Ironically, when the wife and daughter went to the spring to draw water, the wife's sweet, melodious voice could be heard echoing through the nearby woods as she sang to her offspring, who sometimes accompanied her in song. One day, the book states, shots were heard near the cabin. The wife and daughter were never seen again, and the husband moved away mysteriously and suddenly. Although the wife and child were never found, their voices could be heard singing on occasion near the spring, where the embedded footprint of the child was clearly evident in a large stone. In addition to the early tales, the book also relates the history of the French-Canadian immigration, in general, and that same immigration, in particular, as it affected Woonsocket with a compilation of details about the city's early landmarks and families.
People can fill in their own connections from there on.
At first, noted Bartholomy, they even considered making two books of the one because there was so much information, but on second thought decided one book would be both more economical and appropriate. The third section of the book, she said, addresses the role of the French-Canadian populations and their influence on Woonsocket. At one time, she said, the area had the highest French-Canadian population in the United States. In 1846, she said, the city's population was listed as 4,856, with only 332 residents of French-Canadian origin. By 1920, the population topped the 30,000 mark, and the major portion was now French-Canadian.