along with adjacent portions of New England and Quebec. The origin of the word Acadia is in dispute. It is generally accepted to be from Archadia (Acadia), assigned by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524 and suggested by the classical name for a land of rustic peace. The claim that it is of Mik'maq origin is probably coincidental. The Micmac word Quoddy or Cady was rendered by the French as cadie and meant a piece of land or territory.

Source: Hamilton, William B. (1978): The Macmillan book of Canadian place names, Macmillan of Canada, Toronto, p. 129.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

The island appears under the name Île de Saint Jean in Champlain's narrative (1604) and on his map (1632); however, according to Ganong, the name is of earlier origin. After its acquisition by the British in 1759 the island was known as St. John's Island until the name was changed in 1798 to honour Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767-1820), father of Queen Victoria, then in command of the British forces at Halifax. Separated from Nova Scotia in 1769, Prince Edward Island entered Confederation on July 1, 1873.

Source: Hamilton, William B. (1978): The Macmillan book of Canadian place names, Macmillan of Canada, Toronto, p. 215.

How Did The Canadians Travel to Michigan?

In the days of Cadillac and thereafter for awhile they traveled by canoe. It is believed that they basically followed the St. Lawrence into Lake Ontario into Lake Erie and then here. Near the end of that century I have no idea how they changed things. After that there was no one pattern that they followed. I have gone to conferences the past few years to learn that info and the speakers don't really seem to know themselves. I know when the train arrived around 1850 the Grand Trunk went from the Riviere-du-Loup area to Sarnia. They have a good drawing of that in a museum I visited in Montreal. But I also know there was a pattern from the Isle Verte area to Belle River (near Windsor) then to Michigan and to Bay City and then to Alpena. I think there were a lot of different routes they took. Source: Gail Moreau, Researcher from Michigan

Oh Canada!

CALIXA LAVALLÉE (1842-1891) was initiated to the piano, violin, organ, and cornet by his father, a musical instrument maker. By 1855 he was studying piano in Montreal with Paul Letondal and Charles Wugk Sabatier. In 1857 he left Canada to perform as a musician in the USA and later toured in South America. After serving in the US Civil War he returned to Canada in 1863 to teach and give concerts in Montreal. During 1865-66 he spent some time in California, then married in Lowell, Mass. He settled in Boston, then moved to New York where he was appointed music director of the Grand Opera House from 1870-72. He returned to Montreal and a public subscription allowed him to spend 1873-75 in Paris where he studied piano with Marmontel, and composition with Boieldieu fils. Returning to Montreal Lavalleé opened a teaching studio with the violinist-composer Jéhin-Prume and served as choirmaster at St. James Church 1875-79. Best known as the composer of "O Canada", he was one of Canada's most active and versatile musicians of his day. His career eventually took him to Boston, where he remained until his death.



© Lucie LeBlanc Consentino
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