Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

PARDON ME….YOUR ROOTS ARE SHOWING

by      Louise Dubrule

       Those of us who are of French-Canadian ancestry will find it hard to disguise that fact. It is almost as obvious as a bad toupee or a slip that shows.

       To start with, there is the matter of the name. My maiden name was Philippon, a proud name that we’ve traced back to the 1700s and that is still borne by people all over the United States and Canada. (A company that offered bogus lineage information declared that the name meant we were descended from the Philippians mentioned in the Bible!) We have some delightful names in the family tree, and some are just fun to wrap one’s tongue around.

       I guess I can understand why some folks decided to anglicize their names to make it easier to be assimilated into the melting pot of the United States, and some were changed by the immigration agents who couldn't spell the original. But you've got to admit that Lefebvre is much more romantic than Bean; Lafreniere is more poetic than Ash; and I can’t imagine how you would translate Lehouiller. Rattelade, LeBlonde, Plante, Boiley, LaTulippe, Levesque, Cormier, Giroux, and LaBelle are others within our own families that resonate with our heritage.

       Want a man’s name with character? We have Tancred, Alexis, Napoleon, Theophile, Ovide, Laurent, Jean Baptiste, Maurice, and Francois. The women's names are equally majestic: Sophronia, Claurida, Simone, Marie-Jeanne, Scholastica, Blanche, Lydia, Yvonne, Merlida, Donalda, Philomene, Felixcine, and Delina.

       The French Canadian history is intertwined with the Catholic Church, so you find that when these family members were baptized and married, they left clerical records in addition to the civil ones. In doing genealogical research, it pays to check both sources. Rosaries are treasures that are handed down from one generation to another, and the funeral memorial cards are records of births and dates. Mama saved them all, and I find myself adding to her collection. Chances are, your mother remembered your Saint’s name day as well as your own birthday. I’ll bet that in your house, you were expected to go see your father on New Year’s day to ask his blessing.

       Because of the close ties with the Church, Franco-American families observe the liturgical seasons…Lent, Easter, all the Holy days, Advent, Christmas. We all learned from the Baltimore Catechisms, and even today as a true ‘senior citizen’, I can recite all the answers to the basic questions. My generation grew up with the Latin Mass in our memory banks, and I can sing the Pater Noster perfectly. I wonder if I’ll get to use that again as the Vatican revisits the Latin Mass?

       Even if your own family didn’t keep the French language of their youths, certain words remained in the vocabulary. Aunts and uncles are “Ma Tante” and “Mon Oncle,” Grandmother becomes "Memere," and Grandfather turns into "Pepere." That sweet term of endearment persists in our family to the third generation of those born in America.

       Other hand-me-downs are the recipes your grandmother or great-grandmother used, whether it’s for bread, pie, soup, ragout, baked beans, or the beloved tourtierre. On that point, it’s almost like meatloaf: no two are exactly alike. Yet, they are all special because they are part of our cultural heritage: we do it because our parents did, and some traditions must be kept.

       Our parents and grandparents lived lives of hardship, and they passed on their philosophies when it comes to assets and money. We learned, early on, that you ‘use it up, make it do, make it over, or do without.’ Papa bought one car on credit and it haunted him so badly that he dug into his savings and paid it off quickly so he could sleep. Family tradition taught us that if you wanted something, you saved for it, worked for it, and then took care of it once you obtained it.

       No matter how far removed you are from your French-Canadian roots, some little bit of it clings to you like a bit of Velcro. Look closely and be proud.

 

Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines
Copyright © 2003 & 2004 & 2005 & 2006 & 2007 Norm Léveillée
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Created 1 Feb 2003