Sheriff Jordan's account of the Bonnie and Clyde ambush.

http://bonnieandclydehistory.blogspot.com/2010/05/henderson-jordans-ambush-account.html

Marine Toxicologist, Dr. Riki Ott, discusses the untold effects of the BP oil spill and the comparisons with the Exxon Valdez spill which occurred in Alaska.

Marine Toxicologist, Dr. Riki Ott, discusses the untold effects of the BP oil spill and the comparisons with the Exxon Valdez spill which occurred in Alaska.

A must see: Dr. Riki Ott reports on scientific data collected in the Gulf and coastal areas regarding toxic dispersant and oil related chemicals which were found to be hundreds times the critical and highly toxic concentrations, the data collected regarding the wildlife health toll and current human health toll of the medical complications caused by these toxins and the misrepresentation and false communication of the government, the oil companies and the media regarding the data.

"Riki Ott, PhD is a marine biologist and toxicologist, author of Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, an enlightening read with multiple eyewitness accounts and her own direct experience of that disaster. Dr. Ott’s book confirms the serious medical consequences of massive chemical exposure from oil spills and serves as a dire warning that the Gulf oil spill is likely to affect our planet and its population in catastrophic ways." 

Taken from: http://www.health-matrix.net/2010/09/16/the-day-the-water-died-detoxing-after-the-gulf-oil-spill/

The Unofficial Commencement of the French-Indian Wars and The Acadian Exile - Le Grand Dérangement "Great Expulsion"

The French and Indian conflicts with Great Britain were the result of a decades long territorial dispute over the Ohio Valley region and the Canadian areas of empirical claims.

As France and Britain historically struggled for power in the Americas, l'Acadie became caught in the stuggles for the reigns of power between the 2 empires.


The French and Indian conflicts with Great Britain were the result of a decades long territorial dispute over the Ohio Valley region and the Canadian areas of empirical claims. Ohio was important for a couple of reasons: firstly, it was a productive area for the fur trade; and secondly, the Thirteen Colonies (especially Virginia) wanted to expand westward and the French were in the way. The Americans were particularly unhappy that the French constructed Fort Duquesne in the area of contention. In 1753, the governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, sent an officer named George Washington to deliver a message ordering the French to leave. The French literally laughed in Washington's face.

"French and Indian" was a term designated by the British as the "opposition forces" that they confronted for empire expansion.Unlike the British, the French maintained relatively great relations with the Native Indian Tribes of Canada, including the Mi'kmaq Indians for certain reasons:

• The Thirteen Colonies often fought with one another and were by no means united.
  
  
• Indigenous peoples were suspicious of the Americans because they wanted to both trade with Indians and settle Indian lands.
  
  
• Indian peoples found the French more tolerable because Canadiens stressed trade as opposed to settlement.
  
  
• Consequently, the French were in a better position to construct a network of forts in North America's interior that effectively blocked the English-Americans.
  
  
• "Mido-chlorian Theory", i.e. The force was stronger with the French because they were born with more mido-chlorians than the English.

In Acadia (Nova Scotia) in late August and early September, 1755, the Neutral French Inhabitants of Acadia were immediately declared "non-citizens" and their land/livestock were confiscated. There was some confusion and anger among the French. However, the British were prepared. Lt. Col. John Winslow rounded up and imprisoned 2,000 Acadians. To escape expulsion some Acadians fled into the forests where they were hunted down by British troops. Many French managed to avoid capture and made it to Quebec. Nevertheless, by the end of the first year alone nearly 7,000 French had been successfully exiled to prison and concentration camps in the Thirteen Colonies, Englad and France.

Although many Acadians were able to find rfuge in Louisiana, the majority of Acadians migrated to Louisiana betweene the years, 1764 and 1770 with the last great migration being implemented by the Spanish Transport Ships of 1785 which transported Acadians who had been relocated to areas in and around Poitou France during the Great Expulsion years occurring between 1755 - 1762.

A doctor by the name of John Thomas, serving under Lt. Col. John Winslow, kept a detailed journal of the events in Acadia: “September 2nd. Pleasant day. Major Frye sent Lieutenant John Indocott’s detachment to the shore, with orders to burn the village at a place called Peteojack. September 18. Very strong gusts of wind, with rain and snow. Major Prible returned from an expedition with his men, who had burned 200 houses and barns. November 19th. Cold. We rounded up 230 head of cattle, 40 sows, 20 sheep and 20 horses and we came back. We have started moving the inhabitants out. The women were very distressed, carrying their newborns in their arms; others brought along in carts their infirm parents and their personal effects. In short, it was a scene in which confusion was mixed with despair and desolation.

The majority of Acadians were deported to New England, where they were not welcome: “The French neutrals arouse the general discontentment of the population, because they are papist zealots, lazy and of a quarrelsome mind,” declared the governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, who probably never met a French person in his life. He continued, “We have very few Catholics here, which makes the population very anxious for its religious principles and makes it fear that the French shall corrupt our Negroes."

The ships transporting the Acadians were overcrowded as the French were squished into holds to the point of suffocation. These transports were little more than prison ships. Some of the Acadians ended up in England and France, some in the Caribbean (Antilles), a scattered few in the English Colonies, and a number of them settled in Louisiana.

In 1758, the English captured Louisbourg and a final series of deportations began. The most infamous of all the persecuting British officers was Robert Monckton. Those French who resisted deportation (and weren't executed outright) were sent on an all expenses paid vacation to England where they labored for years in concentration camps. After their stay in England was over, the French were sent to France where they felt and were treated like foreigners.

When the expulsion finally ended in 1762, over 10,000 people had been removed; and of those 3,000 had died due to shipwrecks and disease. In 1764, the deportations officially came to an end and the ban on Acadians was lifted. The ban was lifted only because New France had been conquered and was no longer a threat. Approximately 3,000 people returned to Nova Scotia to start over again. However, many of the French returned only to find their farms occupied by English settlers. Consequently, the majority of these people migrated north-west to found settlements in present day New Brunswick.

Come and visit our website, this post is also posted there: http://www.louisianeacadien.com/fiwar.html

Journal of John Winslow of the Provincial Troops While Engaged in Removing the Acadian French Inhabitants from Grand-Pré In the Autumn of the Year 1755

Journal of John Winslow of the Provincial Troops While Engaged in Removing the Acadian French Inhabitants from Grand-Pré In the Autumn of the Year 1755

From My Camp at Grand-Pre, Nova Scotia,
August 22nd 1755

I embarked on the sixteenth with three hundred and thirteen men, officers included, having with me Captains Adams, Hobbs, and Osgood in three vessels bound for Porte Edward, where we the next day arrived and I found there a memorandum sent by Colonel Lawrence, the Governor of Nova Scotia, which directed me to take up my quarters at the Basin of Minas. Whereupon, on the next tide, I came down the river and entered into the Gaspereau, where we landed.

Have taken up my quarters here in Grand-Pré between the Church and Chapel yard, having the Priest's House for my own accommodation and the Church for a Place of Arms. Am picketing my Camp to prevent a surprise. Expect to be joined with two hundred more men soon.

As to the Inhabitants, commonly called the Neutrals, the point seems to have been settled in relation to them and they are to be removed. They are as yet in Ignorance of the Reason of my coming here. This is a fine day and they seem to be very busy with their harvesting.

I have the pleasure to inform his Majesty's Government that the Army in general enjoys a good state of health, although it is likely we shall soon have our hands full of a disagreeable Business to remove a people from their ancient habitations which in this part of the Country are very valuable.

The Orders of the Day: No soldier to Straggle from this Camp down the street of the Village without special permission and leave from me.

The Main body of the Church to be made clear for the reception of men and provisions. The Troops, with the exception of the Guard and the Sentry, will hereafter lodge in this Camp.



August 24th

Yesterday I received a month's provisions for four hundred men, which I have deposited in the Church. I have pitched my Tents and lodged my men in them; and if my Palisades hold out, shall finish my picjeting this day. There is a small House within the pickets which I have made into a Captains' quarters.

One thing I still lack, which is a guard room, and I have a frame up and partly enclosed and there are old boards enough here to cover it. I shall put His Majesty to n o expense in the whole but for Nails, of which if the Commissary h ave any in store I should be glad of one thousand and can not well do without them, as also a Lock of any kind so it be stout for the Church door.

Jock (Jacques) Terreo (Theriault) informs me that the Inhabitants of Grand-Pré are redily complying with our demand of Cattle and that these should be of the best. We this day drive to the Woods to collect the herds together.

Instructions for Lieutenant-Colonel John Winslow:

Destina tions of the Vessels in the Basin of Minas: North Carolina, Mary Land and Virginia. Each person so embarked is to be allowed 5 pounds of flour and 1 pound of pork for every seven days.

With relation to the means necessary for collecting the people together so as to get them on board. If you find that Fair means will not do with them you must Proceed by the most Vigorous measures possible not only in compelling them to Embark, but in depriving those who shall escape of all means of shelter by Burning their Houses and Destroying everything that will afford them means of subsistence in their Country.

As soon as the Transports have received their people on baord and are ready to Sail you are to acquaint the Commander of his Majesty's ship therewith that he may take them under Convoy and put to Sea without loss of Time.



August 30th

As the Corn is now all down, the weather being such as has helped the Inhabitant's housing of it, it is my opinion that the orders be mde public next Friday, on which day we purpose to put these orders into execution.



AT MY CAMP

September 1st

Three of the extra Transports have arrived and the Inhabitants have been on Board eager to know their Errand, but as I was early with the Ships' masters, I gave them instructions to say that they were to come to attend me and the Troopos wherever I pleased. These Transports inform me that there is eleven more Sail coming from Boston and would weigh anchor shortly.

This day, September 2nd, 1755, I posted his Majesty's proclamation in the village of Grand-Pré, giving notice to the People that they assemble in the Church on Friday at three of the Clock.



September 5th

I have found it expedient to add this clause to the Proclamation in the village of Grand-Pré:

That all Horned Cattle, sheep, Goats, Hogs and Poultry of all kinds that were this Day suposed to be Vested in the French Inhabitants of this Province are become forfeited to his Majesty whose Property they now are, and every Person of the French Denomination is to take care not to Hurt, Kill, or Destroy anything of any kind nor to rob Orchards of Gardens or to make Waste of anything whatsoever, Dead or Alive, in these Districts without Orders from me.

The Orders of the Day: The French Inhabitants to repair to their quarters in the Church at Tattoo and in the day not to extend their walks to the Eastward of the Commandant's Quarters without leave from the officers of the Guard. A patrol of a Sergeant and twelve men to walk constantly round the Church. The Sentries everywhere to be doubled.

These French people not having any provisions with them in the Church and pleading Hunger, I ordered that for the future they be supplied from their respective families.

Thus ends my Memorable fifth of September, a Day of great Fatigue for me and Trouble.

Grand-Pré Church announcement to Acadians of their exile - September 5, 1755 - Painting: The Deportation by C. W. Jefferys

September 10th

I sent for Father (as in head of the family) Landry, their principal Speaker who talks English, and I told him the time was come for the Inhabitants to begin Embarking and that we would start with the Young Men and that I desired he would inform his Brethren of it. He was greatly Surprised.

I told him that as I Viewed the matter it must be done and that I should order the Prisoners to be drawn up Six Deep, their Young Men on the left, and as the Tide would in a very little time favor my Design I could not give them above an Hour to prepare for going on Board. I then Commanded our whole Party to be under Arms and Post themselves between the two gates and the Church in the rear of my Quarters, which was obeyed and agreeable to my Directions.

The Whole of the French Inhabitants were drawn together in one Body, their Young Men as directed to the left. I then ordered the Prisoners to march, but they all answered that they could not go without their Fathers.

I told them that was a word New England did not understand, for that the King's Command was to me Absolute and should be, on my part, Absolutely obeyed. That I did not love Harsh means but the Time did not permit of parleying. Then I ordered the whole Troops to fix their Bayonets and advance toward the French with the repeated order to march.

The Which they then did, though Slowly, and they went singning and crying and praying, being met by the Women and Children all the way (the road is rough and a mile and a half long) with great lamentations and upon their knees.

I began at once to Embark these Inhabitants who went so Sorrowfully and Unwillingly, the Women in great distress carrying their Children in their arms and Others carrying their decrepit Parents in their Wains and all their Goods moving in dire Confusion. It appeared indeed a matter of Woe and Distress.

Thus Proceeds a Troublesome Job, and little to my liking. After this Captain Adams Fell Down from the Gaspereau.



September 11th

I made strict enquiry how those Young Men made their escape yesterday and by every circumstance found one Francois Hubert (Hebert) was either the Contriver or Abettor, who was on Board at the time and his Effects shipped. I ordered him ashore, allowed him to proceed to hiw own House and then in his presence burned both his House and Barn.

There are certain Instructions which must be given to the Masters of these Transports. Thomas Church of the Leopard, bound for Mary Land, will sail first. I will write him in this wise:

Sir:
You having received on Board your Schooner certain Men, Women and Children, being part of the French Inhabitants of the Province of Acadie in Nova Scotia, you are to Proceed with them when Wind and Weather permit to his Majesty's Governor in Mary Land and upon your arriving there you are to Wait upon the Honorable Horatio Sharp, Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief, and make all possible Dispatch in Debarking your Passengers.

You are to take care that no Arms or offensive Weapons of any kind are on Board with your passengers and to be as careful and watchful as possible during the whole course of your Voyage to prevent these Prisoners from making an attempt to take the Ship. To guard against any attempt to seize your Vessel you will allow only a Small Number to be on Deck at a time.

See that the Provisions be regularly issued to the people and for your greater Security you are to wait on the Commander of his Majesty's Ship Nightingale and desire the Benefit of his Convoy.

Wishing you a successful Voyage, and given under my hand at the Camp of Grand-Pré, Anno Domino, Seventeen hundred and fifty-five.

John Winslow



I have made out a Summary of this Unplesant Business upon which I, Lieutenant-Colonel John winslow of the Army of Boston, was Detailed. I caused to be Burned the following in the region round about the Basin of Minas:

- Barns 276
- Houses 255
- Mills 11
- Churches 1
- Total 543

I shipped one thousand five hundred and ten Inhabitants from Grand-Pré on certain Vessels to Strange Parts, where these French will needs find themselves Houses. The Brig Hannah, Captain Adams in command, will take her way to Philadelphia. The Industry and the Leopard, Goodwin and Church being their Masters, are on their Route to Mary Land. I have started the Prosperous, the Mary, and the Sally and Molly to the region of Virginia.

Winter will be coming on apace in this Camp and the Sea beats desolately against the Shore.

Louisiane Acadien - Our Mission and Focuses

If I were to describe Louisiane Acadien and our focus: There are some Acadian / Cajun history and genealogy sites that operate outside Louisiana, their family lines haven't really experienced the generations of intense struggle in Louisiana after the deportation, although they attempt to portray themselves as authorities on the exile and the Louisiana migration, settlement and authentic Cajun life. They also have focuses on selling information, family trees and trinket products like on Cafe Press. We're not about that. And, we are not in competition with any other Acadien site to be the "best" or most "authoritative". Our work and mission is very specific and there is no site like comes close to matching the mission or significance of our work for Louisiana and our Acadian history combined with our current Cajun cultural struggles.

Louisiane Acadien stems from a family and cultural history that has a "certified & documented direct family line" to:
1) The founding of TWO Canadian National Historic Sites : a) The Melanson Settlement near Port Royal and b) the founding of Grand-Pré, l'Acadie, Minas Basin
2) the family being exiled from Nova Scotia during the deportation in 1755,
3) being held prisoner during the exile from 1755 - 1763,
4) given land grants & being allowed to settle in Louisiana at the historic "Acadian Coast - St. Jacques de Cabohannocé - St. James Parish",
5) our involvement in the War of Independence, American Revolution in which our families jumped at the change to avenge their families and fight the British during both the American Revolution and the War of 1812,
6) our families struggles of being called into action to combat against the Union Anglicization forces by the Confederate States of America in 1861 although they preferred to remain "Neutral French" much like as in the situations that led to the deportation of 1755
7) being forced to turn our backs on, and shamed and persecuted for, our culture once again in the 1920's through the English Only legislation, and then
8) the generations that struggled to reclaim our language and culture only to realize the reality of the intense and numerous threats to our land and culture through our coastal erosion, the double edge sword of oilfield wealth and coastal storm disasters.

Yes, Louisiane Acadien is an authentic story of the reality of from Grand-Prè to Louisiana, both Acadian Refuge from the 1760's settlement years through to our present day struggles and intense culturally threatening issues that we currently face. Our families have lived it, authentically.

Enjoy our historic site: http://www.louisianeacadien.com/
Blog: http://louisianeacadien.blogspot.com/
Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/louisianeacadien
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_117602724981707&ap=1

Merci Beaucoup mes amis et Vive l'Acadie de Louisiane!

Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast

An excellent and sobering look at what is happening from the ground level and the people who are living it in lower Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. It is the story of the "Americanization" of the people and the region through which they pay the ultimate price. The 2010 edition includes an introduction entitled "Introduction: After the Oil Spill" in which Tidwell discusses the impacts of the Deep Water Horizon disaster and the incomprehensible contamination of the region with the deathly toxic Corexit, nicknamed by the locals, "Agent Orange".


Tidwell visits the bayou regions of Louisiana and spends time with Cajun and United Houma Nation families in such bayou coastal communities as Galliano, Cut Off,Golden Meadow, Leeville, Port Fourchon - (Lafourche Parish) and Cocodrie, Bayou Petite Caillou, Chauvin, Bayou Grand Caillou, and Dulac (Terrebonne Parish). During his time with these families, Tidwell soaks up the wonderful story of the heritage, history and celebrations of the once bountifully and naturally rich region.


He also learns of the reality of the region's impending doom at the hands of 2 double edge swords: 1) the oil companies who for at least a few generations, provided the people with opportunity and work, and 2) man's containment of the Mississippi River which now, no longer replenishes the region with it's once rich and overflowing silt.

Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast
The Cajun coast of Louisiana is home to a way of life as unique, complex, and beautiful as the terrain itself. As award-winning travel writer Mike Tidwell journeys through the bayou, he introduces us to the food and the language, the shrimp fisherman, the Houma Indians, and the rich cultural history that makes it unlike any other place in the world. But seeing the skeletons of oak trees killed by the salinity of the groundwater, and whole cemeteries sinking into swampland and out of sight, Tidwell also explains why each introduction may be a farewell—as the storied Louisiana coast steadily erodes into the Gulf of Mexico. "Part travelogue, part environmental exposé, Bayou Farewell is the richly evocative chronicle of the author's travels through a world that is vanishing before our eyes."


Information from the U.S. Geological and Coastal Geology Program on the devastating impacts brought to the region by "Americanization" through the dredging of navigation canals to provide access to oil and gas wells.


From: U.S. Geological Survey Marine and Coastal Geology Program - Louisiana Coastal Wetlands: A Resource At Risk


Louisiana's 3 million acres of wetlands are lost at the rate about 75 square kilometers annually, but reducing these losses is proving to be difficult and costly.


"The swamps and marshes of coastal Louisiana are among the Nation's most fragile and valuable wetlands, vital not only to recreational and agricultural interests but also the State's more than $1 billion per year seafood industry. The staggering annual losses of wetlands in Louisiana are caused by human activity as well as natural processes. U.S. Geological Survey scientists are conducting important studies that are helping planners to understand the life cycle of wetlands by detailing the geologic processes that shape them and the coast, and by providing geologic input to models for mitigation strategies." - S. Jeffress Williams, U.S. Geological Survey

Fragile wetlands are readily damaged, directly and indirectly, by canals dredged for navigation and energy exploration.




Human activities during the past century have drastically affected the wetlands.


Natural processes alone are not responsible for the degradation and loss of wetlands in the Mississippi River delta plain. The seasonal flooding that previously provided sediments critical to the healthy growth of wetlands has been virtually eliminated by construction of massive levees that channel the river for nearly 2000 kilometers; sediment carried by the river is now discharged far from the coast, thereby depriving wetlands of vital sediment. In addition, throughout the wetlands, an extensive system of dredged canals and flood-control structures, constructed to facilitate hydrocarbon exploration and production as well as commercial and recreational boat traffic, has enabled salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude brackish and freshwater wetlands. Moreover, forced drainage of the wetlands to accommodate development and agriculture also contribute to wetlands deterioration and loss.

NOAA map of the 3,858 oil and gas platforms extant in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006






Coastal Erosion


The environmental and economic consequences of coastal erosion in Louisiana are significant.


Barrier islands fronting the Mississippi River delta plain act as a buffer to reduce the effects of ocean waves and currents on associated estuaries and wetlands. Louisiana's barrier islands are eroding, however, at a rate of up to 20 meters per year; so fast that, according to recent USGS estimates, several will disappear by the end of the century. As the barrier islands disintegrate, the vast system of sheltered wetlands along Louisiana's delta plains are exposed to the full force and effects of open marine processes such as wave action, salinity intrusion, storm surge, tidal currents, and sediment transport that combine to accelerate wetlands deterioration.




Terrebonne Parish 
Over the past 150 years, the Isles Dernieres have undergone very rapid erosion and land loss due primarily to natural processes of relative sea-level rise, storms, and sand loss by coastal currents.

New Youtube Channel

We have a new Youtube Channel loaded with videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/louisianeacadien

Let us know what you think. Please subscribe to it.

Grand Réveil Acadien 2011 - 7th Annual Acadian Memorial Festival

March 18, 2011
7th Annual Acadian Memorial Festival Kickoff-cancelled

March 19, 2011
7th Annual Acadian Memorial Festival

Festival day takes place in Evangeline Oak Park on Saturday, March 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Celebrate Acadian culture in a lively way with music, food, fun, French theater, kids’ activities, lectures and demonstrations. This year's honored families are Boudreaux and Guillotte. Costumes encouraged! Don’t miss the 1 p.m. boat reenactment of the Acadians’ arrival on Bayou Teche. Free admission. Corner of South New Market Street and Evangeline Boulevard, St. Martinville, LA. (337)394-2258

7 am: Booth Set-up
9 am: Ray Trahan leads CAFA meeting, Acadian Memorial, upstairs
10 am: Opening ceremonies-Welcome, Prayer and Flag Raising, Intro for Honored Guests and GRA comments; Gazebo
10:30 am: Renaissance Cadienne Dance Troupe, corner of Evangeline Blvd & S New Market
11:15 am: Ray Trahan, GRA presentation, Acadian Memorial, upstairs
11 am: Cheri Armentor, Kids’ Mardi Gras Theater, City Hall Foyer
11 am-1 pm: Babineaux Fuselier Cajun Band: corner of Evangeline Blvd & S New Market
11:30 pm: Putt Putt Parade, Bayou Teche
11:45 am: Theatre Acadien, Acadian Memorial, downstairs
12 pm: Kathy Mier Kids’ Stories & Tintamarre, Meet in Cultural Heritage Center Media Room
12:30 pm: Boat Reenactors meet at the bridge, corner of Bridge and New Market Streets
1 pm: Boat Reenactment with ceremony & guests (Boudreaux and Guillotte families & Evangeline Queen)
2 pm: Ray Brassieur Cattle Branding lecture, Acadian Memorial upstairs
2-4 pm: Babineaux Fuselier Cajun Band: corner of Evangeline Blvd & S New Market
3 pm: Theatre Acadien Acadian Memorial, downstairs
Throughout the Day : L’Ordre Du Bon Temps sells Cajun food, 10 am till…
Clara Sonnier Darbonne, gardes-soleil exhibit, Cultural Heritage Center
Antique Boats and Motors, Antique Cars, Quilts, Arts & Crafts

Volunteers welcome and appreciated! Please contact the Acadian Memorial at 337-394-2258

This year’s festival theme is chosen to promote awareness of the upcoming Grand Réveil Acadien (Great Acadian Awakening), to be held throughout South Louisiana October 7-16, 2011. www.gra2011.org

Grand Réveil Acadien 2011

www.gra2011.org

November 20, 1755: Arrival of the First Acadian Deportation Ships at the British Colony Ports

The First Acadian Deportation Ships began arriving at the British Colony Ports November 20, 1755. Although the ships began to arrive, the captains of these ships were given orders to remain in port and keep the Acadians on the ships. Thus begins the second phase of Le Grand Dérangement in which the Acadians were held as prisoners on the ships and were refused permission to disembark. 

The Acadians arrived in the British colonies at the worst possible time. From " Star-Democrat Weekend Magazine, February 15, 1980; REFUGEES, ESPECIALLY FRENCH CATHOLICS WITHOUT FUNDS FOUND CHILLY RECEPTION HERE; (First of two Articles);by Dickson J. Preston": 
"England and France were in a state of undeclared war, and things were going badly for the English colonists in America. In July 1755 had come word of General Braddock's terrible defeat at Fort Duquesne, during which only young Col. George Washington of Virginia had shown military skill. All along the frontiers, the French and Indians were on the attack, murdering settlers, burning forts and houses, capturing livestock and carrying off scalps as trophies of war."

The Acadian exiles were unloaded in Maryland "just when the waves of Francophobia and anti‑Catholicism had crested. (Brasseaux ‑ FOUNDING OF A NEW ACADIA ‑ p. 37) This hostile attitude was strengthened by the articles that had been appearing in the Maryland Gazette throughout the summer and early fall of 1755 describing, what was obviously false rumors and accounts of murder and laying the country to waste being committed by the French and their Indian allies. Basil Sollers in his "The Acadians (French Neutrals) Transported to Maryland" that appeared in the Maryland Historical Magazine Vol III ‑ March, 1908 ‑ No. 1", reports on the propaganda and inflamatory articles that appeared in the Maryland Gazette in the summer and early fall of 1755. (Basil Sollers ‑ THE ACADIANS (FRENCH NEUTRALS) TRANSPORTED TO MARYLAND , pp 1‑5)

Many of the ships held the Acadians on board at port for between three and six months as they began to die from starvation, the horrific spread of fatal disease, and wretched sanitation conditions. The crowding of the ships made conditions aboard the vessels dangerous to health.

November 20, 1755

The Maryland Gazette announces the arrival of the first ship at Annapolis, Maryland, the Leopard, with 178 Acadian passengers from the region of Grand-Pré. The Ranger will arrive a few days later with 208 Acadians from Pigiguit.

The Leopard (87 tons burden, Thomas Church, master) with 178 passengers, an excess of 4 arrived in Annapolis harbor on November 20, 1755, followed by the Elizabeth (93 tons burden, Nathaniel Milbury, master), with 242 passengers, an excess of 56 over her complement. These two ships carried the Acadians from Grand Pré. (Basil Sollers ‑ THE ACADIANS (FRENCH NEUTRALS) TRANSPORTED TO MARYLAND , p 7)

The captains were refused immediate landing in the absence of Governor Sharpe, by the Maryland council. The captain of the Elizabeth, Nathanial Milberry, filed a complaint to the Maryland Council, stating that he was ordered to the Wicomico River area of the Eastern Shore to wait Governor Sharpe's review, but that no provisions were made for any compensation for food and supplies. ( Gregory Wood Acadians in Maryland - A Guide to the Acadians in Maryland in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.)

Less than a year after Le Grand Dérangement, legislation was passed in Maryland, which authorized the imprisonment of homeless Acadians and the “binding out” of their children to other families. 

The Acadians were quartered virtually as prisoners, not to leave town without a written permit of the selectmen under penalty of five days in prison or ten lashes. they depended on the cold hand of the public for food clothes and lodging and were given some provisions. (27 May 1756, Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland ‑[ Baltimore, 1930] 24: 542 ff. ‑ also Sollers "The Acadians (French Neutrals) Transported to Maryland" ‑ Maryland Historical Magazine 3 (1907): 18. Governors of the colonies received the Acadians with varying degrees of hostility. Governor Dulany of Maryland wrote: "They have eaten us up" 

The death toll in Maryland was heavy and by the time of the census of 1763, the population shrank from 913 in December, 1755 to 667 in 1763. Approximately 27% of the Acadians that were in Maryland died.

Click here for the Official Records of Robert Dinwiddie, LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF THE COLONY OF VIRGINIA, 1751-1758 and to obtain an idea of the utter malice and dissent  that the British held for the Acadians.

Excellent Cajun product from South Louisiana!

Low on the salt and big on the taste!


Peanuts Kajun Spice mix contains very low salt content - 35 mg per 1/4 teaspoon. That's approximately 140 mg per tsp as opposed to other similar Cajun and Creole seasonings which border 1240 mg sodium PER TSP! A healthy adult needs between 1500 and 2400 mgs of sodium per day, Kajun Spice is an awesome alternative without sacrificing authentic Cajun taste!


I have a can in my kitchen and let me tell ya, "Mais cher, C'est si bon, le mieux! ("It is so good, the best!")". A great product to enjoy great taste, be health conscious and support local Louisiana Products!


Peanuts Kajun Spices Website:  Peanuts Kajun Spices

(All products at Peanuts Kajun Spices are products certified authentic cajun by "Certified Cajun Product of Louisiana")

What a way to ride.. Oh, what a way to go...

Broke down along the coast
But what hurt the most
When the people there said
"You better keep movin' on"..

Acadian Driftwood, The Band, Northern Lights/Southern Cross lp

~ Musician, Poet, Hero, Friend - Robbie Robertson

To say that the song Acadian Driftwood has special significance for the Acadian ('Acadien' in French) people is beyond understatement! It was penned by The Band's Robbie Robertson, after he watched a documentary on Canadian television-- ACADIE, ACADIE, the story about Le Grand Dèrangement of 1755, the brutal, forced exile of the Acadiens from their American homeland of L'Acadie, now called Nova Scotia & New Brunswick, Canada. The account of the refugees making their way down from Canada to Louisiana where they became known as Cajuns, touched him deeply, resulting in this acclaimed musical masterpiece that touches the heart and soul of every Acadien.

When I first heard it way back when the Northern Lights / Southern Cross album was released in 1975, it was a powerful awakening! I knew that I was Acadien-Cajun but my family never gave us kids any details about what they euphemistically called "The Deportation". Once I realized the song was about notre histoire, our history, it was an emotional hit that prompted me to explore my cultural roots and powers me today, still. When I 'got' la vérité, the truth about the horrific exile of our ancestors, the song became more than just a song, it turned into a very personal anthem which brings tears to my eyes every single time I listen to it.

Now that more Acadiens are realizing the truth and the need to preserve this special culture, our cultural awakening, "Le Grand Réveil" is in high gear. I have the remarkable Robbie Robertson to thank for igniting the spark in me and we all have him to thank for cette chanson très important, this very important song!


Beaucoup de mercis éternellement.. eternal thanks Robbie and The Band! 

~ Evangeline Aucoin Gaudet



"One of Robbie Robertson’s all- time masterpieces, the album’s cornerstone".

"Robbie’s ability to create an historical voice that can speak so eloquently for several thousand real ones is a rare and precious gift".

"To capture the old time feel of the French at the end, Robbie consulted Quebecois lyricist and playwright Michel Lefebure and François Cousineau to help with the translation. It is hard to imagine anyone else in the world of popular music being able to pull this off. The net result is as evocative and magical as music ever gets."

From Northern Lights / Southern Cross album liner notes - Rob Bowman




  


















Acadian Driftwood lyrics:

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
Try'n' 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 ya 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
Ah, what a way to go

Sais tu, A-ca-di-e, j'ai le mal du pays
Ta neige, Acadie, fait des larmes au soleil
J'arrive Acadie, teedle um, teedle um, teedle ooh

( english translation of ending )
You know, A-ca-di-e, I get homesick
Your snow, Acadia, makes tears in the sun
I arrive Acadia, teedle um, teedle um, teedle ooh

~ Robbie Robertson


:: Right on notre frère, right on brother Robbie!

RIP Rick Danko & Richard Manuel  ((*))

Acadian Deportation - Québec History 10

Youtube Video on the Acadian Deportation - Québec History 10



The Acadians ( "Acadien" in French ) are the descendants of the French who settled in l'Acadie (Acadia) located in the Canadian Maritime provinces now known as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and what is now the US state of Maine. Acadian culture, a unique blend of French and native Mi'kmaq is very distinct, like no other. l'Acadie was founded in a region geographically separate from Quebec, Québecers and Acadians have different culture. But during the deportation many refugees fled to Québec and today almost all Québecers can say they have an Acadian ancestor. In Le Grand Derangement of 1755-1763, mostly during the Seven Years' War, British colonial officers, New England legislators and militia forcefully deported more than 14,000 Acadians from the maritime region.


Many later settled in Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns. University of Maine at Fort Kent history professor Roger Paradis said that this was a clear case of ethnic cleansing and genocide because, an attempt was made to make French Acadians disappear by scattering them throughout the 13 colonies. It was unnecessarily cruel in the sense that ships were overloaded, which resulted in disease, death, and the sinking of vessels. Families were broken up and the Acadians were sent to an alien and unfriendly land of exile. It is miraculous that the culture and nation survived! Vive les Acadiens!

"Who are your people? Where do they come from? What language do the speak? (how do you respond)

In response to Creole (French Creoles with ties to Louisiana)'s Facebook status on "Who are your people? Where do they come from? What language do the speak? (how do you respond)...


Pierre LaVerdure - siege of LaRochelle 1627 fled to England and came to l'Acadie in 1657 with Sir Thomas Temple; his son Pierre Mellanson dit LaVerdure - founded Grand-Pré, l'Acadie in 1680; his grandson Alexandre Miquoin Melanson and family were deported by the British from l'Acadie in late October 1755 on the "Elizabeth or Leopard" to Maryland. He and his family were listed on Snow Hill, MD census of "French Neutrals in MD" on July 7, 1763; his widow Osite Hebert and son Paul Melanson, age 4, (Listed on the "Acadian Memorial Wall of Names" - family #22) and were given a land grant in St. Jacques de Cabhannocer (St. James - 1st Acadian Coast) in 1766; Paul's son Gilbert Melançon moved to Bayou Lafourche in 1819 - current family land is 1/2 a mile from where he settled and we've been here or close ever since. Family spoke only French until 1920, then 2 generations of English as dictated by the LA school system until 1968 and now we are reclaiming our French language roots  :)

I carry our blood in my veins, mes cousins Acadiens.

Our families were scattered in 1755 and many of us ended up settling a "New" Acadia in South Louisiana instead of going back home to l'Acadie. Today I looked at the records of my family who were deported from Grand-Pre and held as "prisoners" for 7 years in Maryland.


ACADIAN CENSUS, MARYLAND 1763
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/md/
This Census was transcribed by Joan Harman
Submitted to the USGenWeb Census Project http://www.us-census.org/
Copyright (c) 2005 by Joan Harman
<Transcriber@US-Census.org>


TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
The 1763 census counted each person in an Acadian household.  
These Neutral French were deported by the British to the Colonies in 1755 .


L'humble Requete des habitants Neutres de L'acadie détenus dans la province de Maryland   
Envoyé par vos très humbles Serviteurs les habitants Neutre de L’acadie
Ce 7 Juillet 1763 


Etat des gens nutrals acadiens qui sont a Senouville 
(note: underlined struck thru on repro - Joan)  
A Snowville, En Maryland.


+  Alexandre melanson, osite melanson son epouse, jean melanson, magdeleine melanson, jacque melanson, joseph melanson, etienne melanson, paul melanson  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8


That brought my spirit back home today. I carry our blood in my veins, mes cousins Acadiens.

Le Grand Réveil Acadien / The Great Acadian Awakening

An early invitation to join a very important gathering & celebration! Oct 7- 16, 2011


:: Grand Réveil Acadien -   
Great Acadian Awakening

We have awakened a renewed spirit of our Cajun people and now invite everyone, including our international families and cousins, to support us in our efforts to preserve our at-risk culture! Vive l’Acadie!!








:: Louisiane-Acadie, aiming to fulfill the mission to mobilize all Acadians to participate in the continued expression of our native French language and culture, announces "Grand Réveil Acadien / Great Acadian Awakening”, a one week gathering of Acadians from around the world.

As the Louisiana gulf coast, where many Acadians settled, dwindles, the Cajuns are forced to move further north to English-speaking communities. Consequently, as the older generation of Acadians passes away, our French language and many Cajun traditions risk being lost forever. We cannot allow this to happen! 




From October 7 to October 16, 2011, the entire Acadiana Region will open its doors to welcome family and friends, who want to celebrate and assist in helping preserve the Acadian/Cajun culture, customs, traditions and history of the first North American settlers, the Acadians. The "Grand Réveil Acadien / Great Acadian Awakening” will be held the week before Festival Acadiens et Créoles and will close with a huge celebration of renewal on the last day of the Festival.

After engaging a group of young adult Cajuns (Les Jeunes Cadiens) to represent the Louisiana Acadians at the 2009 World Acadian Congress, an awakening of their heritage became evident. "The spirited Acadians of the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick , hosts of the 2009 Congress, more particularly the “Grand Rassemblement Jeunesse”, sparked a renaissance and awakening of our younger generation's pride and interest in preserving their Cajun ancestor's native French language and culture,” states Louisiane-Acadie President Ray Trahan.


The Acadians left France in the early 1600s to colonize “Acadie,” present - day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada. Years after the Deportation of 1755, over 3,000 Acadians arrived and settled in south Louisiana bringing with them the French language and rich French-Acadian customs. These settlers, now called "Cajuns," are estimated to number over 600,000. 


When Cajun parents/grandparents pass away, material possessions from those loved ones are dearly preserved to remember and honor them. "There is no better way to honor and remember our loved ones, than to keep and to live their native French language and culture,” says Trahan.


The importance of keeping this momentum cannot be lost. It is time to invite the world, especially those of Acadian descent, to join us, in Louisiana, and continue the fight to keep this culture alive!


For more information: please contact Ray Trahan at (337) 288 – 2681 or visit http://www.gra2011.org/ and http://www.louisiane-acadie.com/.

“Grand Réveil Acadien/Great Acadian Awakening” Mission: 

To awaken the population of Louisiana and the world, primarily those of Acadian descent, and in particular our youth, to the realization that, while we have made positive strides, the people of Louisiana are losing their French language, culture, and coastal land, and to seek support, partnerships, solutions and concerted plans of action through these large gatherings.


Executive Board Members:                      
President Ray Trahan
Vice-President Elaine Clement
Secretary Peggy Matt
Treasury Loubert Trahan
Philippe Gustin

Brenda Trahan
Valerie Broussard
Lucius Fontentot
Associate Members Sharon Alfred
Angie Istre
Information will be forthcoming as plans are finalized. The web sites, mentioned above, for Louisiane-Acadie are currently being developed and should be accessible shortly.


:: Sponsored by a grant from the State of Louisiana and the Lafayette Consolidated Government

The prison ships leave La Baie Française while people watch from Le Cap Enragé

:: On this day, October 8, 1755, the brutal deportation of the Acadien people, "Le Grand Dèrangement" was well under way for the 2nd day...

Le Cap Enragé  aka Cape Enrage, was the dramatic observation point for Le Grand Dèrangement where they watched the ships leave La Baie Française.. now called the Bay of Fundy. That historical point marked the beginning of the exile that scattered the refugees & forced many down to Louisiana.
  
After ten years of writing and performing primarily in English, following the first Acadian World Congress of 1994, *Acadie(a)n-Cajun artist-activist Zachary Richard began to write again in French in earnest. One day while walking with his friend Denis Richard, Zachary discovered Le Cap Enragé in what is now New Brunswick, Canada, formerly l'Acadie. Returning to the hotel, no doubt overcome with emotion, envisioning what happened so many years ago, they composed the song that evening. 

Highly evocative Richard taps into it, deeply touching the collective Acadien-Cajun heart & soul with this beautiful song!

:: We post this here today in remembrance of our families and fellow Acadiens who were either imprisoned or forced to board the ships and leave l'Acadie, their American homeland. This was one of the first examples of state sponsored ethnic cleansing in North America. We honor our ancestors today and for the entire, sacred month of October. Vive l'Acadie! Vive Le Grand Réveil !!

~ E. Aucoin Gaudet





• Acadien with an 'en' is the French spelling of Acadian. As with many of our names, 'Acadian' with the 'an' ending, is the anglicized version of the original French. We prefer the French spelling! Nous préférons l'orthographe d'origine française! Bien sûr!

Cap Enragé Lyrics


(En français)
 
Cap Enragé

Le vent m’arrache la peau,
Il fouette les flancs et glace l’âme de mon bateau,
Amarré à la barre, j’entends ta voix, j’entends tes mots,
Chaque fois que le tonnerre me frappe de son echo.

Au large du Cap Enragé,
Au large de tous ce que j’ai perdu, tout ce que j’ai sauvé
Peut-être que je suis allé beaucoup trop loin pour empêcher,
Mon pauvre bateau de prendre l’eau et de couler.

Refrain:
Montre moi l’étoile pour me guider,
Prend le vent dans tes bras pour le calmer.
Je t’ai aimé, je t’ai aimé,
Jamais autant aimer, qu’au large du Cap Enragé.

Sur le Cap Enragé,
Elle guette avec les yeux abandonnés,
Envoyer une prière avec une voile déséspérée.
Si seulement je pouvais te faire comprendre la vérité.

(In english)
 
Cape Enrage

The wind tears my skin,
It whips the flanks and freezes the soul of my ship.
Tied to the tiller, I hear your voice, I hear your words
Each time that the thunder strikes me with its echo.

Offshore at Cape Enrage
Offshore from all that I have lost, all that I have saved.
Maybe I went too far to stop
My poor boat from taking water and sinking.

Chorus :
Show me the star to guide me,
Take the wind in your arms to calm it.
I have loved you, I have loved you,
But never loved you as much as offshore at Cape Enrage.

On Cape Enrage,
She watches with abandoned eyes.
Sending a prayer on desperate sails,
If only I could make you understand the truth.

  ~ Zachary Richard, Denis Richard

October 7th and 8th mark the beginning of the Acadian Deportation from their homeland

 October 7th and 8th mark the loading of Acadians on the first  2 ships and the beginning of "Le Grand Derangement". It was on the 7th and 8th, Oct 1755 that the British troops received the orders to load the ships leaving the Acadian's goods and belongings on the shores of l'Acadie. Many of these belongings were shockingly found 6 years later by the English Settlers of Nova Scotia sitting where the Acadians had left them while being dragged onto the ships.


It has been determined that members of my family from Grand-Pre were on either the "Elizabeth" or the "Leonard". Jean Dominigue Melanson, age 74 and his son Alexandre Miquoin Melanson along with Marie Osite Hebert Melanson and their children. In 1763 Alexandre and family were found in the French Neutrals section of Snow Hill Maryland: Alexandre Melanson, Osite Melanson, His wife and Jean Melanson, Melanson Magdelaine, Jacque Melanson, Joseph Melanson, Etienne Melanson, Paul Melanson ..................... 8. When the family arrived in the 1st Acadian Coast, St. Jacques de Cabanocey (St. James Parish - Convent, Louisiana) in 1766 Osite Hebert was listed as "widow of Alexandre Melanson" so Alexandre either died in Maryland or during the voyage to Louisiana, or quite possibly, right after arriving in Louisiana.


From "The Lion and the Lily" - Peter Landry -


"The Elizabeth and the Leynord were cleared and made ready to receive the first families from Grand Pré. Notices had gone out to the selected families to bring themselves and what of their personal possessions they could carry to the embarkation point. They were to meet on the 7th, but rainy weather delayed the embarkation of these first two vessels to the 8th.


In the meantime the news that it was now to really happen, that they were to be put on vessels and sent away from their lands, swarmed from family to family. The men, too, were to get the news from the family members who came aboard the prison ships as they had been allowed to do right along. A certain group of young men, about 24 of them, in the confusion of a rain storm, on the 7th, managed to make good an escape. According to an account given by Winslow, they had gotten away from two of the "prison ships" by disguising themselves as women. (It was a regular daily event for Acadian women to go back and forth to the vessels with baskets of food for their menfolk.) They got ashore and were on the loose for a number of days. Winslow was to launch an immediate investigation: he wanted to know how these men got loose. He was to determine that the escape took place mainly through the instigation of one Francis Hebert, "either the contriver or a better." Hebert, I believe, was one of the prisoners aboard the Leynord, presumably, one of the two vessels from which the young men had made their escape. Winslow was to pull Francis Hebert off the vessel together with "his effects shipt." Winslow then ordered that he should be brought to his (Hebert's) house, there, at Grand Pré. Herbert was then ordered to put all of his goods inside of his house. He then was made to stand there in front of his house, together, presumably, with a gathered crowd so that they might all witness the next event. The house was torched by the English together with all of Hebert's "effects." Then Winslow made pronouncement for all the spectators to hear, if "these men did not surrender themselves in two days, I should serve all their friends in the same manner."

So, it was, that the loading of the Acadian families started on October 8th, 1755. The Elizabeth and the Leynord were the first to be loaded and were to receive 80 families from the Grand Pré region. The Acadians embarked, as Winslow was to describe in his journal, "very sullenly and unwillingly, the women in great distress carrying off their children in their arms. Others carrying their decrepit parents in their carts and all their goods. Moving in great confusion and it appears as a scene of woe and distress."


"The Lion and the Lily" - Peter Landry
http://www.blupete.com/Hist/NovaScotiaBk1/Part6/Ch12.htm