For a little over two decades I’ve been searching through old records and history books, putting together the family histories of both my parents. It’s been an interesting trip which isn’t over by far, and it’s led me to some of the most startling findings - some happy and some very sad.
My ancestor on my Paternal side, Pierre Gaudin dit Chatillon, came to “New France” in 1635 as part of La Grande Recruè - 153 tradesmen, pioneers, nurses and teachers, under the leadership of M. De Maisonneuve, founder and Governor of Villemarie - Montreal.
After some 20 years in Montreal Pierre moved his family to Acadia, joining his oldest son Laurent who was already established at Beaubassin, a growing Acadian settlement in the Cumberland Basin at the isthmus of the Bay of Fundy.
The picture above, taken at Fort Beausèjour, built by the French in 1751 sits high above the wide expanse of marshland, which the Acadians diked, growing an abundance of crops and raising large herds of livestock.
The family connection with this particular area is one of the reasons my wife and I visited this and several other areas in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia last summer. The land on which Fort Beausèjour was built was once owned by Laurent, and was named after him. I had mistakenly thought he, and his brother Pierre, once resided and farmed there, but standing on that majestic piece of land, I realized he may have owned it, but he had actually resided in the Beaubassin settlement some distance from the fort.
My ancestor on my Paternal side, Pierre Gaudin dit Chatillon, came to “New France” in 1635 as part of La Grande Recruè - 153 tradesmen, pioneers, nurses and teachers, under the leadership of M. De Maisonneuve, founder and Governor of Villemarie - Montreal.
After some 20 years in Montreal Pierre moved his family to Acadia, joining his oldest son Laurent who was already established at Beaubassin, a growing Acadian settlement in the Cumberland Basin at the isthmus of the Bay of Fundy.
The picture above, taken at Fort Beausèjour, built by the French in 1751 sits high above the wide expanse of marshland, which the Acadians diked, growing an abundance of crops and raising large herds of livestock.
The family connection with this particular area is one of the reasons my wife and I visited this and several other areas in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia last summer. The land on which Fort Beausèjour was built was once owned by Laurent, and was named after him. I had mistakenly thought he, and his brother Pierre, once resided and farmed there, but standing on that majestic piece of land, I realized he may have owned it, but he had actually resided in the Beaubassin settlement some distance from the fort.
The fort itself was very large and built in a star formation. Surrounded by a deep moat with high berms. Its design made it virtually impenetrable.
Unfortunately, the French never believed the English would attack en masse and on foot, which they did. The berms and moat keep the enemy at bay, but a slight rise in the land at the rear of the fort allowed the English to shoot their guns down into the fort, eventually forcing the French to surrender to the British in 1755 and was later renamed Fort Cumberland.
Each summer for the past five years Parks Canada has offered public participation in their very popular “Public Archaeology Experience,” a program which invites anyone to come and dig with the Archeologists, at the Beaubassin settlement.
I’ll tell you more in the next installment about my one day participation, and how it felt to be looking for artifacts in as small section of land on which my ancestors may have lived in the early 1700's.
Picture and numbered descriptions of Fort Beausèjour, courtesy of Parks Canada
Unfortunately, the French never believed the English would attack en masse and on foot, which they did. The berms and moat keep the enemy at bay, but a slight rise in the land at the rear of the fort allowed the English to shoot their guns down into the fort, eventually forcing the French to surrender to the British in 1755 and was later renamed Fort Cumberland.
Each summer for the past five years Parks Canada has offered public participation in their very popular “Public Archaeology Experience,” a program which invites anyone to come and dig with the Archeologists, at the Beaubassin settlement.
I’ll tell you more in the next installment about my one day participation, and how it felt to be looking for artifacts in as small section of land on which my ancestors may have lived in the early 1700's.
Picture and numbered descriptions of Fort Beausèjour, courtesy of Parks Canada
Hi Don ,
ReplyDeleteGreat job so far , looking forward to reading more .. Good Luck
Rick