Introduction

Just under eight months ago, I decided to check out Ancestry.com for a lark.   I had long been interested in genealogy, going back to discovering names in the family Bible that I didn't recognize, but for the most part it ended there because I suppose I always assumed that we didn't know more.

I'd hear stories from my mom about her family, but never quite had a clear picture of who was who;  I knew there were "the Aunts" (who for me were really great aunts), but they all sort of blended together.  On my father's side it was largely the same, and I knew that his brother had done some research into the Irish side of the family.

So I dove in...   As it turns out, the "rabbit hole" went far deeper than I had expected.  

Not only is there copious information to be found on my Québecois ancestors, some of them were among the first French immigrants to "New France" – essentially the Canadian equivalent to the Pilgrims.   I've had worse luck on he Irish side (a key ancestor turned out to not be an ancestor after all, requiring one whole branch of the Family Tree to be severed – at least for now), but as I gain more experience I hope to crack that.

So, I've created this blog to document what I've found with the hopes of sharing it with the family, and other interested parties.