A History of the French in New Bedford from Spinner Publications

Spinner Publications this month has released its latest book of New Bedford history. It's titled The French in New Bedford: The Early Years, written by Alfred Saulniers.

According to Spinner, the book follows the French community's arrival, growth and eventual decline in the city brought on by new immigration restrictions, the Textile Strike of 1928, and the Great Depression.

Saulniers stopped by Townsquare Sunday to discuss his book and the contributions made by the early French settlers in New Bedford.

"This book is important because there are key things about the French community that were unknown," Saulniers said. "People like me, growing up, could not feel the pride of place."

"Let's take whaling for instance," he said. "Back when I was in high school, I had visited the Whaling Museum and asked where was the information about the French-Canadians? I was told they never went whaling."

However, the book reveals there was a large influx of French immigrants who arrived in New Bedford in the late 1700s and worked in the whaling industry throughout the 19th century.

Perhaps no one was more famous than Arthur Basil Cotnoir, a French-Canadian whaleman whose exploits gained him national recognition.

"Cotnoir went whaling once in 1906 and had an incredible adventure aboard ship. He was known as the Whale Cowboy," Saulniers said.

National radio programs billed him as "the man who single-handed fought the most-notorious man-eating whale in the Atlantic."

The French in New Bedford unveils the daily lives, cultural practices and family histories of the French immigrants, and the impact they had on the city of New Bedford.  Saulniers said French immigrants also served their new country in the military, fighting in every major American conflict during that time.

Saulniers describes himself as a professional economist. He was born and raised as a French speaker in Acushnet. He earned a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, then taught at several major universities, including Harvard. He has taught and served as a consultant in nations like Kenya, Peru and Morocco.

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