mixed-bloods historically resided along the Eastern Coast of Acadia
Additional evidence to support the conclusion that a large number of mixed-bloods historically resided along the Eastern Coast of Acadia pre-Deportation can be found in a July 20, 1711 letter written by Merchant, Christophe Cahouet at Plaisance to the Minister. A transcription of this letter, which details events that recently occurred in Acadia, can be found on pages 185 to 192 of the “Public Archives Canada’s” record collection entitled, “France: Archives des Colonies, Série C11D, Correspondance générale, Acadie, Volume 7, 1709 to 1711,” which can be found on “Public Archives Canada Microfilm C-11361.” An important excerpt from this letter, which refers to a group of men who had recently abducted the previously-discussed Commissary of Annapolis Royal Lieutenant Peter Capon, can be found on page 186 of this transcription and is as follows:
“… trois mulastres de la coste et un habitant de Beaubassin nommé Habraham Godet…”
This loosely translates to:
“… three mulattos from the coast and an inhabitant of Beaubassin named Habraham Godet…”
This excerpt is important for two reasons. The first reason is that it refers to three of the abductors as “mulastres” (“mulattos”). Given what we already know concerning the early to mid-eighteenth century terminology used in Acadia to refer to mixed-blooded people and the fact that this letter was written during that time period, this usage of the term “mulastres” (“mulattos”) refers to the fact that these three men were of mixed-European and First Nations ancestry. It is also important to note that this is the earliest usage of this term that I have found to date to refer to the mixed-bloods of Acadia.
The second importance of this excerpt lies in the fact that it is claimed by Merchant, Christophe Cahouet that these “mulastres” (“mulattos”) were “de la coste” (“of the coast”). Given what we know about the inhabitants of the Eastern Coast of Acadia at that time, I firmly believe that this statement means that the three mixed-bloods involved in the abduction were from the Eastern Coast of Acadia.
