Around 1770 our ancestors François and Marie-Luce Violet settled on some in southern New Brunswick along the Hammond (Kennebeccasis) River along with several of her family and other Acadian families.The lands owned by Francois and Marie-Luce, 210 acres, are shown outlined in violet in the image above. Her older brother, Olivier Thibodeau, Sr, owned the parcel in red; Joseph Terrieau (Theriault), married to her older sister, Marie-Madeleine, owned the parcel in yellow; and Olivier and Joseph together owned the parcel in green.

Their first ownership of the land came under the old French rule but that title came into conflict with British rule in the 1780s. British Loyalist Americans and New Englanders were drawn to the area as they escaped the political climate in the newly-formed United States of America. These new residents for the most part resented the French-speaking group already there and many of the latter were displaced off their lands.

As Rita Violette Lippe reported in her Descendants of Francois Violet, pages 4 and 5:

Fortunately, two Loyalists, Edward Winslow and Ward Chipman, saw to it that some of these Acadians were made restitution by granting them the land bordering the Kennebeccasis or Hamond River, in King’s County, New Brunswick. The Land Grant in question was reg­istered in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on the twelveth day of April 1787. The lengthy, ten- page document is entitled “Widow Sarah Hunt and Others” and describes the granting of ap­proximately 6,888 acres divided into 42 lots. Given therein are the names of the recipients and their respective lots: Francois being granted Lot 14, a parcel of land amounting to 210 acres of the Eastern Division. The exact wording follows:.. . “unto the said John Thompson the lot Number Thirteen containing one hundred and eighty five acres, unto the said Francis Violet the lot Number Fourteen containing two hundred and ten acres, unto the said Andrew Sherwood the lot Number Sixteen containing one hundred and seventy acres” …

Noteworthy is the fact that all lots in the region were awarded by this document with the ex­ception of one lot, Lot number 15 adjacent to Francois’ land on the south side. Why this ex­ception? More about Lot 15 a bit later. Also noteworthy is the fact that grants were awarded such that the Acadians were dispersed among the Loyalists. In Francois’ case, his neighbors were John Thompson and Andrew Sherwood.

The document also specifies the conditions of the grant in terms of acreage to be cleared (i.e. three acres per year for each 50 granted), in terms of cattle, in terms of dwelling to be erected within three years (i.e. one good dwelling house to be at least 20 feet in length and 16 feet in breath), etc. Additionally, payment was to be made at a rate of two shillings per year per hundred acres for a period of ten years, payable at the feast of St. Michael. Annexed to the Land Grant is a plan of the subdivision of the land.

It is difficult for us who have never had to clear land to appreciate the full significance of these terms. Ponder, if you will, the toil, the labor involved in clearing 12 acres – for that was indeed Francois’ task – of virgin forest a year, and this with essentially nothing more than hand implements! In addition there was a dwelling to build, food to grow, animals to tend, a few shillings to be earned, etc… Such a task calls for a strong will, determination, physical and emotional strength, and a dedication to and a tremendous capacity for….work.

Let’s try to picture what François (and the other pioneers) had to accomplish. Twelve acres contain 522,720 square feet, or about the size of 9 football fields! That’s how much virgin forest he had to clear EVERY YEAR! And this was not sparse forest, but healthy, thick forest that had never been cut before. The Eastern White Pine tree, which is common in the area, grows to 30-50 high and covers an area 10-20 feet in diameter. If evenly spaced 20 feet apart, one acre could contain over 100 virgin pine trees so having to harvest 12 acres of forest each year might mean having to cut some 1,200 trees! And this using only hand tools such as axes. Crosscut saws made the job easier but only came into use in the 1880s – 100 years later.

To cut that many trees in a year would require an average of four trees or so per day. While doing that, François would also have to plant and tend his crops, tend his animals, build his dwelling and outbuildings, and take care of his family. I cannot imagine that kind of work!

While some of that cut timber would obviously used in building structure on his property, what would François do with the rest? No mention is made in the historic records, but this would have been no small task given that all the other pioneers were doing the same thing.

I have been on that land, shown graciously around by the current owner, Mike Steele. His family had purchased not only Lot 14 but also 15, 16, and a portion of 13 around 1960. The view from Google Maps above shows that while the lower lands have been maintained as pasture, there is still a lot of forest in the upper lands to the right in the image.

The lower, cleared, area in Lot 14 has about 90 acres, or about eight years worth of clearing.

I took the photo above from the higher area in the lower one-fourth of the Google image and looking due west; about 150 feet above the river level in the middle background. The gravel banks you can see in the left center of the photo are those at the outside of the sharp river bend in the Google image, located on the far left (west) side. That vantage point is roughly on the south line of Lot 14 and about one-third of the depth of the lot from the river.

We have to admire the amount of work those hardy pioneers had to do just to live!

The Birth and Growth of the Violette Family Association

NOTE: This was taken from Chapter 6 of A Violette History, published in 2014, and the original was written by Rita Violette Lippé (VFA#1) in her book Violette Genealogy: Descendants of Francois Violet, published in 1984. The former is available at Amazon using this link. The latter is out of print.

After having written to literally hundreds of Violettes over a period of three years, in 1977 I began to entertain the thought of having a Violette Family Reunion. Since there were only a dozen or so Violettes in the Greater Lawrence-Greater Lowell area, I was understandably a bit hesitant. Somehow I did not feel that geographically speaking, Methuen, Massachusetts, was a likely place for a successful Violette reunion. Seemingly, Maine would be a more appropriate area for such a function. However, I decided to attempt it.

Ten months prior to the reunion, a letter was sent to all Violettes with whom I had had previous contact. The announcement of the reunion was made specifying that it would be geared to the entire family. A few preliminary details as to date and location were given. A follow-up letter to be mailed approximately three months prior to the reunion was also announced. The main concern at this point was to make Violettes aware of that which was to take place. Then came the final letter with all the details as to the cost, the tentative agenda and the availability of motels in the Methuen, Massachusetts, area. Also included was a registration form to be returned by those who wished to attend. I hadn’t the vaguest idea as to the kind of response such an invitation would elicit. Since this was the first time such an endeavor was attempted, I decided that if 50 people attended, the reunion would be considered a great success. July 16, 1978, finally arrived and with it, a gathering of 375 people at St. Theresa’s Parish Hall in Methuen, Massachusetts. They came from Rome, the Provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario and from the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Arizona, California, Illinois, West Virginia, Florida and Indiana. The hall swelled with excitement and warmth. An invisible, but nonetheless real, bond unified all attendees: a vivid interest in one’s heritage. All were descendants of Francois Violet. Each Violette, who had pre-registered, found displayed on the wall his or her direct lineage back to France. This made it possible for each and everyone to know his or her relationship to any other Violette in attendance.

The reunion was a tremendous success and too quickly came to an end. However, this was but the beginning. This moment was indeed an opportune one to pursue my search for Violettes and hence was born the idea of a family association. Since all the groundwork had been done for the reunion, the birth of the Association was fairly simple and proceeded very smoothly. Within one month, the first newsletter was sent to all adults who had attended the reunion. Their attendance automatically granted them membership into the Association. The Association at this time numbered 281 members representing 175 families.

The $119 profit realized at the Methuen Reunion provided the funds necessary to organize the Violette Family Association. A Constitution and By-Laws were drafted and officers were named. As Founder of the Association, I became its President-Secretary, Richard Violette of Lowell, Massachusetts, became Vice-President, and Joseph Violette of Methuen, Massachusetts, Treasurer. The motto chosen was the one used at the first reunion: We Are One. Our logo consists of a violet flower centered in a white circle and beneath the flower, the words “We Are One”. Within six months the Violette Family Association was a registered non-profit organization. During the first year of existence, membership grew to 361.

In 1979 in Augusta, Maine, a second reunion was held. The success of this reunion, organized by Maurice Violette of Augusta, is attested to by the size of the attendance: no less than 550 Violettes gathered at the Calumet Club in Augusta, Maine, on Saturday, August 4, 1979. That very day, the Association membership grew to 620.

Van Buren, Maine, Violette Country! In August of 1981, 800 people traveled up to the St. John Valley, more specifically, to the town of Van Buren, Maine, to attend the third Violette Reunion. Superior Court Judge Elmer Violette of Van Buren served as Chairman. For some this was a return to the homeland they had left many years prior; for others, it was a visit to the homeland of their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. For all, it was an emotion filled experience. During this two day reunion, the Association erected a monument in memory of our ancestor, Francois. This monument stands on land adjacent to the Violette Brook, the area presently called Violette Brook Park.

In September of 1982, 49 members of the Association traveled to France. At departure time each traveler was given his or her ancestry back to France, enabling each person to establish his or her relationship to each other on the tour. The result was a closely-knit family who would share emotions, experiences and memories to be cherished forever. Over a twelve day period, we visited in depth the Charente Maritime area, namely, Angouleme, Saintes, Rochefort, Villejesus and LaRochelle, all towns and cities of our ancestors. Thanks to the foresight of Maurice Violette of Augusta, Maine, in each city we were greeted by the local dignitaries. We were honored with a reception by these dignitaries and townspeople. Words cannot adequately describe the pride and emotion experienced by each and every one of us.

Five and one half years have passed since the inception of the Association (Ed note: Rita’s text was written in 1983). We now have 1218 members, representative of four Provinces of Canada: Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick; thirty-two States: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska; and from the countries of Spain, Sweden, France, Italy and Japan. Our present mailing consists of 775 newsletters. (Ed note: As of July 2011 the Violette Family Association latest member number is 2873 and mailing list includes 980 by email and 592 by mail.)

In August of 1984, our fourth reunion will be held in East Windsor, Connecticut, with Mrs. Gerald Violette (Sandra Pronsky) of Enfield, Connecticut, and Richard Violette of West Hartford, Connecticut, as Co-Chairpersons. It is at this particular event that the Violette Genealogy-“The Descendants of Francois Violet” will be made available to the membership. (Ed note: Subsequent Reunions have been held in Portland ME (1987), Grand Falls NB (1990), Lewiston ME (1993), Shelburne Falls NH (1996), Westford MA (1999), Edmundston NB (2002), Gorham NH (2005), Windsor Locks CT (2008), Van Buren ME (2011) and Van Buren ME (2014).)

The first reunion was definitely the stepping stone to the formation of our Violette Family Association. Subsequent reunions provided the stage for its rapid growth. The formation of an Association has indeed been very rewarding to all. Bonds have been formed which otherwise never could have materialized. Acquaintances, which lay dormant for 30, 40 and even 50 years, have been renewed. Friendships between brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins have been deepened and strengthened.

It is with much pride in our heritage and with a deep sense of gratitude to our ancestors that we can truly say: We Are One.

The Violet/Violette family was involved in every aspect of the developing communities on both sides of the Upper St. John River.

In 1789, François Violet and his son, Augustin (1771-1849), were given grants of land under the Soucie Concession and became pioneers in the area. In 1824, his son François Violet (1774-1856) was given a grant of land at Grand River on the New Brunswick side.

In 1792, François Violet was Commissioner of Highways for York County, New Brunswick. The first carriage road from Fredericton was not completed until the 1850’s.

In 1794, we find Augustin Violet (1771-1849) as a constable.

In 1798 François was the proprietor of one of three licensed inns or taverns in the area.

In 1821, Hilarion Violet (1792-1877) and Francis Violette were Surveyors of Highways.

In 1824, François Violet (1774-1856) was a captain of militia, 4th Battalion, York County. Dominique Violette was an Ensign.

In 1844, Belonie Violette (1817-1879), grandson of François, was a member of the Board of Assessors of Van Buren plantation.

In 1852, Belonie was an Aroostock County Commissioner.

In 1862, Belonie  was a Captain of the State militia in Maine.

In 1867, Belonie was a Maine State Legislator.

When Van Buren was incorporated in 1881, at least five Violettes appeared as elected officials of the town, some occupying more than one position.

One of our more illustrious later relatives was Elmer Violette of Van Buren, who was a State senator and later a Justice of the Supreme Court of Maine.

On the Canadian side, Dr. Lorne Violette of St. Leonard served on the New Brunswick Legislature Assembly.

François Violette (1840-1922) was the postmaster and first customs officer at St. Leonard, New Brunswick.

There are many other successful businessmen and farmers, such as Wilfred (Fred) Violette (1918-1979) who built a successful and on-going automobile sales and repair company in Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

So, you can see from the very beginning, François and his descendants were influential and active members of their community, whether they were in the French-Canadian or Anglo-American environment. We can all be proud and appreciative of the legacy that François left for us.