The following is an excerpt from We Were Not Spoiledby Lucille Ledoux as told to Denis Ledoux. There were men in Lewiston who drove people to Canada and back. (They must have set schedules just like the trains, and people must have committed to specific dates.) Anyway, in the summer of 1937, I went to Thetford with a Mr. Nadeau who charged $5 each way. My aunt Gabrielle, who was only two years older than I, was with me on the way up, so she must have come down to Lewiston for a while and then we returned together. The (more…)

The following is an excerpt from We Were not Spoiled by Lucille Ledoux as told to Denis Ledoux. Our house at 428 Webster Street that we moved to in the fall of 1949 was a cozy little house, and it fit our family well. The boys had a bedroom in the back, and Claire slept with us in the front bedroom. Albert and I had bought a bedroom set that had a bed and two bureaus—the pieces all matched and that made me feel good after having mismatched pieces. There was a low bureau with a mirror and that one (more…)

The following is an excerpt from We Were Not Spoiled by Lucille Ledoux as told to Denis Ledoux. Eugène was born on June 11, 1933. Since my grandfather Verreault had died ten months earlier, my parents named the baby after him. They chose Bob and me to be his godparents. I was going on twelve and Robert had turned ten in February. Since godparenting called for raising a child if the parents died, this was a big responsibility which we could not possibly have fulfilled. (Since Gene was the ninth child, perhaps my parents were running out of people to (more…)

We enjoy when our readers submit their memoir-writing samples to us! The following story is from the memoir of one of our blog readers, Lori Robinson. We hope you will enjoy this sojourn in Africa: Two kinds of people sign up for African safaris. Most, myself included, want to see “The Big Five”–-lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, and elephant. The other people are the birders. So when my birder father announces he wants to join me on a trip to Botswana I have planned for myself, I clarify, “This is not a birding trip.” “I won’t mention my interest in birds (more…)

An excerpt from Digging for Treasure, Two Pioneer Coal Developers in Portage, Pennsylvania by Jean Crichton My sharpest memories of Portage, Pennsylvania, date from certain Sundays before my father’s death in 1952 (when I was 8). After church and Sunday dinner at our suburban home in Westmont, outside of Johnstown, Father would suggest “a drive up to the mines.” In an era before seatbelts, I climbed into the backseat of our maroon Cadillac beside my brother Alan. Piled around us were books and toys, enough, it was hoped, to keep us occupied for the 20-mile trip. Father took the wheel, (more…)

An excerpt from We Were not Spoiled by Lucille Ledoux as told to Denis Ledoux. In Franco-American New England, marching drill teams were popular. These teams were made up of Franco-American girls who played instruments and marched in formation. Rhéa Ledoux was a team captain and she got to march in front of the other girls. The various drill teams would prepare elaborate sequences which they performed in parades—often in competition for a prize. Some of the local teams of Franco-American girls were very good. The St-Jean-Baptiste parade was always a focal point as Canadians celebrated their patron saint on (more…)

An excerpt from We Were not Spoiled by Lucille Ledoux as told to Denis Ledoux. While our family was already large by today’s standards—there were already 6 kids, it was to grow even larger. In the spring of 1929, my mother was pregnant again and she made arrangements to have the baby in the hospital for the first time. I don’t know if she had some extra money or what, but René was born at St. Mary’s Hospital on June 24—Saint-Jean-Batiste [1]Day. In the next months, she developed mastitis. She believed she had contracted it when she went to the (more…)

Here to Stay: Developing Nationhood and Community in New France Here to Stay: Developing Nationhood and Community in New France is excerpted from my historical memoir Here To Stay. Here I write about my maternal ancestors Bartélémy Verreault and Marthe Quittel. As I recorded genealogical information—the births, marriages and deaths of my ancestors, I began to be fascinated with the question “What must their daily lives in New France have been like?” My mild interest in genealogy—to see how far back I could go in my Ledoux lineage—grew into a passion to reconstruct the French-speaking seventeenth-century culture that emerged on (more…)

National Memoir Writers Telesummit National Association of Memoir Writers is presenting their 10th Memoir Writers Telesummit—a free teleconference with experts in the areas of writing, publishing, blogging, and platform building—on May 3. Join the memoir writers telesummit for a great day of learning, exploring, and sharing passions about the ways that memoir writing and reading memoir has united people, and changed how literature and publishing is viewed. I am excited to be participating in this Memoir Writers Telesummit which is free to listeners. Memoirs are more popular today than ever. There is an evolving grass roots movement where ordinary people, not just (more…)

Visiting My Parents’ Home Town, Thetford

By Lucille Ledoux

It was my first time visiting Thetford since I was three. I did not remember anything from the first trip except being so pleased to sleep at my Lessard grandparents’ house. In my growing up, I had not had the luxury of staying over at a grandparents’ place as many other kids in Lewiston had. […]

Life In The Good Years

By Lucille Ledoux

The Summer I Was A “Slave”

By Lucille Ledoux

In the summer of 1933, I started to work for the Laneuville family, who lived up the street. Like my mother, Mrs. Laneuville had a large family. However, she was not feeling well so she asked my mother if I could be spared to provide some help. This was to be my first job outside […]

Giving Dad the Bird

By Lori Robinson

Outing to the Mine Office

By Jean Crichton

Franco-American Girls Marching Drill Team

A Marching Drill Team of Franco-American Girls

By Lucille Ledoux

In Franco-American New England, marching drill teams were popular. These teams were made up of Franco-American girls who played instruments and marched in formation. Rhéa Ledoux was a team captain and she got to march in front of the other girls. (more…)