|
Grand Dérangement
Acadians are the original French people who settled the areas now called Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. starting
in the early 17th century. The first French settlers arrived in 1604, but actual colonies didn't take root until the 1630s.
Throughout the 1600s, various treaties flipped ownership of the Acadian colonies between the French and the English. In the
early 18th century, the War of Spanish Succession spilled over into North America. The Treaty of Utrecht ended the war in
1713 and made the Acadians permanent British subjects.
In 1730, the Acadians signed an oath swearing allegiance to
the British Crown, but stipulating that Acadians would not have to take up arms against the French or Indians.
At
the beginning of the French and Indian War in 1754, the British government demanded that Acadians take an oath of allegiance
to the Crown that included fighting against the French. Most of them refused.
British Governor Charles Lawrence and
the Nova Scotia Council decided to deport the Acadians on July 28, 1755. About 6,000 Acadians were forcibly removed from their
colonies and dispersed among the 13 American colonies. Many colonies refused to take refugees and sent the Acadians to Europe.
The British military ordered the Acadians' homes and barns to be burned down. Families were separated in the deportation and
many lost everything they owned. Acadians call the deportation the Grand Dérangement, or Great Expulsion, of 1755.
Some Acadians fled into the woods and to French territories such as Ile St-Jean, which is now P.E.I. When Louisbourg,
the last French stronghold on the Atlantic coast, fell in 1758, British troops rounded up over 3,000 Acadians from former
French holdings and sent them to France.
Estimates on the total number of Acadians displaced in the Grand Dérangement
range from 10,000 to 18,000. Thousands more were killed.
The Acadians were allowed to return to Nova Scotia at the
end of the French and Indian War in 1764. Some Acadians deported to France settled in Louisiana. Although it was a Spanish
colony at the time, Louisiana retained its French culture, and the Acadians' descendents, the Cajuns, became a major cultural
influence.
Most of today's Acadians live in New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, with some in parts of Maine and
Quebec.
![Northern Lights, Southern Cross 1975 [click]](sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/northern_lights_southern_cross_huge.jpg.w300h282.jpg)
|
| Capitol ST-11440 1975 |
Acadian Driftwood
(Robbie Robertson)
The war was over and the spirit was broken
The hills were smokin' as the men withdrew
We stood on
the cliffs, oh and watched the ships
Slowly sinking to their rendezvous
They signed a treaty and our homes were taken
Loved
ones forsaken, they didn't give a damn
Trying to raise a family, end up the enemy
Over what went down on the plains
of Abraham.
Acadian driftwood
Gypsy tail wind
They call my home the land of snow
Canadian cold front movin'
in
What a way to ride
Oh, what a way to go
Then some returned to the motherland
The high command had them cast away
And some stayed on to finish
what they started
They never parted, they're just built that way
We had kin livin' south of the border
They're a
little older and they've been around
They wrote a letter life is a whole lot better
So pull up your stakes, children
and come on down
Fifteen under zero when the day became a threat
My clothes were wet and I was drenched to the bone
Been
out ice fishing, too much repetition
Make a man wanna leave the only home he's known
Sailing out of the gulf headin'
for Saint Pierre
Nothin' to declare, all we had was gone
Broke down along the coast, but what hurt the most
When
the people there said "You better keep movin' on"
Everlasting summer filled with ill-content
This government had us walkin' in chains
This isn't my
turf, this ain't my season
Can't think of one good reason to remain
I've worked in the sugar fields up from New Orleans
It
was ever green up until the floods
You could call it an omen, points you where you're goin'
Set my compass north, I
got winter in my blood.
Acadian driftwood
Gypsy tail wind
They call my home the land of snow
Canadian cold front
movin' in
What a way to ride
Oh, what a way to go.
Sais tu, Acadie, j'ai le mal du pays
Ta neige, Acadie, fait des larmes au soleil
J'arrive
Acadie
You know, Acadia, I long for the country (I am homesick)
our snow, Acadia, makes tears in the sun (or for the sun)
I am arriving Acadia (or I am coming Acadia)
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
related internet links
|
|
an indepth look
from the CBC News Online
archives.dated December
10, 2003
An Acadian history is presented in a
fresh, innovative approach, via the
routes and roots of an Acadian family
originating in France during the
medieval period, up to and including
the deportation from Acadie (1755-1783).
Subsequent books follow these Acadians
after exile in Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island,
New Brunswick, Quebec and Louisiana.
An easy-to-use, genealogical system,
including a unique master chart system
is presented and explained. The genealogy
system and the general history
presented in these books are
applicable and of interest to all Acadians.
Also the French-Canadian branches are
presented in the France and Acadie book.
the beginnings
a nice overview of
the first Acadian settlements
in what is now Nova Scotia
To some, Acadia, is a remote corner
of New Brunswick, to others a
historic area of Nova Scotia’s
Annapolis Valley. Many believe it
includes the three Maritime provinces
and even extends into Quebec.
There is confusion about Acadia’s
origin and meaning, and few
people agree on the exact area
it encompasses, yet it is a name
of extensive geographical, historical,
and cultural significance.
a detailed overview of Acadian
and Cajun history.
Acadians in Cumberland County
after it was determined it had been
in the wrong place for 81 years.
from the CBC news website
dated Fri, 24 Jun 2005
a Portal To Acadian-Cajun
Genealogy & History Online
L 'histoire en Francais
en Anglaise
a very detailed website
on, about and by
The Landry Family
Bonjour and thanks for visiting our website.
We hope that your visit to our
website is an enjoyable one.
Our site is the result of years of
research into Landry stuff. There
are many cousins located throughout
Louisiana, the United States, Canada,
and even France who are interested in
the history and the genealogy
of the LANDRY FAMILIES.
"laissez
les bon temps rouler"
on which Acadian Driftwood appeared
-History
devoted to the study, preservation
and promotion of Acadian heritage
and genealogy among individuals
of Acadian descent, and serves
as a resource for the exchange
of Acadian information
the histories of one Acadian family
After more than twenty years
of research Bill Gerrior has
completed the Girouard Family book.
a truly amazing feat, a truly amazing website
Louis Robichaud's
New Brunswick
They called him a man of
destiny, and indeed he was.
born to a large Acadian
family
and educated
in a one-room
schoolhouse.he became the
province's
first-elected Acadian premier
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![Northern Lights, Southern Cross 1975 [click]](/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=https://prairiedogguide.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/northern_lights_southern_cross_huge.jpg&target=tlx_new)
