Chapter 2: GETTING TO CANADA
Clouds on clouds, in volumes driven,
Curtain round the vault of heaven.
~Thomas Love Peacock
Those clouds are angels' robes.
~Charles Kingsley
As a child, I imagined that God dwelled somewhere in or above the clouds. Flying from Tucson to Dallas, to New York City, and into Montreal gave me time to ponder Heaven and those ancestors who have gone before. They paved the way for our good fortune and freedom, health, wealth and the pursuit of happiness - goals they sought upon leaving France for Canada in the 1700s. Later, many left from the province of Quebec, Canada to the United States following Homestead Act of 1862.
Curtain round the vault of heaven.
~Thomas Love Peacock
Those clouds are angels' robes.
~Charles Kingsley
As a child, I imagined that God dwelled somewhere in or above the clouds. Flying from Tucson to Dallas, to New York City, and into Montreal gave me time to ponder Heaven and those ancestors who have gone before. They paved the way for our good fortune and freedom, health, wealth and the pursuit of happiness - goals they sought upon leaving France for Canada in the 1700s. Later, many left from the province of Quebec, Canada to the United States following Homestead Act of 1862.
Flying below the clouds upon approach to Montreal I could see the long, narrow strips of land beginning at the tributary of the St. Lawrence and beforehand could only image this system of land division that was crucial to the success of these farmers in the watering of crops.
"Since [the St. Lawrence] was such an important water highway, every family wanted to own a section of the river bank. The river region is flat and fertile, with long, narrow fields that stretch back from the great river banks." Ma Famille. Sister Veronica Roy CSJ
"Since [the St. Lawrence] was such an important water highway, every family wanted to own a section of the river bank. The river region is flat and fertile, with long, narrow fields that stretch back from the great river banks." Ma Famille. Sister Veronica Roy CSJ
After renting a car at the Montreal Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport and finding our way to the Sherton Airport hotel (without a GPS, which would have been very handy since the GPS on our cellphones did not work in Canada), we enjoyed a meal. We turned in early for an overnight stay before heading out early south-east, or est as the direction is marked in French. The sign for west reads ouest. How did our ancestors find their way?
Sometimes a trip must be made more than once to grasp the full impact. After returning home, I continued to research and found that my mother's maternal grandfather, Jean Leon Maximin Hebert, was born in the parish of St. Laurent de Montreal 1841. Had I known beforehand, I would have scheduled some time to research the location of the cemetery. Upon landing at the airport, we were standing in the backyard, or at least in the neighborhood of his burial, as St. Laurent borders the airport property.
Sometimes a trip must be made more than once to grasp the full impact. After returning home, I continued to research and found that my mother's maternal grandfather, Jean Leon Maximin Hebert, was born in the parish of St. Laurent de Montreal 1841. Had I known beforehand, I would have scheduled some time to research the location of the cemetery. Upon landing at the airport, we were standing in the backyard, or at least in the neighborhood of his burial, as St. Laurent borders the airport property.