Jeanne Dugas of Acadia (3 page)

Chapter 3

T
here was a scarcity of women in the growing community of Louisbourg. Marguerite Richard, the widow Dugas, was still of childbearing age and, with her house and commercial activities, she had good prospects. In fact, she made a very fine match indeed.

She married Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour, the great-grandson of
the
Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour, one of the founders of Acadia and its first governor. It was a proud name with a proud heritage. Marguerite's new husband was also a caboteur, as Joseph had been. He was a friend of the Dugas family, and had been godfather to baby Étienne who died so young.

He had lost his wife to the smallpox epidemic. Marie-Anne Perré had left behind two daughters. She had come from a wealthy merchant family and would have brought a large dowry to her husband. This may explain how Charles had managed to buy a substantial house on rue de l'Étang, in the same section of the town as rue Royalle
.

The new ménage on rue de l'Étang consisted of Charles, his daughters, Marie (8) and Louise (6) and Marguerite, her son Abraham (10) and daughters Angélique (12) and Jeanne (5). Marguerite's older sons, Charles and Joseph, were living away. Now 23, Charles had established himself in Grand-Pré on land inherited from his father. Joseph fils (19) had been working with his father as a caboteur since the age of 15 and would continue on his own account, living in his late father's house on rue Royalle. He had inherited his father's schooner the
Marie-Josèphe.
When Charles visited Louisbourg he stayed with Joseph in the Dugas house.

Little Jeanne was very impressed with their new home on rue de l'Étang. It was a charpente house, timber-framed with a rubble stone infill, more substantial than the piquet
house usually built by the Acadians. And it was larger and better furnished than the Dugas house on rue Royalle. Jeanne had wandered, wide-eyed, in the formal parlour when they had first arrived in their new home. It was very different from the usual Acadian home where the large kitchen was the general living quarters for the whole family. This house had a fashionably furnished parlour, with a beautiful tapestry on the wall, depicting elegantly gowned French shepherdesses. And there was a clavecin. The Acadians loved music and might have a violin and Jew's harp, but this was the first time Jeanne had seen a harpsichord. Angélique was enthralled with both the shepherdesses and the clavecin. She later told her little sister that she had that day sworn to herself that she would learn to play.

There were several bedrooms, and it was decided that Angélique would share a room with Marie and Louise, and Jeanne would share another with Abraham. This was unfortunate. It separated Jeanne from her sister and it meant that she was treated like a baby. At least that's the way she saw it.

Indeed she was very unsure of how she fit in the scheme of things in the new place. Not only was the house new and strange, Jeanne was no longer the centre of attention as the baby of the family, as she had been on rue Royalle. With Charles and Joseph now away from the family circle, her step-father Monsieur de la Tour was the only man in her family.

To make matters worse, he seemed to be taking first place in Maman's attentions and affections. And of course Maman had two additional daughters to look after. Not that she neglected any of the children, but she often looked distracted. It was around this time that Jeanne developed her habit of quietly studying the people around her to see what she could expect of them.

Monsieur de la Tour, as the Dugas children called him, was a rather proud-looking man. No doubt kind – he was generous – but distant. Their father had been a down-to-earth, warm and rather noisy Acadian. Although as a caboteur he was often absent, when he was at home he was boisterously affectionate with his children. Charles and Joseph fils, cut from the same cloth, had taken his place in Jeanne's life.

Jeanne watched Maman very carefully. She decided that although her mother seemed preoccupied, she looked happy. But it was not a happiness that reflected Jeanne's presence; the source lay somewhere else. Indeed, she seemed to be somehow a different person when Monsieur de la Tour was at home.

Maman changed in other ways too. Very soon a seamstress came to stay with the new family while she made several beautiful new gowns in the French style. Maman said these were only for when she would accompany Monsieur de la Tour on special occasions. She continued to wear her Acadian clothes at home – at least until the new babies came. Oh yes, a year after the move, twin girls were born, Jeanne Charlotte and Anne.

There is no doubt that the new babies disrupted life on rue de l'Étang. Angélique, as the oldest girl, resented having to help look after them and Jeanne resented having to share Maman with them. Marie and Louise de la Tour no doubt now felt outnumbered by the Dugas, and the eleven-year-old Abraham overwhelmed by sisters. There had been a very real shift in all of their lives.

On the verge of young womanhood, Angélique seemed rather pleased with the new family's status. For, although Monsieur de la Tour insisted he was an Acadian, Angélique was old enough to see that he preferred to live in a manner more refined than most Acadians could aspire to.

Their new step-sisters, Marie and Louise, attended the convent of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, a school for girls located near the de la Tour home. The only school in Louisbourg, it had been founded by Soeur de la Conception, a headstrong nun who had come to Louisbourg from Québec in 1727. The curriculum had a strong devotional basis, and behaviour and deportment were stressed. But the girls were also taught reading, writing and simple arithmetic, as well as needlework, music and crafts. The students were clearly meant to emerge as “proper young ladies.” The convent accepted only daughters of the officers at the garrison, making rare exceptions for a few day students from deserving families like the de la Tours.

Angélique was hoping to go to the convent too, although at twelve she was at an age when most students would be finishing their schooling. There was another complication. The nuns were still looking after a number of girls who had been orphaned during the smallpox epidemic. But, when Monsieur de la Tour and Maman went to consult with the nuns, they agreed to accept Angélique as a day student. Because of her age she would receive instruction only in “young ladies' arts,” that is, religion, deportment, needlework and music. Jeanne, to her great surprise – and concern – was told she had been accepted at the convent for the following year.

Angélique was pretty and had grand plans for her life. She began to plead with Maman for new French-style clothes. She could make them herself, she said. Monsieur de la Tour, amused at this girl-turning-young-woman, told Maman to have the seamstress come to make a couple of new gowns for her. Next, arrangements were made for Angélique to take dancing lessons from one of several dancing masters in Louisbourg. Jeanne was not sure if Maman really approved of this. She heard Maman scoff at Angélique's new airs one day. “Where do you think you're going to use your dancing skills?” she asked her daughter. But Angélique, obviously preoccupied with her new status in life, was practising languid poses in her new gowns, much to the amusement of Monsieur de la Tour.

All of this annoyed Jeanne, who was too old to be a baby and too young to be a young woman. She was secretly pleased to see that the de la Tour daughters, Marie and Louise, were also miffed by their father's treatment of Angélique. Maman sensed how Jeanne was feeling, and told her it would be her turn one day.

And so, the members of the new family settled in around each other, Maman at the centre of things and Monsieur de la Tour looming large in the background. As the eldest, Angélique held sway over Marie and Louise. Abraham kept to himself when he was at home and not out running around with friends. When she looked back, Jeanne could see that the twin baby girls had played a part in bringing the new family together. Even though at times resented by the other children, they were very sweet babies. And so Jeanne kept her careful watch on all the members of the new family.

—

Jeanne was worried about the idea of going to school. On her very first day she walked the short distance to the convent with her eyes down, nervously gripping Angélique's hand. She was scrubbed, polished and wore a new Acadian bonnet. Maman had wanted her to dress in the French style like Marie and Louise, but Jeanne had dug in her heels and refused, her first real act of defiance.

She arrived at the front door of the convent wearing a linen chemise with a dark-coloured vest over it, a striped linen skirt, a neck scarf, the new bonnet on her head and a determined look on her face. She was going to make the best of it.

As they arrived, Angélique whispered urgently, “Jeanne!” and tugged on her hand. Jeanne lifted her eyes just as the door opened and Mère Saint-Joseph appeared.

“Bonjour, ma jolie petite Acadienne!” she exclaimed. Jeanne's scowl disappeared and she smiled in spite of herself. That day she took to book-learning like a duck to water.

Chapter 4

I
n the mid-1730s there were rumblings of the threat of yet another war between France and Britain. It stood to reason that having taken over Acadia, the English would want to extend their reach to the neighbouring areas, and the growth and development of Louisbourg had begun to be perceived as a threat to British trade. By 1739 the rumours were becoming more persistent and there was a resulting decline in the cod fishery. Fishing entrepreneurs in Europe were reluctant to risk sending ships and men to an area that might be engaged in fighting another war. The rumours also affected trade, an important part of the port's economy.

While the cod-fishing industry was a large undertaking and the basis for the economy of Louisbourg and Île Royale, the town was also a very important trading centre. It had warehouses, careening wharf, admiralty court, harbour defences and the first lighthouse in the area. During the 1730s an average of 150 ships a year would sail into its harbour during the summer season, making Louisbourg one of the busiest ports in the new world.

Most of the huge profits made from the cod-fishing industry found their way into the coffers of the French king; then the traders and shippers benefited, followed by the fishermen. When the catch was abundant, Louisbourg was a prosperous place – even though life was very hard for the people who worked long hours at the seashore tending the flakes where the cod was dried. They were poorly paid for the very long hours of work. Whereas in Acadia the settlers who had farmland and farm animals prospered, Louisbourg had no farming to speak of and the poor often had no money to buy the foodstuffs that were, of necessity, imported.

The wealthy, however, lived very well. There was a social hierarchy, with the governor and the officers of the garrison at the top, followed by traders, navigators and craftsmen, then tavern keepers and shopkeepers. There were also musicians, dance instructors, seamstresses, laundresses and people who kept gaming establishments. Gaming was a pastime for all levels of society there.

If you ignored the dark clouds of impending war, Louisbourg was a busy, bustling community and an exciting place to live. These were the two realities: the busy, happy outer life and an inner life of worry and apprehension as to what the future would bring.

Chapter 5

I
f a bit more reserved and disciplined, life at the house on rue de l'Étang was even busier than it had been on rue Royalle. Monsieur de la Tour was absent for brief periods of time, but he had a full crew on his schooner and it often sailed without him.

Jeanne's brother Joseph was a frequent visitor to the de la Tour home when he was not at sea. Since taking command of his own ship at the age of fifteen he had been a supplier of firewood to the garrison at Louisbourg, and this business brought him a large income. In 1737, in partnership with two other men, he obtained a three-year charter to provide the garrison and civilians with fresh beef. There was some controversy over his having a monopoly for this service and the fact that the live cattle he delivered sometimes came from Nova Scotia, despite the policy that beef should not come from British colonies. Joseph was a very good trader, however, and somehow managed to overcome that obstacle.

Jeanne's brother Charles was established at Grand-Pré, on property he had inherited from his father. Perhaps not as aggressive a businessman as his brother, Charles was a farmer, a well-known shipbuilder and ran a smaller caboteur trade. When he visited Île Royale several times a year, he stayed with Joseph in the house on rue Royalle, and the two brothers would visit with the de la Tour family. Monsieur de la Tour treated his two older stepsons as equals and they often discussed business and politics together.

Charles often tried to convince Joseph to settle with him in Grand-Pré, saying that the Acadians were once again prospering under English rule. But, like his father had been in 1714, Joseph was wary of the situation.

—

In the fall of 1739, Joseph's family and the de la Tours sailed to Grand-Pré, staying through the winter and spring of 1740, sharing Charles and Uncle Abraham's farmsteads.

Maman made sure that everyone was outfitted with Acadian dress for the trip. Angélique objected, but Monsieur de la Tour agreed with Maman on this matter, and insisted that Angélique was not to put on “airs.”

Now almost sixteen years old, Angélique had finished her two years of schooling at the convent. She was beginning to find some success as a proper young lady in the Louisbourg's social life, although she was never likely to reach the upper circle that included the governor's mansion. Unless, of course, she married very well.

Angélique had a delicate prettiness, with a fair skin, blue-grey eyes, and light brown hair. She and her brothers Charles and Abraham favoured their mother, while Jeanne and Joseph favoured their father, with dark eyes and hair and a sturdier build.

Monsieur de la Tour also adopted Acadian dress for their voyage. Jeanne, after studying him quietly from a distance, decided that he looked less strict and distant in his Acadian clothes, and she told him that she liked him better that way.

He laughed and said, “Well, ma petite Jeanne, you would have liked my great-grandfather Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour.

“Tell me about him,” she said.

“He sailed to Acadia with his father Claude on the ship
Grâce de Dieu
in 1610. They were coming here to go into the fur trade. My great-grandfather, who was only fourteen, and another boy his own age, Charles Biencourt, grew up among the Mi'kmaq. They spoke their language and learned to live in the native manner. They knew how to use birch bark canoes and snowshoes, to snare moose and spear salmon, and to dress in moccasins, with leggings of moose or seal skin, and topped with a cape of fur or a blanket.

“My great-grandfather married a Mi'kmaw princess and they had five children. And during all this time he took part in the fur trade and the politics it involved. But later on he realized that it would be better for him to have a wife with the right connections in France. He went to France and found one – her name was Françoise Jacquelin, and she became totally committed to him and his enterprise in Acadia.”

Jeanne stared at him wide-eyed.

“Do you want to hear more?” he smiled.

“Yes. Oh yes.”

Monsieur de la Tour went on to explain that his great-grandfather became involved in a struggle for power in Acadia with a man named Charles de Menou d'Aulnay. But when his wife Françoise died, and then d'Aulnay also died in a boating accident, his great-grandfather proposed to d'Aulnay's widow, Jeanne Morin de Reux. That put an end to the struggle between the two men.

“And most people agree, at least those on his side, that my great-grandfather was the first governor of Acadia.”

“Ah, mon Dieu,” Jeanne said.

“So you see, Jeanne, when I dress like this I think of my great-grandfather and I feel close to him. It's Acadian dress, not Mi'kmaw, but it feels closer to the land.

“And there's something else you should know. When the ship
Saint-Jehan
arrived here in 1636, bringing settlers to work the land, your own ancestor Abraham Dugas was among them. And he too became an important person in this new land.”

“
Thank you, Monsieur de la Tour. I must go and tell Joseph.” And Jeanne ran off.

—

Living in Grand-Pré was an exciting time for the younger children, who had never been to Acadia nor lived on a farm. Abraham was thirteen, almost a man; Jeanne was nine; the de la Tour girls, Marie and Louise, were eleven and ten; the twins, Charlotte and Anne, were only two.

Even the weather was different in Acadia. Winters in Louisbourg were bone-chillingly grey, foggy and wet – spring and fall were much the same, some said. Although most of the streets were cobbled, in bad weather they collected debris and became slippery. Snow quickly became slush. In Grand-Pré, winter seemed to be different. The snow stayed clean and white on the farms and even though it was cold the sun shone and the fields sparkled. Acadian houses were snug and warm and well supplied with hearty food. The Dugas and de la Tour children got to know the farm animals and both children and adults enjoyed sleigh rides and walks in the snow. The new year was celebrated at Charles's home, with his new wife, Anne Leblanc.

Charles and Anne had married in January of 1739. Charles was over twenty-five and had not needed his mother's permission to marry. In his own quiet and independent manner, Charles had simply informed his mother and siblings of his marriage on his first trip to Île Royale that spring. He had not brought his bride with him to meet the family but he insisted that both he and Anne wanted them to visit Grand-Pré.

When she first met them Anne had mentioned that she had been a bit shy at the idea of meeting Monsieur de la Tour. Taking this all in, Jeanne exclaimed, “But he's only an Acadian like us!” Everyone laughed, including Monsieur de la Tour who had come into the room unnoticed.

—

Despite the general merriment and good cheer that the families enjoyed in Grand-Pré, the problems of Louisbourg were not left behind. Jeanne had heard the men talk about this around the supper table at rue de l'Étang. But she was surprised to hear the heated political discussion at Charles and Uncle Abraham's homes in Grand-Pré. She got in the habit of sitting quietly in the same room and listening when the men lingered around the supper table in the evening.

After a particularly loud and heated argument one evening, her brother Joseph noticed Jeanne listening to them. He walked over and knelt beside her chair.

“Jeanne, ma petite, wipe that frown off your face. There is nothing for you to worry about.”

“But Joseph, you say that we might have to leave Louisbourg. And maybe even leave Grand-Pré. Where would we go? Would we all go together? To the same place? I am afraid.”

Joseph put his arms around her. “No, Jeanne. No. Whatever happens we will all stay together. I promise. And nothing has happened yet. Probably nothing will. Now, don't worry. Go and play with the other children. You are too serious.” He smiled at her. “Go on now.”

She left the room, but could not make herself stop worrying. The next day, she put on her sternest face and asked Joseph to explain the situation to her. “Please just tell me,” she said, stamping her foot. “Otherwise, I am going to worry. I may be only ten years old, or almost, but I am not stupid!”

“No, my little Jeanne, you are very smart. Get your warm clothes on and come to the barn with me. We can talk while I clean the stalls.”

—

She sat on a bale of hay, her breath visible in the cold air of the barn, while Joseph worked and talked.

“Jeanne, do you learn any history at the convent?”

“Not very much. I don't think that interests the sisters. I know that France and Britain are enemies. And the sisters seem to think that le bon Dieu is on the side of the French. But I find that hard to understand. The sisters don't seem to care much what happens to the Acadians or the Mi'kmaq,” she sighed.

“But I do like to go to school. I like the reading, writing and arithmetic, but the young ladies' arts don't seem very important to me. I can sew, but I have real trouble with the embroidery. Mère Saint-Joseph said she would help me next year. I have to embroider a ‘beautiful shawl,'” she said, rolling her eyes.

Joseph laughed. “Jeanne, you are very lucky to be going to school. It's not everyone who can go. And even the young ladies' arts will be helpful to you in the future.”

Jeanne just shrugged. “I don't just worry about us, Joseph. I worry about all the Acadians. We are real Acadians, aren't we?”

“Yes, Jeanne, we are real Acadians. And proud of it. As Monsieur de la Tour told you, our ancestor Abraham Dugas sailed to the new world a hundred years ago.”

“Another Abraham,” said Jeanne.

“Yes,” Joseph said with a laugh. “That's why we have so many Abrahams in our family. They were all named after him. This first Abraham was born in France, where he had the title of Armourer of the King, a gunsmith. Here in Acadia, he had the title of Lieutenant General. He was one of the three most important men in the new colony. He had a large farm, but he was also an armourer, a justice of the peace and chief of police. He married a woman named Marguerite Doucet and they had eight children. Our father was his grandson. So you are his great-granddaughter.”

Jeanne was captivated with the story and sat quietly, trying to commit it to memory.

“Our forefathers worked hard,” Joseph said, “but they made an honest living. They owned land, something that was impossible for ordinary people in France. They had full bellies and a roof over their heads. Some of them became wealthy.”

“But, Joseph, this took a long time, didn't it?”

“More than a hundred years. And during this time the new colony changed hands many times between France and Britain. For a long time the Acadians were able to continue to live on their prosperous farms even under British rule. But when Acadia fell again to the British in 1710, many Acadians believed that this was the end. Many were afraid for their survival.”

“Now Acadia is called Nova Scotia,” Jeanne said. “But we still think of it as Acadia, don't we?”

“Yes, Jeanne, we do.”

Joseph paced back and forth as he cleaned the stalls, stopping now and then to speak directly to Jeanne when he wanted to make sure she was following his story.

“Our father, Joseph, was one of the young men who worried about the political situation. He left Grand-Pré to go to Île Royale and he settled in Port Toulouse. Charles and I were just babies, so I don't remember much about our first years there. But I know that Maman was very glad to leave that place to go to live at Louisbourg about ten years later.

“Jeanne, you know that we had three little sisters who were born in Port Toulouse? And that they died in Louisbourg during the smallpox epidemic, when you were just a baby?”

Jeanne nodded. “I know. Marie Madeleine, Marguerite and Anne. Maman always says their names in her prayers. And there was Étienne who was born and died in Louisbourg.”

“Yes.” He paused.

“So now there is again the possibility of war between France and Britain. That's what all the talk is about. I think it's good that you know and understand this, Jeanne, but I don't want you to worry. We will be safe. Monsieur de la Tour has good contacts at the garrison and he will know if our situation becomes dangerous. We will get away in time.”

“Thank you for telling me, Joseph.” Then with a serious and piercing look, Jeanne asked if he was named Joseph because he was the one most like their father.

“I'm not sure,” Joseph smiled. “Maybe. They say I look like him.”

“I like Monsieur de la Tour,” Jeanne said, “but I don't think of him as my father.”

“That's all right, Jeanne. I know he likes you.”

“No, I think he likes Angélique better, because she is very pretty.”

“Oh, Jeanne. You are pretty too. Angélique is pretty, but she's not smart like you.” He paused. “If there are difficult times ahead, you'll be fine. Angélique – well, I don't know. If she saw an enemy army advancing, she'd probably try to flirt with the officers. But then, maybe this would be smart. I'm not being serious, Jeanne, I didn't mean that.”