THE CAMARA FAMILY In the last row, the man third from the right is my grandfather Antonio Camara. The rest of the people in this picture remain a mystery. If you see anyone who looks familiar please email me :)  

In my search for my family origins I have found some basic things very helpful. I found that the best place to start when digging for your roots is with yourself. The next logical step is to consult with family members, especially older relatives who can prove to be a wealth of information. After these sources have been exhausted move on to the official documents. A few of my facts came from papers that had been stored in files for years, such as immigration papers, death and birth certificates. These documents can also be found at the city or town hall at the location of the ancestors death. Any document that lists birth and death dates, places, and parent names is very valuable. Also Churches can be consulted to gather Marriage information on ancestors to find out more about them and their parents names. Old photo albums if labeled are a great addition to all your data also! Libraries are also very useful, here you can find obituaries that may help you sort out some murky facts, especially regarding relationships. Many libraries have newspapers on microfilm dating back into the late 1800's. Another thing to look into at the library is the IGI - International Genealogy Index. It is a set of 50 cd's put together by the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) . It has many family lines listed. The statistics say that there is only a 30% chance of finding helpful information with this resource, I guess I got lucky. It is definitely worth reviewing, maybe you will too. I did however find that the best libraries to visit are in large cities. I thoroughly enjoyed my day spent researching at the Boston Public Library. Another great place for French Canadian research is the AFGS in Woonsocket RI. If you can go to the city that one of your ancestors lived in, the City Directories are a great source of information. They give clues to the occupations, and family living arrangements these people had. If you observe closely from year to year, sometimes you can even find death dates! For close to home research I have found the New Bedford Public Library , New Bedford Massachusetts an Excellent resource. This Library  has a very good French Canadian Genealogy center. The people there are knowledgeable and helpful! Most of the resources needed to trace your way back through history are there, including many of the Parish Records of New France.  They have a reference section full of information on immigration of French Canadian and Portuguese descent among others. Complete with ship lists and immigration on  microfiche, Tanguay, Jette, Drouin and some selected Massachusetts parish records! Family History Centers are also a good place to start. There are knowledgeable people there to help you in your search. They are part of the Latter Day Saints Churches. I found the one in Dartmouth Ma particularly helpful in tracing my Portuguese roots. Cemeteries of course shouldn't be overlooked. They keep good records of family data for religious purposes. You can also double check dates on headstones to verify that the records are correct. You never know what tidbits of information could be there chiseled in stone! I started my search in 1993. It was very slow work, until I discovered computers, the internet, and great software like Family Tree Maker. If you have time , check out their site. It definitely sped things up as far as organization! Genealogy is a fun hobby. It is time consuming, but unlike other hobbies not all that expensive. It is challenging and very rewarding. I think best of all, in doing the research, it brings families together to chat about memories of long ago. Not only does it open doors to the past, it helps us get a clearer idea of where we came from, and who we are, adding a foundation to our identities. Jonas and Joe Vandal (Vandal Brothers Grocery Fall River Ma.) My Search My ancestors came to the New England area from Sao Miguel Island in the Azores, and the Province of Quebec, Canada . Below is a brief outline of some Surnames that I am currently researching:

• BOISSINOT from Eliazar Boissinot 1841 Levis Canada>Massachusetts
• CAMARA from Mathias Camara 1852 Santo Antonia Bretanha, Sao Miguel Island ,Azores>Massachusetts
• CHEVRIER from Francois Xavior Chevrier 1797 Sorel, Quebec Canada>Massachusetts
• CLOUTIER from Delia Cloutier 1887 Canada>Massachusetts
• COURNOYER from JeanBaptiste Hus Cournoier 1756 Sorel Canada>Massachusetts
• GROLEAU from Julienne Groleau 1631 France>Quebec Canada>Massachusetts
• LAGASSE / Lagace from Andre Mignier Dit 1640.France>Canada>Massachusetts
• MONTMINY from Vital Montminy 1831 Canada>Massachusetts
• PAVAO Jose Pavao 1828 Candelaria, Sao Migeul Island Azores>Massachusetts
• PINEL from Nicolas Pinel 1612 La Rochelle France> Quebec Canada> Massachusetts
• RIPAULT from Jaques Ripau 1690 Batiscan, Quebec, Canada> Massachusetts
• VANDAL from Etienne Vandal 1627 France>Quebec>Massachusetts
• VENNE from Therese Venne 1725 Neuville, Quebec, Canada> Massachusetts

1925 I would like to dedicate this family tree to my Grandmother Marie Jeanne Georgette (Vandal) Lagasse 1909-1984. Her preservation of family artifacts, and a keen interest in our past led me to wonder, myself, where we came from and who we are. Her influence greatly touched my life and she is sorely missed. In her spirit then, this project was undertaken. I only wish I was able to give her the answers to her questions. The work on her direct lineage is near complete back to France... unfortunately a decade too late. I present this then in her memory.  

 

PAVAO FAMILY THE CAMARA FAMILY Antonia Pavao and Antonio Camara 1922 Jeanne Vandal and Adelard Lagasse 1937 Obeline Boissinot and Jonas Vandal 1894 Maria Dos Santos Costa and Jose Guido Pavao     Ocean Grove 1931 Jeanne and Jonas Vandal This is Captain Raphael Chevrier. He was the mayor of St. Jospeh-De-Sorel in Quebec Canada from 1887-1899. Then served a second term from 1913-1921. He also served as Master of the Port of Sorel and Captain of both the Steam Ships "Imperial" and "Sir Hugh Allan". He was a sea captain employed by the Federal Government for 40 years. He was very active in the school and church and served as Justice of the Peace for 10 years. He died at the age of 71. His wife was Zoe Cournoyer. They had 11 children. His parents were Raphael Chevrier and Esther Cournoyer.

Many thanks to Daniel Cooper for all of this  information on CHEVRIER! After years of posting this picture, the questions are finally answered! Daniel is also seeking information on GAUTHIER, COURNOYER, and DUMAS.

Members of the REPUBLICAN CLUB  Fall River Massachusetts Let me know if you see any familiar faces in this picture. My grandfather is in the second row 5th from the right.  

 

I would like to extend a special thank you to some wonderful people whom I have met in my travels on the internet: Cheri Mello... Who offered me advice, and a helping hand in Portuguese research. Thanks Cheri, you pointed me in the right direction! George Pacheco... Skilled in finding those lost roots, a kind man of great patience and knowledge. Without his efforts and  Portuguese translation nothing would make sense.Thank You George for all your help, and understanding. I can tell you really really love this research! David Savignac... My distant 7th cousin once removed!!! Thanks for all your knowledge and expertise. Thanks for sharing so much  "Vandal" information. Your kindness has inspired me to new heights on this project! William Gelineau...Another distant relative... Thank you for broadening my vision on the Chevrier link! Doug Da Rocha Holmes...Thank you for including me in LusaWeb. It is a wonderful, informative site for Azorean/Portuguese researchers...Again giving me direction! Bob Camara... finally someone is getting us all together!!! Thanks PP for getting us together :) Hugi Jobin .... My Canadian penpal who loves Genealogy too!!! Thanks for all of your help Hugi !!!! Maybe I will write you in French someday :) George Lagasse....Thanks for all your help and insight into the Lagasse line :) Sometimes it is easier to go backwards when you know where to finish :) Leo Vandal...My real life nearby cousin! Thanks for sharing your information and understanding:) I look forward to linking to your webpage :) Mireille Lagace...I loved your site. Thanks for the background and history :) Carol...Thanks for sharing the background information and giving the branches color :)

Daniel Cooper...Thanks for the great pictures and all of the Chevrier information!!! Raphel is sure more colorful now! :)

I knew in my travels I may find lost family, but I never expected to find friends! Without your help much of this would not be possible! Thanks again :)

 

This page is linked into the Canadian Genealogy and History network   Member of the Internet Genealogical Directory   GMW Surname Links Page   Helpful Links Acadian Genealogy Homepage Family Tree Maker Portuguese Passenger Lists Yahoo Genealogy The Genealogy Home Page Genealogy Online LusaWeb Genealogy Research - National Archives American-French Genealogical Society Canadian Genealogy Resources - Provincial Pages Description of the Roots Surname List (RSL) Genealogical Publishing Company Genealogy Helplist GENTECH Home Page New England Historical Genealogical Society Click below on the Flag of Canada for French Links The Tree for General Genealogy Links The Flag of Portugal for Portuguese Links  

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