Oh Canada! Eh?

July 1st. 

Canada Day

Seemingly endless rainy days.

Spectacular spring flowers.

 Butter Tarts.

Autumn leaves literally blazing. 

Tim Hortons

eh?

French fries with gravy and vinegar and ketchup. 

Loonies.

Coffee in heavy mugs. 

Tea in delicate china cups.

 Serviettes. 

eh?

Liberals, Conservatives, Parliament.

Francais.

MacIntosh's Toffee, Big Turk, Coffee Crisp.

Snow.

Kilometres, Celsius, Grams.

Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario.

eh?

Love.

eh?

Coincidences: Oktoberfest

In the mid eighties, my friend and colleague, JoBeth and I decided it was high time to see the world.

Saving up enough cash to last us a few months on the road, we obtained a leave of absence from work and before you could say "Beer Hall", we were dancing like chickens at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. The tradition spans 200 years and this year, Oktoberfest will celebrate its bicentennial. For more info...see Wikipedia's  Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest grounds consist of several huge tents sponsored by different beer companies. Drinking at the 'Spaten' tent vs. the 'Heineken' or the 'Hofbrau' tent doesn't really matter. It's the energy of the tent, the band and word of mouth that draws you in. Tents are huge and brightly-lit with rows upon rows of wooden picnic tables, a dance floor and a band. Add about one-thousand beer drinking people being served by busty waitresses with impressive forearm strength and manual dexterity ...

And you've got the makings of a great party!

Armed with our "English-German Phrasebook " JoBeth and I would strike up a conversation with anyone that would listen.Our attempts at speaking German were welcomed and frequently laughed at. Loudly. After a few king-sized Heineken we thought ourselves to be quite adept in speaking German.

Somehow, knowing that we would never see our drinking buddies again made making complete fools out of ourselves acceptable.

Between chicken dances and beer guzzling, I began a little small talk with a fellow English-speaker...

Me: "So, where are you from? 

Him: "Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada." 

Me: "Getouttahere! I was born in Halifax!" "What year were you born?" 

Him: He told me his birth year. 

Me: It was the same as mine. "OK, when's your birthday?" 

Him It was the same as mine. 

Me: All squinty-eyed..."What hospital?" 

Him: "The Halifax Infirmary".

Me: "All right, let me see your I.D."

We had been nursery-mates.

Dad & Geneology: Part 1

It was in the summer of 2008 that my dear Dad at 79 years of age, died.

Admittedly, far from perfect, he was known to drink a little whiskey and have a smoke on occasion but he was also a very kind and wise man. He and Mom were always there for us and helped me to become the person that I am today.

Dad had been a construction worker, heavy equipment operator and teacher. He owned racehorses and became their groomer and trainer. A nature lover, he would have wild birds ,squirrels and even raccoons eating from his hand.

Mom would often say, "Oh, you know your father...he's outside talking to the birds again."And he was.

Like many people as they age, Dad mellowed. He became interested in learning about his ancestry and if I knew nothing else, I knew for certain that Dad loved our step-mother Madonna, his church, his family and all things "Mic Mac".

So, what and/or who are Micmac? What is the correct spelling? It can get a little complex but if you really want to know...

"The Míkmaq are a First Nations (Native American) people indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provinces, and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. Traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi’kmaq (singular Mi’kmaw) by the Míkmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq (Miigmao) by the Míkmaq of New Brunswick, Mi’gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or Mìgmaq (Mìgmaw) in some native literature." -Emmanuel Metallic et al., 2005.

Genealogy Part 2

Genealogy - Part 2 of 3

By now, you may be wondering (ho,hum) why I am writing about Mi'kmaqs, Acadians and my Dad. Believe me - it will all become clear in the next installment of "Genealogy".

So, for those of you who are quite literally at the edges of your seats and need a Canadian history fix, I will delay no more.

• 1605 - Acadia (Nova Scotia) was settled by the French. Marriages between the French and the native M'ik M'aq indians were common.


• 1642 - Pierre Lejeune, (my paternal ancestor), arrived from France and settled in Acadia where it is documented that he married "a MikMaq woman" (she was not given the courtesy of a name) - and so the LeJeune family tree began.
• 1755 - The Great Expulsion: A terrifying and tragic experience where thousands of French settlers were suddenly expelled from Acadia under the direction of the British troops. Families were violently separated and forced onto various ships set sail to places unknown. Many Acadians were never to reunite with their loved ones again.
• Many 'LeJeune' families that were forced onto the British ships eventually settled in Lafayette, Louisiana.
• With the assistance and protection of the native M'ik M'aq's, some families were able to stay intact. Fortunately, my ancestors travelled with the Mi'kmaqs to the island of Newfoundland, eventually settling in what would become known as the town of St George's.


• Catholic Jesuits encouraged the new settlers to anglicize their family names in order to escape further potential persecution by the British... "LeJeune" became "Young", "Benoit" became "Bennett", "LeBlanc" became "White" etc.
• 1995: 250 years after The Great Expulsion, Acadian descendants, including Ted Young (my Dad) began embracing their Indian heritage.

Are you hooked on Canadiana yet? If so, check out a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that chronicles the separation of lovers, Evangeline & Gabriel during The Great Expulsion. It's simply called "Evangeline".

Genealogy Part 1

 Genealogy Part 3