Terriot’s in the Acadian Colony

Before beginning its biography of the young Acadian, Charles Terriault, the book ‘DESTINATION: MADAWASKA’ walks through a brief history of the founding of Acadia and the first generations of the Terriot family in early Acadia in the 1630’s.

CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE.

The short history is then followed with a summary of each generation of the Acadian family up to Charles, the 7th generation. Charles, was born and raised at the turn of the 19th century in St Paschal de Kamouraska, in Québec.

The book then follows with the biography of Charles Terriault, the first to settle present-day Saint Jacques, New Brunswick. Using maps and photos, we show the land that was cleared and farmed by Charles and we learn the history of the progression of his family; the successes and the accomplishments.

The book is a second edition. Its 300 pages are an improvement over the first edition which was published in 2009. The book is available on Amazon.com now.

This story as told by DESTINATION: MADAWASKA is interesting whether you are a member of the Terriot/Theriot/Theriault family or not because it tells the story of Acadia, the story of the expulsion of the Acadians and the story of the migration of the Acadians as it applied to all Acadians. It is an important part of our North American history.

The history is presented using a wealth of photos, maps and illustrations, many of which are published for the first time including a portrait of Charles Terriault himself, the first to settle in present-day Saint Jacques.

Order a copy for your children or grandchildren. They may not learn this history from their school.

DESTINATION: MADAWASKA, the teacher

In the Foreword to ‘Destination’, I talk about the absence of Acadian history in the curricula of our public schools in North America. Ask anyone if they have ever heard of Acadia, most will draw a blank. Some might mention Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine without knowing the connection between the park and the colony.

I believe that those of us who descend from the Acadians, have a responsibility to tell our children about Acadia.

But ‘Destination: Madawaska’ also tells about the life of Charles Terriault, an Acadian whose grandfather, Joseph was forced to move his family of seven children through the forests of New Brunswick and Québec to save themselves from the English.

Give ‘Destination: Madawaska’ to your children or grandchildren for their birthday, or for Christmas.

Dictionary of Descendants

One of the features of “DESTINATION: MADAWASKA”, (Second Edition) is the genealogy dictionary of the descendants of Charles Terriault. Charles was a grandson of Joseph Theriault [33] who fled Acadia for St Roch des Aulnaies, Québec in 1759 to avoid the English. He was one of the early settlers of the Madawaska territory. So, if you are a descendant of Charles, your name is in the dictionary!

In addition, any other family who is related or married into this branch of the Terriault family is also included in this dictionary. Some examples are the Plourde, Morneault, St Onge families along with dozens of other families who are included in the Dictionary. All generations from Charles’ generation (7th generation) up to the 15th generation are included in the Dictionary. You can browse the Dictionary’s NAME INDEX right here so that you can check to see if your name is listed. If it is, then you and your immediate family are listed in the new Second Edition of “DESTINATION: MADAWASKA” now available on Amazon.com. Check it out!

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

Well, okay. I missed my mark. My original plan was to publish the Second Edition of my book “DESTINATION: MADAWASKA” by Christmas. But one thing led to another and well, here we are, its March 25 and Spring is just around the corner.

The book is available around the world on Amazon websites in the US, Canada (Amazon.com), in Germany, France, Japan, etc.

But the good news is that ‘Destination: Madawaska’ Second Edition is now on Amazon.com’s shelf and is available for sale. The book is BILINGUAL, English and French and is of interest to everyone including:

• those interested in the overall history of Acadia and its people
• those interested in the history of the Madawaska territory
• the descendants of the Terriot (Terriau, Terriault, Theriault, Theriot) family
• those interested in the migration history of the Theriault’s to the Madawaska Territory
• the descendants of the Joseph [33] family, his son Charles and grandson, Charles who was the first to settle in present-day St Jacques, NB.
• the Theriault’s, Plourde’s, St-Onge’s and Morneault’s of St Jacques, NB and Moulin Morneault and Baker Brook, NB
• the descendants of Charles Terriault who wish to teach their children and grandchildren where their names are in our family genealogy.

The book makes an excellent gift for a Theriault grandfather or grandmother to their grandchildren.

But for those who may not know, “Destination: Madawaska” talks about Charles Terriault’s life. Charles was the first Acadian to settle what is today St Jacques, NB in 1823. The book begins by summarizing the history of Acadia before Charles was born including the Great Eviction in 1755; how Charles’ father, Joseph fled Acadia in 1759 and resettled his family in Lower Canada, as it was called at that time. Two generations later, Charles left Lower Canada with his new bride to join the Acadians who were moving into the Madawaska territory to get away from the English. So, the book is a quick-study on Acadian history and also presents a detailed description of Charles’ life in Madawaska to start a new life in the 1800’s.

The book is bilingual and reminds us all of our French heritage.

The book also introduces us to the aunts and uncles that we use to hear our parents talk about; Tante Pélagie, Oncle Adolphe, Tante Claudia and of course ‘vieux grand-père Joseph’s’ family with Régis, Joachim, Antoine and the girls: Édith, Delphine, Flavie, Christine, Délia and Soeur Almida. But more than that, I also go into much detail about the Theriault connection with the Morneault, Plourde and St-Onge families in St-Jacques. A very important connection indeed!

The book includes a genealogy dictionary of the descendants of Charles Terriault showing all the names of the descendants including some born as recently as in the year 2000.

Now, let me tell you about some of the additions that I have made. The First Edition was 100 pages in size. The Second Edition is 300 pages.  The photos and other illustrations are much larger. Some are even large enough to frame!

First, if you are related to the Theriault’s of St Jacques, NB or Baker Brook, NB or you’re married to one, or you are cousins with one or even more distant relationships, then your name is mentioned in the Second Edition. I have added a ‘Descendants of Charles Terriault Dictionary’. If you have not read the First Edition, you may not know who Charles Terriault is. So, to give you a point of reference, Charles is my third great-grandfather. (In the book, I tell you exactly where he settled…. he basically owned about 60% of the town of St Jacques as it exists today.)  He is a member of the Terriot family’s 7th generation. To give you an example, I am a member of the 12th generation along with all of my Theriault cousins. Our parents were members of the 11th generation. You will even see the names of some of the members of our 15th generation! The ‘Dictionary’ is about 100 pages long and includes a name listing to make it easy for you to find your name and other people. It is very easy to use.

The book takes advantage of our GPS technology to point out exact locations of important places where Acadian history and Terriot family history took place.

Speaking of Charles Terriault…  it turns out that in the First Edition, we incorrectly identified an important photo. Using computers and my graphic software to look at the pixel level, I was able to see that the old tin-type photo had been signed by Tante Pélagie telling us that the person in the photo was her grandfather Charles Theriault! (See photo of Charles above.) It’s the only photo we have of Charles. By the way, he was born in 1796 and died in 1880. The photo was taken around the late 1870’s!

In my current work on “Moulins du Madawaska” (Mills of Madawaska), I write about how the Theriault’s got into the business of building and running mills… sawmills, flour mills and wool carding mills. The discussion involves one of the Theriault’s who migrated from southern New Brunswick up to St-Basile. This was Joseph [1804] Terriault who married one of the Thibodeau daughters. The Thibodeau family was a big mill family. So, that’s how the Theriault’s came to be involved in the mill business.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

So, this is a good opportunity for you to pass our family history on to your children or to a friend who is interested in Acadian history. The book is bilingual, a quick read and is an easy way to learn the history of the Acadians and of course, of our family. The history is summarized and is loaded with more than 70 photos, maps and other illustrations. You may order the book on Amazon.com from anywhere in the world for $20 US now, or from your favorite bookstore. Here’s the link to Amazon:
“Destination: Madawaska” at Amazon

A Christmas Gift… Un cadeau de Noël

COMING SOON… IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

BIENTOT… EN TEMPS POUR NOËL

DESTINATION:  MADAWASKA,  Second Edition

I’ve learned a few things since 2009 when I released the First Edition of my book and…  there were some things I wished I could have covered in the book.

So, I’ve decided to take the plunge and publish a SECOND EDITION which will allow me to correct a few important omissions and to add value to the book by adding a few things I was not able to include in the First  Edition. 

Also, I am very excited to tell you that the book will be available on AMAZON.COM in mid-December… hopefully, in time for Christmas.

But for those who may not know, “Destination: Madawaska” talks about Charles Terriault’s life. Charles was the first Acadian to settle what is today St Jacques, NB in 1823. The book begins by summarizing the history of Acadia before Charles was born including the Great Eviction in 1755; how Charles’ father, Joseph fled Acadia in 1759 and resettled his family in Lower Canada, as it was called at that time. Two generations later, Charles left Lower Canada with his new bride to join the Acadians who were moving into the Madawaska territory to get away from the English. So, the book is a quick-study on Acadian history and also presents a detailed description of Charles’ life in Madawaska to start a new life in the 1800’s.

The book also introduces us to the aunts and uncles that we use to hear our parents talk about; Tante Pélagie, Oncle Adolphe, Tante Claudia and of course ‘vieux grand-père Joseph’s’ family with Régis, Joachim, Antoine and all those girls: Édith, Delphine, Flavie, Christine, Délia and Soeur Almida. But more than that, I also go into much detail about the Theriault connection with the Morneault, Plourde and St-Onge families in St-Jacques. A very important connection indeed!

Now, let me tell you about some of the additions that I have made. The First Edition was 100 pages in size. The Second Edition is close to 300.  The photos and other illustrations are much larger. Some are even large enough to frame!

First, if you are related to the Theriault’s of St Jacques, NB or Baker Brook, NB or you’re married to one, or you are cousins with one or even more distant relationships, then your name is mentioned in the Second Edition. I have added a ‘Descendants of Charles Terriault Dictionary’. If you have not read the First Edition, you may not know who Charles Terriault is. So, to give you a point of reference, Charles is my third great-grandfather. (In the book, I tell you exactly where he settled…. he basically owned about 60% of the town of St Jacques as it exists today.)  He is a member of the Terriot family’s 7th generation. To give you an example, I am a member of the 12th generation along with all of my Theriault cousins. Our parents were members of the 11th generation. You will even see the names of some of the members of our 15th generation! The ‘Dictionary’ is about 70 pages long and includes a name listing to make it easy for you to find people. It is very easy to use.

Speaking of Charles Terriault…  it turns out that in the First Edition, we incorrectly identified an important photo. Using computers and my graphic software to look at the pixel level, I was able to see that the photo had been signed by Tante Pélagie telling us that the person in the photo was Charles Theriault!  (See photo on the left.) It’s the only photo we have of Charles. By the way, he was born in 1796 and died in 1880. The photo was taken around the late 1870’s!

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS… CLICK TO ENLARGE

In my current work on “Moulins du Madawaska” (Mills of Madawaska), I write about how the Theriault’s got into the business of building and running mills… sawmills, flour mills and wool carding mills. The discussion involves one of the Theriault’s who migrated from southern New Brunswick up to St-Basile. This was Joseph [1804] Terriault who married one of the Thibodeau daughters. The Thibodeau family was a big mill family. So, that’s how the Theriault’s came to be involved in the mill business.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

So, this is a good opportunity for you to pass our family history on to your children or to a friend who is interested in Acadian history. The book is bilingual, a quick read and is an easy way to learn the history of the Acadians and of course, of our family. The history is summarized and is loaded with more than 70 photos, maps and other illustrations.

You may order the book on Amazon.com from anywhere in the world for $20 US or from your favorite bookstore beginning in mid-December.

Finding Your Family Genealogy

With this last release of our Jehan Terriot Archive, we have made it very easy for you to come in and go directly to the genealogy of your family branch. It’s literally a four-step operation. Let’s take my branch for example:  the JOSEPH & THÉOGENIE  THÉRIAULT Great-Branch.

Step One:  Go to the Terriot family website:  WWW.TERRIAU.ORG .  Choose your language, either English or French.

Step Two:From the menu at the top of the page,  select the FAMILY GREAT-BRANCHES / NOS GRANDE BRANCHES page.

Step Three:  Scroll down the GREAT-BRANCHES page to the GREAT-BRANCHES table and click on the table to open it.

Step Four: Scroll down the table to find your branch, in our example, the Joseph & Théogenie Great-Branch. The list is sorted alphabetically by name. When you find your Great-Branch, click on the link in the left column:  “OPEN GREAT-BRANCH ARCHIVE“.

Your branch is shown at the top of the page.  Have fun!

 

UPDATE: Terriot Acadian Family

FAMILY GENEALOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS

[Pour la version française, cliquer sur le lien VERSION FRANCAISE “LES JASEUX” en haut de la barre a droite.]

Our activity in the Terriot Acadian Family Society is slowing down after a very busy 10-12 year burst. In the peak years, we were receiving 100 emails a week. Now, we receive about that many in a year. But we’re still working!

Today, we published Version 2016.01 of our “Jehan Terriot Archive” which includes the genealogy of 18,858 individuals who are direct descendants or are married to them. That collection of people includes 7, 908 families that have 2,409 different family names. Since 2012, we have added another 10 Great-Branches for a total of 103 branches. We estimate that the family includes about 500 Great-Branches. So, we still have a way to go.

Our work does not focus just on the genealogy but also looks at the migrations of each branch to understand their migration histories. We are also interested in comparing the lineages of each branch to see which branches are closely related to each other.

So what does this new release of our “Jehan Terriot Archive” mean to you?

If you are a family member or someone interested in the genealogy of the Terriot family, it means that our Archive covers more people, so your chances are greater that you will find your family or find those members of the family that you are interested in.

DESCENDANTS OF JEHAN & PERRINE TERRIOT REPORT… TWO VOLUMES for a total of 4,000 pages.

If you’re are a member of our Society, it means that you may now receive your copy of our “Descendants of Jehan Terriot Report”. The last one that was published was in 2012. It was a little over 2,000 pages long. Our new version of the report comes in two volumes:  Volume 1 which is 2600 pages and covers generations 1 through 11. Volume 2 which is 1600 pages and covers generations 12 through 15. Also, our Archive now includes a larger number of Great-Branches (103) and so, the documents that describe the Great-Branches of our family have been revised and updated and may be downloaded now from our website. The list of Great-Branches is in the GREAT-BRANCH TABLE on the ‘FAMILY GREAT-BRANCHES’ page of our family website (www.terriau.org). The table also lists the Delegates, members of our organization that represent each branch. Similarly, we have updated our LINEAGE TABLE which is also available on that same web page. The table lists the lineage of every branch so that we may understand which branches are closely related to each other. On the ‘MIGRATION FROM ACADIA’ page is where you will find the MIGRATION TABLE which describes the migration of each of the 103 branches, a very interesting aspect of our family history.

By the way, whether you are a member of our organization or member of our family or just a visitor interested in the Terriot family, we have made it very easy for you to go directly to your branch of interest without having to search through some 20,000 names. In addition to describing each Great-Branch and its Delegate, the GREAT-BRANCH TABLE includes a link for each branch which will bring you right to the branch in our Archive. For example, if you want to review the genealogy of the “Alexandre & Marie Alzire Theriot Great-Branch“, go to the GREAT-BRANCH TABLE and find the branch. There, you will see the ‘OPEN GREAT-BRANCH ARCHIVE’ link. Click on  that link and you will be taken directly to the 9th generation ancestor for that branch and of course, you can navigate up and down the lineage of the branch from there.

A note to our Delegates:  please contact us at TERRIOT@TERRIAU.ORG to receive the directions for downloading the Descendants Report and the three tables.

So before you dive into the Archive, take a look first at the GREAT-BRANCH TABLE to learn about the branches and their Delegates.

Try it!  Go to the GREAT-BRANCH TABLE page, find your Great-Branch, click on the link. You’re there.

Then, take a look at the MIGRATION TABLE to see which branches stayed in Acadia or Nova Scotia and those that were forced to migrate to Louisiana, Québec, France and England. Then, checkout the LINEAGE TABLE to see how the branches are related to each other. After looking at these three tables, you will understand the purpose of the Great-Branch organization.

Before, we go on, let me explain the idea of a Great-Branch.

A Great-Branch is defined by each male member of the 9th generation. It’s just a way of organizing the family in a more manageable way. By the way, the babies that are being born in our family today, are usually members of the 16th generation. I am a member of the 12th generation.

My great-grandfather Joseph is a 9th generation ancestor, so he defines a Great-Branch, the ‘Joseph & Théogenie Thériault Great-Branch’. You can find out more about that Great-Branch and see photos of some of the members by visiting its Photo History page. Other Great-Branches also maintain a Photo History page.

As the Delegate for that branch, I answer questions that we receive about the branch and I am responsible for keeping my branch genealogy up to date. We currently have 118 Delegates and Associate Delegates who manage and develop the genealogy for all branches. So, as we have done for the past 15 years, we work together to develop the genealogy and history of our family and as a side-benefit, we get to know each other.

So, the Terriot Acadian Family Society is not a social organization but is an organization that works to develop and integrate our genealogy.  Typically, genealogists focus on certain regions of the continent. For example, New England, Québec, Madawaska, Caraquet, Nova Scotia, Louisiana, etc. The work of the Society however, integrates the genealogy of all Terriot families on the continent to make sure that there are no ‘gaps’ nor inconsistencies. Our work is properly documented with source attributions as you can see in the Bibliography and Sources pages of the Archive. Much of the genealogy work that is published in hard-copy or on the Internet today does not include source attributions or citations. Without knowing the source of genealogy information, it is very difficult to judge the worthiness of the information. Take a look at our Source Citations and Bibliography.

Today, our delegates come from Alaska to Nova Scotia and from Québec to Texas. We have a delegate who lives in Greece, another in Cambodia and a third in Australia. Our work, which is done by email using our website and on occasion, virtual conferencing is usually bilingual to accommodate the two languages of the family.

So, take a look at your family genealogy. If you don’t find your family in our Archive, let us know. We will work with you to develop it and add it to our Archive. You might want to go through our INDEX OF NAMES to see if you can recognize some of your family members. If you prefer to navigate through the entire Archive, go to the “Jehan Terriot Archive“ page and go from there.

Happy trails!

 

CMA 2014 TERRIOT REUNION: Unbelievable but it’s history!

For the past two years, many of us have been very preoccupied with planning, writing and organizing for the CMA 2014 Reunion of the Terriot family. And now, it is over… history!  I can’t believe it. But what we have are some very sweet memories, many new friends and a few more cousins than we thought we had.

J. Ralph Theriault (left) and George Michaud (facing away standing next to J. Ralph) teaming up to tell the story of John Baker and his mill, as well as the very interesting story of the three ton water turbine found in the vicinity of the old Don Fraser mill by the Société historique et culturelle de Baker Brook. The conferencees are standing where the old Timiscouata railway once was. On the left is the beautiful St John River.

J. Ralph Theriault telling the story of the first mill in the Madawaska territory built by Nathan Baker in 1817. Unfortunately, Nathan died at an early age so his brother John who had settled in St Francois du Madawaska, moved to the Baker Brook settlement and continued the operation of Nathan’s mill. Recently, the Société H&C de Baker Brook commissioned the metal sculpture and monument to focus on John Baker and the very interesting role he played in Baker Brook history.

Many people go for the parades, the partying and the various cultural events that the CMA organizes so well. And those are alot of fun but I get a giant kick from meeting new cousins and friends and connecting with them. That is huge fun and those connections last for years.

During the ‘Retrouvailles’ in New Brunswick in 1994, in an interview by Barbara Leblanc, Director of Grand-Pré, Clive Doucet, author of ‘Notes from Exile, On Being Acadian‘ said:

“To me, connections are what these academic meetings and family reunions are all about. We’re trying to expand the heart and soul of Acadie, back in time and also forward. Back to the places where we have come from and forward to the times to come. That’s why we’re here, to make connections with each other that we need to take with us into the future, not just as individuals, but as a people. The speeches (will be forgotten) but the connections between people that are happening now, between you and me, between people from the States, from Ontario, from Québec, at family reunions in Shediac, Richibucto, Cocogne and so on, they will endure. They will make a difference.” 

In any case, it was fun guys. I’m already looking forward to CMA 2019 wherever it will take place.

But back to reality, I am making an appeal to any who attended the conferences at Baker Brook and at Fort Kent. If you took photos, please send copies to me at TERRIOT@TERRIAU.ORG.  I would immensely appreciate your generosity. By the way, here is a souvenir brochure that summarizes our conference preservations.

Also, for those who were not able to attend the Terriot Reunion Conferences, we just posted the text and handouts from the conferences both for Guy Theriault’s presentation and mine. You will find them in ‘Our Document Library‘ of our website.

DICTIONNAIRE BIOGRAPHIQUE DE SAINTE-THÉRÈSE

Work on this dictionary started in October 2011. The 480 page book contains the biographies of 2200 people that form part of the history of the area of Sainte Theresa. It is published by the Société d’histoire et de généalogie des Mille-îles de Sainte-Thèrèse.

The dictionary is $ 25 sold by our company.

People interested in the book can contact me.

André Thériault

Ath@sympatico.ca

CMA 2014: BAKER BROOK CONFERENCE

PRESS RELEASE: June 1, 2014

Baker Brook Conference on the Theriault Family titled

“DESTINATION: MADAWASKA”

The ‘Association des familles Thériault d’Amérique’ and the ‘Terriot Acadian Family Society’ together will hold a Conference in Baker Brook, NB on August 16 to discuss the migration of the Theriault family to the Madawaska region from 1790 to 1890. The conference will be hosted by the ‘Société historique et culturelle de Baker Brook’ at the Saint Heart of Mary Catholic parish church in Baker Brook. The guest speaker is J. Ralph Theriault, a native son of ‘Sainte Luce’, Upper Frenchville, Maine, whose book “Destination: Madawaska” was published in 2009 by the ‘Société historique du Madawaska’ in Edmundston, NB.

Please note that all times expressed in this article are in ATLANTIC (NEW BRUNSWICK) TIME.

The bilingual conference is scheduled to take place Saturday morning, August 16 starting at 10am and finishing at 12 noon. The sponsors invite all members of the Theriault family and the members of the open public to attend. Admission is free, however seats will be reserved only for those who register in advance for the conference. Donations will be accepted at the door to support the work of the local history society, the Société historique et culturelle de Baker Brook.

Register on our Registration Page.

Lunch will follow the conference at noon. The lunch by the local historical society will be available to conference attendees and is priced at $18.

After lunch at 1pm, Mr. Theriault will conduct a 45-minute walking tour of Baker Brook which will focus on the mills of Baker Brook beginning with the Nathan Baker mill, followed by the mills of Don Fraser, Joseph & Joachim Theriault and James Murchie. The tour will be based on Mr. Theriault’s research for his upcoming book “Moulins du Madawaska” to be published in 2015.

In addition, the sponsoring organizations have organized three other walking tours including St. Basile, St. Jacques and Ste Luce (Upper Frenchville) which all focus on the Theriault settlers. Admission to the tours is also free however please register with us to help us with our planning.

The schedule of events is as follows :

1. WALKING TOUR OF ST BASILE, NB; Friday, 15 August, 1130-15:30 hr, village history, lunch, Religieuse Hositalière de St Joseph Convent, Art Gallery.
2. BAKER BROOK CONFERENCE;  Saturday, 16 August, 1000-1200 hr,  Conférencier:  J. Ralph Theriault,  “Migration of Theriault family to Madawaska territory and some of the ‘movers and shakers’ of the family”. Presentation in French.
3. BAKER BROOK LUNCH; Saturday, 16 August, 1200-1300 hr: 18$, Baker Brook, NB.
4. WALKING TOUR OF BAKER BROOK; Saturday, 16 August, 1300-1400 hr,  mill history.
5. THERIAULT FAMILY REUNION; Saturday, 16 August, 1600-2200 hr  (3-9 pm EDT), Theriault history, dinner, entertainment. (More details later.)
6. WALKING TOUR OF ST JACQUES;  Sunday, 17 August, 1130-1230, Charles Terriau history, Theriault milling history.
7. WALKING TOUR OF STE LUCE; Sunday, 17 August, 1500-1600 hr  (2-3pm EDT), Upper Frenchville, Maine; parish and Theriault migration history

 

TERRIOT ACADIAN FAMILY SOCIETY: Our CMA2014 Planning

We are very pleased to announce that we have a plan for CMA 2014 in Acadia of the Lands and Forests.

I am also very proud and excited of the fact that our little organization and the Association des familles Thériault de l’Amerique du nord (headquartered in Québec) are collaborating in our planning and conduct of our activities for the CMA. We look forward to spending time with the Association members to explore and learn about an important Acadian settlement; the Madawaska region.

The CMA2014 will open on August 8th and will close on 24 August. The official Theriault Reunion will be held in Fort Kent, Maine on Saturday, the 16th in the afternoon. The planning for that event is still in progress. In addition to and supplementing the reunion in Fort Kent, the Terriot Acadian Family Society and the Association des familles Thériault have made their plans which are outlined as follows:

CONFERENCE:  Both organizations along with our host organization, the Historical and Cultural Society of Baker Brook invite all of the Theriault’s of the Madawaska region to the church of ‘St Coeur de Marie’ at 9am on Saturday 16 August in Baker Brook, NB for a conference on the migration of the Theriaults to the Madawaska region from 1785 to 1875. I am very honored to be the speaker for the conference which will be bilingual. The discussion will go into the details of the specific lineages who migrated from Acadia directly to the Madawaska region and those who came after migrating to Québec for a few generations. We will talk specifically about the migrations to St-Basile in 1785, to St-Jacques in 1821 and to other settlements in the mid-1800’s.

View of the St-John valley from the top of our mountain in Sainte Luce (Upper Frenchville, Maine) looking west toward Baker Brook, NB in the top left. The blue haze in upper left is the modern lumber mill in Baker Brook owned by J.D. Irving. The original mill at that location was the mill that Joseph Theriault, my great-grandfather built in 1907 after he moved from Moulin Morneault. When Joseph’s health failed in 1913, he asked his son, Joachim to take it over. Joachim sold it to the Couturier family in 1947.

For the past 2-3 years, I have been involved in writing my second book which will be titled “Moulins du Madawaska” (Mills of Madawaska) and will share with the conference some of the details about the Theriault lineages that were involved in the milling industry. In fact, Baker Brook is the site of one of the early mills in the Madawaska region by Nathan Baker and his brother, John. And later, again in Baker Brook, there were several mills built by Don Fraser and in 1905, a mill by my great-grandfather Joseph which today is a very large industrial mill owned by J.D. Irving.

Attendance will be free and will be open to the public. However, the members of the three sponsoring organizations will be seated prior to opening the conference to the public. The conference will adjourn around 11am before lunch.

TOUR OF THE HERITAGE THERIAULT SETTLEMENTS:

During the three days around the Theriault Reunion, the Terriot Acadian Family Society in collaboration with the Association des familles Theriault, will organize a tour of the four heritage sites that are important to the history of the Theriault family in the Madawaska region:  St-Basile, NB;  St-Jacques, NB;  Sainte-Luce (Upper Frenchville, ME), and Baker Brook, NB.

The tour will not be held as a single continguous activity but will be organized as four separate events held at different times:

St-Basile (15 August, morning). We will spend about an hour outside at a venue where we will be able to appreciate the specular view of the St-John Valley as we talk about the first arrival of the Theriault’s in 1785 to St-David (across the St-John River) and St-Basile. The parish of St-Basile is the mother parish for all parishes in the St-John Valley. Therefore, the parish records include the vital records for a very large number of Theriaults. St-Basile was also the site of the very first hospital in the valley which was built by the Religieuses Hospitalières de St-Joseph, an order of Catholic sisters who are still there today. Some of the early administrators and directors of the hospitals were descendants of the Theriault family. Soeur St-Charles, whose mother was Pélagie Thériault was educated in nursing in Nashua, New Hampshire, Boston and St-Louis, Missouri and was the first radiologist in the region in the 1930’s.

Plourde Office, present-day Moulin Morneault in the 1940’s.. The hamlet of Moulin-Morneault from the Chemin St-Joseph looking southwest. Joseph Thériault was raised by the Rousseau’s in the house (identified with a circle on the right) built by Pierre Plourde. Later, around the time that he married, he built his own house which is around the location of the house to the left (also identified with a circle).

St-Jacques (17 August, morning).  As an option, the tour group will be invited to join us for Mass at the parish church in St-Jacques which sits on the land that was claimed by Charles Theriault who was the first Acadian to settle in present-day St-Jacques in 1821 on the Madawaska River. After Mass, the tour group will move to a location on the land of Joseph Theriault in the small hamlet of St-Jacques called Moulin Morneault where the first mill in the area was built by Pierre Plourde, brother in law of Charles Theriault. We will talk about Joseph Theriault, his life in Moulin Morneault and his move to Baker Brook.

Sainte-Luce (15 August, after St-Basile tour).  My native parish, the parish of Sainte-Luce in present-day Upper Frenchville, Maine was a founded in 1863, about 20 years after the establishment of the international boundary between the United States and Canada in 1842 with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. By this time, word had spread to the Theriaults who had migrated to Québec of the wealth in the natural resources and the availability of land in this rich valley. As a result, a third and fourth wave of migrations occurred moving from Québec to the Madawaska region. Here, some of the Theriault lineages settled in Sainte Luce, Fort Kent and others further east in Grand Isle and other parts. The church of Sainte-Luce is a most beautiful church inside and standing on the front steps as our tour group will, offers a most beautiful view of the St-John Valley as well.

Baker Brook (16 August, noon).  The powerful Baker Brook captured the attention of Nathan Baker in 1817 and later inspired Don Fraser and Joseph Theriault to each build their mills at that location. Today, Joseph Theriault’s water-driven mill has been expanded into the J.D. Irving lumber mill which produces some 16 million foot board measure of lumber and is a very large enterprise. The tour will gather in front of the Church of the St-Coeur de Marie where we will once again see a beautiful view of the valley and St-John River. The local historial society will have on display the iron turbine that was used to power the D. Fraser mill. If there is sufficient interest, we may be able to organize a tour of the Irving mill while we are there.

Terriot Acadian Family Society Reception.  Finally, for our Terriot Acadian Family, we will organize a reception in St-Basile at a time during these 3 days (15, 16 or 17 August). The reception will be held at the old Hotel Diel, the old hospital. We will need to know how many Delegates will be joining us, so please let us know of your plans to attend. There will be a small presentation on our current status and progress of our genealogy and an open discussion among all Delegates on the future of our organization. It was always nice in the past CMA festivals to see each of your and to spend at least a few hours catching up with each other. This time, I hope you will give me the honor of welcoming you to my native land.

Those of you who have not yet secured lodging, please let me know if you need help. I have some ‘connections’ which may be helpful. Some of the residents up there are opening up there homes as sort of ‘B&B’s at reasonable rates.  Right now, all of the major motels are nearly fully booked. However, motels are still available in towns like Presque Isle, Maine which is about 45 minutes away from the CMA area.

Please let me know of any questions.

CMA 2014 TERRIOT REUNION DATE IS SET!

Just a short message to let all delegates know that Mr. Richard Lyness of the CMA L’Acadie des Terres et Forets in Madawaska, Maine called us to let us know that the Terriot Family reunion has been scheduled to open on Saturday, 16 August 2014.

I called the organizer, Ken Theriault, Jr and asked him to confirm the date which he did. He did not know how many days the reunion would last. In the past, it has always been at least one day sometimes lasting as many as two days.

Please let me know of any questions.  We will be posting and updating on our website and blog our information on available motels/B&B/campgrounds, etc., that are available. When the Theriault Reunion organization begins their plans, they will be publishing a website which will include information on available accommodations.

THINKING OF OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS

Just puttering around the family website this morning and I was reminded of a gem of a slide presentation that I received from a cousin in Québec.  For those among you who enjoy good music, here are some of the words from the music section of the Terriot website “Acadian, Cajun Music” and the words that introduce the video presentation:

LA BONNE CHANSON…
A Most Beautiful Memory of our parents and grandparents

This beautiful video presentation created by ‘Creations TONYM’ with the music by Jean Lapointe. Take a few moments to view the presentation. You will most certainly enjoy it. If you are familiar with our great French Canadian and Acadian custom for music at home, this presentation will bring back fond memories. If you are not familiar with the custom, the presentation makes a good lesson in the history of our culture. 

Click here to start the presentation…

HARDY HANDFUL MADE IT TO THE TECHE

Just received a note from Murielle Thériault (our delegate for the George & Virginie Thériault Great-Branch of Ontario), about an article that she had just received from Nita, a Louisiana cousin. It is a story of a group of Acadian ancestors who were exiled to Georgia. It is a heart-wrenching story of how desperately the Acadians simply wanted to return home to their families.  Thank you Nita and Murielle for this article.  JRT

It was a bitter January 1756 for the Acadians exiled to Georgia, a place where – like Virginia – the government was unprepared to receive them, didn’t want them, and cared little whether they lived or died.
The first transport to the former penal colony of Georgia anchored at Savannah in early December 1775, and the colony’s governor, John Reynolds, immediately told his underlings to turn away any Acadians that were to be landed there. He warned the colony’s chief pilot that any landing of the Acadians would be done  ‘at his peril.’

STORY OF THE MAINE ACADIANS

Lise Pelletier, Director of the Acadian Archives of the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

I received a brief message from my friend Ghislain Savoie this morning who is relaying an important radio program from Radio Canada on the ‘Acadians of Maine’. The program is in French but would be interesting to all francophones, especially the people of northern Maine. Lise Pelletier, Director of the Acadian Archives of the University of Maine at Fort Kent, is interviewed by Stephane Coté. Here is a summary:

For over a century, the French-speaking people of Maine have been confronted by various policies of assimilation which ranged from intimidation to discrimination. Despite this, French is still spoken in the state. That was the message delivered last week at the University of Moncton, Edmundston, by the director of Acadian Archives at the University of Maine in Fort Kent, Lise Pelletier.

Here is the Radio Canada program “L’Histoire des Acadiens du Maine… Story of the Maine Acadians“.

Le Parler Acadien, or Acadian Speak

Walter and Honoré LeBlanc with straight faces explaining the origins of the Acadian word “macher”…

I just discovered a very entertaining and very interesting video on the origins of some of our Acadian French words and language. Two enterprising young Acadians, Walter and Honoré LeBlanc put together this 12 minute video. To me, coming from the region, it was hilarious to listen to them. Alot of it is ‘tongue-in-cheek’, so you have to listen closely.

Now to make sure that you understand, this video is about the French language and is in French of course. So, for those of you who are not francophones… sorry.

Check this video out. It’s a hoot!

CMA 2014: LODGING FOR NEW BRUNSWICK & QUÉBEC

Just a short note for a little information on lodging for CMA in New Brunswick & Québec areas of l’Acadie des Terres et Forets… the motels in Edmundston have already begun taking reservations for 2014… in fact, the Best Western in Edmundston is already booked for the two weeks for the CMA. The Best Western was good enough to give me the phone numbers for all of the lodging facilities in Edmundston, St Jacques and Grand Falls. So, you will find them on our CMA 2014 page. (See the tabs at the top of this page.)

CMA 2014: LODGING ARRANGEMENTS

In the last few weeks, we have received several queries about the Terriot reunion for the CMA 2014.

In a brief phone conversation with Ken Theriault, Jr. of Madawaska, Maine, he explained to me that they were just starting to move in their organization and preparations, and that we would be hearing more from them.

Yesterday, I spoke with the Maine Regional Coordinator for CMA 2014, Lorraine Pelletier, who said that they have prepared a roster of lodgings for the State of Maine section of the greater Madawaska region. This roster will be updated as we approach 2014. Soon, we hope to receive a similar roster for the Canadian lodging facilities.

While we await the Terriot CMA2014 website, we will be happy to post that roster here on the CMA 2014 page of our blog.

Send us your questions and requests for information. We will try to help get answers.

FORTY-SECOND NEW YEAR’S EVE FAMILY REUNION

Hello
Let me first introduce myself. I’m André Thériault, son of Léo Thériault and Angeline Desponts. I live in Sainte-Thérèse 20 km north of Montreal and I am very pleased to participate in this forum for the Thériault family.

Thanks to the tireless work of Joseph Thériault, we can see the greatness of our family that has ramifications everywhere. Jehan Theriault would be happy to see how his descendants were prolific.

It will be a great pleasure to inform you of our family activities.

Speaking of family activities, Here is a photo of the participants in our 42 th meeting of the New Year. In this photo, I am on the far right. Many of us get together every year. My brothers and sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews and many grandchildren.

OUR CULTURAL TREASURE… OUR FRENCH HYMNS

Whether it is coincidence or simply my 72 years of age, it seems that lately I have lost an unusually large number of members of our family and friends that are especially dear to me. Yesterday, Rosemary and I were in Nashua honoring my very dear cousin Gerald Theriault who recently died unexpectedly. He was especially well known through out the area and in our Theriault family (of St Jacques, NB) as well. Everyone loved Gerry. Talking with another cousin, Marcia Theriault in Québec, in our typically long and fun phone calls about family affairs and genealogy, the two of us mourned the loss of Gerry who had so much knowledge of the history of our St-Jacques family.

Going back to the funeral.  As Rosemary and I entered the church,  I was struck by the strains of an ancient french hymn, “J’irai la voir un jour” on classical guitar. Wow!  As we knelt at our pews, I slowly dissolved into an unimaginable catharsis. I lost total control of my composure. Rosemary didn’t know what to do with me.

To make sure you understand, this hymn without a doubt was the first that I had heard in my first experiences at our little church of Sainte Luce in french-speaking Upper Frenchville, Maine. That had to have been about 1942-43 which is almost ancient history.  🙂

The experience inspired me to open a new section of our “Acadian & Cajun Music” chapter of our website. Perhaps with your help, we will be able to remember all of those beautiful hymns that formed part of our Acadian, French Canadian and Cajun culture. Let me know of the hymns that you remember and certainly, if you have the lyrics, that would be very helpful as well.

As to “J’irai la voir un jour”, at our church of Sainte Luce of course, it was always done by organ with our parish choir. A good example is the recording by Domine Deux Rex below. Yesterday, it was performed by a classical guitarist with a male vocalist and it was absolutely beautiful. Coming home after Gerry’s funeral, I went to the Internet and found some beautiful renditions on YouTube, one most notable by a Cajun group called ‘L’Angelus’. Here are a few videos.  Turn up your sound volume:

L’Angelus 1: J’irai la voir un jour

L’Angelus 2: J’irai la voir un jour

Domine Deux Rex