I've come to really like this place of Iron Mountain, Michigan. It really has a likable small town feel and a beautiful spirit about it. Here, I found my great-great grandma and grandpa who came to this country from French Canada along with a sense of connection to them and a very slight glimpse of what their lives may have been like. I don't know much about what they were like as people but what I do know is that they took a chance by leaving their home country to start over in a new place. They raised a family here and were buried in a place far away from the families with whom they grew up. I am not sure why they came here but my assumption is that it was for economic opportunity. Obviously, I am here because they were willing to start over in a new place. I couldn't be more grateful. Many thanks to Joseph and Olive who are my French-Canadian ancestors.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Iron Mountain 2012 - The Chapin Mine
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| Site of the Chapin Mine |
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| Site of the Chapin Mine |
My great-great-grandfather worked in the iron mines for a while. I believe it was an open air mine. Now it is filled with water.
Iron Mountain 2012 - Pasties for Lunch Part 1
Found a little pasties shop. Dale bought a couple and we then took them to the park for a picnic.
Iron Mountain 2012 - Cemetery Park
Dale and Ispent about an hour looking through the cemetery to find my ancestor's grave markers. It took a while but it was worth the effort.
Iron Mountain 2012 - A Family House
Stopped at the Dickinson County Courthouse this morning to get death certificates for my ancestors. We then stopped at the library to look in the old city directories and look up obituaries. The city directories were easy enough to find. We had to look at old newspapers on microfilm to find the obituaries and find them we did! Now the house the family had for many years is no longer standing but the house where my great-grandfather was when he died is pictured above. The house belonged to his daughter's family.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Iron Mountain 2012 - Dickinson County Courthouse
Iron Mountain 2012 - Carpenter Avenue
Dale and I found the site of where my ancestors used to live. Sadly, the house is no more.
Iron Mountain Trip 2012 - Spiro's
Dale and I made it to Iron Mountain, Michigan around 4:30 p.m. Explored for a little while and then had dinner at a place called Spiro's. Very tasty.
Iron Mountain Trip 2012 - Smokey the Bear
Stopped for gas in Wisconsin. Our destination is Iron Mountain, Michigan where I will be doing some genealogy work.
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