Vénérande Robichaud (1 March 1753 – 22 November 1839) was a Canadian businesswoman. She is best known for her correspondence with her brother .

Early life

Vénérande Robichaud was born on 1 March 1753 in

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Plym ...

, She was the youngest daughter of Louis Robichaud, a merchant, and his wife Jeanne Bourgeois. Her father had good relations with the British authorities, supplying them with food">British Canada">British authorities, supplying them with food, timber">food.html" ;"title="British Canada">British authorities, supplying them with food">British Canada">British authorities, supplying them with food, timber, and firewood. In 1729, he took the oath of allegiance to George II of Great Britain, George II the Kingdom of Great Britain, King of Great Britain.. In 1755, despite her father's good relations with the British authorities, Vénérande and her family were still deported during the

deportation of the Acadians The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain. It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Br ...

. They were, however, fortunate to choose their destination, which was

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, a city in the state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. A few months later, the Massachusetts government transferred them to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. In this city, Vénérande learned

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

while her father taught her to read and write

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. In 1766, Vénérande's parents missed an opportunity to return to Annapolis Royal.

Heading to Quebec

As a family supportive of the

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, the Robichauds moved to

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

, where they settled in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, at the outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

in 1775. Vénérande took care of her elderly parents during the move. Her father died of flea fever on 20 December 1780 and her mother died on 18 March 1790. Two of her brothers also died in Quebec. Meanwhile, three of her brothers, , Frédéric and Florent, went to Néguac, now in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, to trade. Otho sent various goods to resell in Quebec while Vénérande supplied him with bedding, flour, medicines, spinning wheels and carding machines. In Quebec, Vénérande stayed for a long time with her cousin Marie-Vénérande Pelerin, wife of the goldsmith . She frequently received visits from family friends living in Boston, English people from New Brunswick, missionaries from the

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence">Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and t ...

like Thomas Cooke, Acadians from the same region as well as Micmacs. These guests allowed her to keep up to date with the latest news from her "dear

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

" and sometimes to act as couriers. She also maintained a correspondence with her brother Otho; about fifteen of these letters have been preserved. These letters bear witness to the exiles' struggle between their scattered families and their living conditions..

Death

She died on 22 November 1839 in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robichaud, Vénérande 1753 births 1839 deaths 18th-century Canadian businesswomen 19th-century Canadian businesswomen Canadian people of French descent Acadian Nova Scotians Canadian merchants Survivors of the expulsion of the Acadians