After the deportation the Acadians sought to rebuild a new homeland. On arrival in Prince Edward Island, they suffered much hardship due to the land tenure system. They were forced to resettle several times.

Tignish was founded in 1799 when 8 Acadian families left Malpeque to look for a better home, where they could worship in their own way and live a quiet life free from violence.

The families were Bernard, Richard, DesRoches, Arsenault, and Poirier, later joined by Doucets and Gaudets.

The Reverent Sylvain Poirier
On this site stood the house and birthplace of the Reverend Sylvain-Ephrem-Poirier (Perry), the first Acadian Priest of Prince Edward Island and the first native Islander to be ordained on Prince Edward Island.

Father Poirier was born in 1802 and was the son of Pierre Poirier and Marie Chaisson, two of the founders of Tignish in 1799.

The original house has long since disappeared. In 1990, a study of the site and an excavation of the cellar of the original house was done