Growing up, I was intrigued by the musical instrument that sat on a shelf in our hall closet. It had a short neck, a round body, and beautiful wood patterns. I was told it was a mandolin. But, where did it come from? I imagined it was one of those things my dad acquired. He…
Category: French Roots
52 Ancestors Week 16: Marie Lassalle’s Long Life
[Written for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. This week’s theme: Live Long. Note: I am revising this article. Yes, I know I only wrote it two days ago. I realized as I was writing it I had two families mixed up. This article includes the corrected information.] I do not have any centenarians in my…
Found my Grandfather in French Military Records
I met a man through a cousin who met him on GeneaNet. He is our distant cousin. He actively researches our family tree and is an excellent ally for all things genealogy in France. This weekend he informed me that France has put up a new military database, Registres de Recrutement Militaire. The records give…
The 1900 Census got the Menaud’s all wrong
I missed this entry in the 1900 Census for several years. I was looking for Romain and Madeleine Menaud, with daughter. Mary Lacazette (from Madeleine’s first marriage). But, they were nowhere to be found. It took learning more about the family to root them out. The Menaud surname is rare in California in 1900. Even…
Marthe Magedeleine (Labourdette) Segalas’ Individual Summary
Marthe is my great great grandmother. She was born in the village of Ogeu les bains in France. One thing I have found interesting about researching French women is that as early as 1800 they all have occupations listed in official records. It’s something I am not used to seeing in other localities until 1900. …

