Life and Religion at Louisbourg, 1713-1758

by A.J.B. Johnston, Richard Johnston, Douglas M. Johnston

A.J.B. Johnston establishes the secular and religious contexts of life at Louisbourg and traces the mixed fortunes of three religious groups: the Récollets of Brittany, who acted as parish priests and chaplains; the Brothers of Charity of Saint John of God, who operated the King's Hospital; and the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame, who ran the local school for girls. Drawing on the extensive material in the Archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg, Johnston notes the groups' remarkable persistence in the face of personnel shortages, financial burdens, and conflicts with secular authorities and rival religious bodies. Not the least of their problems was the profound parsimony of the Louisbourgeois who declined to build a parish church or pay a compulsory tithe. Yet despite this independent stance, the author demonstrates, religion was at the centre of family and community life. Life and Religion at Louisbourg contributes substantially to the social as well as the religious history of New France.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

John (or Jay) is a Canadian historian and novelist. His website is ajbjohnston.com and he is on Facebook at HistoryandFiction (A J B Johnston, Writer).

Years as an historian at the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island gave John the background to bring the 18th century alive in his series of Thomas Pichon Novels: Thomas, A Secret Life (2012), The Maze (2014) and Crossings (2015). There will be one more novel to complete the tale.

Published by Nimbus in 2020 was "Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns." It's the story of a legendary 1960s Nova Scotia rock 'n' roll band.
The author also worked with others to create a a 5-minute micro-doc that is a companion to the book. That video is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZC7S....

In 2021, Acorn Press published "Ancient Land, New Land: Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst NHS," co-authored with Jesse Francis.

Jay's latest book is "Into the Wind: A Novel of Acadian Resilience." Published by Acorn Press, it offers a fresh, 21st-century look at the Acadian Deportation, exploring it through the eyes of 14-year old Marie and 10-year old Charles.

"Something True" is a coming-of-age story of Katharine McLennan. It's set in late 19th-century and early 20th-century Cape Breton and in France during the First World War.

In recognition of John's body of work on the history of the French in Atlantic Canada, the French Republic made him a chevalier of the Ordre des palmes académiques.

In 2017, John was Writer-in-Residence at the Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama.