Rivest (Rivet)
Étienne Rivest (Rivet), born in France in 1652, arrived in Acadia in 1676. He married Marie-Jeanne (Marie-Anne) Comeau that same year in Port-Royal. They moved to Pisiguit in the late 1680s, and settled on the west side of the river, which became Sainte-Famille parish. This family was probably the first Acadian family to farm in this area. Marie and Étienne had five children (three sons, two daughters). In 1691, Étienne remarried to Catherine, whose last name is unknown, but they had no children. Étienne remarried for a third time in 1694 to Cécile LeJeune, and they had three children (two daughters, one son). Two of the sons from the first wife unfortunately died young, and Jean-Baptiste, the son from the third wife, died shortly after getting married to Madeleine Palin in 1732. It is unknown if he had any children. However, the second son from the first wife, named Étienne like his father, ended up marrying Anne LePrince in 1708 and had eight children (three daughters, five sons).
Because of the large number of Rivests that were born and raised in this area in Pisiguit it became known as Village Rivest, near what is now known as Hantsport.
Like other Acadian families, the Rivests were expelled to the thirteen colonies during the 1755 expulsion. The first of the Rivests to be removed from Acadie were brothers Michel and Etienne Rivest. The brothers were shipped to the colony of Maryland and located in a town just outside of Annapolis. A number of Rivests were also sent to Virginia, which was an especially brutal trip with high rates of sickness and death as the boat was kept off shore for a longer duration of time than elsewhere.
Additionally, members of the Rivests families were returned to France and some to Britain. Like other Acadians who fled the British in Acadie, brothers Justin and Jean left Pisiguit for Ile Royale. However, after the British capture of Louisburg and the British occupation of Cape Breton, the brothers were sent to Normandy and repatriated as French citizens.
Because of the large number of Rivests that were born and raised in this area in Pisiguit it became known as Village Rivest, near what is now known as Hantsport.
Like other Acadian families, the Rivests were expelled to the thirteen colonies during the 1755 expulsion. The first of the Rivests to be removed from Acadie were brothers Michel and Etienne Rivest. The brothers were shipped to the colony of Maryland and located in a town just outside of Annapolis. A number of Rivests were also sent to Virginia, which was an especially brutal trip with high rates of sickness and death as the boat was kept off shore for a longer duration of time than elsewhere.
Additionally, members of the Rivests families were returned to France and some to Britain. Like other Acadians who fled the British in Acadie, brothers Justin and Jean left Pisiguit for Ile Royale. However, after the British capture of Louisburg and the British occupation of Cape Breton, the brothers were sent to Normandy and repatriated as French citizens.
Mapping of Acadian Villages courtesy of the West Hants Historical Society. Location of Acadian Villages has been defined from numerous historical map sources and resources. You can also visit the West Hants Historical Society for detailed interpretive panels that discuss: Acadian Settlements in Present Day West Hants; Acadian Travel Routes; Development of Acadian Landscapes; and, Acadian Commerce.
