Michelle's

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Joseph and Agnes (Lebeau) Gregoire family circa 1911

Back row: Victor?, Robert, Herman, George, Harry?, Harvey?. Front Row: Father Joseph, Gertrude, Raymond, Mother Agnes (I am unsure about the identification of the boys with ? behind their names) Joseph gregoire family Joseph Gregoire was born in 1862 in St. George, Illinois. He was the oldest son of Julien and Aurelie (Boudreau) Gregoire and the first generation of our Gregoire family to be born in the US. His father, Julien, emigrated from Quebec in the 1850’s. Joseph married Agnes Francis...

The Thanksgiving Bird

As I wait for my fresh, pre-brined turkey to be delivered to my door I decided to check on Thanksgiving turkey recipes in the Compendium of Cookery, a cookbook which was passed down from my second great-grandmother, Maren/Mary (Haselhaugen) Ove. Here are preparation instructions from her 1890 cookbook…for those of you who are brave enough to attempt them....

Honoring Our Family Veterans Part 2: Marvin Leo Gregoire

Marvin Gregoire in his Army Air Force uniform. early years Marvin “Marv” Leo Gregoire was born in Marshall, Minnesota to Robert and Lillian (Grandpre) Gregoire, both of French Canadian descent. For more stories about this French Canadian family click here. Growing up on the Gregoire farm taught Marvin hard work and at the age of 17, he left school for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This New Deal program established by President Roosevelt offered employment to young men who struggled...

Honoring our Family Veterans Part 1: Leslie Wendell Stierwalt

Army Air Force recruiting poster 1943-1946. Early years Leslie Wendell Stierwalt, known as”Wendell”, was born in 1924 and raised with 9 siblings and numerous cousins on the Cherokee Reservation near Nowata, Oklahoma. HIs mother, Nina Sequichie’s Cherokee family can be traced back to Georgia before the Trail of Tears and father, Claud Stierwalt’s family immigrated to the US from Germany in the early 1700’s. “Winnie” as he was known as a child, didn’t enjoy school and stopped attending after 8th grade, but his...

Marin Boucher: A Pioneering Percheron Emigrant

Building New France After French explorer, Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec in 1608, Louis XIII, King of France needed craftsmen and other industrious individuals to build, settle, and grow the region. Robert Giffard, Champlain’s ship surgeon, received one of the original land grants from the King in exchange for recruiting settlers. Giffard sailed back to the Perche region of France, his homeland, and began traveling from town to town creating excitement about the opportunities which awaited travelers...

Hans Bürki: A Story of Persecution and Perserverance

Nijmegen (Nimewegen), Holland in 1641 Hans Bürki: Langnau, Switzerland 1710 “For the remembrance of my descendants and of all my fellow believers, I, Hans Bürki, of Langnau, want to relate what happened to me. I had gone to the mountain called Bluttenried (Community of Langnau), in company with my wife and two sons. There a poor man came to us to whom we gave something to eat; this man subsequently went to Harvag to the authorities and told them that...

The Bergey Homestead

The Bergey Homestead still stands on land purchased in 1726 by Hans (John) Ulrich Bergey. The property is located on the banks of the northeast branch of Perkiomen Creek, in Salford Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Hans “john” ulrich bergey: first bergey immigrant Hans Ulrich Bergey was born in Canton Bern, Switzerland in April of 1700. He immigrated to Pennsylvania with a large Mennonite group around 1717 and married Mary (possibly Clemens.) After immigrating to America Hans changed to the anglicized...

Samuel Rider: American Pilgrim

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall Nineteen years after the Mayflower’s 1620 arrival in America, Samuel Rider, and his family sailed from England to join the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony. By the time Samuel arrived in New England, Plymouth’s population was nearing 600 families. Over the next few decades, Rider would become a prominent name throughout the colony, with several of Samuel’s children and grandchildren marrying the descendants of Mayflower passengers. The early years of samuel rider Samuel Rider...