Scattered to the Wind is a book I recently received and I have been reading it. It is about the Dispersal and Wanderings of the Acadians 1755-1809.
If you haven't read it, I would recommend it. I am going to post a few exherts from it to give you an idea of some of the information in the book.
"Some St John Acadians (New Brunswick) evaded a second British attempt to capture prisoners in Nov.1756 but many of these fugitives were forced to migrate to Quebec when the British troops destroyed their homes and crops. Only the most stubborn and determined Acadians remained along the St John River, reoccupying their devastated farmsteads. On the night of January 28 or 29 1759, a band of British Rangers attacked Sainte-Anne, the largest remaining Acadian settlement along the St John River, and set ablaze all of their homes there. More than 25 prisoners were taken, and those prisoners who refused to assist the attackers in burning Acadian homes were put to death, including women and children. The survivors either went up to Canada or sought refuge in the woods."
Another section reads;
" Under the leadership of Abbe Le Guerne,most of the refugees along the upper coast (some estimates place the figure at about 4.000) made their way to the Miramichi area. Having fled their homes with little more than the clothes they carried on their backs, these refugees, many of whom were women who's husbands had already been sent into exile from Beaubassin, lacke adequate shelter,food and clothing. Pierre de Rigaud, the marquis of Vaudreuil, governor of Canada described their plight." (Acadian mothers see their babes die at the breast not having enough wherewith to nourish them. The majority of the people cannot appear abroad for want of clothes to cover their nakedness. Many have died. The number of the sick is considerable and those convalescent cannot regain their strenth on account of the wretched quality of their food, being often under the necessity of eating horse meat, extremely lean sea-cow and skins of oxen. Such of the state of the Acadians.)
The book goes on about when the exiled Acadians arrived at the port where they were shipped to, and how no one wanted them. How some became slaves, how they caught smallpox and other diseases. Just imagine what they must have gone through ,our Acadian Ancestors.
In one of the exherts I mentioned about the British Rangers attacking the village of Sainte-Anne (Pays Bas) well there were Bergeron-Damboise, Godins,Pare, Bellefontaines,Roys,etc many of who are some of our ancestors, in July 2009 La Societe Historique Riviere St Jean is having a comemoration in Fredericton New Brunswick (formerly Sainte Anne des Pays Bas) ,and we are also holding a Bergeron-Damboise Reunion at the same time to honor Barthelemy Bergeron dit Damboise and Genevieve Serreau, we are inviting anyone that descends from Barthelemy , or from Gabriel Godin dit Bellefontaine, or the Roys, Pare, Saindons ,to come join us July 18 and 19th. For more information , go to bergeron-damboise@googlegroups.com Hope to see you there. I do hope you enjoyed today's blog.
Thanks for the lovely visit, do drop by again soon.
Have a great day
Aline