Friday Finds – The Cook County Poor Farm

Louis Rock Rochon, my great-grandfather, was a rolling stone.(Pun intended.)  He was born in 1848 in Quebec. When he was 17, his father died; then Louis immigrated to Illinois in 1867. He was still single and living in as a boarder in Chicago in 1880, but moved back to Canada the next year to live … Continue reading Friday Finds – The Cook County Poor Farm

Mystery Monday

Why can't we build structures that last for centuries? My genealogical records show our Rochon family tree goes back to at least 1639 to Saint-Cosme-de-Vair in the Perth region southwest of Paris. That inspired me to start my historical fiction novel there on a poor peasant farm. The parish church is central to the story. … Continue reading Mystery Monday

Mystery Monday – The Chicago Coal Famine

My mother’s ancestry was a mystery to me and to her. She knew her father, of course, but they never talked about her grandfather nor anyone else further back. I was able to fill in a few blanks for her by researching on Ancestry. Later, I found documents tracing our heritage all the way back … Continue reading Mystery Monday – The Chicago Coal Famine

🗺️ Step into the world of early French Canadians!

I'm loving my research into the peasant life in France in 1650 and the writing of the story of a young girl named Marie Louise Rochon. This all started when I discovered through Ancestry.com that I can trace my roots back to 1632 and my eight times Great -grandmother became a Fille en Marier, meaning … Continue reading 🗺️ Step into the world of early French Canadians!