Contexts

To solve a mystery, not only must you have in hand documents that will serve as clues and evidence, you must also understand the circumstances in which the events took place. In this section of the site, you will find biographical sketches of the people who rubbed shoulders with Jerome during the various stages of his life. Since the last five decades of the mystery man’s life were spent in Acadian Nova Scotia, we have also included a glossary and lexicon to make it easier for you to understand the oral accounts scattered throughout the site. In addition, an extensive bibliography on various aspects of the history of Acadians, Nova Scotia and Jerome in particular is available for those who wish to pursue their research “Beyond This Site.”

Finally, in this section you will find a number of texts prepared by the creators of the site and designed to introduce you to the historical context in which Jerome lived. The “Historical Contexts” subsection contains information on Acadian society in Nova Scotia and the presence of the Catholic Church in Acadian communities. You will also find information on the economy of the Maritime provinces in the second half of the 19th Century, the sometimes difficult relations between local communities and outsiders during that period, the treatment of the poor and mentally ill throughout the 19th Century, and finally, the inevitable presence of legends of the sea in the Acadian folklore of Nova Scotia.