September 13-14, 2014. Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec to Cornwall, Ontario to home.

Our motel last night was at the site of an old mill powered by horses and had a statue out front.  We were out of there in good time after going to breakfast at the restaurant next door.

We stopped at a rest area along the way--they are really serious about not feeding the birds!

We intended to make a short stop at the small town where my French ancestors settled in 1648, and from which my great-great  grandfather came to Newport, Michigan in the mid 1800s. Until yesterday I thought that would be Trois Rivieres, but my cousins sent me information suggesting otherwise. The Rivard family really came from Grondines.

I found out the parish was St. Charles de Borromeo, same name as the parish they helped found in Newport! With the computer and GPS we found it easily.

Since the church was built in 1837, it is very likely the one in which my great-great grandparents were married! I found many graves with their last name (Rivard) but none were old enough to be my direct ancestors. My great-great-great grandparents were buried here in in the 1850s). I believe they are there, but that the gravestones have deteriorated. I took photos of some of my relatives anyway!

 

 

We were so happy to have found so many Rivards, Trottiers and others in my lineage that we next went to St. Alban, where more of my relatives originated.

 

 

 

We found the church easily, and the cemetery was adjacent. This cemetery appears older than the one at Grondines, but I only found a couple of antecedents here. Again, I believe they are here, in some of the empty spaces in the old section. Now I am inspired to go to the Monroe County Library and peruse the "Monroe County families from Quebec" books again.

 

We stayed at Cornwall, Ontario the last night. Sunday morning we headed for home. We crossed into the US around 4 PM, and are very glad to be home.