The History of New France and Franco-American New England: A Community Class with Camden Martin

The Franco-American Collection at the University of Southern Maine is proud to announce a free community class taught by local educator Camden Martin. The class will be offered in-person ONLY at USM Lewiston every Thursday night, 5:30-6:30 pm from January 23-February 27, 2025. The class will discuss the history of New France, Franco-American New England, and Franco-American Lewiston-Auburn. There is no fee for our programs, which are made possible by the Québec Delegation in Boston and by TV5MONDE.

This course will provide a broad overview of European colonization of the Saint Lawrence River valley during the French regime. It will then explore the British conquest of New France to better understand 19th-century French Canadian society. The course will also delve into the economic and social factors behind the mass exodus of French Canadians to New England. Finally, it will examine how French Canadians adapted to life as Franco-Americans while preserving their language, faith, and customs in Lewiston-Auburn and across New England for nearly a century.

Camden Martin was born in Lewiston, grew up in Auburn and attended Edward Little High School until his sophomore year when he left to attend the Lycée Albert Camus in Nîmes, France. After graduating from both Edward Little and Lycée Albert Camus. Martin took a year’s sabbatical during which time he worked in French Language customer service and studied Environmental Protection at the Cégep Saint Félicien in Québec, Canada. Upon returning to Maine, he worked at Museum L-A, now known as Maine MILL, before becoming the French teacher/ Director of Enrollment at Saint Dominic Academy where he continues to spread his love of the French language and culture and to inspire future generations. Martin has been involved in promoting the French language across Maine for numerous years. He is a board member of the Franco-American Collection at USM, the Alliance Française du Maine and the Maine Franco-American Genealogical Society.

To register for this class, follow this link: https://forms.gle/xLDb3brLQczZ1AS57

For more information, contact the FAC archivist, Anna Faherty at anna.faherty@maine.edu or by phone (207) 753-6545. If you have questions about disability access or need to request disability accommodations (e.g. sign language interpreters, materials in electronic format, etc.), please contact Anna. Requests should be made as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for the accommodation process.