Much has been made of the invisibility of Franco-Americans—invisibility in larger historical narratives, in popular media, and beyond. This was not an issue in the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries. As a predominantly immigrant, working-class population, Franco-Americans were certainly underrepresented in certain spheres. On the other hand, they did not lack visibility as we […]
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St. Johnsbury and the Two New Englands
You can find regular nuggets of French-Canadian and Franco-American history on Query the Past’s new Facebook page. Click “Follow” on the page to avoid missing news and updates. We might file this story under “Those Other Franco-Americans,” the QTP series on communities whose French heritage remains little known. Relatively few people in New England, perhaps […]
Continue readingIl y a 250 ans, les fondements de l’américanité
C’est un épisode de notre histoire que nous connaissons peu mais qui a momentanément rivalisé la Conquête de 1759-1760 en importance. À l’automne 1775, l’armée des insurgés anglo-américains envahit la vieille province de Québec et prend Montréal. Pendant près de six mois, ce corps expéditionnaire assoit imparfaitement son pouvoir sur la vallée du fleuve Saint-Laurent […]
Continue readingMaking Culture in the Valley
On November 9, I had the pleasure of addressing the annual meeting of the Greater Grand Isle Historical Society in Grand Isle, Maine. The notes below are a close approximation of my spoken remarks. * * * Thank you for the invitation. It is a pleasure to chat with you all and celebrate the history […]
Continue readingLowell’s Darkest Day
An earlier version of this essay appeared in the spring/summer 2025 issue of Le Forum, the quarterly publication of the Franco-American Centre (University of Maine). Please cite appropriately, and please consider supporting the Franco-American Centre. * * * A man named Michaud graced the first page of the Boston Daily Globe on July 29, 1903. […]
Continue readingVoting as a Franco-American in the 1930s
In appreciation of those who have followed and supported Query the Past, I am pleased to share another translated excerpt of “Tout nous serait possible”: Une histoire politique des Franco-Américains, 1874-1945, the first regional synthesis of Franco-Americans’ political involvement. The excerpt below takes us into the messy politics of the Great Depression. * * * […]
Continue readingVermont’s Ladies of St. Anne (1919-1940)
Between emergent historical research, the state-appointed Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the upcoming PoutineFest, interest in Vermont’s French heritage appears to be ticking in the right direction. Those wishing to learn more should consider attending the Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society’s annual conference in South Burlington on September 27. Vermont PoutineFest will be held the next […]
Continue readingFreddie, We Hardly Know Ye
In some Franco-American circles, nearly 140 years after his death, Ferdinand Gagnon still benefits from instant name recognition. Gagnon was an ardent defender of French-Canadian culture in the United States and he became known as the father of the Franco-American press. He founded and edited Le Travailleur in Worcester, Massachusetts; this was one of the […]
Continue readingThose Other Franco-Americans: Tupper Lake in 1900
This post is inspired by conversations with historian Jason Newton, who recently published an op-ed on New York State French Canadians in Albany’s Times Union. * * * Demars. Facteau. Boyer. Vachereau. Bushey. From local street names, an attentive visitor would quickly recognize a historic French-Canadian presence in Tupper Lake, New York. As in countless […]
Continue readingSurvivance as a Phase
Many important works of Franco-American history—local studies, surveys, biographies, etc.—have appeared in the last decade. Researchers who are engaged in scholarship have their own, slightly forbidding arena in the form of academic journals. Typically, broader perspectives on the United States’ French universe from non-historians have been accessible online or in occasional in-person events, with few […]
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