RE: Nicholas Deny’s Proposed Historic Trading Post-Friends of Beaubears Island

Nicholas Deny’s was a very significant person in our History of Canada and of North America as a continent.

Our northern neighbor, City of Bathurst has erected a monument to his honor and memory. A nearby town bears his namesake and in Cape Breton, a Museum interprets his existence as being born in France, 1598 at Tours, his father being Captain in The Royal Guard of King Henri IV.

                   NICHOLAS DENYS, NB, CANADA

            1632 was the year that Nicholas Deny’s accompanied Issac de Razzily to Acadia.

With his brother Simon the established a fishery and wood working plant in La Have and what is now known as Riverport, N.S. Eventually moving at some time further along the coast to Port Rossingnal, now Liverpool, N.S. to establish a shore fishery from that location, feeling that La Have was to far removed from the community. 1635 saw the death of Issac Razzily and the community established at La Have suffered the same fate as it was abandoned soon thereafter. Nicholas and his brother Simon returned to France after Issac’s death. Nicholas was married in France in 1642.

            1653 he was Lord Proprietor and Governor of Cape Breton under the authority of The Company of New France. Ste. Pierre, Ste. Anne’s and Nipissiquit were established as outposts of the new Governor Nicholas Deny’s. His troubles started again by d’Aulnay

who arrived to present to Nicholas Deny’s documents from the King and proceeded to evacuate Deny’s settlement of Saint Peter’s and imprison Simon and Nicholas at Quebec. After their release, Nicholas traveled once again back to his homeland to straighten out his affairs with King Henri IV. He returned to Acadia again to reclaim his position of Governor from d’Aulay. His brother Simon decided to make Quebec his residence and did not return to Ste. Peters.

            Then once again in the year 1653, it was Emmanuel Le Borgne. He was a creditor of the d'Aulnay estate and had sailed over from France to take in payment what ever he might get his hands on that was remotely connected to the now dead d'Aulnay; St. Peters, Le Borgne believed, was but another piece of real estate that belonged to d'Aulnay; Le Borgne cared not about the claims of Deny’s.

             Le Borgne found that Deny’s was away on a visit to his establishment at St. Ann’s, St. Peters was ravaged again.  Deny’s once again, brought to Port Royal as a prisoner. No sooner had Le Borgne arrived back at Port Royal with his booty and prisons when he, in turn, was taken prisoner because of the forces of General Robert Sedgwick which had been assembled to clean out both the French and the Dutch which had located themselves along eastern coast of North America.  Sedgwick, seeing that Deny’s was the prisoner of Le Borgne saw to Deny’s release. Knowing St. Peters was in ruins, Denys returned to France.

Nicholas Deny’s came back to St. Peters, this time with 120-armed men; they all settled in to do some serious fishing and trading.

 From Ste. Peter's, Deny’s continued to oversee his out-posts at Chedabucto, Ste. Anne’s and Nipisiquit (Bathurst).

 Another French trader by the name of La Giraudiere, whose association with Acadia must have been short, arrived in Deny’s settlement with plans to take it by force (likely La Giraudiere was one of the 120 armed men which Denys had earlier brought over with him).  While Denys was building a fort at Chedabucto, La Giraudiere picked St. Peters as his point of attack and was successful. What La Giraudiere really wanted was to establish himself at Chedabucto; and he achieved his principle goal through a trade with Denys. La Giraudiere made some very good opening moves in his efforts at conquest. He did however make a mistake which was to upset him within the year; he agreed as part of the swap (St. Peters for Chedabucto) to submit himself to a French court for a determination as to who owed what. Deny’s was litigated whereas La Giraudiere was not. It was determined after a hearing back in France that La Giraudiere was in the wrong and he was forced to give up Chedabucto in favor of Denys. A new grant was issued to Denys on 9 November 1667.

In 1669, Deny’s home and his buildings were completely destroyed by fire. After that, Deny retired to Nipisiquit to write of his life; he wrote, Historique des l'Amérique, which was published in 1672 in France.

Nicholas Denys died, in 1688, at Nipisiquit (Bathurst, New Brunswick).

Information contained here was the result of personal research completed by myself with the assistance of the Champlain Society archives, and Nicholas Deny’s Museum, Louisburg, N.S.           DP Stewart, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada

Although I could not find any documentation concerning the establishment of a settlement by Deny’s at Beaubears Island, I do fully support the plans of, The Friends of Beaubears Island Inc. Their application for funds to provide a unique interpretation of the way trade was initiated with the First Nations of the area is to coincide with the arrival of the first French at Saint Croix Island 400 years ago.

The Island we know today as Beaubears or Boishébert was earlier named Barnaby Island in reference to the Julian Tribe of Miramichi Micmac Indians. The aboriginal use of this Island was traditional and included a fishery and gathering place. Commerce at that time was trade of the things necessary for survival.

This island at the junctions of South-West Miramichi and Northwest-Miramichi Rivers is just slightly below the high tide effects of the main river. Tidal fishing was carried on here by First Nations with weirs and nets, spearing by torchlight at night while slightly upriver on both branches and on the Barnaby River they resided and also fished the fresh waters for salmon and trout. Harvesting of otter, beaver and muskrat was seasonal as well with many small estuary’s feeding the watershed for this practice. The outer islands provided the hunting of sea lions, seals and several species of whales; low tides provided the access to shores full of shellfish, crabs and lobster, wild grapes, fiddleheads, beechnuts and berries of many description.

Acadian Presence at Beaubears 1600’s on..

Miramichi was the closest place, but it was so lacking in provisions that some who went there have since returned ... better to be deported than to starve to death.  The inhabitants asked Rollo if they could keep their lands.  He forwarded the request to Louisbourg, which refused it ... apparently they planned to totally rid themselves of the French.  Though Rollo had evacuated about 700 (including the commandant), there were still 4000 on the island.  He infers that they have been slow in turning themselves in due to the treatment of the English.  It’s been 3 years since the last of the refugees arrived on the island.  Provisions and clothing had been scarce.  There were heavy losses and hardship in their getting there.  It seems that no one actually starved. [Harvey, p. 192]

Nicolas Deny’s in his book described Port Royal as a prisoner in 1653. 

In a letter written in 1757 by Father LeGuerne: Hiding with the Acadians as a fugitive in the woods, we lived in fear and misery. Miramichi was a place of misery where these poor people died in great numbers last winter from starvation. Those who could not escape the terrible epidemic that befell these people, by their very hunger as they were starving ate the leather off their shoes. Some even ate animal excrement in their hope.

During the winter of 1756-1757, the Acadians ate fish, salt cod and molasses but it was a terrible winter for these people seeking refuge from starvation and from the elements. It is said that about 600 died from starvation and from the epidemic that swept through this group of Acadians! After this, the survivors could not entertain the thought of remaining here one more season - with Joseph-André and his children a part of this group, they went to the Acadian colony on the St. John.

In July 1632 Razilly sailed from France aboard the Esperance a Dieu. With him were two transports carrying 300 people, livestock, seeds, tool, and arms--everything needed to establish and maintain a community. He would begin the first true steps toward permanent settlement of the Acadian colony.

After landing at La Have on September 8, Razilly took possession of Port Royal and then took the fort at Penobscot by force. Scottish families still in Port Royal were sent back to England. He annoyed the English in doing so, and he also annoyed Charles de la Tour, who thought that he should have been lieutenant governor, and who also wanted to protect the valuable fur trade he'd established on Nova Scotia's south shore. La Tour and his men would continue their fur trading from their main outpost at Cape Sable. Razilly also gave la Tour the Seigneurie de Jemseg, a rich hunting and fishing area along the St. John River in New Brunswick.

Razilly brought with him two lieutenants. Charles de Menou de Charnisay, Sieur d'Aulnay, was placed in charge of settling the new émigrés on the land and getting them started in farming. Nicolas Deny’s, meanwhile, was to begin building up the Acadian fisheries; the fur trade and an export lumber trade with France.

These men would have a large hand in putting down the first truly permanent beginnings of the Acadian colony. But they would do so in the face of conflict, both from within the French ranks, and from their British neighbors.

By 1650 there were some 50 families in Acadie. They would establish farms and families and live a life described in 1638 by Nicolas Deny’s, who wrote, "there are plenty of clams, whelks, mussels, and other mollusks and an abundance of lobsters ... some of which have a claw so large it will hold a pint of wine." He mentions swordfish "as large as a cow," and writes of huge flocks of wild pigeons flying over his camp. He says he was kept awake by the noise from flocks of geese and ducks nearby.

Rameu de Saint-Pere tells us about the life they lived:

Port Royal consisted (c.1700) of a rough fort formed by earthworks topped by a large wooden palisade. The church and some houses surrounded it. Most of the farmers were spread out around the countryside, and each settler lived on his own land.

The homes were built of squared logs or of heavy beams planted in the soil with the interstices sealed with moss and clay. Chimneys were formed with poles and hardened clay. The roof was covered with rushes, bark, even sod at times. Wood being in abundant supply, the houses were easy to build, and if disaster struck, just as easily abandoned and lost without much regret, an important consideration because the frequent incursions of the English led to a certain indifference and they therefore endeavored to leave nothing of value to the enemy.

When the latter appeared in force, the settlers fled to the woods without worrying about what was left behind. Their small herds of cattle were used to the woods, and belongings were easily moved; a few iron pots, arms, tools and packages of clothing. Those with too many belongings buried some of them and carried the rest. But all knew the trails to safe retreats in the heavily wooded valleys only a gunshot away but impenetrable to everyone save themselves and their friends, the Micmacs of the interior.

In the eyes of the first to arrive here, natural resources were astounding and their views of commerce were much different than the aboriginals residing here for Millenniums.

In the notes of Peter Campbell, Travels In New Brunswick 1791-92 the following meeting of commerce was documented as occurring at Miramichi and Beaubears Island.

Discussing the areas agriculture, fishery and game were; Mr. John Fraser and his Partner Mr. Thom, (who operated establishments here to provide for the areas settlers) Mr. Nicholson, an Irishman and collector and surveyor; Mr. Reid, a Scotsman; Mr.Robeshot, (Robichaud, Otho), a Frenchman; Squire Taylor and Squire Wilson, Americans; Mr. Lawrence, Englishman; Mr. Andrews an Englishman and liner of masts and timber employed by Fraser & Thom 200 British pounds a year his salary; Captain Collick (Kollock) from Pennsylvania; and Mr. LeDernier, the Sheriff, of Swiss decent. Peter Campbell, Englishman, also attended and documented this meeting. Very multi-cultural mixes of interests were witness to this agenda and concern. No aboriginal input was deemed necessary during those talks of Miramichi’s future.

2003 Miramichi Breaubears Island, New Millennium, New Direction To The Past.

The letters of support the Friends Of Beaubers Inc. is owner of shows that in the new age of progression input from First Nations was solicited and received the full support of Roger Augustine and Red Sky Institute of Native Studies. Letters of full support have also been provided by Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Gerry Byrne, Minister of State (ACOA), Terry Matchett, President Miramichi Regional Tourism Association, Roger Martin, Director Carrefour Beausoliel Inc.

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Dirk Stewart has written this information as stimuli for anyone interested in not tearing down our bridges to our past. I believe all my information to be factual. If you may disagree or wish to provide any feedback please do not hesitate to contact the Webmaster , thats me!  Squire@CountyCrier.Com