The old name Cobequid was derived from the
Mi'kmaq word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the
Minas Basin, a body of water called
Cobequid Bay.
Cobequid was granted in 1689 to
Mathieu Martin
Mathieu is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* André Mathieu (1929–1968), Canadian pianist and composer
* Anselme Mathieu (1828–1895), French Provençal poet
* Claude-Louis Mathieu (1783–1875) ...
. He was said to be the first
Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
born in
Acadia.
In 1705, the Acadians first settled in this area near Cobequid Bay. The Acadian culture consisted primarily of farming. Their advanced farming systems of dykes permitted them to recuperate valuable farmland from the marshlands that cover the entire coast of the community. The community, which is now called
Masstown, is located 10 minutes west of
Truro on Highway 2 or Exit 12 off Highway 104.
In 1714 many inhabitants of Minas signed to a resolution, dated 9 September 1714, to go to
Cape Breton. Many came from Cobequid,
Grand-Pré, Riviere des Gasparots (Gaspareaux), Riviere de Pessequid, Riviere des Habitants, and Riviere de la Vieille Habitation.
In August 1744, a certain Acadian by the name of Duvivier came to Cobequid with supplies from other Acadian villages.
The Cobequid Acadians were close to an Indian mission located where the Stewiacke meets the Shubenacadie; and which had been run, for many years, by Le Loutre. In January 1750, Le Loutre made an ever closer alliance with his native friends (the sworn allies of the French crown). This meant that the Acadians of Cobequid did not want to get too friendly with the English.
On the second day of September, 1755, the French inhabitants of Cobequid Village, lying on the north side of the bay, were working in their fields because it was harvest time. Three British vessels came into the Bay. Two of them anchored, one opposite the Village, and the other at Lower Cobequid; while the third went further up the shore. On September 4, they placed a notice on the church, that read that all their belonging now belong to His Majesty. However, this order had been given by
William Shirley, Governor of Massachusetts and commander-in-chief of North American forces, and not by the British government in
London. This was William Shirley's revenge for the death of his son during
Edward Braddock campaign against the
Canadiens in the
Ohio Valley. This was the beginning of the
Acadian deportation
The Expulsion of the Acadians, also known as the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, the Great Deportation, and the Deportation of the Acadians (french: Le Grand Dérangement or ), was the forced removal, by the British, of the Acadian peo ...
.
[Related web pages www.acadian-cajun.com/cobequd.htm]
References
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Acadia
Acadian history
New France
1689 establishments in the French colonial empire