DON'T FORGET ! Our ancestors spoke Jersey French! And not so far back! In my dealings with descendants of Jersey in Québec and elsewhere in the world, I was struck by the fact that most of them do not know that the first Jerseymen established in Québec, on the Gaspé Coast, not only brought with them much of their culture but spoke Jersey French, just as they did in Jersey. In conversation with a Quebecer to whom I was trying to explain the importance of the Jersey presence in Gaspésie, I got the following exclamation : they were English! I was shocked! I couldn't believe such was the perception Quebecers had of a people that, for 400 years, dominated life and commerce in the Gaspé Peninsula. Then I realised that this false impression was shared by most descendants of Jersey families in Quebec, who were stunned to learn that their ancestors were not really English speaking. I had to correct this and decided to write this text. The inhabitants of Jersey were descendants of the Norman French and had never renounced their culture or mother tongue, Jersey French, a language derived from an early form of French spoken in Normandy. But the Jersey Isle official language was French. All writen communications and legal documents were in French. In 1840, French was still the official language taught in all Jersey schools. That would change in 1912 by the introduction into Jersey of compulsory education. "Speaking Jersey Norman French was forbidden both in the classroom and the playground and children became, in effect, tiny confused foreigners in their own land". Ref.: JERSEY Not quite British. David Le Feuvre. Seaflowers books. I have no doubt that my grandfather, Wallace LeSauteur, born in Jersey, in 1869, was of jersey descent and was raised under the same regime. In 1883, when he came to the Gaspé Coast like many of his countrymen, he spoke Jersey French. In 1901, he resides in Saint-François-Xavier-de-Batiscan, near Trois-Rivières, and, although he surely uses English in his professionnal dealings, he declares, on the Canadian Census form, that his mother tongue is French, and he writes «teneur de livres» as his occupation, the french equivalent of book keeper. In Jersey, French was still an official language, until 1960. Established in Gaspésie, a french territory, Jerseymen had no trouble building a strong Jersey community and for hundreds of years, kept their spoken language, Jersey French, alive. The Gaspé Peninsula seems, in fact, to be the only place outside the Jersey Isle, where Jersey French persisted. When George Le Feuvre made is last pilgrimage in Gaspésie, in 1964, to trace the whereabouts of Jersey families, he would very often be able still to talk in Jersey French with Jersey born Quebec citizens. Jersey French, the language of our ancestors, was still used in the Gaspé Peninsula, in 1964! Tony Le Sauteur

Jersey French in Québec Map of the Gaspé peninsula where Jersey French  was the dominant  language in 1840 From Rivière-au Renard, north of Gaspé, to Paspébiac

In 1840, there were so many Jerseymen on the Gaspé coast that their language, Jersey French (Jèrriais), was the dominant language from Rivière-au-Renard, near Gaspé, down to Paspébiac, in Chaleur Bay. In the «Revue d'Histoire et de traditions populaires de la Gaspésie /La présence Jersiaise en Gaspésie», P. John P. Le Garignon, S.M., states that Jerseymen could deal with two cultures, english and french, while proudly keeping their language and their normand identity. He describes them as trilingual. In the same document, John Le Gros, Jersey born, explains that the social control established by the Robin on the whole Gaspé Coast was made possible by the use of Jersey French. Another Jerseyman, Mr. Le Gresley, is reported stating, in an interview, that employees of the Robin and Le Grand Stores used Jersey French between them, so that clients, whether English or French, would not be privy to their exchanges. Mr Le Gresley is convinced that if the Jersey Companies had stayed in business, Jersey French would have survived.