Thanks to the translation feature in Google Books, I was able to learn new information about my ancestor the insurrectionist, Jan Van Coppenolle. He is a 14th great-grandfather on my father’s side who lived and died in the later half of 15th century. Jan is known in some historical accounts as the “Demagogue of Ghent” as he was the bourgeois dictator of that city for … Continue reading My Ancestor, the Insurrectionist – pt 3
Unraveling the Mysteries of Irish Knoxes Welcome back to the Knox Chronicles, where we continue our quest to unravel the complexities surrounding the origins of the Irish Knoxes. In our previous installment, we explored the genealogical memoirs of John Knox, as detailed by Charles Rogers. We encountered a plethora of names, dates, and contradictions that left us with more questions than answers. Today, we delve … Continue reading The Knox Chronicles – Part V
{In this fourth installment of a multi-part series, I delve deeper into exploring my mother’s Scottish ancestry, uncovering both what I know and what I have yet to discover.} How Romantic! Here is a history of the Knox family as told by someone in the 1920s. This is quoted from “Minor Sketches of Major Folk” by Dora C Jett, 1928, Richmond, Virginia. All I can … Continue reading The Knox Chronicles – Part IV
{In this third installment of my multi-part series, I offer additional clues in my quest to unravel the Mystery of John Knox of that Ilk and, ultimately, to uncover the secrets of my Scottish maternal lineage.} Begin the Beguine Every storyteller, whether a bard or barrister, is tasked with deciding where to start their story. The Knox family saga has multiple potential starting points, and … Continue reading The Knox Chronicles – Part III
{In this second installment of a multi-part series, I delve deeper into exploring my mother’s Scottish ancestry, uncovering both what I know and what I have yet to discover.} What Does DNA say? According to the ethnicity estimate at Ancestry.com, my DNA sample shows that I am 41% Irish and 29% Scottish. That pretty much lines up with the fact that my father’s mother was … Continue reading The Knox Chronicles – Part II
A House of Cards Shortly after writing a post discussing how all people of European descent are related to Charlemagne, I stumbled upon a strange discovery when I realized I could trace a branch of my mother’s lineage back to a 13th-century queen who died 777 years ago. This revelation freaked me out because I had previously traced my father’s ancestry back to the same … Continue reading The Knox Chronicles – Part I
It is not as if I were trying to learn the answer to a question as profound as the one posed in Douglas Adams’ sci-fi classic “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, but I would say it was close in terms of profundity. The series of questions I recently asked of two AI chatbots involved a relatively large number compared to the famous 2-digit response … Continue reading Deep Thinking: Bing vs. Bard
Montécheroux is a small village in eastern France near the Swiss border. My father’s great-great-grandparents, Jean Baptiste Francois Xavier Gaume and Marie Elise Favier, were born there in the early 19th century. Elise’s mother’s ancestors had lived in the village since at least the late 17th century. Before the French Revolution, the town was part of the seigneury of Clémont and was ruled by the … Continue reading More on the Montécheroux BMD Records
According to my “DNA Story” at ancestry.com, I am 41% Irish, with the rest being a mix of Scottish, Welsh, Flemish, French, and northern and southern Germanic. Although my Irish comes equally from both parents, my father’s Irish roots are probably based in the Connacht province of the southern, Republican side of the island. Wisely they left before the famine began. While my mother’s family … Continue reading Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
In an earlier post, I discussed the death record of my fifth great grandfather Jean Germaine Voisard, the mayor of Montécheroux, France from 1815 to 1826. In the record, Jean’s mother is named only by the initials NN. This means that neither of the witnesses knew her name. One of the men was a grandson. Her name was Jeanne Antoine Jourot, and she died when … Continue reading Ancien Régime
Gathering Leaves 