Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Independence Day!

A very happy 4th of July to all of my fellow Americans!  Things have been hectic around here, especially after I started working (albeit volunteer work).  So instead of the normal barbecue today, I traveled up to scenic Vermont for a relaxing day trip.

Reflecting on the American Revolution, I thought I'd share a minor discovery I made just in time for the holiday.  Last week I had the opportunity to search through some pages of the book, Les registres de Paspébiac : Notre Dame de la Purificationby Bona Arsenault.  The church records in this book for Paspébiac, located in the Gaspé region of Québec, go back slightly further in time than those in the Drouin collection.  They're also very well organized and indexed.  Using this book, I pushed my research back in my Cyr line to find another 5th great-grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Anglehart ("Migkelharte" in his marriage record).  According to his marriage record, he was from Germany (if his surname didn't give it away).  What does this have to do with the American Revolution?  Jean-Baptiste Anglehart married his wife, Anne Chapados, in Québec on July 13, 1787.  The British had hired many mercenaries from Germany during the American Revolution, bringing the Germans over to Québec.  Several thousand of these mercenaries stayed after the war.  A marriage in 1787 suggests that my German ancestor (I'm also German now?! That alone blew my mind.) may have very likely been around for the American Revolution and was himself a mercenary for the British.  In the coming weeks, I'd like to uncover a lot more information about him and his parents if possible.  Thankfully, if he was fighting, I don't think he would have met any of my colonial ancestors in battle, as I have several ancestors who fought against the British in the war.

Have a happy and safe July 4th!

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