Pause Midi: Researching Our Family Trees

French-Canadians have been present in the Champlain Valley since the late 1600s.  Today many Vermonters have French-Canadian heritage.  Tracing our ancestry, regardless of our heritage, can be a fascinating journey of discovering connections and appreciation for those who came before us.  The Vermont Genealogy Library, created by the French-Canadian Genealogical Society, has resources and experienced staff to help with family history research.  

At our Pause Midi (formerly Pause-Déjeuner) on Thursday, February 16, Jane Duchesneau Whitmore will talk about the migration of French-Canadians to Vermont and ways their descendants can trace their ancestry back to 17th-century France.  She will discuss the challenge of name variations, the plethora of great sources, genealogical puzzles, and the joys of succeeding in our search for our roots.

Jane Whitmore, an experienced family historian and educator, holds a master of science in teaching degree from Antioch University New England.  Her family’s roots in Québec are long and deep—all eight of her great-grandparents came from French Canada.  She volunteers at the Vermont Genealogy Library, and though her specialty is French-Canadian research, she helps people of all ethnicities discover their family history.  Jane is a longtime member of the Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society and former board member.  She teaches classes at this library regularly and hosts a monthly special interest group for members with French-Canadian family ties. 

This presentation will be held via Zoom.