My name is Geraldine Weigand and I'm working on the DEMERS-DUPUIS-DUQUETTE genealogy of my grandparents and great-grandparents. Many years ago when I heard that an older cousin (Doris Wood) had been working on the family tree, I was fascinated. She and a fine gentleman (Philippe Hebert...now deceased) had made up an extensive chart on our family. Philippe did tons of research and now I have a chart going back into the 1600's when my family came over from France to Quebec, Canada. They had their struggles with the Iroquois Indians at that time and went through many hardships. A certain ancestor (URBAIN TESSIER) was kidnapped by the Iroquois, had one of his fingers cut off, and they burned down his house. You will find a shortened version of his biography in one of the following pages. Fortunately these people were of hardy stock. Many men married girls in their teens, as Urbain Tessier did, and had many children. Although Urbain Tessier never learned how to read or write, he did lead a productive and successful life. I hope you will enjoy reading about this particular ancestor of mine. [NOTE: My family's French background began in Dieppe,France, extends into the early settling of Montreal, Canada in the 1600's, next into Massachusetts in the late 1800's, then into New York State by the early 1900's. Some of the pictures will reflect life during those centuries. Some pics are taken from the Hudson Bay Company site and others as well. In have included a few Indian motifs, as that was significant part of life in early Quebec.] I believe that if you wanted to begin tracing your roots, you would find it exciting, illuminating, and lots of fun. I am including many genealogical links to help you from beginning to end. Each link leads in turn to many others which you will find helpful. You will embark on a new adventure. Happy Hunting!!!