Franco-Americans, and French-speaking people in general, have made up such a large portion of Nashua’s population for so long that it’s almost impossible to imagine they were once wary, apprehensive immigrants.
As historians have documented well, so-called “mill girls” dominated Nashua’s first waves of Franco-American newcomers, arriving by the trainload from their families’ Canadian farms to “seek their fortune” in the city’s bustling mills.
The spark was lit. By the turn of the 20th century, you couldn’t turn a page in Nashua’s telephone directory without seeing several French names. And as a relieved, post-Depression America began returning to work, fully half of Nashua’s population was French.
I remember as a kid hearing French conversations almost everywhere I went – including most of my friends’ houses. The vast majority were bilingual, more out of necessity than convenience in an era when the philosophy “You’re in America, you speak English” didn’t carry the sharp edges and caustic tone it seems to have picked up in recent times.
With “oui” and “merci” spoken at least as often as “yes” and “thank you,” worrying at the time about French language and customs declining in Nashua was akin to worrying about a meteor taking out your house.![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧