I've Started Another Blog (actually 2)

17 March 2012, at 10:15 am

I think I read somewhere that I’m not supposed to do this; that it’s hard enough to stay on top of one blog, let alone three. But here’s my logic….

Mahoganybox.net was created as a tribute to my grandparents and as a means of sharing their family trees and my adventures in researching my British roots from the comfort of my armchair in the United States. Sometimes I talk in general terms the other side of my tree, but I prefer to keep the focus on England. Still, I’ve amassed a wealth of info on my father’s side of the family and I am dying to share it and strike up some conversations with others who might be researching some of my French-Canadian lines. So…..

I’d like to introduce ErnestNapoleon.net the blog I’ve started in tribute to my paternal grandparents: Ernest Napoleon Varrieur and Elsie Mae Ebert. My grandfather’s roots are French-Canadian, and my grandmother’s are German. Interesting, both families immigrated to southern New England around the same time, the mid 1880s. Their’s is an interesting blend of two cultures, and I really enjoy fleshing out the stories of the Varrieurs and the Eberts.

Some of the surnames in my Grandmother’s pedigree are Ebert, Litterer, Roches, Brunner, and Goubert. German research is not my area of expertise and my roots are weakest in this part of my tree. Aside from the obvious language barrier, I struggle with place names, and a complete lack of understanding in terms of German geography, political, and social history. Yikes!

I’ve done much better with the French-Canadian side. My grandfather’s surnames include Varrieur/Verieul, Mercier, Roy, Morais, Allard, Gagnon, Lambert, Perrot, Renaud, Cloutier, to name a few. Thanks to the Drouin records, I’ve traced most lines back to their immigrant ancestors. I love Drouin….I get to translate (putting those four years of high school french to use finally, i.e. a reading knowledge because I can’t speak a word of it!) and practise paleography The task now is to expand on the bare facts and locate local records that will help mold the names into real people.

This blog is very much in its infancy but I’ve got a lot of information to share and I hope you’ll take a look at ErnestNapoleon from time to time

My other new blog is A Well Lit Path, which is attached to my business website. Its emphasis is on genealogical research in Northwest Pennsylvania, which is not a topic I’ve come across very often in the Geneablogger world. Also, talking business here never seems particularly appropriate. In addition to focusing on Erie County PA genealogy records, A Well Lit Path is where I hope to share my enthusiasm for the two local societies I belong to: the Erie County Historical Society and the Erie Society for Genealogical Research. These two groups are very special to me and I think they deserve more attention than they get!