BELLE ISLE MARSH, CRADLE OF ACADIA

And from the other end of the continent, we received a short note from Gérard Theriault from Petit Ruisseau, Nova Scotia to let us know of some news that had just been published by the 'Courier de la Nouvelle Écosse' regarding the on-going work at the archaeological digs in Belle Isle, an Acadian settlement which was part of the Port Royal colony about 10 miles upriver from the village proper. Jehan and Perrine Terriot, progenitors of our family were recorded as having lived there in the 17th century. Visit our website sections "Sail from La Havre to Le Heve" and "Promise of Acadia" (http://www.terriau.org/jehan.htm#Sail") for the history of Jehan and Perrine in Port Royal. Gérard is our delegate for the Léo François & Marguerite LeBlanc Thériault Great-Branch, of Church Point, NS on St-Mary's Bay. Here's the article from the Courier that we translated for your convenience...

CANADA RECOGNIZES ACADIAN CONTRIBUTION...

Just received a note from Karen Theriot Reader of some news that she picked up from the Parcs Canada website. Thank you, Karen. Karen is our family researcher and genealogist for the Louisiana Theriots and also our administrator for the Terriot DNA Project. She is our delegate for the Joseph Elric and Leora Theriot Great-Branch. Here's the news...

Last week, the Canadian government unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating the national historic significance of the Acadian aboiteau system. "This maritime technology played a pivotal role in the rise and evolution of the Acadian people during the 17th and 18th centuries,” said Senator Poirier. The Acadian aboiteau system is the essential element of a technique to drain salt marshes. Throughout the colonial period, Acadians were the only people in North America to drain and cultivate a large portion of the rich salt marshes that lay below high tide mark. These exceptionally fertile farmlands were the key to the prosperity of the Acadian community up until the Deportation in 1755. Here's the first article. ... and the second article.

BELLE ISLE OF THE PORT ROYAL COLONY

I received a note from an Acadian friend Ghislain Savoie. He reports:

"My brother Jean-Claude, who lives in NB, sent me a message today informing me that the Government of Nova Scotia announced that the Belle-Isle area in Nova Scotia was now protected. Our Acadian ancestors, the Savoies, Thériaults, Gaudets, Doucets, and others were the first settlers of this village which was one of the largest in the colony of Port Royal. Jean-Claude sponsors archaeological excavations of the homes of some of the Acadians in Belleisle. These excavations which are conducted by archaeologist Marc Lavoie, Professor at the University of Ste-Anne in Church Point, Nova Scotia, are discussed in the Radio Canada article which follows. At right is the aerial photo that I took of the Belleisle Marsh area in 2004. (Click on the photo to expand.)

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The following article was translated in english. The link of the original article in french is:

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2010/10/23/001-marais_Belle-Isle_protection.shtml

The marshes of Belle Isle, located between Annapolis Royal and Bridgetown, are now protected by the government of Nova Scotia.
The Minister of Acadian Affairs, Graham Steele, made the announcement Friday evening at the opening of the Annual General Meeting of the Acadian Federation of Nova Scotia.
The marshes of Belle Isle are one of the first places where the Acadians settled in Acadia of the Maritimes.
In the 17th century, thirty Acadian families owned farms where they had drained the marshes with dikes.
According to archaeologist Marc Lavoie, Belle Isle has special significance because no one ever moved into the marsh after the Deportation. He explained that apart from the Acadians, no one knew how to maintain the dikes and their 'aboiteaux'.
The archaeologist, who made excavations in the marshes of Belle Isle for several years, says that "the marshes of Belle Isle is where the largest Acadian village was located in the cradle of Acadia."
Furthermore, a quarter of the marsh of Belle Isle is now protected thanks to the efforts of Robert and Diane Surette. They discovered, after buying land in these marshes that it was the land of their ancestors.