Escape from Deportation
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Tensions between the French and the English in Canada continued to escalate, as each battled for supremacy on the continent. In an effort to protect their interests at Ile Royale, the French erected a large fortress at the northern part of the island. It was hoped that the fort of Louisbourg would secure their last remaining stronghold in the Atlantic, as well as protect the mouth of the Saint Lawrence seaway, gateway to Quebec. Superior English forces overtook the fort in 1745, only to return it three years later. The British finally won the fortress for the last time in 1758. |
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Following the first Acadian deportation on mainland Nova Scotia in 1755, the French residents of Ile Royale were naturally fearsome for their lives, especially after the fall of Louisbourg. In fact, a second deportation did take place in 1758. Michel (son of Gabriel Jr.) and many of his relatives were taken prisoners and several were sent to France. Many of these Samsons did not survive the journey to Europe, especially the young children, and most died en route. Michel's son Jean-Amand and his wife, Marie-Josephe Bricette disembarked at St. Malo on November 17, 1758, from the ship "La Reine d'Espagne". Both their sons, Pierre and Michel Samson died during the crossing, and Marie-Josephe died 5 days after arriving in France. Jean-Amand lived less than a few months at St. Malo, where he died on March 30, 1759. |
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After the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763, the Acadians were allowed to return to Nova Scotia. Michel and members of his family crossed the ocean bound for Cape Breton or the French islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon (where many Acadians had taken refuge). In the Spring of 1764, Michel, his wife Jeanne, their sons Fabien and Louis, daughters Judith and Marie-Josephe, and grandchildren Madeleine and Louis (Martel) were aboard the ship "Le Neptune" when it sank off the coast of Newfoundland. The family drowned in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, and were buried at St. Pierre, on April 22, 1764. |
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One of Michel and Jeanne's sons, also named Michel, was born in Port Toulouse about 1739 and married about 1761, Madeleine Martel, the daughter of Jean-Baptiste Martel and Marie-Josephe Poujet. Michel escaped deportation and most likely lived with his uncle Mathieu Samson at L'Ardoise, since his marriage was revalidated there by the missionary priest, Charles-Francois Bailly on October 3, 1771. Still fearing further persecutions by the British, Michel (the younger) and his family sought a more remote location, and settled on Isle Madame in the 1780's. In a land petition in 1806, Michel requested a survey for a lot he had occupied "for upwards of 20 years". In 1809, he petitioned for 50 acres on Isle Madame "on the south shore of the Barrasois" in Petit de Grat. His sons Cyprien, Urbain, Magloire and Fabien remained in Petit de Grat, and his son Sebastien settled in Little Arichat (now West Arichat), also on Isle Madame. Cyprien's son Sebastien Samson was one of the two original founders of nearby Barachois Saint-Louis (now Louisdale), just opposite Isle Madame on the mainland of Cape Breton. In September 1850, Sebastien and Jean-Marie Marchand left Isle Madame to explore the north shore of Lennox passage. They built a log home in Seal Cove, and returned before winter with their families. The following year the families of Benjamin Linden, Isaie Marchand and Regis Marchand relocated to the new settlement, and in 1856, Sebastien's brother Joseph "Josue" Samson also settled there with his family. Thus, Michel Samson was the ancestor of the Samsons of Petit de Grat, West Arichat and Louisdale.
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| Written by Charles A. Samson, December 1997, revised March 2002. Sources: Stephen A. White, genealogist at the University of Moncton, New Brunswick; "The Acadian Exiles in Saint-Malo", by Albert Robichaux; Catholic Parish church records, Ile St. Pierre & Miquelon, France; C. F. Bailly missionary register, and Cape Breton Crown Land Papers. |