The Wilderness Baron

About the Book

Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie, a landless second son, joined the French army and was sent to New France in the 1660's, eventually coming to the Maine coast to take possession of Fort Pentagoet from the English.  While there he developed a great rapport with the local Abenaki Indians and a love of the rugged area.  When notified of his brother's death and his accession to the title of Baron de St. Castain, he elected to stay at Pentagoet.

A Dutch force invaded the Fort and destroyed it.  The Baron was rescued by his Abenaki friends and he stayed with them. Dutch occupation was short.  Frontenac, Governor of New France, commissioned the Baron to return to Pentagoet and lead the Abanaki in repulsing the their real enemy, the English.  He built a truck house and a home near the ruined fort and the Abenaki village and he became a successful fur trader.  Eventually he married the chief's daughter and on the death of his father-in-law he became the Abenaki chief.

For nearly thirty years he lived a stressful life.  Though Versailles never gave him any official title and the English called him "the usurper" and did all they could to displace him, he kept the area French.  He abetted the Abenaki in their raids on encroaching English settlements, even taking part ocasionally.  At the same time he traded with English merchants in Boston because the French sent no ships to Pentagoet, yet they chastised him for his English trading. People in the more settled areas of New France criticized him for his "debauchery with les sauvages".

The conflicting claims, the controversial trading arrangements, the fragile race relations brought constant challenges to the Baron de St. Castain because of the life he had chosen, but he met them with ingenuity and courage.

FRENCH FEUD

The true story of two Frenchmen who struggled for control of Acadia (present day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the upper coast of Maine) in the mid 1600's.  It was an armed conflict and one of the antagonists, Charles d'Aunay, built the fort at Pentagoet where the Baron de St. Castain served in later years.

About the Author

Dorothy Black, a retired advertising copywriter, spends summers in mid-coastal Maine. As a confessed "history buff", she was curious about the background of the French baron for whom the village of Castine is named. Research turned up so many conflicting stories and assessments of his career that an authentic, definitive biography was impossible; yet he apparently had a strong influence on the area. She felt he needed to be better known and a novel, based on his life, seemed to be the answer. Mrs. Black has written other articles and fictionalized stories about the 19th century maritime history of this area, which have appeared in national and local publications. She lives on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.