Saint John: Nothing Happened Here

Francoise Marie Jacquelin arrived in Acadia expecting a marriage and instead found herself at the center of a civil war. She was thrown in a dungeon, sailed the Atlantic several times to secure aid, and ultimately led the defence of Fort La Tour. It is no wonder she is known as the Lioness of Acadia. In this episode, we explore how a young woman from France became one of the most formidable figures in early history of what would become Canada, and why her story still resonates today.

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-francoise-marie-jacquelin-and-the-battle-of-fort-latour

Season 3! Coming on September 29, 2026.

At the end of the American Revolutionary War, tens of thousands of Loyalists were evacuated by the British from New York City. The flight ended in disaster for one vessel headed to the Saint John Harbour. Andrew MacLean from Backyard History joins us as a co-host for this episode as we look at one of the worst maritime disasters in an area that is known for maritime disasters. 

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-sinking-of-the-loyalist-ship-martha

In 1863, during the American Civil War, a group of Saint Johners were recruited by men professing to be representatives of the Confederate States of America to seize control of a civilian vessel in the United States. The men successfully hijacked the ship and brought it to British North American waters with the United States Navy in hot pursuit.

In this episode, we are joined by guest co-host, Troy Middleton, to discuss this incident and its fallout, which risked drawing the British Empire into the American Civil War.

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-pirates-of-the-chesapeake

Saint John is known for its love of hard beverages, so it is no wonder the city was quick to get behind bootlegging, rum-running and drinking during prohibition in New Brunswick (1917-1927) and supplying the Americans during their prohibition (1920-1933). 

In this episode, we are joined by guest co-host, Valerie Emerson, to discuss all the ways the city entered the illicit liquor trade and conducted business. As well, we discuss the evolution of the temperance movement and the social ills caused not only by alcohol abuse, but by prohibition itself. Ultimately, the “noble experiment” failed, but not before ushering in many societal and cultural changes: some good, some not so good.

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-bootlegging-rum-running-and-drinking-during-prohibition

In this episode, we are joined by guest co-host, Peter Gillies, to chat about the 1775 American Privateer Raid on Saint John Harbour. 

At the start of the American Revolution, privateers were used to disrupt British supply lines, especially to the besiege soldiers who were trying to hold Boston. Before Saint John was Saint John, there were two small settlements around the harbour: Portland Point and Conway. In August of 1775, a British ship named the Loyal Briton arrived at Portland Point and began loading supplies bound for Boston. The Americans caught wind of this and sent a 4-gun sloop with 40 armed men to capture the vessel.

Portland Point and Conway were virtually unprotected, making it easy for the Americans to seize the ship. While they were at, they also pillaged and burned down Fort Frederick and took 12 people prisoner. 

In response to the raid, the British sent warships to the Bay of Fundy, Annapolis Royal, and Halifax. They did not, however, commit any resources to defending Portland Point and Conway. These communities would remain sitting ducks, and the Americans would return.

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-raid-of-1775

Unfortunately, Season 1 of the podcast is coming to an abrupt end. Greg is unable to continue with the show. As we said in the last episode, there is a lot of work that goes behind the podcast. If you know Greg, he is very active in the Saint John community through music and volunteer organizations, as well as being a busy academic at the University of New Brunswick. He took some time to evaluate his workload and priorities, and came to the conclusion that the podcast was proving to be a bit too much. I am sure all our listeners will join me in thanking Greg for all his hard work on the show in the last year and wish him well in all his endeavours. We learned a lot from him, and he will be missed. 

I would like to thank you, our listeners, for your support of the podcast. Your message was received loud and clear that you would like a Second Season. I’ll do my best to bring back the show in September 2025. Stay tuned to our website or Facebook page for updates. 

As I’ve said before, I believe it is important to have a local history podcast. I, for one, require more proof that Saint John: Nothing Happened Here.

In this episode, Saint John - Nothing Happened Here goes back to the 80s. Also, it is revealed that a big decision must be made.

If you would like Saint John -Nothing Happened Here to come back for a second season, vote by giving the podcast a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify!

In this episode, we discuss the Fenian movement of the 1860s and its effects on Saint John during security scares in late 1865 and the spring of 1866, including its political impacts in the latter year and beyond. Founded on both sides of the Atlantic by former members of the Young Ireland movement of the late 1840s, the Irish Republican Brotherhood was dedicated to the liberation of Ireland from British rule and the establishment of an independent republic. A secret society whose membership and activities were far from secret in the United States, it was opposed by the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church because of its radical goals and acceptance of physical force as opposed to gradual reform. American Fenianism channeled bitter memories among immigrant communities of the Irish Famine of the late 1840s [see episode # 4, The Irish Famine Migration].  

One wing of the American movement, which attracted thousands of Irish Americans with Civil War combat experience, wanted to attack Canada to put pressure on Great Britain, but the O’Mahony wing believed in fomenting an uprising in Ireland. Fueled by press speculation as well as genuine intelligence from British officials on a possible raid, many citizens of Saint John in late 1865 feared a Fenian attack. In 1866, the provincial authorities prepared for an attack and/or uprising on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. In short order, hundreds of American Fenians began to gather on the Maine-New Brunswick border, seemingly intent on making some type of military incursion. The arrival of a schooner with a cargo of rifles and ammunition made the situation on the border - 75 miles from Saint John - potentially critical. As tensions mounted, the New Brunswick government sent volunteer militia infantry and artillery units to the border, joined by British troops from Halifax and five Royal Navy vessels.          

The episode discusses a mysterious “Fenian circular” that appeared on the streets of Saint John near the height of the 1866 crisis and explores whether it could have been an example of ‘black propaganda,’ designed to discredit not the Fenians, but the current Anti-Confederation government of New Brunswick. We also examine evidence- admittedly slim- that is suggestive of a Fenian cell in the city and any lingering support for physical force republicanism in later years. By the middle of the 1910s, this became the dominant approach towards securing the independence of Ireland. Finally, our trip back to the 1860s explains how the Fenians, despite their avowed opposition to the federal union of the colonies of British North America, can be considered Fathers of Confederation.

The song “Down by the Glenside/The Bold Fenian Men” written by Peadar Kearney was performed by Morgan Driscoll, backed up by John Lawrence on fiddle and Greg Marquis on guitar. It was recorded at O’Leary’s Pub in Saint John.     

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-fenian-threat-of-1865-1866

This episode, released close to International Women’s Day (March 8), recalls an important political reform cause in Saint John’s past that was part of a national and international movement: the fight for women’s voting rights. Starting in the late 1800s, the Saint John Women’s Enfranchisement Organization, which was a spinoff from a national organization, worked tirelessly for the provincial franchise for New Brunswick women as a citizenship right.

The Saint John suffragists, who had male allies, were the most active group in the Maritime provinces working on the issue. The stories of its key members, such as Emma Fiske, Mabel Peters and Ella Hatheway, deserve to be better known. Many were involved in other causes, such as public playgrounds for the urban poor, temperance and worker’s rights and became involved in reform activism because of strong religious convictions. They held meetings, wrote letters to newspapers, organized petitions, lobbied politicians and even drafted legislation. Although mainly middle class in background, their challenging of the status quo was met by inertia, ridicule, hostility and misogyny. 

Saint John’s suffragists hosted the prominent American abolitionist, social reformer and women’s rights champion Julia Ward Howe in the 1890s and in
1912, famous British suffragette Sylva Pankhurst, who was on a North American speaking tour. Although the Saint John Women’s Enfranchisement Organization avoided the militant tactics of their high profile British ‘sisters,’ they were inspired by their struggles and shared their goals.

The long and determined campaign of Saint John’s suffragists finally succeeded in 1919, when all women, regardless of their marital status or personal property holdings, were extended the right to vote in provincial elections. The exception were First Nations women who lived on reserves (who would have to wait more than 4 decades). 

This episode ends with an interview with the leading expert on the history of women’s voting rights in Atlantic Canada, Dr. Heidi MacDonald, Dean of Arts at the University of New Brunswick Saint John. Dr. MacDonald is the author of We Shall Persist: Women and the Vote in the Atlantic Provinces (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2023): https://www.ubcpress.ca/we-shall-persist

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-fight-for-women-s-voting-rights