An American Story

The story told in this book is true. It is not historical fiction. It begins in the middle of the 17th century, and continues up to the present time, the opening of the 21st century. It commences when two young men, French soldiers of the king (in the same regiment) are sent across the ocean to a new world, New France. Their king was Louis XIV, %u201CThe Sun King%u201D and the two men were the author%u2019s first maternal and paternal ancestors in the Americas. The narrative continues with their lives in the new world and the lives of each succeeding generation down to the author%u2019s own life. It represents a total of 344 years counting from when the soldiers both disembarked in New France in 1665 to the year 2009. Woven into this family story is the history of French Canada and the United States during this three century period. It is a slice of history of these two great nations in which the French people resided. It is the story of a people who have maintained their heritage, language and culture over the centuries to the present time. The travails, joys and sorrows, triumphs and tragedies experienced by the author's ancestors are representative of millions of America%u2019s people and in this sense universal. It is an American story.