Sally Ross and Barbara Le Blanc gave a presentation on the History of the Acadians in Nova Scotia at the Kaqa’nata Multicultural and Diversity Summit in Wagmatcook. In order to cover four centuries succinctly, they worked together to ask and answer 15 basic historical questions. Barbara personalized the Acadian story by adding facts from her own family history.

Some of the questions were: Where was Acadie? Where does the name Acadie come from? What were the characteristics of the Acadian settlements? What were the implications of the deportations? What were and are the main challenges of Acadians in Nova Scotia?

Barbara is descended from Daniel Le Blanc and Françoise Gaudet, the first Le Blanc couple to settle in Port-Royal around 1640. Her direct ancestor, Bénonie was only five years old when he and his family were deported to Massachusetts. Several cousins were deported to Virginia, where they were refused and sent to England, becoming prisoners until the 1763 peace treaty. They were then shipped to France, where they lived for ten years. Eventually Bénonie and his Le Blanc cousins were among the founding families of the Chéticamp and Margaree areas of Cape Breton Island. Others settled in Isle Madame, Clare, Pubnico, and Pomquet.

Click here to read the full presentation – History of the Acadians in NS – ROSS + LE BLANC