Family Skeletons (Part 1)
My interest in geneology began when doing some simple online research for a relative. It took on a bit of an obsession until all leads seemed to have, eventually, dried up in our family tree.
In the spirit of openness and sharing, which Steemit seems to instill in me, allow me to tell you a little about my family. The furtherest reaches of this story begins back in the distant past with my oldest known relative, Louis Boulier.
Louis Boulier is my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather on my great-great-great grandmother's side. Louis is not only notable in my family line as the oldest known birth but, even more importantly, it is hoped his determination and drive has not been washed out of our DNA over those ten generations since his death in Phillipsburg, Tarrytown, N.Y. in 1766 at the ripe old age of 96.
Life, for Louis, began in 1670 in Saintonge, France, which was “bounded on the northwest by the Province of Aunis, the northeast by Poitou, east by Angoumois, south by Guyenne, and west by the Atlantic Ocean. This area now forms a part of Charente, France which produced navigators, mariners, and early explorers of America such as Samuel De Champlain and Sieur de Monts. Also, many French Protestants emigrated from this area, going to the Dutch East Indies, Holland and to New Amsterdam.” [1]
Louis is thought to have been a mariner and shipbuilder. This is further bolstered by the fact that he is thought to have sailed from France in his own vessel to escape persecution as a Huguenot following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
He first sailed to the Netherlands, that most orange of states at the time, and then on to New Amsterdam. He later married Annetje Koninck, whose roots also reached back to the Netherlands, on May 22, 1697 in the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.. That would be the same church immortalized by Washington Irving in his Ledgen of Sleepy Hollow . Louis’ son, Jan, later served in the church as a deacon from 1733 through 1736 and again in 1746. He is also listed as an elder in the church in 1751. He later had a son, Hendrick, which would bring our DNA north of the 49th parallel to New Brunswick, as an Empire Loyalist, in 1783... but that is another story for another day.
[1] The Genealogy of Boulier-Bulyea-Belyea Family 1697-1969, written and Compiled by Florence G. (Belyea) Tisdale and Marjorie A. (Belyea) Rennie
Fascinating family tree so far. I'm too scared to check line out. Lol. I've visited Sleepy Hollow in NY and the cemeteries with the old Dutch grave sites and markers are impressive.
Did you happen to take any photos of Belyea grave plots in Sleepy Hollow, Papa?
Louis' surname was spelled phonetically, in english, on his marriage certificate. The Belyea surname continued on in future generations. My great-great-great grandmother was originally a Belyea.
No, I was having an internal war with art and creativity during that time in my life and didn't even own a camera at the time. I regret not taking some shots. They were extremely moving. It would be a good place for chalk rubbing.
Amazing @novacadian! I was personally not very interested in looking into my own family tree, however, fortunately my sister was and she found out from my mother side a very old relative in the 19th century, who eerily looks like my grandmother. It's not something specially remarkable, but it sparked my imagination about living in those places at that time and such. Thank you for sharing!
Every family meeds a family.historian. Glad your sister has taken on that mantle. A two or three month subscription on a good geneology site mights unearth untold secrets. 😎