I love stories, specifically those stories that take us back into our history and fill us with meaning in our present. My family ancestry is primarily Franco-American, also described as French-Canadian heritage.
From a young age, I began a mission to piece my family’s known history together: not just stories of individuals, but of our Franco-American story as a whole.
I’m originally from New Hampshire, where my French-Canadian immigrant ancestors settled. But I primarily grew up in Iowa, where some French presence is known but my heritage was not common knowledge at all. Nobody around me knew what a “Franco-American” was.
I’ve loved French culture since this young age, without even realizing that my family’s Franco-American side was indeed French! I grew up referring to my grandmother as “Mémère” and receiving confusing looks from my classmates, who had no clue what I was talking about.
I only knew Mémère, since Pépère died about a week after I was born.
When I was very young, I assumed that everyone had a mémère. Who wouldn’t? I just saw the Franco-American culture as a common and shared American culture.
When visiting New Hampshire, my mother and her sisters recalled memories of learning French phrases and their parents being native French speakers, only learning English later in school.
Now that I’m in my late 20’s, my interest in discovering more about being a Franco-American has grown: I became disconnected from my heritage and family history of passing down the French language and cultural traditions. My knowledge of my own heritage is limited and I want to change that by digging up those old family roots.
This blog is not only for bringing together Franco-Americans: it’s to discover the fragments of culture that were long-lost in the test of time. Consider this a time capsule, where we can all learn from the pieces we discover and create new traditions, new memories, and revive what was lost.
Tom Brouillette
Thank you, Mélody. Much on your blog resonates with me (born in Illinois, I remember my father’s parents speaking French). Consciousness of being a French family was there, though quite watered down for various reasons in the 1950s. Thank you for getting this collection of stories and histories going!
Melody Desjardins
Bonjour, Tom! I’m so glad that you are enjoying the blog. We’re technically neighbors: I was born in NH and grew up in Iowa! I’m working on expanding to tell the Midwest Franco-American story, as well, so be sure to stick around.