x
Breaking News
More () »

Tante Blanche, Maine's first health care hero

Historian Fran Gendreau says the heroism story of Tante Blanche reflects the Acadian community of today: close-knit and generous in times of need

Marguerite Blanche Thibodeau, better known as Tante Blanche, was a French-Acadian woman who settled near what is now Madawaska during the 1790s, long before Maine was a state.

She was known for helping to heal the sick.

"In 1797 there was what they call a famine up here," said Guy Dubay, a historian at the Madawaska Historical Society.

At the time, the families who lived in Madawaska endured a rough frost and two straight years of flooding, which destroyed all the crops.

Historians say the men were caught in a snowstorm when they went hunting, and couldn't come back until it ceased.

"As the men went into the woods to look for venison to provide for the families to make up for the crop failure, she went from house to house," Dubay said of Tante Blanche.

As her neighbors began to starve, Tante Blanche put her snowshoes on and went door-to-door helping families.

She saved many people from death and was seen by many as a guardian angel. 

"She would trudge through the snow, and visited the families with baskets of food, clothing, good messages of hope," said Frances Gendreau, a historian at the Madawaska Historical Society. 

Tante Blanche walked miles over many days helping save the lives of other French-Acadians who were hungry and sick.

"She helped so many people actually survive," said Gendreau.

"So she became what we call the folk hero," said Dubay.

To many, she became an 'Angel of Mercy,' bringing luck and hope.

The story of Tante Blanche reflects today's Acadian close-knit Acadian community, so generous in times of need -- as in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We saw it during the pandemic, how people just came out of nowhere offering help, but this is who we are," said Gendreau. "People just help each other. It's just the way of life."

A life honored in this museum, with lessons about true heroism in times of need.

The Madawaska Historical Society is open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

RELATED: 'The language connects us to our identity.' | Franco-Americans strive to keep the French language alive in Maine

RELATED: Manie Musicale: Maine French song competition for students goes worldwide

RELATED: Task force examines Maine's Franco-American population

Before You Leave, Check This Out