USM/L-A College Professor Co-Authors
Quebec History
Barry Rodrigue, Ph.D., second from right, recently co-authored
a lengthy history of the three county region in south-central
Quebec. He is pictured here at a recent book event with three
of his colleagues. From left are Fabien Roy, Serge Courville
and Gilles Routhier.
October 2004
Just north of the Maine border, right after you drive through
Jackman on Route 201, lies a three-county region in the south-central
part of Quebec. Many local Franco-Americans who can trace
their ancestry to this region can find a treasure trove of
information in a recently published history book.
Histoire de Beauce-Etchemin-Amiante, written entirely in
French, was co authored by Barry Rodrigue, Ph.D., assistant
professor of arts and humanities at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn
College. Rodrigue, who lives in Bath, refers to the tome
as “une grosse brique” or large brick - in reference
to the books hefty appearance. The 1,051 page paperback is
an extensively researched work that moves from the dinosaur
age to the year 2000. “We were able to identify the
kind of dinosaurs moving in the Appalachian highland where
the
border is today. Back in those days, the mountains were
the size of the Rockies. There was a small brontosaurus and
prosauropod, a small dinosaur the size of three Volkswagen
Beetles. They actually had a raised-up, beetle back,” said
Rodrigue.
The book also covers native American traditions, early settlements,
industry, culture and religion. One chapter titled “Les
annees difficiles (1930-1945)” covers this difficult
period of economic distress and world war.
Serge Courville and Pierre C. Poulin from Laval University
in Quebec collaborated with Rodrigue on the book. They cite
17 contributors, including Bruce Bourque, the State of Maine’s
chief archeologist, who helped supply information on the
Colonial period. Robert Chenard of Waterville provided genealogical
background, such as on the Rodrigue and Doyon-Mathieu families,
who were the first two families from south-central Quebec
to
settle in Maine in the early 19th century.
Rodrigue, who also serves as the scholar for the Franco-American
Collection at L-A College, notes that his ethnic background
is a mixture of Algonquin, Irish, French and English. “I
represent this diverse background, one of the hallmarks of
the French experience in North America. The French, more
than others, intermarried a lot in the early days,” he
said.
Rodrigue notes that the book should have a special appeal
to those whose ancestors immigrated to the Quebec region
in the 18th century. “For any of the French families
who came to the New World before 1760, it’s statistically
impossible that they don’t have one ancestor in common.
Technically, we’re all cousins,” he said.
Histoire de Beauce-Etchemin-Amiante is available at the
USM/L-A College bookstore. For more information, please call
753-6520. Extensive Franco American resources can be found
at www.usm.edu/lac/francoresources.
This website focuses on programs available at L-A College
and the Franco American
Collection, the largest archival collection of its kind in
the State.
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