Quebec City, Canada

What a wonderful experience we had in Quebec!  We weren't too sure that it would be when we crossed the border and discovered all the traffic signs in French.  Boy, did we learn some French words really fast!  When we arrived at the campground, the ladies at the desk panicked when I asked in my very best French, "Polly voo on glace?"   They immediately rang for Dennis, the owner, whose English was quite good.  

Although my mother and her parents were all born in the U.S., her grandparents on both sides came from the Quebec area.  The family spoke French at home and she learned English in school and always spoke with a wonderful accent, as did all her brothers and sisters.  When I was a child, she moved away from the rest of her family and I didn't hear her speak much French until we went back to visit her family again.  How I wish I had learned it then.  But being suddenly immersed in the language was a wonderful experience and brought back many great memories of my mother.  I heard her voice everywhere!  

The next day we drove into Old Quebec and explored on foot.  What a beautiful place it is!  Pots and hanging baskets of all sorts of flowers are everywhere and the scent of flowers fills the air.  At a quiet, little restaurant called La Cavour, we tried crepes - they were delicious.  I managed a few phrases in French, but had to stifle the desire to say por favor instead of s'il vous plais.

We happened to pass the city library and stopped to inquire where we might go to find genealogy information.  The lady at the desk suggested we try the University of Laval and explained what building to go to and who to talk to.  So the next day we managed to find it.   We found the correct room, rang the bell, and a very nice gentleman (who spoke English well) came to the door and invited us in when we explained who we were and why we had come.  Andre and his wife, Jackie, immediately offered to help us.

We started with my mother's grandparents.  With his help we were able to trace her grandfather's side to Pierre Roberge dit Lacroix, who was one of the original settlers of the Ile D'Orleans at Quebec to come from France in the mid-1600s.  The society has the records of all the first settlers.  I was so amazed at how quickly the information could be gathered and at how comprehensive it was.  Jackie, put Gerry to work making copies and gathering supplemental information.  

Jackie & Andre helping Terry

Andre and Jackie are a delightful couple and we enjoyed getting to know each other.  We were sorry to see the day end,  especially when we discovered that it was not business as usual that week; actually, the university was closed.  Andre and his wife are volunteers at the Genealogical Society there, as are all the workers.  We were so lucky they were there that day.  Then Andre surprised us by offering to come back the next day and continue our research.  The next day we picked up on my mother's grandmother's side - the couple whose gravesites we visited in Massachusetts.  Again we were able to trace all of the lines to when they first arrived from France.  During the course of the research we discovered that Andre and I have common ancestors at two places in our charts.   He said that was not uncommon at all, but I was tickled.  We invited Andre and Jackie to lunch and they drove us to a place in the mall they enjoy where we got to know each other a little better.  Then they invited us to their home when we finished our work for the day.  Andre is a wine connoisseur and he offered to open a bottle just for me.  Unfortunately, I didn't make a note of the name.  I just enjoyed it.  So we made new friends whom we may see again in Florida this coming winter.  (For family members who are interested in what I found, I will be posting the material on the website when I figure out how to display it.)