References for many, but not all, of the following comments are based on the book entitled: “St-Jean Baptiste Parish and the Franco-Americans of Lowell, Massachusetts, 1868 – 1968″ by Fr. Richard Santerre
The many. many thousands of canadiens- français (later called Franco-Americans) that departed Quebec province, mostly after the American Civil War, did so because of the desperate living conditions that persisted for them due mostly to their traditional way of life, which dated back to France under the kings , i.e., before the French Revolution (1789 – 1793).
Daily life in farm communities was marked by unpaved country roads – mud made going to market a challenge – and barely adequate log cabins and barns needed for human and cattle shelter. A wood burning stove placed in the center of the cabin provided all the thermal energy needed for preparing meals and for surviving another frosty winter of glacial dimensions. Some of these homes were own by their inhabitants, but many were rented from absent landlords.
Work in Progress – WIP
consisting of log frame houses, was especially harsh for any couple trying to raise a bountiful, French Canadian, Catholic family of 8 to 12 children by attempting to eek out a living through sustenance farming – the rocky soil around Montreal, Quebec City and Trois Rivieres would discourage many an agricultural enthusiast –
province lumber-jacking for owners of private lands mostly in the west – Ontario and further west –
p254 – The times were perilous. There were Communists and even Socialists, everywhere
p254 – In 1937 in Lowell, many workers without employment
A fascist government in Italy was causing grave concern.
Early March of 1936, Merrimack River overflowed its banks with worst flooding in Lowell devastating two-thirds of the city.
Property losses of 7 million dollars and 133 persons drowned
Even Little Canada had flooded cellars.
Two years later, the Hurricane of 1938 caused havoc that the city of Lowell had to be placed under martial law.
Grotto at the orphanage nourished the piety of the parish members.
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St-Joseph Hospital (p 216) – chapter heading
Good economic times:
a) During World War I and a couple of years later, the textile industry in Lowell enjoyed a boom.
b) In 1919, the Hamilton Manufacturing Company had one of the largest weaving rooms in the world.
c) The peak of post-war prosperity was reached in 1921 when the number of spindles in the Lowell mills amounted to 1.2 million, while there were
26,000 cotton looms in operation.
Mill closings:
a) In 1926, the Hamilton Company closed its doors
b) In 1927, the Massachusetts Cotton Mills, and the Tremont and Suffolk Mills also closed their doors
c) In 1927, the Appleton Mills moved to South Carolina
d) In 1928, the bay State Cotton Mills disappeared
e) In total, 10,700 people lost their jobs.
f) From 1920 to 1930, the population of Lowell declined from 112, 759 to 100,234
g) In 1940, only three textile mills remained of the eleven founded at the start of the nineteenth century.
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St-Joseph Boys High School (p 220)
a) Hard economic times meant that the St-Joseph’s High School for Boys had to close in the fall of 1939. Students in the school, who were ready for their fourth year of instruction, were, then, placed in the Lowell Public High School for further education.
b) On December 18, 1939, the then Lowell High School Principal, Mr.Harris, sent a very congratulatory letter to the brothers, who formerly ran the boy’s school on Merrimack St., regarding the excellent conduct and scholarship evidenced in the grades of these students during their first semester at Lowell High.
(P 221) – When former St-Joseph High School boys received their diplomas at Lowell High School in June of 1930, six of them were declared “star scholars”. Among the young men in this outstanding group were: Omer Descheneaux, Henri Fournier, Armand Laroche, Gerald Leblanc, Georges Parent, and Louis Sicard.
These family names all ring enthusiastically with the French-Canadian and, now, Franco-American contribution to Lowell’s more progressive and integrative working practices. There was noticeable pride in the voices of the boys’ parents and relatives for such a visible accomplishment. This public, graduation ceremony could be seen as proof positive that some Canucks, a derogatory name sometimes given to our ethnic group, could possibly reach the social, respected status of a locally successful, English-speaking person.
During the stressful days of the early Depression, there still existed in the hearts and minds of many Franco-Americans – my parents and relatives often felt this way, I believe – a sense or a belief of “not being quite okay”, i.e., a sense of not ever being “good enough” when dealing with the world of commercial industry and textile manufacturing, especially, the grinding, clanging and eternal cacophony of spinning bobbins, weaving looms, combs and conveyors, which produced various fabrics in a working environment set to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and 90% humidity.
Working eight to ten hours a day, five days a week, under these conditions – when there was no serious unemployment – tested the mettle of many an employee, man or woman. Laborers, AKA mill rats, of different ethnic persuasions sold their labor to one of several, textile, corporate giants in the region. Persons of Greek, Irish, Polish, Franco-American, Belgian, Portuguese and Lithuanian – I am sure to have overlooked some others – all participated in the production of cloth, which was hauled off in large rolls late at night in trucks heading for the ports of Boston harbor for shipment to the next stagging area in the world of fabric.
Being a high school graduate in the early days of the 1930s was considered by many people – my own family members included – not a usual academic achievement for a young man or woman entering the job market.
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The Parish Hall (p 221)
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St-Joseph Hospital (p 225)
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