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French explorers discovered the Canadian mainland in the sixteenth century. The subsequent settlement established French speaking communities in Canada, particularly in the eastern province of Québec. When economic conditions deteriorated in the nineteenth century, French Canadians immigrated to newly established New England mill towns, many around Boston. U.S. businessmen expanded their textile mills in the region to take advantage of the increasing influx of French Canadians. Typical of these French Canadian immigrants was Philippe Lemay whose family settled in Manchester, New Hampshire. By the late 1830s almost half of the population of Manchester was French-Canadian and was the largest single nationality group in the area.

Lemay's commentary, as relayed in a lengthy 1930s interview, reflected the experiences of many French Canadians whose lives centered around extended families and French-speaking communities bound...