' Georges 
     
    
   
   
    
     23,0003 names in it. Almost totally 
     
     Acadian and mostly from the Prin— 
     
    
   
   
    
     É ce County area of Prince Edward 
     
     v Island. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I really want to thank the people 
     
     who are responsible for my being 
     
    
   
   
    
      here in Miscouche today at this 
     
    
   
   
    
     forum on «Acadian history and 
     
    
   
   
    
     , genealogy». First, an interesting lady 
     
    
   
   
    
     from Maryland, Lucie Consentino, 
     
    
   
   
    
     z who has a very large and fantastic 
     
    
   
   
    
     website on Acadia (www.acadian- 
     
    
   
   
    
     l home.org). She asked me via the 
     
    
   
   
    
     Internet t0 write an article on 
     
     Island Acadians for her Internet 
     
     newsletter. Because of that article, 
     
     Arsenault contacted me 
     
     and through emails, he asked 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ me t0 participate here today. A 
     
    
   
   
    
     couple of weeks ago, I met them 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘L both here at the museum. So I also 
     
     î wish to thank him for the opportu- 
     
    
   
   
    
     nity t0 express my ideas in a public 
     
    
   
   
    
     forum. Lastly, I would like to thank 
     
    
   
   
    
     the members of the Sister Antoinette 
     
     DesRoches Historical Committee. I 
     
     think Sister Antoinette would have 
     
     been very happy with what you 
     
    
   
   
    
     ' are accomplishing here. l found the 
     
    
   
   
    
     topics and articles regarding the 
     
     forum last spring very interesting 
     
    
   
   
    
     and informative, and this forum is 
     
     the same. My patemal grandfather 
     
     John B. Perry and Sister Antoinette 
     
     were first cousins. Sister Antoinette 
     
     told me many things about my 
     
     grandfather and his family, which I 
     
     had not known. She was a great 
     
     wornan and an Acadian patriot. 
     
     I am not sure she would have 
     
     approved of the name of the com— 
     
     mittee though, for she was a very 
     
     humble servant of the Lord. But she 
     
     is not here, physically, only in spirit, 
     
     and I think it is very fitting that 
     
     you would honor her memory 
     
     by using her name in the committee’s 
     
     designation. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I would like to close now with a 
     
     quote that I find very suitable. It is 
     
     from Antonine Maillet’s Classic novel 
     
     Pélagie—La-Charrette. The sea captain 
     
     Beausoleil counsels Celina : 
     
    
   
   
    
     From here on it’s in thefuture 
     
     one must lookfor roots. 
     
     And it’s my thinking 
     
     that t0 count thcm all will need 
     
     lengthy journeyings far north 
     
     andfar south. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     3 Now in 2004, there are over 30,000 names in the database. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     PAGE 43 
     
    
   
   
    
     (Sistèr Antoinette 
     
     DesRoches) 
     
     was a great 
     
     woman and 
     
     an Acadian 
     
    

    
     patriot. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I am not sure 
     
    
   
   
    
     ÿ she would have 
     
    
   
   
    
     Lapproved of 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ the name of 
     
     the committee 
     
     though, 
     
     for she was a. very 
     
     humble servant 
     
    
   
   
    
     of the Lord. 
     
     Û 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
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