Ancestry DNA helping fill in the missing pieces (Part 9)

   This is the last of this series (as far as I know, right now).  The trip up North was a great one. We had a good time and my brother and his family got to meet a group of other's from our family. Seeing and being on the property that was the land of our great grand parents was something else. He fell in love with it as much as I.  We went out in the bush and enjoyed seeing the old homestead of our great grand parents.  Later we spent the night out in the bush; my brother Branden, cousin in law Gabe and I. We talked about the visit Branden was to have with our father. He wasn't interested in appologies or in hearing excuses for his belief's. He mentioned that he was having the meeting in part because he thought I wanted it. That he was doing for me.  I tried to tell him, he didn't need to. I wanted this for the two of them. I knew that any possibility of a future relationship for them was up to them. I just wanted them to take the chance at it. I really don't get anything from it per say. I just didn't want them to miss the chance. A few days later we went to our father's house ahead of everyone else. We sat and talked for an hour or so and just talked casually. There was no mention of the past and what had happened back then, no excuses.  A week or so after I talked with my brother and he said the meeting really didn't do anything and it was all just as it was. I told him I didn't fully understand, as it seemed to go exactly as he had said he wanted it to. I have since been back up north to see my dad and check on him. He made no mention of the meeting and given his memory problems recently and how much he seems to feel things when he tries to remember. So I believe it will not go anywhere further.  As I said, this was their story, the outcome is thier's. I can't live their life's. They took the opportunity to speak and if it has not lead them to any kind of reconcilation then they have to live with this.
    I am also happy to report that my cousin in law has found the old well at the old homestead and is going to try to reopen it as a source of water in the bush. It was really good to be back out there and see the property.  I hope you have all been having a good time researching your own family history/stories. I continue to work on our's. No matter where the research takes you it is still your story. Don't be afraid of it. You are still who you are, no matter the new info we find. So always Remember When....
    Lastly I have been considering making this a video blog and put it on 'You Tube'. I will be looking at how to go about this, and ask my son to help me. No promises. If I do then I may redo these blog's as video blog's. If not and or until then I will continue to these blog's, when I can.

Ancestry DNA helping fill in the missing pieces (Part 8)

    Well this adventure in DNA testing keep's moving along.  First of all my mother's brother Wilfrid (who died just a little time back) had children from a few different woman in his life. One I have gotten to know (Robbie H.), and another (Christine) who I only really know over Facebook. She is the spitting image of our grandmother (WIlfird & my mother Noella's mother).  Well I noticed that she had done the Ancestry DNA test and showed up on my matches. So I contacted her on the Ancestry site and let her know that I had ben doing the family history and would be willing to share anything she would like to know about. I left it at that and she responded a few months later that she was interested. I have let her know through Facebook that I intend to respond soon. I will probably do that this week.
    The other news is that my mother, my brother and I are going up north (Verner, Warren, Sturgeon Falls, North Bay area of Northern, Ontario) to visit with family up there. My brother doesn't really know the family up there well and has wanted to go up and meet and get to know some of them better. His children and and possibly his wife may be coming along too.  So while we are looking forward to this, I get a call from my father and he wants to know if I can ask my brother if it's alright to give our dad his number. Dad wants to call and talk to him, trying to reach out after all these years. Now that we have the hard evidence that he is my brother's father. So I talked to my brother and he said he was fine with this. He holds no ill feeling and is fine with talking to him. He has no expectation for the conversation and isn't looking for anything (even an appology of any kind). So I was over his place having this conversation and hung around for a while talking and visiting when my brother tells me he has changed his mind. He thinks this is a conversation that would be better/should be done, face to face. So I said we are going up north soon and dad is in the area. We can take a day trip over and see him. My brother agreed and so we will be going to visit him while up north. My brother has said he will bring the kids with him too, so they can meet our dad and his wife Ivy (their other grand parents).  I am somewhat floored at how this has come together. I am very pleased by it, and pray for the best to come of it. I know even if they start talking it will never be the relationship it should have been. My mother and I where seperated for about 10 years when my parents divorced and there has always been something missing from our relationship. Well where ever this goes; it can't go anywhere unless people step out and make an effort.
     Lastly, on Facebook we have a family site for Lafleur cousin's where we can talk and share. Some of the family keep asking about our relation to Guy Lafleur the NHL Hockey player. I have heard over the years that he is a distant cousin and so have others. They know I do the genealogy and asked if I knew. I said I hadn't come across anything as of yet; but that I really hadn't looked very hard. One of the cousins meesaged that his birthday was such and such and his parents name. I told them give me a few minutes adn with that info I would see what I could quickly find. I did a search and found a tree of another distant cousin that had Guy on it and showed that guy's GGG Grand Parents where my GGGG Grand Parents. We are his distant cousins. I am trying to get all the info into my tree and confirm the link. Right now it appears we are all 3-4th cousins and or 2nd cousins so many times removed. Once I have it all in I will be able to confirm it.
    For now continue to look back into your own family history and always REMEBER WHEN....