The Acadians 
     
     of Prince Edward Island: 
     
     a Bit of History 
     
    
   
   
    
     Although the Evangeline Region was settled by Acadians 
     
     in 1812, their presence on the Island dates back much earlier. 
     
     It was in 1720 that the first Acadian families moved from 
     
     mainland Nova Scotia to the Island, which at that time be- 
     
     longed to France and was called Isle Saint-Jean. These Acadians 
     
     joined two or three hundred other settlers who had come 
     
     directly from France earlier the same year. Numerous settle- 
     
     ments were established, including Port-Lajoie, Havre-Saint- 
     
     Pierre, Tracadie, Malpeque, and Pointe-Prime. 
     
    
   
   
    
     These early Acadian settlers came from Acadie, in other 
     
     words, from mainland Nova Scotia. The Acadians were of 
     
     French origin and had been living for several generations 
     
     in the flourishing villages of Port-Royal, Grand-Pré, Pisiquid 
     
     (Windsor), Cobequid (Truro), and Beaubassin (near present- 
     
     day Amherst). 
     
    
   
   
    
     By moving to Isle Saint-Jean, the Acadians left their home- 
     
     land, which had been under British domination since 1713. 
     
     Despite the political situation in Nova Scotia, the majority 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Isle Saint-Jean. 
     
     The Mi’kmaq called 
     
     the island Abegweit 
     
     (“Cradled by the Waves”). 
     
     We do not know who 
     
     named the island after 
     
     Saint John nor when. We 
     
     do know that his name 
     
     was used by Basques and 
     
     Bretons who fished off 
     
     the island long before it 
     
     appeared on Guillaume 
     
     Levasseur’s 1601 map 
     
     of the North Atlantic. 
     
     The island was renamed 
     
     Prince Edward Island in 
     
     1799 in honour of one 
     
     of King George IIl’s sons. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Beaubassin 
     
    
   
   
    
     ° Cobequid 
     
    
   
   
    
     Acadie 
     
    
   
   
    
     on | Grand-Pré . 
     
     Pisiquid 
     
    
   
   
    
     dD Cr Port-Royal