In August, people from many parts of the United States and several other countries will make their way to New Brunswick to visit with long lost relatives and reconnect roots that, in some cases, have been separated for 254 years.

The Acadian World Congress will be held Aug. 7-23, but far from being just a big family reunion, it is part of an effort to keep alive the memory of what amounted to an Acadian diaspora. For many, that traumatic history is always present, even if it is 11 generations since Acadians were forced from their homes and shipped off in small groups to live in British colonies.

Beginning in 1755, and continuing until the 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years' War between the French and English, 12,618 Acadians living in Nova Scotia — and many who had made their way to other parts of the Maritimes to escape deportation — were rounded up and placed on ships and sent to Massachusetts, Louisiana and many other parts of the United States, England and France.

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By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
gbarnes@telegram.com