West Coast Region ~ Bay St. George District

Surnames

Les Leblanc de Stephenville

Source: Microfilm # N31067 (National Archive)
A series of articles published in the L'Evangeline (Newspaper)
Monton, N.B.

"Les Acadiennes de Terre-Neuve"
by Thomas W. Leblanc published : 8 April 1948

Les Leblanc de Stephenville

Etienne et Celestin Leblanc sont venus de Margaree, Cap-Breton, a Stephnville vers 1840. Maxime, Gabriel, Patrice, et Dominique Leblanc sont venus peu apres. Un autre Dominique Leblanc, surnomme "Petit Dominique" est venu a Stephenville vers 1860. Tous ces Leblanc, sauf de dernier avaient emporte leurs animaux, leurs grains de semence, leurs instruments aratoires et jour metier de tissage. Apres s'etre installes a l'Anse aux Sauvages (Stephenville) ou il y avait de la bonne terre, ils ont defriche des fermes et construit maisons et granges. Ces poinniers et leurs descendants sont toujours demeures sur leurs fermes et grand les Americains ont prisleurs village pour une base aerienne (Harmon Field), la paroisse de Stephenville avait une belle grande eglise, plusieurs ecoles, un convent,une salle paroissiaie. En plus, les habitants etaient bien loges, avaient leurs magasins, leurs scieries, L'eglise, le convent, la salle paroissiaie et les ecoles ont ete laisses en place, mais les maisons, granges, magasins ont tous ete demolis et transportes ailleurs. Les habitants ont ete bien payes, mais le village acadien de Stephenville est disparu. Aujourd'hui, le drapeau etoile flotto la ou les pionniers acadiens se sont etabis il y a un siecle.

(Translation by Leo Doucet)

Étienne and Célestin LeBlanc came from Margaree, Cape Breton to Stephenville around 1840. Maxim, Gabriella, Partake, and Dominique LeBlanc arrived a short time later. Another Dominique LeBlanc known as “Petite (little or small) Dominique” arrived in Stephenville around 1860.

All of these LeBlanc except the last one had brought their animals, seeds, farm implements and looms with them. After settling at l'Anse aux Sauvages (Stephenville) where there was good land which they cleared for farming and erected houses and barns. These pioneers and their descedants always lived on their farms and when the Americans took their village for an air base (Harmon Field), the Parish of Stephenville had a beautiful large Church, several Schools, a Convent, a Parish Hall.

In addition the inhabitants were well housed, had stores and saw mills. The Church, the Convent, the Parish Hall and the Schools were left in place, but the houses, barns, and stores were all demolished and transported elsewhere.

The inhabitants were well paid but the Acadian Village of Stephenville disappeared. Today the stars and stripes fly where the Acadian pioneers established themselves a century ago.

The Article was written by Thomas Leblanc of St. George's in 1948 and published in the l'Evangeline Newspaper of New Brunswick. It was transcribed by Laverne (Perrier) Cormier and posted to the Internet in September 1998 by Stephen Baker<.