The trial and tribulations of researching life – and death – in 1734 by donalee Moulton

 

                                                                   Order Conflagration! here.

 

My second mystery novel, Conflagration!, is my first historical mystery. BWL has

a series of historical mysteries than span Canada from coast to coast. I was offered the 

opportunity to write the book and step back to 1734 when the colony of New 

France was ruled by King Louis XV. It was an opportunity I embraced. With trepidation.

 

At readings and book clubs, I joke that the I am not from Quebec, I do not speak French

as more than 80% of Quebecers do, and I do not write historical mysteries. So, of

course, I said “yes” when I was offered me the opportunity to write

Conflagration!. I am grateful I did.

 

What scared me most about the writing the book was getting something wrong.

Misspeaking. Misunderstanding. Misconstruing. The foundation for Conflagration! (and

for all historical mysteries) is accuracy. As a freelance journalist, I am used to writing on

topics that I knew little (and somethings nothing) about. I have written articles on

everything from buying cyber insurance to surviving a helicopter crash to paying the

tooth fairy. I know how to research, how to interview people, how to find people to

interview, and how to find accurate sources of information. For the most part though, the

research I’ve done was contemporary or contemporary adjacent. It wasn’t from 300

years ago.

 

Conflagration! chronicles the arrest, trial, and subsequent execution of Marie-Joseph

Angélique, an enslaved Black woman accused of setting the lower town of Montreal on

fire. When the flames were finally squelched, forty-six homes and buildings were gone.

The quarter, where the merchants lived and ran their businesses, was destroyed.

Fortunately, no one died.

 

I had never heard of Angélique, had never read her story in the many history classes I

took throughout school and university. I was not alone in this lack of knowledge. That is

because Angélique’s story is also the story of slavery in Canada, and for centuries we

have avoided the topic or rewritten the facts to shape the narrative. Fortunately,

Angélique’s story is more well known in Quebec, where a plaque has been erected in

her memory in Old Montreal.

 

As I delved into the events of April 10, 1734, I discovered others had gone before me.

There were books, websites, articles, documentaries, shorts. I embraced them all.

Some of these sources also referenced court documents, meticulously recorded, albeit

in French. One site translated those documents although translations from old French to

modern English are not always clear and understandable. The golden rule in journalism

is you must have at least two sources before you use any information. I also embraced

this rule.

 

As nerve-wracking as ensuring my story accurately referenced the trial transcripts and

sequence of events from the first flames to Angélique’s final breath, I discovered that

the justice system was only one element of research required. At one point, I had my

main character Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk assigned specifically to document

Angélique’s case, get up early and make himself a cup of coffee. Then I asked myself,

“Did they drink coffee in New France in 1734?” (They did, but tea was more common.)

 

This issue of everyday life came up in a myriad of ways. Philippe goes to put on boots.

(Did they wear boots three hundred years ago? What kind?) His wife, Madeleine, is

making supper. (How do you make supper when there are no stoves, no ovens, no

electricity? What do you eat?)

 

The answers to these and a multitude of other questions were answered thanks to

reliable sources on the internet, books written by authoritative sources, individuals

knowledgeable about aspects of the story, the time, the history – and more.

 

I owe them all a debt of gratitude.