Part 3:
In The Beginning:
I was, of course born before 1957. My baptismal name was Pierre Martel. In the birth registry in Halifax my name became Peter Martell (“Martell” being the name of a famous English cognac). In accordance with Acadian tradition, that was fine with us, because we had always sought not to rock the boat after the great deportation described by Longfellow in the poem ”Evangeline”. In the introduction to his book, Cape Breton Ships and Men, J.P. Parker notes two things. First, many of the French survivors after the fall of Louisbourg, “were indentured servants”, which was a polite term for slavery.
With permission of the author.
That whole section of Canadian history is not in our history books. The only way we know about it is from the poem and if we read history and know something about the battle of the Huguenots and the King of France. Amazing how near we are to one another and how little we know.
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I think there are a lot of history books that need a rewrite. I think Peter’s family were missed because they hid in the bushes.
Leslie
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speakin’ of the Huguenots…
https://myvirtualplayground.wordpress.com/2017/01/20/il-est-temps-dinstaurer-la-religion-de-lamourlouis-aragon/
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What a shame to lose that church, Melanie.
Leslie
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Reblogged this on Ace Friends & Bloggers News.
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Thank you Ian.
Leslie
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