In the month of July, I celebrate three national holidays: American Independence Day which falls, of course, on July 4; Bastille Day, July 14, which commemorates the storming of a hated symbol of feudal oppression; and July 21, a national holiday in Belgium which commemorates an important event that occurred during the Belgian Revolution of the early 1830s. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, … Continue reading It’s Complicated

On my father’s side of the family, there is an ancestor named Marie Therese Pequignot . She was my fourth great-grandmother and she lived for 90 years between 1782 and 1872 (link to her death certificate). She was born in Chamesol, France, and died in Montecheroux, a tiny village in Eastern France on the Swiss border. Marie married Luc François Jeanin-Gaume in 1802 after the … Continue reading Le Cerneux-Pequignot

Here is some more information that I found regarding my ancestor, the insurrectionist. On Google Books, I found about five books published in the late 19th century/early 20th century whose subject matter was the history of Belgium (Flanders). Each book described in some part, the events of late 15th century Flanders where the Flemish towns were in revolt for a second time. Yet, I only … Continue reading My Ancestor, the Insurrectionist – pt 2

Just in time for the Fourth of July, I have discovered a new ancestor who was a soldier during the American Revolution. He is a fifth great-grandfather on my father’s side, and his name is Richard Denny III (28 July 1745 – 28 July 1825). According to military records, he served in the Dutchess County (New York) Militia Regiment between 1777 to 1779 and may … Continue reading Just in time for the Fourth of July

I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was a late medieval insurrectionist who at one point took over the town of Ghent in the Duchy of Burgundy and while in control, minted his own coins. About a year ago, I wrote an article in which one of the items described how I had found a branch on my father’s side that extended back a … Continue reading My Ancestor, the Insurrectionist – pt 1

News stories about politicians being denied communion, high school coaches praying on the football field, and taxpayers being forced to support religious education remind me of why my ancestors came to this great country of ours. To be blunt, it was to get away from s*** like that. My father loved to tell the story of how his DeBacker ancestors came over from Belgium after … Continue reading The Belgian School War

A simple reason so many of my posts relate to my mother’s side of the family is that many of her ancestors came over during colonial times. All arrived before the Civil War. On my father’s side of the family, the DeBackers did not come over from Belgium until 1883. So it pleases me to say that, for once, I have found something regarding my … Continue reading The Accidental Doctor