This family was related to all the older stock of Acadian families, to be found in 1755 throughout the whole of settled Nova Scotia.
The history of Grand-Pré, by which is meant, the annals of the country contiguous to the Memorial Park, the Grand-Pré of the present day, in a sense, is the family history of the Le Blancs. One member of the family, René, was an historical character.
Other Names
In the census made of Minas in 1618, about five years after Pierre Melanson’s advent to the Gaspereau, the families of
| Pierre Melanson | |
| Martin Ancoin, | |
| Phillippe Pinet, | |
| Etienne Hebert | (Forebear of the sculptor mentioned previously author of the Evangeline statue), |
| Noel de la Bove, | |
| Francois la Pierre | (or la Roche), |
| Etienne Rivet, | |
| Pierre Terriot, |
are mentioned with particulars of their worldly condition and size of family.
Three of the Minas inhabitants mentioned on the 1686 list, de la Bove, la Pierre, and Rivet, were newcomers to Acadia, and for some reason failed to make headway in the country. Their descendants were few, and the names disappear from the annals.
The Canard District
The Melansons’, Terriots’, and Le Blancs’ holdings all extended east or west, south of the Cornwallis River. North of this stream, another section was expanding, but more slowly, although conditions were favorable there for colonization.