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 […]
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Invisible Franco-Americans
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 readingA Brawl in Saint-Michel
They weren’t ten feet tall. In the midst of dissertation research, I stumbled across words to that effect. In an interview, John F. Kennedy reflected on the men who had preceded him in the White House, particularly Franklin Roosevelt, who now seemed larger than life. Hindsight had enlarged them. In truth, Kennedy stated, they were […]
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 readingThe Transnational Quebecs
Last year, on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, the Montreal-based La Presse offered us a fascinating article about the Québecs—yes, plural. Reporter Jean-Christophe Laurence was not using the term metaphorically to describe the different regions or cultures that make up the province of Quebec. He was writing about the Québec family, for, yes, “Québec” happens to be a […]
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