The old name Cobequid was derived from the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the

Minas Basin , image = Lookout On Way to Cape Split - 25006718579.jpg , alt = , caption = Looking east across the Southern Bight of Minas Basin from The Lookoff , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , ca ...

, a body of water called

Cobequid Bay Cobequid Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the easternmost part of the Minas Basin, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The bay was carved by rivers flowing into the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy. The eastern end of the b ...

. 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 Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...

. 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 Masstown (2021 population: 156), formerly Cobequid, is a farming community located approximately from Truro, Nova Scotia. Historic background Masstown has its beginnings with French settlers, known as Acadians. They first settled in this ...

, is located 10 minutes west of

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

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 Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

. 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 William Shirley (2 December 1694 – 24 March 1771) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the British American colonies of Massachusetts Bay and the Bahamas. He is best known for his role in organi ...

, Governor of Massachusetts and commander-in-chief of North American forces, and not by the British government in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. This was William Shirley's revenge for the death of his son during

Edward Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...

campaign against the

Canadiens French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

in the

Ohio Valley The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinoi ...

. This was the beginning of the Acadian deportation.Related web pages www.acadian-cajun.com/cobequd.htm

References

{{coord, 45, 20, 45, N, 63, 45, 27, W, source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Acadia Acadian history New France 1689 establishments in the French colonial empire