Pascal Poirier

1852-1933

Pascal Poirier (Acadian author) was born 15 February 1852 in Westmorland County, Shediac, New Brunswick. Upon the completion of his primary education at Shediac Public School, he enrolled at Collège Saint-Joseph in Memramcook in 1864. At Collège Saint-Joseph, Poirier studied Latin and Greek, French literature, philosophy, and history. Poirier graduated with a Master of Arts in 1872 and was appointed Postmaster of the House of Commons. Poirier lived in Ottawa from 1872 to 1885. Around 1873, he became a member of l’Institut canadien-français d’Ottawa and became president in 1881.  In 1874, Poirier’s first major work, Origines des Acadiens, was published. Around this time Poirier wrote Les Acadiens à Philadelphie, a play that was later performed in Ottawa (1 June 1875) and in which Poirier himself had a role. Poirier wrote many articles about Acadie and the Acadian language in the 1870s and 1880s that were published in French Canadian journals, such as L’opinion publique, Revue canadienne, and Les Nouvelles soirées canadiennes. Poirier attended the first Convention nationale acadienne in 1881. In 1884, Poirier became the secretary and then president of La société d’assomption, where he remained for twelve years. Poirier became Acadie’s first senator on 9 March 1885.  In 1902, he was commissioned by La société royale to report on the English and French fortresses in Acadie, publishing “Louisbourg en 1902.” That same year he was made Knight of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic. In 1924 he published “Les sauvages de Labrador” in Les annals de l’institut canadien-français d’Ottawa and “Les vocables Algonquins, Caraïbes, etc. qui sont entrés dans la langue” for La société royale in 1916. Despite a fire in 1916 that destroyed approximately 1200 pages of his research, he completed and published two works: Parler franco-acadien et ses origines in 1928, which included a 3000-word glossary of Acadian words and Le glossaire acadien, serialized in the journals Le moniteur acadien and L’évangeline. He received a Gold Medal for literature from the French government in 1929. Poirier died on 25 September 1933 at his home in Ottawa at the age of 81. He is buried in Shediac.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Shediac, Memramcook

Archival Material

• Pascal Poirier fonds
  ⌄
  Location

  Centre d'études acadiennes Anselme-Chiasson

  Website/Catalogue Record

  View Archival Record

  Retrieval Number

  6, CP6, G6, P6

  Date Range of Material

  1791-1965

  Extent

  1.76 metres

  Scope and Content Note

  Fonds consists of files concerning Acadian history and preparatory notes for the Acadian Glossary; genealogical records on Acadian families; maps relating to New Brunswick; family records by Pascal Poirier; photos of people and groups.