As previously noted on this blog, the first efforts to halt French-Canadian emigration to the United States were made not during the deluge of the 1880s, nor even in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. Civil War. As early as the 1840s, statesmen in Lower Canada (by now joined legislatively with Upper Canada) raised a […]
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Those Other Franco-Americans: New York State
Prior posts in this series include studies of Exeter, Somersworth, and Berlin, New Hampshire. For research on early migrations to economic hinterlands, please see my posts on the Revolutionary War veterans in New York State, early migrations, the formation of hinterland communities, and numerical assessments. In the last two weeks, I had the immense pleasure […]
Continue readingAcknowledging Franco-American Success
For generations, it was common to hear the most fatalistic in Quebec claim, “on est né pour un p’tit pain.” In other words, French Canadians were to settle for a simple life—without wealth or status—built around moral virtues. As in most things in Quebec, it is possible to read the influence of British conquest and […]
Continue readingCanadian History Resources Online
Following last week’s post on U.S. history online, this one also highlights the treasures of the digital age. What are your favorite places to pause for history online? Share in the comment section below. Atlas historique du Québec The number of books, chapters, and articles on the digital Atlas historique is impressive. The site covers […]
Continue readingAmerican History Resources Online
When it comes to history, there are a lot of reliable web resources curated by historians, archivists, and editors. It is truly an embarrassment of riches. Stepping away from Franco-American history for a few weeks, I take this opportunity to share some sites I have especially enjoyed visiting over the years, either out of sheer […]
Continue readingFinding Francos on the Margins
While at the Quebec Studies colloquium at Bishop’s University, last spring, I introduced part of my research on French Canadians and Franco-Americans in geographical margins—areas usually overlooked by scholars. What do we really know about French-Canadian immigrants and their descendants outside of Lewiston, Manchester, Lowell, Fall River, and the likes? Local historians have done tremendous […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: Berlin, N.H., Part III
See Part II here. Like prior studies on this blog (here, here, and here), attention to Berlin highlights the extremely diverse experiences of French Canadians on U.S. soil. These “migrants on the margins” enrich the overall story of Franco-America. In Berlin’s case, this is especially true as we enter the 1930s. French Canadians were long […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: Berlin, N.H., Part II
See Part I here. Among the “Little Canadas” of the U.S. Northeast, Berlin’s developed relatively late. In 1860, the town was home to little more than 400 people, only twenty of whom had been born in the Canadas. (That small number nevertheless exceeded the Irish-born.) Most of the men were either lumber workers or farm […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: Berlin, N.H., Part I
The Canadian element found in Berlin a safe, reliable place to live; and every year sees new families arrive from Canada. Berlin found in the Canadian a willing, obedient, and conscientious worker. The two combined are what has made Berlin what Berlin is today. – The Brown Bulletin, January 1927. There is something decidedly poetic […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: Somersworth, N.H.
Testimony of Emory J. Randall, shareholders’ clerk of the Great Falls Manufacturing Company (in present-day Somersworth), before the U.S. Senate Committee Upon the Relations Between Labor and Capital, Manchester, N.H., October 15, 1883. Randall estimated that the combined population of Great Falls [Somersworth], N.H., and Berwick, Maine amounted to 7,200-7,500 residents. All of the mills […]
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