The regions of Torbé and Chezzetcook are no strangers to history, but after October 1st, this history became a reality during a historic visit between these two regions that share a common history. The signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ended the Great Upheaval, led to the settlement of Chezzetcook. Many Acadians were imprisoned during the Great Upheaval of 1755-63 on Georges Island, at Fort Edward (Windsor) and Beauséjour on the New Brunswick border. After their release in 1763, many of these prisoners settled in Chezzetcook, just east of Dartmouth. Ready to begin their lives anew, far from their homeland of Grand Pré, these Acadians begin their adaptation despite the heartbreak of their families being separated between 1755-63. Everything was progressing as fast as they could, and it seemed as if they were going to put down new roots in this region that would become their new “home”.

In 1783, a group of Loyalists arrived in Halifax, the new capital of this British colony. Needing to provide domiciled land, the Governor granted land in the Chezzetcook area to these new arrivals. Many Acadians had to give up their land and decided to apply for new locations, this time far from the British capital of Halifax. Torbé is well aware of these preferences, which also satisfy the mutual desires of the Halifax military base. At this point, the greatest desire of these uprooted people was to find peace and practice their Catholic religion. So, these families were torn apart once again and began the task of resettling once more.

The first plots were granted to the Pellerin, Richard, Bellefontaine, Bonnevie, Petitpas, Levandier, Breau and Mannette families in 1797 in the Torbé area. These sad, separated families settled in the small villages on the shores of the bay known today as Port Félix, l’Anse à Charlo, and La Rivière (Larry’s River). Since then, very littlecontact has been made, except for occasional visits by a few, mostly from the Richard family.

Thanks to the encouragement of FANE and funding from Canadian Heritage, these two groups “so long separated” (a song written by Waylon Thibodeaux) reunited on October 1 in Chezzetcook, and the doors opened wide for this unforgettable reunion. Arriving on the land of our ancestors, we felt at home with open arms and touching embraces that told us we were undoubtedly one big family despite the passage of more than 227 years. After a two-hour visit to l’Acadie de Chezzetcook, and a big delicious snack prepared by the friendly hostesses, we all boarded the Markie Bus Tours bus to take us to Cable Wharf in downtown Halifax. There we met up with other members of Torbé’s group to board a ferry to Georges Island. Here our deeply moving visit became filled with emotion. Setting foot on the same ground as our ancestors 270 years ago, and imagining the winter conditions of the time with very little shelter, and always threatened by soldiers, became very emotional. We wanted to get down on our knees to offer our prayers to those who had suffered unimaginable hardship. We ended our historic tour by singing our national anthem, Ave Maris Stella, behind a large Acadian flag in front of the Nova Scotia Legislature. What memories and experiences for us all! Thank you to l’Acadie de Chezzetcook, thank you to FANE and thank you to Canadian Heritage for these beautiful memories that have deepened our history of survival, adaptation and determination!