Spotlight on our Heritage #11: James H. Moran

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is part of a series of features prepared for Heritage Week 2017 (February 13 – 20), entitled Spotlight on our Heritage. This particular "spotlight" highlights the Prince Victor figurehead recently repatriated to the Quaco Historical and Library Society in St. Martins. 

James H. Moran (1816-1879)
Quaco Historical& Library
Society

James H. Moran
(1816 – 1879) 

Mathias Moran was one of the original settlers of St Martins (then Quaco). He arrived in October 1783 after the war ended and the King’s Orange Rangers were disbanded. He was given a grant of land for his years of loyal service to King George III, a portion of which the Moran Family Shipyard was located is still in possession of his direct descendants.

Mathias Moran’s son, James Moran Senior, born in 1781, inherited his father’s property and continued the business of farming and building small vessels. He built his first ship in 1805. James Moran Sr died in 1860 at the age of 79.

Spotlight on our Heritage #10: Fenians, Americans, Acadians, and Canadians: The Confrontations of Confederation

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the tenth in a series of features prepared for Heritage Week 2017 (February 13 – 20), entitled Spotlight on our Heritage. The blog series celebrates 150 years of history, and reflects upon New Brunswick’s role in Confederation. This particular "spotlight" draws from the Fredericton Region Museum exhibition A Ship Full of Troubles: New Brunswick and Confederation, which was co-curated by STU and UNB graduates Nathan Gavin and Caleb Goguen.

Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon
(Provincial Archives of New Brunswick,
P360-14)

Fenians, Americans, Acadians, and Canadians: The Confrontations of Confederation

New Brunswick’s experience engaging with the Confederation question was tumultuous to say the least. With responsible government still in its infancy, New Brunswick’s politicians would face a number of hurdles before being able to join in Confederation. From the staunch localism shown by some, to blatant outrage against the idea of any form of union with the Canadians from others, New Brunswick’s entrance into Confederation was not going to be a smooth ride.

One of the biggest influences on Confederation was the American Civil War and the mixed bag of threats that permeated from it. The young Lieutenant Governor Arthur Hamilton Gordon landed in New Brunswick 1861, just in time for his first colonial trial. Within the first month of setting foot on the continent, he was faced with the Trent Affair.

Spotlight on our Heritage #9: The Acadian Renaissance - Auguste Renaud

Auguste Renaud
(Libraries & Archives Canada)

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the ninth in a series of features prepared for Heritage Week 2017 (February 13 – 20), entitled Spotlight on our Heritage. The blog series celebrates 150 years of history, and reflects upon New Brunswick’s role in Confederation. 

Auguste Renaud 

Born in Bordeaux, France, Auguste Renaud and his family moved to Bouctouche in the mid-19th century. Renaud became a farmer and married Cécile Léger in 1862.

Auguste Renaud represented Kent County in the first Canadian Parliament in 1867. He was voted in as a Liberal representative on September 20th. Renaud was the first francophone from the Maritimes to get a seat in Parliament.

Renaud ran again in 1872 and lost to Robert Barry Cutler. He was again defeated in 1874 and retired from politics to work as the Deputy Collector of In-Land Revenue in Bouctouche. He died in 1897 and was buried in “Fond-de-la-Baie”.

Spotlight on our Heritage #8: The Acadian Renaissance - Amand Landry

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the eighth in a series of features prepared for Heritage Week 2017 (February 13 – 20), entitled Spotlight on our Heritage. The blog series celebrates 150 years of history, and reflects upon New Brunswick’s role in Confederation. 

Amand Landry 

Amand Landry, born in Memramcook, was a farmer, school teacher, and pillar of the community. Landry was one of the first Acadian politicians on a provincial level in New Brunswick. He was elected to Legislative Assembly in 1846 as a representative for Westmorland County. He lost his seat in 1850 only to regain it again in 1853. He earned his seat in 1861 and stood in assembly until 1870 

Amand Landry brought to light the thoughts and concerns of the Acadian people on Confederation. He maintained that Confederation would not benefit the Acadian population and that all of the railways that were being promised were projects that they would never see and still be forced to pay for. They were also afraid of being governed by a second layer of English politicians, effectively losing the small voice they had. After the Albert James Smith Anti-Confederation government lost, Amand Landry held on to his seat until 1870 as one of the 8 Anti-Confederation members who were reelected in 1865.

Spotlight on our Heritage #7: The Acadian Renaissance in New Brunswick

Isreal Landry
(Le Moniteur Acadien, 1892)

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the seventh in a series of features prepared for Heritage Week 2017 (February 13 – 20), entitled Spotlight on our Heritage. The blog series celebrates 150 years of history, and reflects upon New Brunswick’s role in Confederation.

The Acadian Renaissance in New Brunswick 

Confederation saw the rebirth of Acadian cultural, economic, and political identity through various media. From newspapers to parliamentary seats, “La Renaissance Acadienne” became a keystone in Acadian history, and a strong proponent for shaping New Brunswick of today.

Valentin Landry
(Centre d'études acadiennes de
l'Université de Moncton)

1867 marked one of several important milestones for Acadians in New Brunswick. That year Le Moniteur acadien, published out of Shediac by Israel Landry, became the first French newspaper in the Atlantic region. This would be followed by L’Évangéline in 1887, published by Valentin Landry (of Pokemouche), which would become a mainstay in Acadian culture for nearly 100 years. 

Confederation, and the promises that followed, caused a significant disturbance in Acadian communities. Confederation promised railroads (that would potentially bypass any and all Acadian communities), a second layer of government consisting of little-to-no Acadian representation, and secular schools.

Amand Landry

Acadian opposition to Confederation was not without reason. Many of the promises seemed to have virtually no effect on Acadian communities. Amand Landry, one of the early Acadian political figures, understood these concerns, and stood as a flagship for Acadian concerns throughout the Confederation elections. In particular, he opposed a southern railway project spanning from St. Andrews and Woodstock, because it served no benefit to Acadians living in the northern part of the province. Albert James Smith picked up on this concern, and gained the trust of Acadians with his Anti-Confederation movement.

Spotlight on Our Heritage #6: Lalia Annie Laura Halfkenny

Editors Note: The following spotlight presents a summary of Jennifer Harris’ research, which was published in Acadiensis in 2012.

Lalia Annie Laura Halfkenny

Lalia Halfkenny was born in Dorchester New Brunswick. Her household consisted of Lalia, her 18 year old mother, her widowed grandmother, and five of her mother’s siblings. In 1885, Lalia entered Acadia Ladies Seminary in Wolfville Nova Scotia, as a preparatory student.

Acadia Ladies Seminary, Wolfville, NS

(New Brunswick Museum, X15514)

By her senior year, Lalia was one of the seminary’s top students, studying literature and elocution. Lalia graduated in 1889 from the Ladies’ Seminary, becoming the first black woman to graduate from a post-secondary institution in the Maritime region.

Upon graduation, Lalia moved to Richmond, Virginia to begin her career as an english and elocution instructor at Hartshorn Memorial College. Hartshorn had one of the highest standards of education in the country and some of the highest ranking students (black or white) in the early 20th century. It was far easier for Lalia to find employment in the southern states than at home. The Maritimes were very resistant to let black residents attend secondary and post-secondary schools, let alone teach at that level. Black teachers only taught in black primary schools, and were often drastically underfunded.

Spotlight on Our Heritage #5: Black History Month in New Brunswick

As Black History Month unfolds in New Brunswick, now is a good time to reflect upon the many prominent New Brunswickers of African descent who have shaped this province, and nation. Here are a few that were selected from the NB Black History Society’s Website that we thought should be brought to your attention. For more information on New Brunswick’s rich black history, check out the NBBHS at: http://www.nbblackhistorysociety.org/

Miss Betty Riley:

“Black Is” aired in the 1970s and was the first all-black television program to air in Canada. The program was created by Miss Betty Riley, one of the first black female producers at the time. Her program “Black Is” could be seen as a response to programming on black issues at the time. In a newspaper article dated 1973, Miss Betty Riley spoke about how most productions on the topic were written by white people: “If they are going to deal with black issues, they should be controlled by black people.”

Fred Hodges:

Fred Hodges began working as a freight worker for the Canadian Pacific Railway company in 1940. By 1947 he was the first black member of the Brotherhood of Railway, Airline, Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employees. He would later take part in a number of organizations such as the New Brunswick Federation of Labor, New Brunswick Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the New Brunswick Industrial Relations Commission, and the Saint John and District Labor Council. Fred Hodges became the first black New Brunswicker to hold the position of City Councilor in Saint John in 1974.