Isearch

ISEARCH back ground
I’m doing this isearch on my genealogy. I’ve been always interested in my heritage, and the stories that my parents and grandparents had to say. The stories of what both sets of grandparents went thru and how they got together to me is interesting. I can also learn a little about myself, and the man that I may become as I grow older too. These things I will pass onto my children to let the family legacy live on. Not anyone elses, but the Roy's.

Why
Well I’m doing an isearch on my family’s past and my heritage because I’m at a time in my life where I can appreciate it and my grand parents won’t always be here with me and my family, so it’s a way to spend quality time with them. And hear the stories hat they have to tell. 1) Is or was there anyone famous in our family? 2) Is any thing named after a family member of our past? 3) Is there a history of illnesses or disease that I am not aware of? 4) Have the Roy’s always lived in Northern Aroostook County? 5) What different types of jobs have past family members held?

What
Well what I do know is that I come from a long line of farmers and hunters. My paternal grandfather and his siblings (don’t know how many) operated a potato farm. I’m curious if any of my ancestors were mechanics like I am, I know that 2 of my uncles were. I do know that there is a history of heart trouble on my dad’s side of the family, my grand father lived, suffered, and died of heart disease. I also know that the Roy’s have lived in Canada also.

The search-source list
1) Pedigree chart for Onezime Roy: http://www.royandboucher.com/ : 26OCT2008.I found a wealth of information on this website, and come to find out, the owner and operator of this site is a distant cousin of mine! 2) Information gathered at the Roy family reunion in 1994 at Madawaska, ME by my parents, and I (I was 16 years old at the time, but still remember). 3) Long conversations with my grandparents, and my parents about my heritage, and the stories they had to tell. I have learned a lot so far, and doing this research and it's hard to search the net for free sites that have good info, but found this one listed above, and it has tons of info. I had to force myself to get off of it because I could stay on it for hours just looking, and hunting for info. It has a link to cemeteries, and thru that I found a boat load of info about my grand-father. This website takes my family tree back to 1604 in Saint-André, France---yeah France pretty cool huh? I also familiarized myself with my family crest which can be seen on the top right of that home page. But the best of it all is the conversations with my grandparents, and parents- to hear real stories about what really went on back before my time. That to me is priceless.

The answers
Answers to the questions. 1) No there was nobody famous, but 2) there is a small lake in northern Maine named Lake Basile, and it was named after my great-great Uncle. This I learned at the Roy family reunion in 1994 at Madawaska, ME. This small lake is located in the Perly Brooks of Fort Kent, ME. I have been fishing there for many years as a child, and younger teenager and never knew what it meant to my family in the years past. I rode bike with my best friend to fish there many times, caught alot of trout there. 3) Cancer, heart disease, is common in the family history so it seems. My patarnal grandfather (Archie Roy) died due to complications of heart disease. And his wife, (my grandmother Carmella Roy) also has the early stages of heart disease. Some of her symptoms are swollen extremities (arms and especially her feet, poor circulation- she can't walk too far cause her feet go numb). I also learned that my mother's aunt died of Leukemia. 4) The Roy’s moved to Maine from Canada, and before that it was France. In an interview with my parents I learned that when I was one and a half years old, my parents trailer got reposessed, and we had to move in with my grandparents. At the time my mom was very close with her Uncle, and they almost moved down with him in Hartford, Conneticut. I can't even imagine all of the ways that would have impacted my life, or where I would be now if I ended up there. So the outcome of question 4 could have been different if they would have followed thru with that decision to move. 5) Mostly farming, or forestry. My great uncle’s sons still own and operate a potato farm in Fort Kent, Maine to this day, and I remember working on that farm on the potato harvester as a young teenager. Man did I work long hour on cold days. It averaged 11 hour work days, and late fall in northern Maine ain't no day to be tanning, let me tell you. That was alot of hard work, but pretty cool working next to my great uncle (Alphie Roy). Now he has Alzimer's disease, and he is in a nursing home. It's sad.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I would say that I’ll continue to dig into my past and learn about my family’s heritage thru my parents, and grandparents, so that my children may know and be proud about where and who they come from. This Isearch does not really have an ending to me, i'll learn and pass on things down the bloodline for future generations to come.