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 […]
Continue readingCategory: French-Canadian Customs
LeMay’s French-Canadian Holidays
Pamphile LeMay (1837-1918) is little known to recent generations of Quebeckers. But he was once a literary celebrity. Like many of his contemporaries, a civil service position enabled LeMay to dedicate time to his leisures. He wrote poetry, novels, and plays; he also translated Longfellow’s Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie into French. His original works […]
Continue readingPapa Michaud Was a Rolling Stone
Michaud: it’s a common name. Statistics published several decades ago ranked it among the 50 most common surnames in Quebec—ahead of Desjardins, Parent, Charbonneau, and Lacroix. Just across the border, it outnumbered all other names in the early records of the Fort Kent, Maine, Catholic parish. Michauds are still present all across the Upper St. […]
Continue readingA French-Canadian House in 1815
Marie Mainville’s family may have had some notoriety in Saint-Ours, the Richelieu parish where she grew up. Her father, baptized Jean Baptiste but known in adult life as Charles, had acquired minor infamy for his role in the Continental Army’s occupation of Quebec. He served as a scout for the insurgents and British authorities imprisoned […]
Continue readingLewiston: Winter Wonderland
It is thought doubtful if any city in the United States has ever entertained as picturesque a gathering of wintersportsmen from across the Canadian border as it was Lewiston’s privilege to entertain during the past week-end. In any event Lewiston has eclipsed its neighboring New England cities in this respect, and for 36 hours, at […]
Continue readingThomas Cottrell : Légende canadienne
Les longues soirées d’hiver nous donnent l’occasion de faire revivre les contes et légendes d’antan. Je vous propose ici une légende de la Côte-du-Sud qui rappelle un chapitre difficile de l’histoire du Québec. Les lecteurs et lectrices anglophones apprécieront peut-être, dans le même registre, A French-Canadian Christmas Carol et The Clever Woman. Je vous invite […]
Continue readingThe French-Canadian Farm in 1860, Part II
This follows the earlier excerpt of letters published in the Windsor-based Vermont Journal concerning rural life in Lower Canada. See Part I here. This post is based on letters published June 23 and July 21, 1860. * * * The grain-harvest treads close upon the heels of haying. It is astonishing how rapidly vegetation advances […]
Continue readingThe French-Canadian Farm in 1860, Part I
Beginning in 1858, an American correspondent signing “S. M.” shared his impressions of life in Lower Canada for readers back home in Vermont. “Having lived many years in the midst of the French population, and being familiar with their manners, customs and language,” the author explained, “I propose to drop you a line now and […]
Continue readingBack-Page Americans: Clippings
In conversation with Claire-Marie Brisson of the North American Francophone Podcast, several years ago, I introduced the concept of “back-page Americans,” which applies to many historically marginalized groups. In the context of Franco-American history, the concept grows out of the seeming invisibility of French Canadians in the mainstream (i.e. non-ethnic) American press. In reality, immigrants […]
Continue readingLa Saint-Jean-Baptiste chez les Franco-Américains (1945-1956)
Pour une mise en contexte par rapport à l’histoire franco-américaine, consultez mon billet détaillant les grandes lignes de ce passé ou encore mon survol du parcours politique des « Francos ». Il y a quelques années, il a été question ici même des gigantesques défilés de la fête de Saint Jean-Baptiste en Nouvelle-Angleterre à la fin du […]
Continue reading