I found this book at Google Books. The book titled “Le bailliage de Baume-les-Dames en 1789” by Robert Jouvenot (1985) was a preview-only edition written in French. I was able to grab four pages that contained the list of grievances (Cahiers de Doléances) of the town of Montécheroux in 1789. The cahiers de doléances (lists of grievances) were official registers compiled across France in the … Continue reading 1789 Montecheroux Grievance Registers
The following is in regard to one of my father’s Franco-Swiss ancestors who lived and died in Montecheroux. It appears that he was one of many French Catholics who were not fans of the Revolution and Napoleon. He was a large landowner in the area and his name appears frequently as a witness to the births, marriages, and deaths recorded in the Montecheroux BMD records. … Continue reading The Life & Times of Jean Germain Voisard
About twenty years ago, I corresponded with a fellow researcher over in Belgium. He was a descendent of Andreas Mollaert, the brother of Marie Catherina Josepha Mollaert, first wife of my 4x great-grandfather, Andreas De Backer. (I am a descendent of Andreas and his 2nd wife). In one email he sent to me the images of a three page document written Flemish and explained to … Continue reading Agreement Between Andreas De Backer and Andreas Molleart (1788)
I believe this information will be of great interest to my DeBacker cousins. I recently discovered that there was a much higher frequency of intermarriage among cousins within our Belgian lineage than I had previously realized. Currently, I am working on a video series intended for my grandchildren to watch when they grow older. These videos feature me walking them through our family tree on … Continue reading DeBacker Cousins
I asked Google Gemini to tell me about an ancestor on my mother’s-side of our family, the Rev, John Rogers, Proto-martyr of the Marian Persecution in 1555, and here is their response: The Reverend John Rogers was indeed the “proto-martyr” of the Marian Persecutions—the very first person executed under the revived heresy laws of Queen Mary I. His execution on February 4, 1555, at Smithfield … Continue reading Rev, John Rogers, Proto-martyr
I went looking for my father’s military records thinking that I won’t learn anything new. I found his draft registration from 1948, two years before the start of the Korean War. To put things into perspective the Korean War began on 25 June 1950 when the Korean People’s Army (KPA), equipped and trained by the Soviets, launched an invasion of the south. In the absence … Continue reading David DeBacker Draft Registration (1948)
Here is an account of the St Marys fire of December 1884 from the St Mary’s Express, one of two newspapers in the town and the one that was not destroyed. It is in PDF format for your reading pleasure. Continue reading The St Marys Fire of December 1884
Why the Gaume family and other collateral families left northeastern France to settle in northeast Ohio is not entirely clear. The economic and political climate in post-Napoleonic France in the 1830s has been described as humdrum. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the Bourbon monarchy was restored, and Charles X became king in 1824. He tried to restore the throne to its former level … Continue reading From Montecheroux to Massilion: A Journey to Freedom
Faced with an early termination fee for my mistakenly purchased annual Adobe Premiere Pro subscription (that is, annual paid monthly), I decided on a new video project instead of canceling. I’ve dubbed it “A Plan 9 From Outer Space”—If you know, you know.. The project involved restoring and then animating a series of old photographs using Adobe Firefly, with the final video edited in Premiere … Continue reading The Making of ‘Night Gallery’
A few years ago, my brother Patrick, while on a business trip to Atlanta, paid a visit to our great-grandfather’s hometown of Marietta, Georgia, and there he bought me a book titled “A Short History of Cobb County in Georgia” by Sarah Temple. Several chapters of the book are devoted to the details of what occurred in Cobb County in the spring and early summer … Continue reading Marietta July 1864
Gathering Leaves 