2004 Lunenburg Tour

by Marty Guidry

At noon, on August 8, 2004, fifty Guedry, Labine, and Petitpas cousins gathered above the Old French Cemetery in Lunenburg for a historic Acadian tour of the Lunenburg area. Our guide, the noted Acadian historian David Corkum, explained that the original Acadian cemetery was likely just uphill from the current cemetery and that almost certainly early Guedry and Petitpas family members were buried at this location. He further explained that a 1753 map of Lunenburg has “Labrador’s Farm” marked on it as a navigational aid to sailors. The location of the farm on the map includes property now occupied by the Fire Hall where our Reunion was held. Mr. Corkum felt that it is highly probable that “Old Labrador” was Paul Guedry, the son of Claude Guedry and Marguerite Petitpas. It was exciting to learn that our Reunion was held on the original property occupied by the Guedry family in the 1750’s - an unexpected addition to the Reunion.

We boarded our bus and headed toward the LaHave River, making one brief stop in Lunenburg at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. This church now houses the Antoine-Marie Bell, which was one of three bells that originally tolled at the Fortress of Louisbourg on Ile Royale from 1735 until the fall of Louisbourg in 1758.

As Mr. Corkum told the history of the Antoine-Marie Bell, he wove into the story the role that it played in several Guedry families. Several children of Augustin Guedry and Jeanne Hebert lived in the Baye des Espagnols (Spanish Bay at today’s Sydney) on Ile Royale and they celebrated their baptisms, marriages, and funerals at the nearby Fortress of Louisbourg.

In 1751 Jeanne Guedry married Julien Bourneuf at Louisbourg. Here in the early 1750’s they baptized three children Francois, Francoise, and Marie and buried two of them - Francoise and Marie. In October 1755 Julien Bourneuf buried his wife Jeanne, who died shortly after giving birth to little Marie, at the Louisbourg cemetery . Jeanne Guedry’s sister Ursule married Paul Boutin at the Fortress in November 1750.

Two of Jeanne Guedry’s cousins Judith Guedry and her husband Jean Cousin and Pierre Guedry and his wife Agnes Triel each baptized a child there in 1750’s. Certainly the Antoine-Marie Bell rang for these occasions.

After reboarding the buses, we headed toward the small ferry on the LaHave River, turning north onto a small road paralleling the river. This road was once an Indian path that was known as the Portage de Merligueche in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. As the early Guedrys and Petitpas traveled to other Acadian villages, they used water routes as much as possible, but also had to travel overland between rivers. The Portage de Merligueche was the overland route from Merligueche to the LaHave River where the portage ended and the water route began.

Shortly after exiting the Portage de Merligueche, we arrived at the LaHave River ferry landing and boarded the small cable ferry which took us to the west bank of the river, then onward to Risser’s Beach on Green Bay. In 1604 Champlain first entered Green Bay and set anchor just offshore of today’s Risser Beach in 1604. This was the first landing of the French in Acadia. As Mr. Corkum pointed out the exact location of the anchorage, he discussed the voyage, the anchorage, and what Champlain and the crew did during their brief stay in Green Bay and their continued voyage around Acadia.

Leaving Risser’s Beach, we made a short trek to LaHave, Fort Point, and the Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grace National Historical Site where we met Ms. Joan Dawson. Gathered near the LaHave Cairn at Fort Point, we learned from Ms. Dawson that Isaac de Razilly landed here in 1632 with his settlers, soon to become the first Acadians. Although lasting only until 1636, when most settlers moved to Annapolis Royal, Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grace provided the foothold for all future Acadian settlements.

We then toured the small cemetery on the grounds where Ms. Dawson discussed the lives of these hardy settlers. Our visit to LaHave concluded with a very interesting tour of the Fort Point Museum that contains artifacts of the original settlement. We thank Ms. Dawson for providing us with a very interesting insight into the lives of these earliest Acadians.

As we began the return trip to Lunenburg, we stopped briefly at the bay near LaHave and viewed the site of Nicolas Denys’ lumberyard and sawpit from the 1632-1635 time period.

As we neared Lunenburg from across the harbor with the sun setting behind us, Mr. Corkum asked all to close their eyes. Reaching the summit of the hill, we opened our eyes to an awe-inspiring view of the harbor and old Lunenburg adorned in its beautiful pastel colors. What a wonderful end to an informative and superb Acadian tour of the Lunenburg area.

Thanks to David Corkum for arranging the tour and providing superb commentary throughout the tour.