Noua Zece
My great-grandmother was French. She was born approximately in 1899, in France. My great-grandfather was Romanian like me. He worked for almost 30 years for Romanian Crown Estate being a wealthy man, having business and traveling a lot in the West of Europe. It is said about him that he spoke besides Romanian, French, English, Latin and German.
He met my great-grandmother during a business trip in France. My great-grandmother was governance in the family house of friends of my great-grandfather. Between the two of them it is said that it was love at first sight. Her great-grandmother's name was Anne or Anna. I'm not sure and I'll tell you why. In the family she remained known as Ana, the Romanian version of the two names.
After a few months they got married and came to live in Romania with my great-grandfather. As an additional proof of their love she became pregnant very quickly. On July 18, 1920, she gave birth to my grandfather. Unfortunately, after the birth, some complications appeared that ended her life. My great-grandfather suffered a lot and to honor her memory and out of the immense love he had forged a monument in the cemetery at the resting place of my great-grandmother.
Unfortunately for him, his child needed a mother and as his natural mother had died, he remarried. Then came the war and the communist invasion. My great-grandfather, being wealthy, having business and collaborating with the Romanian Crown Estate, was regarded by the communists as a bourgeois and like all businessmen and intellectuals, but especially those who had connections with the Royal House of Romania, was thrown into the dungeon where he will die, even now I do not know exactly the date when he died and the circumstances of his death.
His wife and son were deported to Baragan, confiscating absolutely everything, being able to take only a few clothes. All documents and pictures of the family were confiscated. My great-grandmother's monument was vandalized and then demolished, as were other monuments and tombs of bourgeoisie.
My grandfather survived the deportation, not his stepmother, and married my grandmother. The two had a daughter, my mother. Unfortunately, my grandfather died in a train accident shortly after my mother's birth and so the last data about my French great-grandmother was lost forever.
All that's left is a photo of my great-grandmother from the day she first walked with my great-grandfather in a park in France and then they walked into a photo studio where they each took a picture to give it to the other and thus remain their love alive despite the distance that separates them. From my great-grandmother I inherited a little of the blue color of my eyes, given that besides my mother and father she had blue eyes, just like her parents, and totally the pronunciation of the letter “r” like the French, who, despite the efforts of a speech therapist, nothing could be done to be able to pronounce “r” like the Romanians. My mother also inherited this.
I searched for her and I'm still looking for her on Facebook groups in France. Thus, a French women told me that several families from her village left at the beginning of the last century and settled in Louisiana, USA and one of these family had a daughter who married a man from another country and went with him to his country of origin, as was the case with my great-grandmother.
Does anyone know families who came from France at the beginning of the last century?
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Researching Towns
How much do you know about the area your ancestors came from?
An important part of knowing where and how to find records about your ancestors comes from learning about the region they came from.
Here is one example of how that type of information helps. One family contacted me because they were confused over various records for their ancestors. Some records claimed they came from Germany and others claimed they came from France.
In researching the records, I discovered they came from the Alsace-Lorraine region of NE France. That area is bounded by Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany (N and E). Alsace lies to the east of Lorraine. Most of the population speaks French, but German is also spoken, especially around Metz.
Both Alsace and Lorraine were included in the HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. Lorraine emerged as a duchy, and Alsace was divided into many fiefs and free cities by the 13th cent.
France gradually acquired both regions in the 17th and 18th century.
As a result of the FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR (1870-71) much of the area became part of Germany and formed the imperial land of Alsace-Lorraine.
After WORLD WAR I, Alsace-Lorraine became part of France again. Then because of WORLD WAR II. it became part of Germany again from 1940-45.
So, due to the towns changing hands so often, some old records will list the former residence as being German and some will list them as coming from France.
Another researcher that had family from that area contacted me recently. He stated that his family owned a brewery after they came to this country.
In researching the Alsace-Lorraine area, I discovered that Hops and vineyards are numerous. in that area.
Since Hops are used in beer, many of the farmers would have been experienced in making beer and wine.
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From October 2002
Carr
Joseph F. and Margaret (?) CARR, my great-great-great-grandparents, lived in Brown County (Willis) Kansas from about 1850 until at least after 1901.
Children (that I’ve heard about) are Susan, Martha, John, and Lydia Ann (my great-great-grandmother.)
Lydia married James William KERR (b. 1850, KY) about 1879 – first child, Gertrude was born 10/18/1880 in Brown County.
Lydia died about 1890 in Kansas.
Gertrude lived with Lydia’s relatives in Brown County from about 1895 until her marriage in 1901 to Charles Henry COUCH (b. 1875 in Knob Noster(Clinton) MO.
Other children of James & Lydia Kerr are Truman (lived most of his life in or near Humboldt, NE) and Robert.
Anyone know anything about these people?
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