An Introduction to the Field of Acadian History

Acadians at Annapolis Royal by Samuel Scott, 1751; earliest known image of Acadians. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Can you believe it’s been over two years since the last time we did one of these? Oops. But welcome back to our latest resource guide on material relating to learning and teaching Acadian history.

Once again, I have stuck to sources that are produced by institutions, museums, archives, and historical societies. This is again to ensure that the sources presented are authentic and their provenance clear. In order to keep this guide to a manageable size, I have excluded websites that are narrative-based,  rather than providing primary sources and/or learning tools. While I have included material from a range of different periods in Acadian history, the majority of this material deals with Acadian history in Canada. In other words, you won’t find information here about what happened to Acadians who were deported and never returned. Also, considering the subject matter, I have indicated the languages in which each resource is available. There will be three separate guides: one for educators working in K-12 institutions; one for educators working in higher education; and one that provides an introduction to the field of study. 

There are certain terms one should be wary of, such as the “Golden Age” of Acadia, referring to the era between the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) and the beginning of the deportation (1755). It usually denotes a certain mythology held on the part of the author, in which Acadians were pastoral peasants who wanted nothing more than to stay on their land forevermore, at peace to be good Catholics. Like all good history, the reality is much more nuanced. The Acadians of this period were extremely mobile, were merchants as well as farmers, were present in La Rochelle, Louisbourg, Quebec. Some participated in the slave trade, and were immensely wealthy.

Another pitfall of Acadian history is the huge gap in resources between the deportation and what is generally termed the “Acadian renaissance,” beginning in the 1880s. While there are currently quite a few projects underway to rectify this lacuna, the reconstruction era that occurred after the deportation is generally considered a black hole in terms of documentation. Once the various reconstituted Acadian communities around the Maritimes were strong enough to begin expressing themselves again, their “renaissance” was the result, and a wave of Acadian nationalism produced Acadian-born historians, journalists, politicians, authors, and so on. A great resource on this is Chantal Richard’s work, listed below.

And speaking of lacunas of information, this resource guide concentrates specifically on ACADIE, not the diaspora. There are a few resources that focus on the diaspora when they are relevant to the deportation era or how Acadians returned to Acadie after the deportation, but the primary focus is eastern Canada. Unfortunately, focusing on the diaspora (Louisiana, France, St-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Quebec, Maine) would take too much time and space. We had to draw a line somewhere. But if you are looking for information on places outside of the east coast, there is plenty in here to get you started (such as the Canada-US studies centre at UMaine, the works of Chris Hodson, and many others.)

Museums, Archives, and Institutions with Relevant Holdings

Archives

• Centre Acadien de l’Université Sainte Anne
  • The Centre Acadien collects together primary sources dealing specifically with Acadian history and culture in the province of Nova Scotia. The archive is open to the public, but they generally prefer that you contain then ahead of time. They also ask that prior to your visit, you complete research forms (available at the link above) to let them know what you would specifically like to look at. Most of their website is only available in French (including their online database), but English versions of the research forms are available here. They offer research services, reproductions, and digitization for a fee.
  • Online database:  https://memoryns.ca/archives-du-centre-acadien
• Beaton Institute Archives
  • The Beaton Institute collects material related to the social, economic, political, and cultural history of Cape Breton, including its Acadian heritage. They offer research services, reproductions, and digitization for a fee. Their online database only contains a fraction of their actual holdings, so contacting them or visiting them in person is recommended. However, they do provide a guide to their complete holdings here.
  • Online Database: https://beatoninstitute.com 
• Nova Scotia Archives
  • This is a particular favourite of mine, though mostly for their online work. They collect material relating to the province’s documentary heritage, particularly relating to the government and the private sector. This includes a substantial amount of material related to Acadian history. The archives are open to the public, though as is often the case, you will be asked to register upon your arrival. The archives do not permit the use of cameras, recording devices without prior consultation, and do not permit the use of scanning equipment at all. They provide photocopying, microfilm print-out/duplication, sound and image reproduction, and scans for a fee, and can mail this material directly to you at cost. While they do not offer research services, they do maintain a list of researchers who are available for hiring.  Like the Beaton Institute, their online database does not contain their complete inventory, but it can give you a good sense of what is available.
  • Online Database: https://memoryns.ca/nova-scotia-archives
• Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
  • The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick colts material relating to the history of New Brunswick generally.  The majority of their holdings are from the post 1748 period, but they do have material relating to the Acadian history of the area. They can provide reproductions for a fee, and can provide a limited amount of copying in response to written requests.
  • Online Database: https://search.canbarchives.ca/provincial-archives-of-new-brunswick 
• Library and Archives Canada
  • While not extensive, LAC does have holdings relevant to Acadian history. The link above provides a list of material (both archival and published primary sources) from their collection that will be of interest.
  • Online Database: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/arch
• Public Archives and Record Office, Prince Edward Island
  • The Public Archives and Record Office of PEI collects material relevant to the history of PEI, with a particular focus on government records, the private sector, individuals, companies, and institutions. The archive is open to the public, and will also answer emails by mail, email, or phone, as well as undertake limited research. There are two online databases with material from their holdings, although only a fraction. the PARO Collections database is for vital statistics, census material, maps, architectural plans, photographs, and more. Memory PEI contains information about specific collections at the archives that might be of interested. Both databases contain a limited amount of digitized material.
  • Online Databases: PARO and Memory PEI
• Library of Congress
  • The Library of Congress is massive, and specializes in materials relating to American history. However, they do have material relating to Acadian history, particularly folklore, social life, and customs of Acadians in New Brunswick and Maine, particularly in the form of maps. Because of the size of their holdings, their online database is limited to finding aids. The Maine Acadian Cultural Survey Collection is of particular interest.
  • Online Database: http://findingaids.loc.gov
• The National Archives (UK)
  • Again this is an enormous archive that contains material relating to the history of the UK, England, and Wales. However, they also hold material relating to Acadian history, particularly around the subject of the Deportation.
  • Online Database: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
• Archives Nationale (France)
  • Again the same thing, but when you consider that the original Acadians came from the place we known as France, and that France governed the colony of Acadia for many years, there is a significant amount of material in this archive. However, Stephanie warns that this archive is very difficult to navigate.
  • Online Database: https://www.siv.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/siv/cms/content/display.action?uuid=Accueil1RootUuid&onglet=1

Institutions/Universities

• Centre d’études Acadiennes – Université de Moncton
  • The IEA contains three archives: one dedicated to folklore; one with more than 1000 private archival collections about the history and daily lives of Acadians; and one with the institutional holdings of the IEA. They do not maintain an online database, but have compiled guides for: their collection of folk music; their collection of folklore; and the general collections and fonds, as well as an indexes of their analytical inventory and their digitized holdings.
• Acadian Archives / Archives acadiennes of the University of Maine at Fort Kent
  • Yes, you read that right. The Acadian Archives at the University of Main at Fort Kent collects material relating to the culture, way of life, and history of Franco-American and Acadian peoples who lived in the Upper St. John’s River Valley in Maine. The archives are open to the public. Photocopying and scanning must have prior approval from staff, and are only to be used for research or education.
  • Online database: https://www.umfk.edu/archives/collections/
• Mount Allison University Archives 
  • This collection of material is largely limited to the archival records of the university itself, but also contains holdings relating to individuals, organizations, and community groups in Sackville and the Chignecto region. This archive is open by appointment only.
  • Online Database http://archives.mta.ca/archives/desc.htm
• Archives and Special Collections at the University of New Brunswick
  • The Archives and Special Collections at UBC contain archival records from the university itself, as well as private historical papers related to the history of New Brunswick. Visits are by appointment only.
  • Online Database: http://archives.hil.unb.ca/webcat/request/DoMenuRequest?SystemName=University+of+New+Brunswick&UserName=wa+public&Password=&TemplateProcessID=6000_3355&bCachable=1&MenuName=University%2Bof%2BNew%2BBrunswick%2BArchives
• Dalhousie University Archives
  • Dalhousie University Archives holds textual documents, graphic material, audio-visual material, maps, and other media related to the history of Dalhousie University and the surrounding area. The archives are open to the public, and the archive offers reproduction, digitization, and mailing services for a fee. The archive does maintain an online database, but it consists mostly of findings aids, and only for material that has been processed.
  • Online Database: https://findingaids.library.dal.ca
• Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore – University of Louisiana at LaFayette
  • This archive specializes in folklore, traditions, and daily life in Louisiana, as well as significant material related to the history of Acadia more generally. A significant number of their photographic and audio holdings are digitized and available in the database linked below.
  • Online Database: http://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/ull-acc%3Acollection

Museums

NB: My guess is that many of the historic sites contain archives and archaeological collections. These are just the ones where there is information available online.

• Fredericton Region Museum
  • The Fredericton Region Museum maintain a collection of material related to the history of central New Brunswick, particularly York and Sudbury countries. Their collection contains textual documents, artifacts, and archaeological material.
  • Online Database: https://search.canbarchives.ca/fredericton-region-museum
• Beaubassin and Fort Lawrence National Historic Site
  • This national historic site maintain a collection of archaeological findings from the area, including glass, ceramic, and wooden artifacts, related to the Acadian settlement at Beaubassin.
• Musée Acadien de l’Université de Moncton 
  • This museum holds around 35,000 artifacts and images in their collection, largely representing the history and culture of Acadians.
• New Brunswick Museum
  • The New Brunswick museum maintain an archival collection of 300 metres records relating to the economic, social, legal, military, religious, and political history of the province, with a particular focus on the nineteenth century.
  • Online Database: http://website.nbm-mnb.ca/ics-wpd/library/archives%20screen.htm
• Acadian Research Center of Prince Edward Island/Centre de recherche acadien de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard
  • Located within the Acadian Museum of PEI, this archive contains material specifically relating to the history of Acadians in PEI. There are more than 230 fonds in their collection, and a fraction of these are listed in the online database below. And their database is, currently, only available in French. The archives are open to the public, but they were would advance notice to ensure that staff are on duty.
  • Online Database: http://acadieipe.ca/nos_archives
• Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos et Centre de recherche
  • Don’t let the ancient website fool you, this museum does have a significant archival collection related to the Acadian history of the area. Much of it is based on the research of local historian Father Clarence d’Entremont.  They are only open to the public on Thursdays, but can be opened on other days by appointment.
  • Online Database: https://memoryns.ca/les-archives-pere-clarence-dentremont or http://www.museeacadien.ca/french/archives/fonds/index.htm

Institutions that Specialize in Acadian History

New Brunswick

• Institut d’études acadienne – Université de Moncton – Moncton Campus
• Centre de documentation et d’études madawaskayennes – Université de Moncton, Edmunston Campus (especially the French Language and Literatures Studies program)

Nova Scotia

• Centre acadien – Université Sainte-Anne

Ontario

• Centre de recherche en civilisation canadienne-française – University of Ottawa

Quebec

• Centre d’études interdisciplinaires sur les Lettres, les Arts et les Traditions des francophones en Amérique du Nord (CELAT) – Université Laval
• Chaire pour le développement de la recherche sur la culture d’expression française en Amérique du Nord (CEFAN) – Université Laval
• Quebec Studies – McGill University

International

• Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore, University of Louisiana at LaFayette  (Part of the Modern Languages department)
• Canadian-American Centre at the University of Maine

Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Journals

• Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française
  • Frequency of publication:  4 times per year
  • Focus: The RHAF publishes articles that deal with the history of Francophone experience in Quebec, Canada, and North America.
  • Language: French
  • Access: Closed
  • Format: Print and Online
• Acadiensis
  • Frequency of publication: 2 times per year
  • Publication Schedule: Summer/Fall, Winter/Spring
  • Focus: Acadiensis publishes articles that deal exclusively with Atlantic Canada (including PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland/Labrador) as well as most of the Eastern coast of North America, regardless of approach, methodology, or topic.
  • Language: English and French
  • Access: Closed (Winter/Spring 2016 available for free as of this posting)
  • Format: Print and Online and (Winter/Spring 2016 and onwards)
• Mens : revue d’histoire intellectuelle de l’Amérique française
  • Frequency of publication: 2 times per year
  • Publication Schedule: Spring and Fall
  • Focus: Mens publishes articles that are related to some aspects of intellectual or cultural history in French North America.
  • Language: French
  • Access: Open
  • Format: Print and Online
• Early American Studies
  • Frequency of publication: Quarterly
  • Focus: This is an interdisciplinary journal which focuses on the early Americas (pre-1850s) and accepts articles which focus on history, art, material culture, anthropology, and other disciplines.
  • Language: English
  • Access: Available through Project Muse; subscription required.
  • Format: Print and Online
• Francophonies d’Amérique
  • Frequency of publication: 2 times per year
  • Publication Schedule: Spring and Fall
  • Focus: This journal is interdisciplinary and focuses on Francophone communities outside of Quebec. It is particularly interested in the experiences of isolated and minority Francophone communities in North America.
  • Language: French
  • Access: Closed for the first two years, open afterwards
  • Format: Print and Online
• Journal Of New Brunswick Studies
  • Frequency of publication: 2 times per year
  • Focus: The Journal of New Brunswick Studies is an interdisciplinary journal that is devoted to the study of the history, society, and culture of New Brunswick.
  • Language: English and French
  • Access: Open
  • Format: Online
• Québec Studies 
  • Frequency of publication: 2 times per year
  • Focus: Quebec Studies is an interdisciplinary journal that is devoted to all aspects of both Quebec and Francophone Canadian society, history, and culture
  • Language: English and French
  • Access: Closed
  • Format: Print and Online
• The William and Mary Quarterly
  • Frequency of Publication: four times per year
  • Publication Schedule:January, April, July, October
  • Focus: This journal specializes in the history and culture of what they described as “early North America,” from the fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries, though they do also publish articles relating to the Atlantic world.
  • Access: Closed
  • Language: English (as far as I can tell)
  • Format: Print and Online
• French Colonial History
  • Frequency of Publication: Once per year
  • Publication Schedule: n/a
  • Focus: This journal focuses on any and all aspects of French colonialism and the history of French colonies.
  • Access: Closed
  • Language: English and French
  • Format: Online

Relevant databases

Canadiana Online

British North American Legislative Database

Vocabularies of Identity

Well-Known Scholars

• Gregory Kennedy
• Elizabeth Mancke
• John Reid (Retired/Professor-Emeritus)
• Naomi  Griffiths
• Chantal Richard
• Christopher Hodson
• Ronnnie-Gilles Leblanc (Retired)
• Maurice Basque
• Anne Marie Lane-Jonah
• Nicolas Landry
• Stephen Hornsby
• Jean-François Muhot
• Ronald Rudin
• A. J. B. Johnson (Retired)
• Stephen White
• William Wicken
• Beatrice Craig
• Clint Bruce

Note: In no way is this list meant to be exhaustive or comprehensive. It focuses solely on Acadian history in the eastern region of Canada, without including many resources on the diaspora, or even much information on the other communities which had an impact on Acadian history – such as Mi’kmaq, or Black communities. For a more inclusive history we suggest also reading Thomas Peace, Andrea Bear-Nicholas, Ken Donovan, Pamela Palmater, and Harvey Armani Whitfield, among others.

Recommended Readings

• Bourque, Denis, Richard, Chantal, & Giroux, Amélie, eds. Les conventions nationales acadiennes. Moncton: Institut d’études Acadiennes, 2013.
• Craig, Beatrice. “Family, kinship, and community formation on the Canadian-American border: Madawaska, 1785-1842.” Thesis, University of Maine 1984.
• Craig, Beatrice & Dagenais, Maxime. The land in between: the upper St. John Valley, prehistory to World War I. Gardiner, ME: Tillbury House, 2009.
• Craig, Beatrice. Backwoods consumers and homespun capitalists : the rise of a market culture in eastern Canada Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009.
• Griffiths, Naomi. From Migrant to Acadian: A North American Border People, 1604-1755. Montréal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2014.
• Griffiths, Naomi. “The Golden Age: Acadian Life, 1713-1748,” Histoire Sociale XVII no. 33 (November 1984): 21-34.
• Hodson, Christopher. The Acadian Diaspora: An Eighteenth-Century History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
• Hornsby, Stephen J. & Reid, John G., eds. New England and the Maritime Provinces: Connections and Comparisons. Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2005.
• Johnston, A. J. B. “Borderland Worries: Loyalty Oaths in Acadie/Nova Scotia, 1654-1755.” French Colonial History v4 (2003): 31-48.
• Johston, A. J. B. “The Call of the Archetype and the Challenge of Acadian History.” French Colonial History v5 (2004): 63-92.
• Kennedy, Gregory M. W. “À la recherche de sa propre voie : Charles de Menou, sa famille et sa carrière en Acadie.” Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française v66 n2 (Automne 2012): 147-176
• Kennedy, Gregory M. W. “Marshland Colonization in Acadia and Poitou during the Seventeenth Century.”  Acadiensis 42, no. 1 (Winter/Spring, 2013): 37–66.
• Kennedy, Gregory M. W.Something of a Peasant Paradise?: Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais, 1604-1755. 2014
• Kennedy, Gregory, Peace, Thomas, & Pettigrew, Stephanie. “Social Networks across Chignecto: Applying Social Network Analysis to Acadie, Mi’kma’ki, and Nova Scotia, 1670-1751” Acadiensis v47 n1 (Winter/Spring 2018) 8.
• Labelle, Ronald. Inventaire des sources en folklore acadien. Moncton: Centre d’études Acadiennes, 1984.
• Landry, Nicolas. Plaisance (Terre-Neuve) 1650-1713 : une colonie française en Amérique. Québec: Septentrion, 2008.
• Landry, Nicolas. La Cadie frontière du Canada : Micmacs et Euro-Canadiens au nord-est du Nouveau-Brunswick, 1620-1850. Québec: Septentrion, 2013.
• Lane-Jonah, Anne Marie, & Tait, Elizabeth. “Filles d’Acadie, Femmes de Louisbourg: Acadian Women and French Colonial Society in Eighteenth-Century Louisbourg.” French Colonial History 8, no. 1 (2007): 23-51.
• Lane-Jonah, Anne Marie. “Everywoman’s Biography: The Stories of Marie Marguerite Rose and Jeanne Dugas at Louisbourg.” Acadiensis v45 n1 (Winter/Spring 2016) 143.
• LeBlanc, Ronnie Gilles. Du Grand Dérangement à la Déportation: nouvelles perspectives historiques. Moncton [N.B.]: Chaire d’études acadiennes, Université de Moncton, 2005.
• Lennox, Jeffers. Homelands and Empires: Indigenous Spaces, Imperial Fictions, and Competition for Territory in Northeastern North America, 1690-1763. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017.
• Mouhot, Jean-François. Les réfugiés acadiens en France: 1758-1785, l’impossible réintégration? Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2012
• Reid, John Graham. Acadia, Maine, and New Scotland: Marginal Colonies in the Seventeenth Century. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1981.
• Reid, John G. The “Conquest” of Acadia, 1710 Imperial, Colonial, and Aboriginal Constructions. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009.
• Richard, Chantal. “La Déportation comme mythe de création dans l’idéologie des Conventions nationales acadiennes (1881-1937).” Acadiensis, vol. XXXVI, n ^o 1 (automne 2006):  69-81.
• Richard, Chantal. “Discours Identitaires Véhiculés Par Les Premiers Journaux Francophones En Acadie (1867-1900): Confédération Ou Colonisation?” Studies in Canadian Literature / Études En Littérature Canadienne 42, no. 1 (January 2017): 84–109.
• Rudin, Ronald. Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie: A Historian’s Journey through Public Memory. Toronto University of Toronto Press: [2017] 2009.
• Rudin, Ronald. Kouchibouguac: Removal, Resistance, and Remembrance at a Canadian National Park. 2016.

Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of the resource guide: A Guide to Online Resources for Teaching and Learning Acadian History in Higher Education.

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