The Absentee Blogger

As it turns out, I’m not a great blogger.  I realize I haven’t written in almost a year, but in my defence, I have been doing research. (Well except for last summer, but I tend to do less research when it’s warm and I can be outside gardening)

As I was researching my grandmother’s ancestors, I came upon an interesting discovery that if I can prove undoubtedly, links our family to some very interesting times in North American history.  I’ve been quite hush-hush about it because I haven’t validated everything yet, but I am close.  I am only writing about it now because I realize I have ignored my blog far too long and I’ve hit a brick wall in the research.  I really think I need to take a bit of a break from it so I can start with a fresh brain.

Essentially, if I can prove the parentage of one ancestor, born in the mid-1750’s to early 1760’s I can prove that I am a Mayflower descendant.  If that is proven, then I can trace our family tree back to one of the founding fathers of the U.S.A. (3^rd cousin 8x removed but still…).

After compiling the research and the evidence I had, I consulted an historian with the Society of Mayflower Descendants of Canada.  He reviewed what I had, indicated what I needed, and suggested that I should make an application.  I was also advised that records from the seventeen and eighteen hundreds may not exist and I may have to find alternate proof such as wills or church records that could demonstrate proof of parentage.  This is where I am now stuck.  I need proof of parentage for that key person linking to all those historical times and people.  It has been the main focus of my research which has been both interesting and frustrating at times.   

I’ve recently sent a revision of my application and data to that historian.  He has suggested some other places to look and is helping me find information.  I hope it hasn’t all been for nothing but that is the way with genealogy.  Sometimes you find out that the rabbit hole you fell into wasn’t the right one and you’ve got to start over on a line. 

Keep your fingers crossed that I get lucky and keep watching for updates! 

Our Dream Trip

First stop... London, England.

Dean and I have always talked of a dream trip to the United Kingdom. It calls to us like no other place outside of our home country Canada. I suppose it comes as no surprise that we both have deep roots there and perhaps some of that longing is in our DNA.

In researching my WOODMAN ancestors, I discovered long roots in the counties of Surrey and Middlesex near London, England. I’ve been researching historic maps and have learned that these two counties are adjacent, and both are in the greater London area.

Maps from 1836 for Surrey (top) and Middlesex (bottom)

The parish of Lambeth in the county of Surrey is found as the birth, marriage, death and census place for most of the Woodman family since my 4x great grandfather William Kennedy Woodman. His son Matthew married Charlotte Susan Ann Primett in 1849 at St. John’s Waterloo, Surrey.

Marriage record of Matthew Woodman and Charlotte Primett. Source: London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 Publisher Ancestry.com

Matthew was born in Middlesex County on June 11, 1830, to William Kennedy Woodman and his wife Mary Ann Ansell. William and Mary Ann were married in the Parish of St. Mary le Strand in the County of Middlesex in the Year 1816.

Marriage record of William Kennedy Woodman and Mary Ann Ansell. Source: London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 Publisher Ancestry.com

The branch, starting with my great-grandfather who was born in Lambeth, back to my 4th great grandparents:

My great-grandfather Albert came to Canada in 1908 but several of his siblings stayed in England. In recent years I have connected with a cousin, Robert, who lives there still.

Lambeth is an inner borough of London in the county of Surrey. It extends south from the River Thames. I have seen several of the current day districts throughout the Woodman research. Along with Lambeth, there is family history in Vauxhall, Brixton, and Clapham.

Because of Lambeth’s proximity to central London, the northern area became an important manufacturing centre in the 18th century. Glass and pottery works were established in the area. On Albert’s birth and baptism records his father, Matthew William Woodman’s occupation is given as Potter. On the 1871 England Census, at the age of 14, Matthew already has the occupation of “Potters Laborer”.

The parish church, St. Mary’s, where Matthew William was baptized, lies alongside Lambeth Palace which is the London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury. This is still a working parish and a family home so it isn’t open to the public but when we visit, we will do one of the guided tours on one of the open days.

Modern day Lambeth Palace.    Photo: The Archbishop of Canterbury web site.

Modern day St. Mary's 2013.    Photo: Find-a-Grave website.

There are lots of things to see and do while walking the streets where our ancestors lived. Lambeth is directly across the Thames from Parliament and the City of Westminster. It has several museums, theatres, and the London Aquarium is there. And despite my fear of heights, while in Lambeth, we will have to ride the London Eye to get a bird’s eye view of London!

 

Lambeth; Thames, River. Encyclopaedia Britannica Website. https://www.britannica.com/place/Lambeth

 

 

Photo of the London Eye. Encyclopaedia Britannica Website. https://www.britannica.com/place/London-Eye

 

 

 

 

 

Acadian, René LeBlanq

My husband Dean and I have family that came from, or still live, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Several years ago, we moved to New Brunswick and while there, I took the opportunity to use the local resources to 'branch out' and research the Leblanc (LeBlanq/LeBlanc) family history. I was able to trace back to the earliest settlers, who it has been said established one of the largest family lineages in all of Acadia, in both Canada and the United States.

In my ‘branching out’ post for #52ancestors I’ve decided to write about Dean’s 5-times great-grandfather, René LeBlanq, one of the most well-known of the LeBlanq ancestors.

René was born in 1682, in Port Royal, Nova Scotia. At the time, the area was a focal point for France and Britain’s rivalry for control of it. This ended in 1713 when England was granted control of mainland Nova Scotia and France retained Cape Breton Island. But hostilities didn’t end completely, and the position of Acadians in Nova Scotia became increasingly precarious.

René was married twice. His first wife was Elisabeth (Isabelle) Melanson. They married in 1709 and had several children before her death December 12, 1718.

The union of René and his second wife, Marguerite Thébeau (Thibault), is the branch that Dean descends from.

Marguerite and René were married on November 26, 1720, in Port Royal. The marriage was very fruitful and between 1721 and 1748 they had 17 children – 5 sons and 12 daughters. This is an amazing fact by itself, but what I found fascinating about it is that Marie had several multiple births. Of their 17 children they had a set of triplets and three sets of twins!

~   Triplets - Marie, Marguerite and Anne born on July 25, 1721. I believe Anne was stillborn.

~   They had another daughter on September 29, 1724, who they also named Anne.

~   In early 1726, they had twin daughters, Blanche and Marie.

~   A daughter, Madeleine, was born on November 19, 1727.

~   Twin sons René and Simon were born November 10, 1731.

~   Three more daughters Francoise, May 1, 1734; Ursule, December 17, 1735; and Josephe-Marie, May 20, 1738.

~   Twins in early 1740. A son, Pierre-Benjamin, and daughter, Esther.

~   Two sons followed: Paul-Marie on May 2, 1742, and Jean-Baptiste-Marie June 25, 1744.

~   Their youngest daughter, Marie-Jeanne, was born April 5, 1748.

 

To support his large family, René practiced law and was named a Royal Notary. It was in this capacity that he was immortalized in the epic poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is a story of loss and devotion set against the deportation of the Acadian people in 1755. The notary in the poem is our ancestor René Leblanq.

Which brings me back to the precarious state for Acadian’s of the time. During the great deportation in 1755, René, Marguerite, and their sons, Pierre-Benjaman and Jean-Baptiste were deported. As I prepared this blog, I realized that I have not yet discovered what happened to their youngest daughter, Marie-Jeanne, and son Pierre-Marie at that time.  Another item for my parking lot to branch out to discover their fates.

René took ill while banished and died in Philadelphia in 1758. He is buried in Philadelphia in a potter’s field that is now known as Washington Square. In the square there is an epitaph for those who are buried there.  Below is a transcription of the text in the first section:

“Until the 19^th Century, this was often a sorrowful place. Many people knew it as a potters field, a “publick burying place for all strangers,” for soldiers, sailors, convicts, and the “destitute whose remains are walked over.” A lonely Acadian refugee found eternal rest hear, along with epidemic victims, Catholics, and African Americans.”

Photo from Find-A-Grave

At the time of his death René had 21 children and almost 150 grandchildren. 

For more information on the Great Deportation follow the link below to watch a Heritage Minutes video on the Historics Canada website.

Heritage Minutes: Acadian Deportation

Welcome

 

Inspired by the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge, created by professional genealogist Amy Johnson Crow (amyjohnsoncrow.com) I have created this blog for sharing my thoughts and responses to the weekly prompts.

The idea of the challenge is to get us thinking about our family tree in new and creative ways. I have been researching on and off for over 20 years and I have so much information that it is overwhelming. I want to share it in interesting ways, not just as a series of charts, names, and dates. I am really hoping this challenge helps me to do just that.

I am not expecting that this blog will contain only one family line but will have stories, bios, pictures, and other things my brain comes up with on all the family lines I have researched. This includes my ancestors: Davis, Woodman, and Gordon and my husband’s ancestors: Campbell and Leblanc. I don’t want to recreate the family tree here but share the discoveries I’ve made along the way! My goal is to have a series of posts that can accompany the family tree data to create a memorable family keepsake for the next generation.

Welcome to those who want to follow along as I rediscover the stories within my family tree.