How much French still exists in New England?
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Gerard R. Bourassa
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- New Bedford, Massachusetts
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Gerard R. Bourassa's Discussions
FRENCH-CANADIAN AND FRANCO-AMERICAN HEROES
2 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Raymond Gagnon Sep 20.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS ABOUT FRENCH CANADIANS OR FRANCO-AMERICANS
7 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Joelle Hoffman Jun 3.
Gerard R. Bourassa's Page
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For me the heros of la franco-americanie are local - for the most part unknown & forgotten individuals, who came forward to make the lives of french speaking immigrants better. In my community, Claremont NH, Henri-Victor Charron comes to mind. The...
Hi, Gerry--Yes, I agree with your choice of heroes. I would add: Samuel de Champlain, our Founding Father; Rene Robert
Sieur Cavelier de La Salle, Prince of Explorers. In New England: Ferdinand Gagnon, the founder of Franco-American journalism; Ad...
I really like "The ransom of Mercy Carter", sister of my husband's ancestor: Jean Chartier, who got kidnap by and lived among the native americans.
Joelle Hoffman
Dear Gerard,
Thanks for the generous encouragement. I have written 3 other folk tales from other cultures, but since I am a novice, I don't really know what to do with them. I guess I will keep writing until I get the courage to try to publish.
...
Jeanne-marie,
Your folk tale about the French-Canadian logging brothers with
the flying canoe sounds really captivating! I hope someday to read
it in print along with any other French-Canadian folk tales that you
decide to write about. The thi...
Dear Gerard,
I am working on a French Canadian Folk Tale about few brothers who are loggers early 1900's, who have a flying canoe to tavel back and forth from the Laurentiens to Old Mont Real to visit home, but there is a twist I shan't tell. Sou...
As an individual of 100 percent French-Canadian descent,
(and proud of it), I have many French-Canadian and Franco-
American heroes. They include religious figures like Saint
Marguerite d'Youville, who when her ne'er do well husband
passed awa...
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Comment Wall (5 comments)
- At 8:19pm on October 15, 2009,
John W. O'Brien III said…
- hey there! how's it going!
I'm descended from Louis Hebert, (through his daughter of course) he was Canada's first official permanent resident.... well, that is if you don't consider the Iroquois to be residents....
on that note, flipping through the sub-standard times' website i found your opinion piece.... i wrote a reply but i doubt they'll publish it, so i figured i'd reply to you directly :)
"...That three-word sentence is loaded with disrespect for the members of the hundreds of indigenous nations who already inhabited the so-called "New World." The preposterous yet often-repeated statement, "Columbus discovered America," indoctrinated in the minds of schoolchildren for generations, is the ultimate example of adding insult to injury."
First of all....
there are no nations or people "indigenous" to this continent.
from webster.com
Indigenous:
Etymology: Late Latin indigenus, from Latin indigena, noun, native, from Old Latin indu, endo in, within + Latin gignere to beget — more at end-, kin
Date: 1646
1 : having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment
Humans didn't occur naturally in the "New World" the so called "Native Americans" crossed over to the North American continent during the last ice age (about 10,000 years ago) from Asia, they didn't evolve here, they migrated here.... as far as anyone knows, the only land humans are "Native" to, is Africa. where the Humans, or Homo Sapiens moved out and roamed the world supplanting the population or Homo Neanderthalensis, or, Neanderthal Man.
GASP!! those ancient brutes!! Homo Sapiens gained control of the world over the Neanderthals!?!? why.... EVERY human holiday is an affront to Neanderthal Man!! SHAME ON US!
you sir, remind me of an ignorant student i met on the campus of UMass Dartmouth several years ago....
he was going on and on about reparations and how his people had been enslaved in this country for 400 years.....
crossing the quad, heading for lunch, minding my own business and half listening to him... he pointed at ME and said that *my* people had brought *his* people down and that *I* owed him because of it....
well, i informed him that "my" people (mostly Irish) had been enslaved, subjugated, tortured and killed for over a thousand years at the hands of England and that i didn't owe him squat, and i told him there was another group of people that have been enslaved and persecuted for over 2000 years and that he'd better not let any of them hear him bellyaching about a measly 400 years....
you know what? it's all BS.... all of it....
that kid on the campus didn't know any slaves, no one he'd ever talked to was a slave, it's all in his mind, and in the past.... and you know what?
Columbus *did* discover America.
sure, some of my ancestors (who were Cree) were here first.... but they didn't bother telling anyone in Europe.... so, from a European perspective, Cristóbal Colón was the first to bring word of this new (new to the Europeans) land.
and sure, he was wrong because supposedly Leif Erikkson was here before him.... but hey, he didn't tell anyone about it either.
and you know what? History is written by the victors. that's been true of every culture everywhere on this planet for eons....
just because you have an attack of conscience a few hundred years after the fact won't change the facts... it might make you feel better about yourself, you said something, you made your voice be heard... congratulations.... now you can sleep at night?
get your facts straight, quit your whining, and enjoy your day off work.
it's just another excuse to sell crappy cars cheaper, like President's day" and "Memorial day" and the commercialized mess that has become Christmas and Halloween... if you want to bitch about something, bitch about the fact that it's not even Halloween and stores are already putting Christmas stuff out....
THAT is something to whine about.
"BOURASSA" that's French non? hey, if it wasn't for Columbus "discovering" America, the English starving the Irish to near death, or the French in Canada playing with the natives, i wouldn't be here either, and we wouldn't be having this discussion....
so unless you were born in "the motherland" and intend to move back there.... sit down and shaddup.
- At 6:41am on March 20, 2009,
Rhea Cote Robbins said… - hello, thank you for your attention to the news blog...both myself and Jacques Boudreau from Gatineau, whom I have never met, work at this from the point of believing that the material gathered is of crucial importance. I am very grateful for Jacques help because the blog would not be as rich if he did not put in so much of his time and effort. It is good to know we are not just hanging out in cyberspace. Also, I agree with you and I do teach the nuns, several orders in both of my Franco-American women's courses that I teach for the University of Maine. I graduated from the last 8th grade class in my parochial school and I am very aware of both their sacrifices and their ability to be hard-nosed. I received a message from one of the sisters in QC where they have to sell the church where D'Youville is interred...the note is heart breaking.
Montreal nuns moving-with saint's remains -- Exit of Sisters of Charity, who sold prime downtown property, symbolizes decline of Catholic Church in Qc
http://fanset8.blogspot.com/2008/12/montreal-nuns-moving-with-saints.html
and her comment: Anonymous said...
I have been associated with the Grey Nuns for the past 20 years and it is heart breaking to see all of these happen especially to the "not so final" resting place of Mother d'Youville. I know we must accept change but it brings tears to my eyes to think the place I consider a home away from home, a place where I can literally feel the presence of the sisters long past and their foundress will no longer be in the hands of my beloved sisters, a place I visited so often. I will pray constantly that the new owners will take good care of this precious home.--March 3, 2009 8:00 PM
Also, if you are ever in the area of this interactive theatre event, see below, you should, anyone should go see it. I had the opportunity to attend this show in Seattle and it is funny, plus a fund raiser for the nun's retirement fund...and you get to practice your Baltimore all over again...;-)
"Late Nite Catechism"
http://fanset8.blogspot.com/2009/03/catechism-not-giving-up-laughter-for.html
More info on the show:
http://www.latenitecatechism.info/
best, Rhea
- At 10:33pm on November 5, 2008,
Raymond Patnaude said… - We are still working on oral histories We have over 500 photos collected, however we are still seeking photos of Franco Americains working at their trades or in their businesses. If you have any individuals we missed, that might have interesting histories or photos please let me or Professor Chartier know. I enjoyed your recent article in the paper.
I would need to get approval from families who let us copy photos for the book to publish them on this site. Ray
- At 9:37pm on October 26, 2008,
Daniel Boucher said… - Thanks for joining! And yes how did your name go from Bourassa to Blyrassa. Did they feel a need to change you name to something very bland like Blah-rassa?? You should be able to go in and change that.
- At 5:26pm on September 15, 2008,
Armand Chartier said…
- Gerry--Glad that you joined. But how did your name get so badly mangled?
Armand C.
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