It is now nearly two hundred years since the Acadian settlement of Tatamagouche, such as it was, came on August 15^th 1755, to its tragic end. It was never large, probably at no one time exceeding twelve families; indeed, it is to be regarded as an outpost for communication rather than a serious attempt at colonization. When it was founded no one knows, but possibly during the closing years of the Seventeenth Century and probably before 1710. And if so, it would be the earliest European settlement on the North shore of Nova Scotia. 

Until recent years our knowledge of Acadian Tatamagouche consisted mostly of a few fragmentary traditions , which had come down to us from the first permanent settlers, who arrived at Tatamagouche about 1770; although such place names as French River, Brule and Barrachois did indicate that the French once had been here. Then too, in the official and military correspondence of the French and of the English during the Eighteenth Century there were occasional brief references to a French settlement at Tatamagouche.

The knowledge gleaned from the early traditions was little more than that the French had been here, had cleared a little upland, made an attempt at dyking the marshes, built water mills and a Chapel with its place of burial. Knowing what we do now, there must have been on the ground more evidence of their occupation, but further details had been lost. The early settlers at Tatamagouche, both from the Continent and from Scotland had enough woes and persecutions in their own heritage, without having either time or interest to preserve the annals of their traditional enemies, into whose lands, with equal penury they themselves had entered.