This website contains research completed on my Belgian ancestors. The pedigree includes these major surnames: AKERMANS, BARBE, BIGETON, BO(U)DART, CESAR, CLAR(E), DEPREZ(Y), FRONCEE, GILLARD, GINION, HEBRANT, HEYN, LABBESSE, LANGEAIN, LORIMIER, LOUIS, MASSART, MICHEL, MINNE, MONTHRY, MOTQUIN, NELIS, PAULUS, PIRLOT, REFAY, SCHAYES, SERON, SNAPS, TALLIER, THERASSE, VANDENSCRICK, and VANHAMME. Many more names appear on the Name Index page or in the family group sheets accessible from the pedigree.
These ancestors have been traced back through records to their homes in Wallonia, Belgium, as far back as 1600. Through the analysis of DNA, they have also been traced to the cradle of civilization. The ABOUT tab has more details.
As my research progresses, I plan on writing the stories of my ancestors. As they are completed, they will be available on Amazon. Currently, there are four stories available:
Marie-Therese Deprez Reinvented
She was born Marie-Therese Deprez in 1868 Wisconsin. At pivotal times in her life, her name changed first to Mary Theresa, then Theresa Mary, and finally Tracy. At the same time, she managed to outlive just about every family member around her. Was this reinvention a factor in her longevity? Was she lucky, or was she a particularly strong person? Perhaps there will be some insight in this story of her life.The Life of Francis Joseph Froncee: And the Civil War
This is the story of a man who was fiercely independent and determined. He lead his family four thousand miles to live among strangers. They had no hope of returning to their ancestral home. He fought in a war that he did not understand and to which he felt no connection. He learned to survive and support a second family, working as a laborer with just one arm. This is also a story of Belgium and the United States. We go back to the defeat of Napoleon and enter the United States just before the start of the Civil War. We look at how the policies of the two governments impacted this family.Belgian Doughboy: The Life of Henry Motquin
Belgian Doughboy is the story of Henry Motquin. Born and raised in the small Wisconsin Belgian community, Henry found his whole life changed when he enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard at the start of World War I. This is also the story of how the experiences of one generation can ripple into future generations.Motquin Generations: Four Hundred Years of Motquin History
The story begins with Bartholomew Motquin, born in Temploux, Belgium in 1600. As the story progresses through eleven generations, it describes the context in which these generations of ancestors lived. We see how the social issues, the political issues, the health crises, and the environment shaped their stories. It is a story of circumstance, luck, and triumph.