Habitant PDF Download

From Habitants to Immigrants: The Sansoucys, the Harpins, and the Potvins, is the story of three French Canadian families, from the forays of the Carignan Salières Regiment in1665-66, to settlement in the Canadian wilderness, dependence on a family economy, the pain of epidemics and war, the loss of French Canada, the ensuing cultural conflicts, the end of available farmland, and finally, emigration to the mill towns of Massachusetts and the creation of a Franco-American diaspora across the United States. The chronicle of the Sansoucy, Harpin, and Potvin families reveals the strength of French Canadian families, parishes, and communities, their sorrows, limitations and joys. It is the story of generations of oppressed but resilient people in the context of the social, economic and political events of their times, their emigration and eventual assimilation as industrious and patriotic American citizens. The book contains oral histories, family letters, and photographs.