Acadian Englishman, 1716

Port-Royal Journal 29

Jean-Baptiste Bradstreet was baptized on March 12, 1716 in Port-Royal. He was the son of British officer Edward Bradstreet and Agathe de Saint-Étienne de La Tour, granddaughter of Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour, former governor of Acadia. Jean-Baptiste was baptized in the Church of Annapolis Royal. He was brought up in both British and French cultures and perfectly bilingual French-English.

In 1735, Jean-Baptiste Bradstreet became an ensign in the British army, stationed at Canseau. He took advantage of his bilingualism to trade lumber with the Acadians of Louisbourg. Life in Port-Royal was a mix of French, Acadian, Mi'kmaq, English, and others. History does not always give us the true portrait of how different cultures interacted. The life of Jean-Baptiste Bradstreet is a perfect example.

The Port Royal Journal is a series dedicated to revealing the stories of everyday life in the community.

Source: An Acadian Parish Remembered The Registers of St. Jean-Baptiste, Annapolis Royal, 1702-1755