A Violette History

François Violet/Violette was the progenitor of a line of the Violette family in North America coming from what is now northern Maine and northwestern New Brunswick. Born in 1744 in Saintes, France, François Violet moved with his parents in 1749 to Île Royale (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia) so his father could help the French rebuild Fortress Louisbourg. His mother died in 1751 and by 1759 he had come under a surrogate guardianship due to financial difficulties of his father. When his parents were sent back to France after the British took over Louisbourg again, François stayed behind. This is the history of Francois Violet (1744-1824) and how he and his family pioneered first on the Hammond River in lower New Brunswick then came to the Upper St John River Valley and pioneered again as the first settlers of what became Van Buren, Maine, and St Leonard, New Brunswick.