Canadian History Moment

If you google the words "first permanent settler in Canada" you will get several references to a man called Louis Hebert. The address below will take you to a concise essay on our friend Louis. I would take you there myself, but I haven't learned that skill yet. Louis Hebert is well-established in Canadian history as the first permanent "Canadian" resident, despite the fact that the country was not called that at the time. Canadians do not quibble on the point.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/goweezer/canada/z16hebert1.htm

No, I am not a direct descendent of Monsieur Hebert, but I am a direct descendent of a family that came from France later in the 1600's, along with Samuel Champlain and his gang. I am, in a straight line of descent, in the fourteenth generation. My children represent the fifteenth generation. My family tree intersects with Louis Hebert's family tree in the second or third generation, so there is some overlap. I have been to Quebec, but not to the Isle d'Orleans where there are tombstones of some of my old ancestors dating back to the mid-1600's. My dad has been there. We have a beautiful document of our family history that was done by a priest in the Catholic church sometime in the last century. My grandmother updated it and had it translated into English. My dad has since added to it, and we all have a copy. It is called 'Nos Familles" (our families). My ancestors were all artisans. They worked with their hands as silver smiths and cutlers.

My dad's French-Canadian family married within French, Roman Catholic families in all branches until his mother married an English Irish Protestant. That made a wave! They lived in Rural Saskatchewan and worked as teachers and in the county clerk's office. My dad was the first in his entire family tree to get a university education. My mom's family is more recent to Canada. Her grandparents came from England and Ireland. My dad used to say my mom's people were all Irish horse thieves just to make her mad. We only know a little bit about my mom's family -- only back to her grandparents. They were farmers.

My mom's dad was an alderman (sort of like a mayor) in Regina in the 1950's. We have a picture of him meeting and shaking hands with the Queen of England. I have not served a beer to up-Chuck, but my friend Laura did when Expo was here in 1986.

That makes CBM the winner of round 2.

Round 3 (obviously you'll stop if you're tired of playing, but I give out decent prizes)

1. I have never smoked marijuana
2. I have never had a hangover
3. I have never broken a bone