The French-Canadian Heritage in New England

by Gerard J. Brault

A comprehensive historical, sociological, and cultural introduction to the sizable Franco-American population in New England.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History

Paperback

First published March 1, 1986

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first chunk of this book, which is about French Canadian culture, and delves into food, holidays, courtship, songs, superstitions, folktales...all kinds of stuff. This is really what I picked up the book for. I wanted something that would fill me in on my French Canadian forebears. I also liked the next bit, "The Immigration Phase," since this is what might actually relate to my studies. I hope I can find some work on the immigrants who came pre-1850, though, since this is almost exclusively about the big migrations of the post Civil War period. Brault mentions in passing that almost 20,000 people had already come by 1850 though, and I'd like to know a little more about them. They might be harder to track.
The last big section of the book, which Brault devotes to his own extended family history, wasn't quite as interesting to me, though I can see how it might be for some people. I guess I probably was less interested because I have already read so much about the Acadians, and wanted more about the people who emigrated to the Saint Laurence Valley. (for selfish reasons, since they were my people). But they weren't Brault's people, so his family history doesn't include them. Still, I appreciated the single family take as it made the various migrations easier to understand...the way a family could be spread between a community in Quebec and a community in New England over a long period of time, with people moving back and forth, and visiting kin, etc.
The actual text of this book is only about 180 pages long, and one can easily page through and find whatever one finds most interesting. I think lots of people interested in their Franco American heritage would enjoy perusing this.

[Joyce Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very well written book was very interesting. My mother's family were Franco-Americans. My great-grandparents immigrated to New England in the late 19th century. The book was very helpful in addressing the immigration to New England from Québec.