Quebec Genealogical Research Tour

The New England Historic Genealogical Society www.NewEnglandAncestors.org

In celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec NEHG is offering a research tour that will allow participants to take advantage of two premier Canadian genealogy repositories at the Societe Canadienne-Francaise (SGCF) and the Bibliotheque et Archives national du Quebec (BAnQ). The tour will incorporate field trips to 18th century sites and the assistance of NEHGS staff in discovering les traces des ancetres.

The program will run from June 15 to June 22. You will be responsible for your own travel but NEHG has arranged lodging and tour facilities. Tour costs include accomodations, three group meals, admission costs to official sites, and coach bus transport to the Village Quebecois d'Antan. Single registration is $1,550....commuter registration with $775.

Sounds like an interesting an fun time. You can also check in with the Anniversary celebrations in QC. Take a look at: http://monquebec2008.sympatico.msn.ca/MonQuebec2008/?module=home&id=1

Maine travel resources

The Travel resources at http://www.visitmaine.com/ In addition we will posting some itineraries for Ancestral travelers here with links to the Maine pages of interest.

Pages in French with a couple of very useful brochures are found on the Maine pages in French
at: http://www.visitmaine.com/brochure/french.php

If you want to use your French take a look at: http://www.office-tourisme-usa.com/tourisme-maine2.php?PHPSESSID=a3cf1c

It will be intresting during this year of the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec City to follow the trails that migrants from Quebec took in their move to New England. We will have more on that in coming posts.

Storytelling and Migration history

A wonderful discussion of the art of storytelling and the survival of Franco culture in New England can be found through Google Books at: http://books.google.com/books?id=cjFZLXskuiMC&printsec=titlepage&dq=%22franco+american+migration%22&source=gbs_toc_s&cad=1#PPP1,M1

If your family had a story about Franco ancestry it would be great if you would post it here.

Family moves and small industry in New England

Every time I sit down and do some investigation into Family a new and surprising finding pulls me even further into family movement and economics.

How people managed to meet over long distances when travel was so time consuming and difficult has become a new facination for me. Tracing the movement of Franco families throughout Maine and New England and learning of the support groups that naturally formed in those Franco communities has been an incredible journey.

It was interesting this week to find that the brother of my great grandmother was a manufacturer of agricultural tools, patented a grass saw and was part of the founding of three companies in Maine that developed cutting equipment.

I list a history of tool manufacturing source in the posting below. This museum has done a great job tracing the roots of tools, manufacturing companies and individuals involved. Check it out.

Family moves

http://www.davistownmuseum.org/TDMtoolMakers.html

French History in Maine

Doing some surprising and interesting research on the French settlement of Maine from Champlain's early mapping in 1607 to the end of the French occupation of Pentagoet (Castine) in the 1700's.

If you haven't visited Castine (Pentagoet) it is a beautiful little town on the Maine coast. Now home of the Maine Maritime Academy the town has a strong sense of its history and well marked sites for avid historians of early American history.

Lots of stuff on the web with a very good article in Wikipedia that should be a starting point for history buffs as well as tourist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castine,_Maine

While we may not be able to trace our ancestors in Castine it is interesting to see the spot where the French first settled

Only for the serious. Check out this opportunity to trace your ancestry through your DNA. This is a big deal in Europe and you cand find out online at:

http://www.dnaancestryproject.com/

or

http://dna.ancestry.com/welcome.aspx

The ancestry.com page will give you a look at a sample report. This could be fun if you are at a deadend with you tracing or just want to see what this is all about.

I think I will try and link myself to that beack on Ile de Re.