In the 17th and 18th centuries, 251 men and women from 94 parishes in the department, Deux-Sèvres, in Western France, left Poitou for the New World where they would build a country, New France, which eventually became Canada.
Most of these people were peasants who had no idea what awaited them on the other side of the ocean. They were fleeing religious persecution, high taxes, poverty, sickness, and oppression under Louis XIV. Some were contracted to work, some were soldiers, and others were deported because they were salt workers who had been caught trafficking salt.
The names of all of these pioneers appear in the book, Poitevins au Canada aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, written in French by Marguerite Morisson.
The 377-page book, published in April by Geste éditions, is described as a massive research project that traces the journey of the pioneers from the 94 towns in Deux-Sèvres in eastern France where they were born to New France.
Much of Ms. Morisson’s research was conducted in the Protestant archives.
The book is 30 € (euros). It appears to only be available in France and is sold out on Amazon.fr. In can be ordered directly from the publisher, Geste éditions.
Très intéressant mais malheureusement l’éditeur n’expédie pas à l’extérieur de la France. Le livre est donc impossible à obtenir au Canada pour le moment. En espérant qu’un distributeur finisse par le rendre disponible.
Très décevant. Ça n’a auncun sens, pusqu’il s’agit de l’histoire de la Nouvelle France. I don’t understand why the distributor would not ship to Canada, especially to genealogical societies. C’est ridicule. Merci de l’avoir partagé.
Someone just wrote on Facebook that they bought one of two copies on Amazon.fr.
The shipping fees are huge, but I will check. Thank you
I just ordered the book as well and it says there’s one left. The total price: book €28.44, delivery €8.50 and frais d’import €1.42 for a total of €38.36 or Cdn $57.65. The receipt says it’ll be here between 2-21 January 2019.