| |
History
of the parish of Acadieville
1868
A brand new community, Acadieville.
In 1868, the establishment of the new parish of
Acadieville had all the elements to make the young population of
Saint-Louis de Kent imagine a new flourishing beginning. Land owners
in that period were hesitant to subdivide their land, which was
leaving the new generation with little choice but to continue to live
on the farm with their parents, or to move to the United States for
work. Acadieville was a dream come true: fertile land near friends and
family. Furthermore, announcements had been made that the new
Intercolonial Railroad linking Montreal and Halifax would be
constructed, passing through the center of the new settlement near the
location of the present church. The railway would bring work and
provide efficient means to transport farm goods or other products,
making Acadieville the envy of nearby towns. Encouraged by the promise
of the new railway, the population of Saint-Louis decided to colonise
new farmland and avoid subdividing their farms.
In 1868, a group of
Saint-Louis residents petitioned the provincial government under the
Free Grant Act, to acquire nearby land. The petition was
accepted and in the same year the new concession that was to become
Acadieville was surveyed by J. G. Layton. Urbain Johnson was named
land agent..
All that was left was to prepare the land for
habitation. On December 8, 1868, on the feast of the Immaculate
Conception, the future settlers celebrated a mass in their honour with
family and friends in Saint-Louis de Kent. They left the next day to
begin a road to the new community and constructed a bridge over the
Kouchibouguac river. A few remained through the winter, but most
returned to Saint-Louis, coming back to continue their work on their
land in the spring of 1869. Urbain Johnson encouraged the settling of
the new land and organised a second group to join the first. He was
elected to the Provincial Legislature in 1869.
The Intercolonial
Railroad never did pass through Acadieville. In 1869, the new federal
government decided that it would be more economical to built the
railroad further to the west. A few of the new settlers later chose to
move near the railroad, in settlements that become known as Acadie
Siding and Rogersville.
Some
historical dates:
-
1 July 1867 :
Canadian Confederation. A new railroad is promised between Montreal
and Halifax.
-
6 March 1868:
The provincial government adopts the Free Grant Act, which
gives low cost access to Crown Land for purposes of settlement.
Urbain Johnson is named land agent for Acadieville.
-
Spring
1868 : A new tract of land that will
later become Acadieville is surveyed.
-
25 July 1868 :
An article in the paper, Le Moniteur Acadien, announces that
the new Intercolonial Railroad will pass near the center of
Acadieville.
-
8 December 1868
: Father Joseph Pelletier of Saint-Louis celebrates a mass on
the feast of the Immaculate Conception in honnor of the new settlers.
-
11 December 1868 :
A letter to Le Moniteur Acadien, dated the 2nd of
December, announces the immanent departure of new settlers to
Acadieville. They leave on the 9th of December,
the day after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Patron Saint
of Acadieville parish.
-
February 1869:
Urbain Johnson is elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly.
He promises to devote himself to the new settlements in the
province. Docithé Richard is the new land agent for Acadieville.
-
March 1869 :
The federal Conservative government relocates the planned route of
the new Intercolonial Railroad to follow a more direct path from
Newcastle to Moncton, placing the railroad west of the Acadieville
settlement. The railroad will now bypass the populated areas of Kent
County, a Liberal stronghold, but better serve the Conservatives of
Westmorland County.
-
31 July 1870 :
Marcel François Richard is ordained to the priesthood, in
Charlottetown. His first parish is his hometown, Saint-Louis de
Kent.
-
Spring
1871 : Father M.-F. Richard celebrates
a first mass in Acadieville in the log cabin home of Dominique
Gallant.
-
25 March 1873 :
A mass is celebrated in the new home of Clément Daigle et
Ludivine Goguen, the first home in Acadieville built with sawed
lumber. After the mass, Father M. F Richard announces the
construction of the first church.
-
8 April 1873 :
In a letter to Mgr James Rogers, he writes:
(translated) « After an animated discussion we have agreed on
a site. The day after the discussion we went to the woods and within
two days we had on site enough wood for the framing of a chapel of
35 feet in length, 25 feet wide and 18 feet high. The boards to
cover it are almost all prepared. It should be built this spring
before the spring planting. Work on the interior will be contracted
out. » This first church was located just north of the present day
church. It is now part of the latter and is used as a chapel. Of the
fourteen churches built by Mgr. Richard, this is the first.
-
1876 :
Acadieville becomes a registered parish.
-
1877 :
First registration in the parish
church registry.
-
1880 :
Oldest date found in the Acadieville cemetery.
-
1882-1883 :
A third group of setttlers arrives
in Acadieville. Most of them are from
Prince Edward Island and take land in the upper part of Acadieville.
-
25 July
1883 First church picnic in
Acadieville held on the occasion
of the blessing of a church bell, replacing an old railroad bell.
The new bell still sits in the church steeple today.
-
1884-1885:
Two consecutive years of bad crops bring hardship to the
communities of Acadieville and Rogersville. Rogersville is hit
harder as it is a younger settlement. Mgr. Richard chooses to assume
personal debt in order to to help the communities.
-
11 September
1887: Father
André Bérubé arrives in Acadieville
and Saint-Ignace. He will serve
Acadieville as parish priest from Saint-Ignace.
-
22 March
1892: Mgr James Rogers approves
the plans, drawn by Father Bérubé, for a
new church in Acadieville.
-
12 October 1892:
Father Bérubé moves to the new rectory at Acadieville. Saint-Ignace
becomes a mission. The construction of the rectory had begun in July
1890.
-
10 July 1894:
Digging for the new church foundation begins.
-
24 August 1894:
The first church is moved to its current location, where it will
become the chapel of the new church.
-
24 September 1895:
The corner stone of the new church is blessed by Mgr James Rogers.
-
15 August 1896:
The church is blessed by father André Bérubé. First mass is
celebrated in the new church..
-
1913:
The interior of the church is almost completed.
We
invite you to read
l'Historique de
l'église , published in 1995 for the centennial
of the church (available in French only), or
visit the
founders
monument.
|
|
