Name Memramcook was called the "Berceau de l'Acadie", which translates to "cradle of
Acadia". Long inhabited by the
Mi'kmaq, the site saw the arrival of their allies, the Acadians in 1700. It now goes by the slogan of "Notre belle vallée", since the recent re-branding of the village in May 2015. The village name is originally
Mi'kmaq and means "variegated" referring to the many intricacies of the
Memramcook River. The first mention of the area used the spelling Mémérancouque in 1757. The missionaries turned it into Memerancook, Memerancooque (1757), Memeramcook (1803), Memramkook (1812), Mamramcook (1812) and finally Memramcook. There have been several recent controversies about the name, such as people who offer the spelling Memramcouk or Memramkouke.
Origins Mi'kmaq people were already established in the region for a couple hundred years before the Acadians arrived. Their main village and cemetery seemed to be in Beaumont, and they also had a camp at what is now today Saint-Joseph. Beaumont was a strategic location, giving that it allowed them to control the Petitcodiac River, the most important marine transport route in the region. Knockout, Bernard, Skéouite, Toudoi, Argémiche, Thomas and others were the common family names at the time. Samuel de Champlain and Jean de Poutrincourt explored the region in 1605. They noted a rocky point (the Beaumont point) and no human presence. In 1612, Father Biard, Charles de Biencourt and their four Native American guides returned to visit Memramcook. At that time, there were about 60–80 cabins. In 1672, Acadian and European word-runners and fishers started to frequent the area and some stayed to establish themselves. The village became a part of domain of La Vallière (Beaubassin) in 1676. In 1698, Pierre Thibaudeau, Guillaume Blanchard, Pierre Gaudet and a few others left Port-Royal to explore Trois-Rivières. Pierre Gaudet, the youngest of the group, decided to stay in Memramcook. The village developed much more quickly after the signing of the Utrecht Treaty, which gave Acadia to England in 1713. Many families from Port-Royal moved to Memramcook at this time as it was still French territory. Hamlets that would be later known as Pierre-à-Michel and Beaumont were founded in 1740. The Fort de La Galissoniére was constructed in 1751. Its job was to defend the entire isthmus of Chignecto, but was later replaced by Fort Beauséjour. Residents were also starting to construct the famous dyke system to dry out the marshes for agriculture. In 1752, the village was composed of 250 people from 51 different families. There were the Blanchards, Richards, Lanoues, Dupuis, Benoîts, Landrys, LeBlancs, Aucoins, Maillets, Girouards, Forests, Daigles, Savoies, Robichaud, Bastaraches, Heberts, Deslauriers, Cyrs, Bourques and Thibodeaus. People lived mostly along the river, and the first chapel was built in 1753 at Pointe-aux-Bouleaux, which is Ruisseau-des-Breau today.
Deportation In August 1755,
English soldiers were sent to
Beaubassin,
Petitcodiac,
Chipoudy, and Memramcook to take the
Acadiens prisoners. However, through guidance by the local missionary, Father LeGuerne, and the local people of the Miꞌkmaq nation, the Acadians hid in the woods. Then, on August 26, Lieutenant
Boishébert of
Miramichi and 125 soldiers and a group of
Miꞌkmaq, surprised 200 Englishmen, under the command of
Major Joseph Frye. The English had set fire to the church of Chipoudy and 181 homes, as well as 250 houses in Petitcodiac. Boishébert gave the order to attack at the moment that the English were setting fire to the church of Petitcodiac. After three hours of fierce fighting, the English retreated, leaving behind 50 dead, and around 60 wounded. It was thus that 200 families were able to escape the deportation. == Geography ==