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Bessette & Marie Gelineau History Descendants Ancestors Census Pictures Related
Families Plattsburgh Who's Researching Who? |
I started researching my family roots a few years ago, and had no idea at the time of where it would lead or what to expect. I began the search because I was told, like so many other Bessette families, that our Bessette family was first cousin to Brother Andre, the Saint. Although this turned out to be not so accurate (about as distant as they come! :) ), I did find a family filled with carpenters, farmers, ladder makers, cabinet makers, stone masons, and a wonderful family that I never knew existed. I have met so many people related in some way through the Bessette's that I never would have met. The names and
dates alone of our ancestors are useless, unless we know the kind of
lives they led. What great stories our ancestors could tell, if only
they could speak to us today. They could tell us stories of hardships
and survival, stories of great adventure and courage, stories of death
and great tragedy, and stories of love and happiness. Jean Marie
Bessette would tell us about leaving the only home he had ever know, and
striking out for unknown lands with his family and little else. Marie
Gelineau would tell us about losing her father when she was a young
girl, and raising a family of twelve. Their children could tell us of
being drafted for the Civil War, and the fear they felt of the
possibility of leaving their families behind, or the sorrow they felt at
losing their children so young to the diseases of the times. They could
tell us the joys and closeness of their families and the happiness they
must have felt at those gatherings. Who we are today, is due in large part, to the lives of our ancestors. We are the ancestors of generations to come, and only in preserving our own memories for these future generations can they learn who we once were too. I can be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected]
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