Shadows of My French & Belgian Ancestors
Nicolle & Morenier Family Ancestry
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his is how it all begain
It was my dad’s fault. He should have known. You can never keep family secrets secret from a curious and nosey daughter like me.
My father told me his mother was French. He told me his mother’s parents were from France. He did mention his grandmother might have been from Belgium. . He shared that my grandmother, Mathilda Nicolle, had a smattering of brothers scattered here an there with two brothers never to be heard of again and one horrible sister she was close to.
That was it. End of discussion
Thus starts the 25 plus years of research into what I eventually found to be sad and tragic stories of my grandmother, Mathilda née Nicolle Hootman, and the equally sad and tragic stories of her parents and direct siblings.
Today, the male lines of Jules Nicolle & Leopold Morenier (Justine’s father), have died out. None of the sons located from each of the two family lines ever married. Only the female line exists.
My ancestors are long gone but I'm making it my mission to document their lives, and published my father's maternal ancestral line before thy slide into obsurity. Good or bad, our ancestors have shaped of who we are. Our genes, medical history, family traditons, family dynamics, and the history behind them are part of our story. To my brothers, and extended cousins, this is their genealogical line, and story.
Our Favorite Places
Over 25 years ago, I started my French ancestry. I wanted to know who they were, and where they came from. Now, I have found 99% of my ancestors and their branches dating back to the early 1600s.
After that, I created two web pages; Making French Genealogy Easier Tutorials, and Behind The Guillotine; The website contains tutorials and searchable French Revolution's condemned to death victims.
I make every effort to document and provide citations of my research. If you have question, suggestions or something you would like to add, please contact me.
