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Article Published September 6, 2002
A Productive French Genealogy-Research Day
By: Marielle A. Bourgeois, M.A., C.F.A. Biography & Archived Articles
More than twenty-five years ago I set out to find the roots of my paternal
ancestors in the Richelieu River Valley in the province of Québec, Canada.
A friend and I visited cemeteries, surrounding the oldest churches of the
province of Québec. I knew that my grand parents, by the surname Bourgeois,
(which is
an Acadian name) had been born, lived, and were buried in the cemetery of
the
parish of St-Mathias sur le Richelieu, one of the oldest parishes in Québec,
today an unexpectedly beautiful historical monument.
St-Mathias sur le Richelieu.
Click for larger image.
Photo : François Brault
We first walked in the cemetery of the parish of St-Mathias, on the Chemin
des Patriotes, near the Richelieu River, Québec. We did not find stones
marked
Bourgeois, other than my grandparents'. To my surprise, we found stones that
were marked Cournoyer, which was the surname of my maternal grandmother.
Interesting fact to me since I did not believe that the Cournoyer side of my
family was from the Richelieu River Valley area.
We visited the cemeteries of surrounding parishes, St-Denis and St-Charles
sur le Richelieu, on the Chemin des Patriotes, Québec, and found more of the
same
thing, no Bourgeois name and several stones marked Cournoyer. The priest at
St-Charles said "I suggest you take the ferry, go across the river to the
parish of St-Roch, where the priest there is a professional genealogist". We
thanked
him.
We managed to catch the very last ferry crossing the Richelieu that day and
there was just enough place on it to take the two of us and our car. After a
rather
pleasant ferry ride, as we approached the St-Roch church, a man, dressed in
plain clothes, with a nice smile, came towards us. When I looked at him, I
thought
"This man has the same facial expression as my brother".
He asked us for
our
names, smiled when I responded. To our great surprise and pleasure the man,
who was the local priest, invited us for dinner. "After all," he said, "we
are
family." He was a third cousin of mine on my mother's side. His name was
father
Georges-Henri Cournoyer, a curé and a professional genealogist employed by
the
Quebec Government Health Department, Genetic Research section.
He gave me a
kiss and a file that contained my Cournoyer genealogy from my mother's name
all the way back to Montigny, Rouen, France, in 1620. Finding over 350 years
of French
ancestors in one evening is not bad, wouldn't you say?
By: Marielle A. Bourgeois, M.A., C.F.A. Biography
Email: amarielle@yahoo.com
CONTRIBUTOR: Marielle Bourgeois is a published genealogy author, lecturer and professional researcher based in Santa Barbara, California who specialises in Quebec, and French research. If you require professional assistance, please contact her by email or visit her biography page for additional information.
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