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The first of the five waterways of the Miramichi Bay is the Tabusintac River on
which the village of Tabusintac is situated. Off the shore of Tabusintac, towards the gulf, there is a line of sandy beaches
or islands separated by the occasional gully. Between these beaches and the mainland there is a lagoon. Near the middle of
the lagoon exists the broad mouth of the Tabusintac River. Travelling up the river you can see the many coves and creeks along
it's banks. The head of the tidewaters is almost fifteen miles from the sea. Dr. W. F. Ganong describes this area above the tidewaters
as being "a clear and swift but smooth river of great charm, winding in a deep valley cut in places over one hundred
feet below a plateau country". The river abounds in sea trout and salmon, and the forest in lumber. Tabusintac's most important
natural resources are fishing, farming, lumbering and peatmoss. The first inhabitants of this area were the Micmac from whom
the name of Tabusintac originated. "Tabusintac" is derived from the Micmac word "Taboosinkek" which means
"place where two are". Rounding Wishart's Point one can see the significance of this name where you can see
French Cove and the main river opening up like two large and equal sized rivers. Along this river, the Micmac had three main villages - on
Cains, Wishart's and Indian Point. Evidence of their inhabitation in these areas has been found in their burial grounds.
Eventually, these tribes moved on to better grounds. In the 1790's the French and English arrived and settled simultaneously in this area.
The first French settler was Jacques Breau. The first English settlers were Duncan Robertson, John MacLeod, William Tobin
who were led by Philip Hierlihy and his wife Charlotte who was, perhaps, one of the most remarkable women of this area. She
became the ancestress of many of Tabusintac's principle families. Their home on Wishart's Point is the oldest English
settlement on the Tabusintac, a famous New Brunswick fishing river. A more complete history of the Tabusintac area can be found at the Tabusintac Library. .. here is a great web site to visit - "Tabusintac Genealogy" - information on families from the Tabusintac and Miramichi valley area. |
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