f hard study and patient
research, gives a striking instance of this fact amongst his relatives
of the Vienneau family. The ancestor of this family was one Michael
Vienneau, who with his wife Therese Baude were living at Maugerville
in 1770: both were natives of France. The husband died at Memramcook
in September, 1802, at the age of 100 years and 3 months; his widow in
March, 1804, at the age of 96 years. Their son Jean died at Pokemouche
in August, 1852, at the extraordinary age of 112 years, leaving a son
Moise who died at Rogersville in March, 1893, aged over 96 yeas. The
united age of these four individuals--father, mother, son and
grandson--are equivalent to the extraordinary sum total of 404 years.

In the course of a year or two after the arrival of the Loyalists the
greater portion of the Acadians living on the St. John river above
Fredericton removed--either from choice or at the instigation of
government--to Madawaska, Caraquet and Memramcook. A few, however,
remained, and there are today at French Village, in York county, about
31 families of Acadian origin numbering 149 souls, and 17 families in
addition reside at the Mazerolle settlement not far away. The most
common family name amongst these people is Godin; the rest of the
names are Mazerolle, Roy, Bourgoin, Martin and Cyr. The influences of
their environment can hardly be said to have had a beneficial effect
upon these people, few of whom now use the French language. And yet
the fact remains that from the time the valley of the River St. John
was first parcelled out into seigniories, in the year 1684, down to
the present day--a period of 220 years--the continuity of occupation
of some portion of the soil in the vicinity of St. Ann's has scarcely
been interrupted, and the records of the mission on the River St. John
may be said to have been continuous for about the same time. The
missionaries as a rule spoke well of the people of their charge.
Danielou said that there were 116 Acadian inhabitants in 1739 and that
Monsieur Cavagnal de Vaudreuil, governor of Trois Rivieres, was
"Seigneur de la paroisse d'Ekoupag." He claims as a special mark of
divine favor that in the little colony there was "neither barren woman
nor child deformed in body or weak in intellect; neither swearer nor
drunkard; neither debauchee nor libertine, neither blind, nor lazy,
nor beggar, nor sickly, nor robber of his neighbor's goods." One would
almost imagine that Acadia was Arcadia