So many of our residents in Whitefield are of French-Canadian roots. – A Whitefield resident and historian (2026) The stories buried in Whitefield’s Catholic cemetery are too numerous to cover comprehensively here. The snapshots below are accompanied by small glimpses of underlying lives. These are derived from New Hampshire vital records, census returns, Quebec parish […]
Continue readingAuthor: PL
Laid to Rest: Whitefield, Part II
But what will it take to give life to those who gave Vermont a second life after the Civil War, after the momentous diaspora that emptied the Green Mountain valleys and piedmonts: the Canadians who took over marginal dairy farms? the Irish who made the railroad work? the Springfield and Bennington Jews who processed mountains […]
Continue readingLaid to Rest: Whitefield, Part I
For this series, I am indebted to the staff of Dimond Library at the University of New Hampshire; the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester; and Lise Moran of the Whitefield Historical Society. All shared valuable documentary resources on the history of Whitefield. Every research project begins with a spark and mine came, oh, let’s say, […]
Continue readingThe Mob of 1837
Nearly coinciding with the country’s 250th anniversary, this is Query the Past’s 250th blog post. Thank you for reading. Léon Ducharme said to me, “Madam, you must only take the clothing you need for yourself and your children, give us the keys, and leave; we are here to take possession of this house, it belongs […]
Continue readingResearch Note: The Non-Jurors of Clinton County
Europeans’ arrival on the shores of Lake Champlain, in 1609, came with a thunderous blow. Later deemed a discoverer despite the Indigenous presence, Samuel de Champlain gave his name first to the lake and, eventually, to a town in far northern New York. There, today, the Samuel de Champlain History Center honors his legacy. In […]
Continue readingResearch Note: Detroit’s Grand Old Man
Edouard Lacroix: it’s a common name. When I moved to the St. John Valley, I was regularly asked whether I was related to Edouard Lacroix. Also known as “King” Lacroix, this fellow, a Beauceron, served in Quebec’s legislative assembly and played an essential part in the development of the Allagash region. His lumber interests were […]
Continue readingResearch Note: The Eagle, the Lion, and the Hébert Household
The anniversary of the Webster-Ashburton agreement of 1842 awaits us on August 9. The treaty resolved many outstanding issues. For the purposes of this post, it settled, once and for all, the location of the northeastern boundary between the British colonies and the State of Maine. In the St. John Valley, the treaty had a […]
Continue readingIndependence Day
Mr. Davies will tell you what’s happening here tonight. He’s a good man and has done everything he can for me. I suppose there are some other good men here, too, only they don’t seem to realize what they’re doing. They’re the ones I feel sorry for. ’Cause it’ll be over for me in a […]
Continue readingMigrant Families: Quebec to New Hampshire
In Query the Past’s last post, we explored the history of Newmarket, New Hampshire, as an industrial and post-industrial town. From the 1870s to the 1920s, opportunities in manufacturing attracted hundreds of French Canadians. These migrants laid the basis for a lasting Franco-American presence that endures to this day. The present blog post provides brief […]
Continue readingIt Happened in Newmarket
Only several times in its venerable existence has this blog grazed the Franco-American communities of New Hampshire’s Seacoast region. We have learned about Exeter residents Pie Narcisse Legendre and Edward Daignault and about the mill workers of Somersworth. Recently, the blog referenced the “deserving poor” of a small mill town. There has been little else. […]
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