{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 219","description":"  The Genealogy Gems PodcastEpisode #219 with Lisa Louise Cooke In this episode, Lisa shares the stories of Julianne Mangin, who has explored the tragic and twisted stories of her ancestors, Graziella and Philippe Metthe. These stories caught Lisa\u2019s eye: \u201cThe tragic tale with its surprises along the way was tantalizing enough, but the real intrigue for me was from a genealogical point of view \u2013 the confusing records and the fascinating news accounts that help shed light on them.\u201d Julianne Mangin is a retired librarian and web developer who took up genealogy in 2012, hoping to make sense of her mother's brief and disconnected family stories. After five years of dogged research, she has written down her family story in the form of a memoir in which she pieces together the family saga and writes about how the experience changed her. She hopes that she can find a publisher for her completed manuscript. She maintains a website at juliannemangin.com where she posts articles about her genealogical discoveries and insights. Family Stories\u2026we all have them. Passed around the dinner table, over the phone, and in hushed voices around the corner of a doorway. When we are children they come from the mouths of our elders, which cements them firmly as told. No deviations, because after all, they were told by grownups. And some of those stories aren\u2019t really stories at all. Just fragments really. Juicy pieces of gossip or bottom lines that are meant to explain away the past, and firmly place a period at the end. No more discussion. Julianne Mangin had heard stories like these all of her life, mostly from her mom. The stories of how her grandmother and grandfather married in 1922, and then 2 months later Grandma left Grandpa. And then Grandma\u2019s 10 years committed to a mental institution. Yes, they were fragments really more than complete stories. Julianne\u2019s mother was the family historian and when pressed for details, it was a bit like pulling teeth. Oh, and yes, there was the story about Julianne\u2019s great grandfather abandoning her great grandmother, and then she was committed to a mental institution, and then they pulled out all her teeth! Julianne\u2019s mom was the genealogist of the family and by all appearances had all those census records, birth certificates and other dry documents firmly in hand. (And as for asking for more details on those unusual and mysterious stories, that was a bit like pulling teeth, too.) Julianne\u2019s family history was an entangled web of lies, pain, loss and madness. On her website JulianneMangin.com, she describes it \u201ca Dickensian tale of immigration, poverty, mental illness, family betrayal and ultimately redemption.\u201d In this episode of the Genealogy Gems Podcast, we\u2019re going to unravel the story of how madness in a family nearly buried the truth of the family\u2019s history. And how bringing that truth out into the light brought with it healing and created a passionate, new genealogist. Along the way, you\u2019ll hear some of the strategies that Julianne used find that truth; methods that just may help you to flesh out the true details of one of your family\u2019s stories. Quote-worthy statements from Julianne: \u201cI had been a reluctant genealogist most of my life until I realized genealogy\u2019s power to unlock family secrets and make sense of the stories Mom told me about her family.\u201d \u201cMy grandfather left my grandmother and so she became insane, and then some doctor thought it was a good idea to pull out all her teeth. End of story! And that was it.\u201d  \u201cIt\u2019s just psychologically better to really know where you\u2019re really from and what really happened before you.\u201d How Family History Helps Create Happy Families: Genealogy Gems with Bruce Feiler \u201cThat takes me to another one of my mother\u2019s cryptic stories which was that she said that as a child her mother grew up in a shed.\u201d Julianne used Sanborn fire insurance maps to find the shed, and visited it personally. Resource: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Premium Video (requires Genealogy Gems Premium eLearning membership to access)   Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends RootsMagic family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com.   Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke\u2019s Genealogy Gems. Learn more at https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/Lisa.   The Metthe family cast of characters: BEATRICE METTHE (1901-1966) was Julianne\u2019s grandmother. She had four siblings: Leonard, Dinorah, Joseph, and Pauline. Her parents were: PHILIPPE METTHE (1877-1937) and GRAZIELLA BONNEAU (1878-1910). Both of them were born in Quebec. They married in 1899 in Danielson, Connecticut. Philippe's parents were DAVID METTHE (1851-1912) and ROSALIE LAPOINTE (Abt. 1852-1923). David was born in Quebec (Julianne\u2019s not sure where Rosalie was born or if Lapointe is her real name). They married in Danielson in 1873. David and Rosalie had 11 children. Philippe was the second oldest. Graziella's parents were PIERRE BONNEAU (1853-1911) and AZILDA DAVIGNON (1855-1912). They were born in Quebec and married there in 1876. They immigrated to the U.S. in 1885 when Graziella was seven years old. Pierre and Azilda had 10 children. Graziella was the second oldest. The mysterious 1920 U.S. Federal Census record: Philippe says he is single Marie says she\u2019s the wife of the head of household Family lore was that Philippe went back to Canada, but this entry is in MA Julianne\u2019s approach: Research all the possible areas and \u201cwhat ifs\u201d. Look in Quebec church records for a marriage (not found) Look in MA vital records for a marriage (not found) Try to find Marie E and Charles D in some other family group in 1910 She searched for Marie E and Charles D and limited their location to CT, and found them with a George Metthe (Philippes brother!): Where is George? \u201cThis is why I got hooked on genealogy. There are now digitized sources out there that help you answer questions like that!\u201d She found him in the newspapers Newspaper research resources: How to use Chronicling America to find your ancestors\u2019 hometown newspapers How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers by Lisa Louise Cooke Getting the Scoop from Old Newspapers: Parts 1 and 2 video tutorials (Premium eLearning membership required) Must-search digitized US historical newspaper collections: Chronicling America (free) US Newspaper Archives at Findmypast.com (search for free: subscription required to view search results) Newspaper collections at MyHeritage.com (search for free: subscription required to view search results) Newspapers.com   MyHeritage.com is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. Click here to see what MyHeritage can do for you: it\u2019s free to get started.   French-Canadian research resources: A French-Canadian Irish genealogy mystery Here\u2019s why Quebec church records are a great place to look for ancestors Maple Stars and Stripes: Your French-Canadian Genealogy Podcast   Julianne is thankful that: Her mom\u2019s family was from Quebec: their records are so great and detailed. There were a lot of bad actors in her family so they showed up in the newspapers More quotes from Julianne: \u201cMy motivation for being a genealogist was to learn more about my mother\u2019s curiously insensitive behavior.  But when I put it all together, one of my reactions was of relief. I was relieved because things made sense. And you know at that point in my life when I started genealogy I was in my mid-fifties and I just wanted a family story that made sense. As sad as it was, things were starting to make sense now.\u201d \u201cWell one of the things that I say repeatedly is that writing this book and writing this story of my family was a way of showing how family history is empowering and also it\u2019s got the potential to heal old wounds by bringing up the truth.\u201d \u201cI would just like to say that I hope that my story helps other people, and I hope they get genealogical ideas from the little victories that I\u2019ve had. I hope also that people who come to my blog   can see how I\u2019ve used family history to change myself, into someone who understands more about where I\u2019m from, and being more empathetic to people who are suffering from things like mental illness, or from trauma. I just hope that what I do helps others, even though part of me just wants to tell my story.\u201d THE GENEALOGY GEMS TEAM TOGETHER ON ONE STAGE FOR TWO DAYS! Who: Lisa Louise Cooke, Diahan Southard and Sunny Morton What: Genealogy Roots Conference at SeniorExpo Where: South Towne Expo Center, 9081 S. State St., Sandy, Utah (just 30 minutes from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City!) When: October 4-5, 2018, 9:00 am \u2013 5:00 pm Click here to learn more!   PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Hannah Fullerton, Audio Production Lacey Cooke, Service Manager Disclosure: This document contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting this free podcast and blog! ","author_name":"The Genealogy Gems Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke - Your Family History Show","author_url":"http:\/\/genealogygemspodcast.libsyn.com","html":"