Gallery 2 - Sense of belonging and taking roots into Greater Madawaska (1860-1960)
16. Drummond
The parish of Drummond in Victoria County got its name from Colonel Gordon Drummond of the
104th Regiment which was stationed in Grand Falls. Surveying of the lots of the parish
began in 1842 and settlers of Irish origin settled in the Ennishone. Upon learning that there were
good available lands in Drummond, French colonists from Madawaska and Quebec came to live there. At
first they had to clear the land of trees before beginning to cultivate, gradually . They bred
cattle and worked hard. In the beginning, they farmed a little bit of everything: hay, grain and
potatoes. Drummond`s potatoes and those of the surrounding areas earned early an excellent
reputation and this crop rapidly grew. The work of the ancestors bore the fruit of their labour as
the farmers were owners of their land and with time became financially comfortable. The families of
a dozen children were not rare which assured working hands and the progress of family enterprises.
From the beginning, education was accessible at the rural schools and a catholic parish was founded
in 1890. Helping each other, autonomy and pride of their peaceful and prosperous parish are some
characteristics of the people from Drummond. In the middle of the 20th century, Drummond
became one of the most beautiful and richest agricultural parishes in New Brunswick. A lot of
information was taken in the following monographs: Jean-Guy Plourde, Jean-Paul Laforge and Morel Z.
Ouellette. L'Académie Notre-Dame de Drummond. 1949-1999, Merritt Press, (Grand Falls, N. B.)
2000. Thérèse Thériault. President of the Committee, Saint-Michel de Drummond: Cent and... Ça se
fête. 1990.
