Anastasia Godin dite Bellefontaine Part

(About 1730 to 1759)

My Sixth Great Grandmother 

Daughter of Joseph Godin dit Bellefontaine and Marie-Anne Bergeron 

Husband Eustache Part 

Mother of Marianne Part, Laurent and at least two other unknown children 

The following is the author's imagined account of a real event from a child’s point of view. The event was documented in a newspaper of the day,[1]”Extract of a Letter from Fort Frederick, St. John’s River, March 10, 1759,” The Pennsylvania Gazette, 5 April 1759, page 2, col. 3 and page 3 col. 1; Newspaper.com … Continue reading a soldier’s journal,[2]Seven Years’ War journal of the proceedings of the 35th Regiment of Foot; 6 March entry; Archive.org, digital images 53-54 (https://archive.org/details/sevenyearswarjou00flet/page/n1/mode/2up : … Continue reading and the testimony of an actual witness.[3]A transcript written in French of Joseph Bellefontaine’s petition for a pension documents the killing of his daughter and can be viewed at Septentrion.qc.ca, … Continue reading 

That day. That day the weather was unusually nice, so we were all outside. That day the sun was shooting rainbow sparks from the icicles hanging from the trees. That day you could smell the pine needles and the remnants of the breakfast fire. 

Though it was late February and the winter had been harsh and the snow deep, that day there were flashes of warmth from the sun on my face. Maman, Papa, Grand-Père, Grand-Mère, my brothers and sister, Oncle Michel and his wife Tante Madeleine, and my cousin—we were in and out of the hastily made huts. We were singing songs and laughing. Earlier in the morning we stood in awe as we watched a large moose walk by. We stayed in Sainte-Anne over the winter in 1759 though all the other Acadians had left for Canada.  

The British were removing Acadians (also known as French neutrals) from the Saint-Jean area. Because the British soldiers were scouting out the area, Grand-Père thought it best that we leave the houses along the Saint-Jean River and build huts deep in the woods to live in over the winter. But that is where they found us. There were at least eleven New England Rangers with Lieutenant Moses Hazen. I just do not understand why things happened the way they did. Since I was about eight years old, it was hard for me to make sense of all that occurred that day. When I think about it now, I wonder if several of the New England Rangers were possessed by the devil. Why else would they do what they did? 

My memories of beautiful Sainte-Anne and the joy and love we shared there are always blurred by the horror of that day. Maman looked at me in a special way earlier that day and held me close whispering “I will love you always mon chéri.” She gave me her blessing as she did every day. Her arms were soft and warm, and I did not want to let her go. That is what I try to focus on when I remember that day. 

Grand-Mère and I were playing a game with my younger brother Laurent, so we were not with the rest of the family when the New England Rangers arrived. I remember hearing the crashing of the horses as they came through the woods. They grabbed Grand-Père, Oncle Michel, Maman and Tante Madeleine. I think Papa was still in the hut. The soldiers were yelling at Grand-Père and Oncle Michel. My brother and sister and cousin were all crying, and Maman and Aunt Madeleine were frozen in place. The soldiers wanted Grand-Père to pledge allegiance to the King of England. Grand-Père was a major in the French militia. My dear Grand-Père would not, he could not, pledge allegiance to England.  

Maman was begging the soldiers to release my brother, sister, and cousin. Tante Madeleine was pleading with them also. Then I saw the rangers crowd around Maman and Tante and the children and separated them from Grand-Père and Oncle Michel. I heard a whooshing sound and thuds and screaming and then someone had picked me up and started running with me. It was Papa, he was holding me oh so tightly and telling me to hush. He was running so fast and hard. Grand-Mère had Laurent and she was running as fast as she could, following Papa. Papa was breathing heavily. Grand-Mère was whimpering as she ran with Laurent. There was more shouting, screaming, crying, thuds and a cracking sound and then all was silent. 

Sometime later, I woke up. I do not know if it was hours or days. Grand-Mère was crying softly and Papa was pacing back and forth. I asked Papa what had happened, and he just looked at me with such sorrow and pain. I knew then that I would never see Maman again. Tante Madeleine, my cousins and brother and sister were also killed that day.

I like to think of Maman as a resistance fighter. She was so proud of Grand-Père and his leadership role at Sainte-Anne and the militia. She would not have wanted Grand-Père to take the oath of allegiance to England. I think she would be proud that she gave her life for the Acadian way of life. She proved that it was not worth switching allegiance if the Rangers would kill women and children. 

Years later, I learned that Maman, Anastasia Godin dite Bellefontaine, was killed by New England Rangers under Lieutenant Moses Hazen in 1759.^[4]Though names are not mentioned, it is widely believed that the events described in a published letter from Fort Frederick were those where Anastasia Godin and Madeleine Guillebeau were … Continue reading There were newspaper accounts that said she and Tante Madeleine had been scalped. I am not certain when Maman was born but it was around 1730. Her parents were Joseph Godin dit Bellefontaine and Marie-Anne Bergeron.^[5]Septentrion.qc.ca, (https://www.septentrion.qc.ca/acadiens/documents/819), Document 1774-01-15a. This transcript was taken from Archives Nationales du Canada, MG6 A15, series C … Continue reading She and Papa, Eustache Part, were married around 1748.^[6]Sacramental registers from Point Sainte-Anne are lost. Marianne Part’s parents are named in her marriage record as Eustache Part and deceased … Continue reading

The British thought they would destroy the Acadians, but I am proud that they could not! Though my mother was killed, I carried on her legacy. Four of my children lived to marry and they gave me over thirty grandchildren in Louisiana. Generations of descendants continue two hundred and sixty years later. 

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