Over the years, there was some movement of
population between Quebec (French Canada) and Acadia. As the English
attitude towards Acadians intensified in the early 1750's, more Acadians
moved westward to join with other Francophones. When the deportation
started in 1755, many Acadians sought refuge in Quebec. When 2000
Acadians escaped to Ile St. Jean, about 600 of the sick and elderly were
sent to Quebec. And when Louisbourg fell in 1758, many of the Acadians
on Ile St. Jean fled the island and headed to Quebec. Acadians continued
to move towards Quebec to escape English persecution and to find their
friends and relatives.
In the April 6, 1765 issue of the South Carolina Gazette, there is a Feb. 5 article from London that stated:
"They write from Quebec, that upwards of 7000 native French Acadians , among them many traders of note, whose hands m of the provincial commerce with Old France and the Islands used to be carried on, have departed the country within these 17 months with all their effects; at first the reasons assigned for their retiring was attributed to some disg to the form of government, since the accession of the province to England, but that it has been since discovered to processed from the invitation of his most Christian Majesty to all his subjects in Canada and Louisiana, to quit the British dominions, and settle in St. Lucia, the province of Cayenne, and islands of that name, on very high promises to such as chuse to accept them."
Acadians tried settling at Restigouche, though they were forced to move in 1760. Acadians found themselves along the Bay of Chaleur and down the coast of the St. Lawrence. Several distinctly Acadian settlements were soon founded in the area. These include: Saint-Gervais-de-Bellechasse (1756), Saint-Jacques-de-l’Achigan (1766), Saint-Grégoire-de-Nicolet (1767), and L’Acadie (1768). Other areas include Bonaventure, Carleton, Kamouraska, and Yamachiche. As more Acadians migrated to the area, other areas - such as Beauce, Bois-Francs, Lac-Saint-Jean, Lanaudière, and the Middle North Shore - developed. Acadians also settled in existing towns such as Quebec. Today there may be over one million people in Quebec that trace their roots back to the Acadians.
