Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos et Centre de recherche

Désiré d’Eon was born on October 2, 1905. His mother was Lucie Robichaud of Meteghan and his father was Charles, son of Augustin, son of Mathurin, son of Augustin, son of Abel, son of Jean Baptiste Duon (d’Eon) who settled in Port Royal in 1710.

Désiré grew up in West Pubnico. He attended Collège Sainte-Anne in Church Point, completing his bachelor’s degree in 1929. He then continued his studies at the Normal School in Truro, where he studied to become a teacher. During his year in Truro, he was the director in charge of publishing the college yearbook. At the end of his studies he returned to Pubnico to teach at Collège Sainte-Anne. After three years of teaching, he resumed his studies at a university in Washington, where he completed a master’s in journalism. Upon his return to Pubnico, the young but tenacious Désiré launched his newspaper, Le Petit Courrier, in 1937.

Désiré played a significant role in the lives of Acadians in southwest Nova Scotia. Le Petit Courrier, his weekly newspaper, was written in French that was easy to understand and was probably the only source of reading in French for many of the Acadians in this region. What’s more, Désiré wrote most of the stories found on this website. In 1941 and in 1952–53, Désiré d’Eon often needed to take sick leave in a sanitarium because he suffered from tuberculosis. In 1977, after his retirement, Désiré married Jane-Rose d’Eon-Twomey and moved to the "Ville de l’Ouest" (Argyle Sound Road). Désiré passed away at home on Sunday, November 3, 1996.

Date: 1937

Reference:  Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos 2003.42-P83

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