A French-Canadian Genealogy Blog

In 2018 I travelled to France twice.  During the first trip I travelled by train and visited several ancestral cities and towns.  The highlight of this trip was visiting La Rochelle where many of my ancestors departed France from.  Here is a link: Chemin de la Rochelle

During the second trip, I completed an ancestral path (chemin), walking from one ancestral village to the next.  One highlight of this trip was walking from Le Bourdet to Frontenay Rohan-Rohan where my ancestor Francois Meloche lived during the 17th century. Here is a link: Chemin du Meloche

In June of 2023, a third trip to the Loire valley was completed.  One of the highlights of this trip was walking through the Amboise Forest.  My ancestress Francoise Hurteau’s godfather was a guardian of this forest in the 17th century.  Here is a link: Chemin d’Amboise.  A fourth trip to Normandy, France  is currently being researched and planned. 

In the fall of 2021 I travelled to Montreal, Quebec and completed the first of many planned ancestral walking routes in La Belle Province.  I  walked along the Saint Lawrence River in Lachine (a present day suburb of Montreal) to the ancestral homesite of Francois Meloche.  Here is the link:  Chemin du Lachine

The ability to research and document our family ancestry using the internet is a tremendous gift.  It is so much easier today than it was 25 years ago when my younger sister started researching our family history.  My family history blog will include the usual history, facts, and figures gleaned from the internet.  And there will be ancestral stories of how my ancestors took the many footsteps that comprise daily life, leaving footprints to be followed.  This website will describe both present day and historical footprints to reveal my ancestral story.

Site Organization
On my Blog page you will find introductions to my grandparents and their (my) ancestors, along with stories of my ancestors and family starting in the 17th century.  This is the focus of this website.  My plan is to regularly post new blog stories.  So come back often!

On the Surnames page you will find a summary list of the surnames that are in scope for this family history blog, lineage charts, and explanations for the surname change from Allaire to Dallaire and Meloche to Jolicoeur.

Following the theme of ancestral family footprints this site is organized into the timelines for my ancestors during the 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries. There is a page for each century where a snapshot of my ancestors lives and their locations is presented:
17th Century Footprints
18th Century Footprints
19th Century Footprints
20th Century Footprints

This baseline information has been provided as context for the blog stories.

While I was born during the 20^th century, the footprints I have made while following those of my ancestors have all taken place during the 21^st century.

On the 21st Century Footprints page you will find details for these ancestral journeys or footprints.  There is a page for France and a page for present day Quebec:
21st Century France Footprints
21st Century Quebec Footprints

Site Dedication
I would like to dedicate this site first to my father.  His surname legacy will end with his children.  There are five children in my family, all of us use the surname Jolicoeur.  My only brother did not have children and so the family surname will not survive past my generation.  My father is the proud progenitor of 5 children, 10 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren (at this time of writing).

Next I must dedicate this site to my children and grandchildren.  When you learn about your ancestors, it helps you to see and imagine the past, present and future.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge my younger sister who inspired and motivated me to start this ancestral journey and quest.