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The first of the five waterways of the Miramichi Bay is the Tabusintac
River on which the village of Tabusintac is situated. Off the shore of Tabusintac, towards the gulf, there is a line of sandy
beaches or islands separated by the occasional gully. Between these beaches and the mainland there is a lagoon. Near the middle
of the lagoon exists the broad mouth of the Tabusintac River. Travelling up the river you can see the many coves and creeks
along it's banks. The head of the tidewaters is almost fifteen miles from the sea. Dr. W. F. Ganong describes
this area above the tidewaters as being "a clear and swift but smooth river of great charm, winding in a deep valley
cut in places over one hundred feet below a plateau country". The river abounds in sea trout and salmon, and the forest
in lumber. Tabusintac's most important natural resources are fishing, farming, lumbering and peatmoss. The
first inhabitants of this area were the Micmac from whom the name of Tabusintac originated. "Tabusintac" is derived
from the Micmac word "Taboosinkek" which means "place where two are". Rounding Wishart's Point one
can see the significance of this name where you can see French Cove and the main river opening up like two large and equal
sized rivers. Along this river, the Micmac had three main villages - on Cains, Wishart's and Indian Point.
Evidence of their inhabitation in these areas has been found in their burial grounds. Eventually, these tribes moved on to
better grounds. In the 1790's the French and English arrived and settled simultaneously in this area. The first
French settler was Jacques Breau. The first English settlers were Duncan Robertson, John MacLeod, William Tobin who were led
by Philip Hierlihy and his wife Charlotte who was, perhaps, one of the most remarkable women of this area. She became the
ancestress of many of Tabusintac's principle families. Their home on Wishart's Point is the oldest English settlement
on the Tabusintac, a famous New Brunswick fishing river. A more complete history of the Tabusintac area can be found at the Tabusintac
Library. .. here is a great web site to visit - "Tabusintac Genealogy" - information on families from the Tabusintac and Miramichi valley area. |
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