Eel Fishing Nets on the Isle of Orleans
Quebec and Acadia's French Pioneers
From the early seventeenth century, people from France sought the better life that Canada could offer. While they faced great privations and obstacles, they soon benefited from the greater opportunities which the New World could provide. Those who settled along the shores of the St. Lawrence River founded what would become the province of Quebec and another group from France, founded a second colony which they called Acadia, located in the Maritime region. While the Quebecers flourished, the Acadians were expelled from their lands by the British during the early stages of the Seven Years War. Despite becoming widely dispersed, most Acadians returned to Canada, when it was safe to do so, regarding it as their homeland.
This book gives the pioneer couples centre stage. It describes their progress in establishing settlements in the St. Lawrence Valley and the Maritime region from the early days of the fur trade. The backgrounds and circumstances of the settlers varied as did the route they took towards finding a place to live in the New World. Farming was a major pursuit although most of the immigrants lacked a farming background. This apparent contradiction demonstrates how versatility and adaptability of character can be more important attributes than knowing the practicalities of farming.
The book outlines the support systems made available to the immigrants to help them achieve their goals and a table listing the settlement choices of 500 of the pioneer couples enables names to be associated with places. Their progress in establishing settlements can be viewed in series of detailed maps.
The book is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the settlement patterns and land use in early rural Canada.
The book can be purchased through Amazon either as a printed book or an E-book.
