Isle of Hunger, Isle of Tears

by Mary Anne Ducharme  (April 2013)

The 1871 Hemmingford census reveals that 1,227 residents were born in Ireland.

The potato was the staple of diet among poor families in Ireland, and the failure of this crop over several seasons from 1844 to 1849 meant starvation. The resulting disaster could easily have been avoided by governments who chose to turn a blind eye and blame the peasants for their misfortune. In truth, enough food was produced in Ireland to feed all of its population, but instead it was exported to England under armed guard. Meanwhile, landlords evicted  half a million tenants from their homes for failure to pay rent,  and families roamed the highways without shelter or food, many dying  in ditches with green froth around their mouths from eating grass. There were no dogs or cats or other domestic animals left which were not eaten.

Some landlords rid themselves of penniless tenants by offering to pay for ship passage to North America.  This passage was a glimmer of hope for a better life for many, because there was nothing to go back home to, and no future. But even this hope was crushed by captains who failed to provide adequate food, water, and other supplies. The “coffin ships” each carried   up to 400 people in holds designed for bulk goods and not refitted properly for human cargo. The voyage from Liverpool, the main port of departure, to arrival at North American ports took 45 to 60 days. During this time, lack of sanitation facilities, light, fresh air and medical assistance spawned epidemic diseases.  In 1847 alone more than 5,000 Irish emigrants died at sea, with many newly orphaned children watching  the shrouded bodies of their parents being dumped overboard.

The tragedy did not end with the sea voyage. Grosse Ile was used as a quarantine station and in the official records 1847 was the worst year for mortality with 5,424 people dead with typhus or diphtheria.  Another reception area was Windmill Point in Montreal, where it is estimated that 6,000 died in fever sheds. Authorities in Montreal feared the epidemic would spread throughout the city because thousands were discharged from quarantine, weak and helpless, some crawling because they could not walk, others huddled in the doors of churches or the streets, and many  dying on wharves.

Those who survived all that and settled in Hemmingford contributed greatly to our local history. Find out more by visiting the Archives which is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at the Elementary School.