Historic Fires of Fredericton

In 1733 Ste Anne's Village was made up of 82 people. in 1749 it had 20 families. And it is said that these people had been neglected so badly they had become near savages. The Marquis de la Garconniere Gov. of Canada writes to the minister in France that he has sent Lieutenant Boishebert with about 20 or so men to defend the inhabitants against Gorham. They reached St Anne's in 1749 and a militia was organized and Joseph Bellefontaine and his son Michel were put in command of the militia.

In 1759 however the city of St Anne was completely destroyed by fire. Here is a quote from "Parkers' New York Gazette or Weekly Post-Boy" of April 2nd 1759.. "Extract from a letter from Fort Frederick, St John's (via Boston): The fifth of March, Lieutenant Hazen of the Rangers came in from a scout of fifteen days with a party of Sixteen Rangers, up the river of St John's, he brought in with him six French scalps and six prisoners. Lieutenant Hazen reports that he had been up to St Anne's which is 140 miles up this river from Fort Frederick, where it was expected he would have found a strong garrison of the enemy but on his arrival he found the town evacuated which he set fire to, burnt a large Mass house with a bell of about 300 pounds, a large store-house, and many valuable buildings amounting in the whole to 147, together with a large quantity of hay, wheat, peas, oats, etc... killing 21 horses, about 56 herds of cattle and a large number of hogs etc. and that he took prisoners and scalps with eleven of his party on his return near Grimross and that the inhabitants of St Anne's are chiefly gone to Canada."