Family is really important in my family. We try to find out as much family history as possible.
My mother was born in France. Her parents moved to the United States with her when she was six years old. My mom is fluent in French, and she speaks it often with her parents. She doesn’t have an accent when she speaks English, but when she switches to French, you can tell that she originated from there.
My mom has a lot of history in her family. My favorite story that my mom told us is about her aunt. Her aunt was one of the people who helped people travel to safety during World War II. My mom’s aunt was a very brave and smart person. This is her story.
My mom’s aunt and uncle both worked to help people flee from the dangers of World War II. They traveled in small groups, and didn’t associate with each other at all during the trek. Every so often there was a check point where military men would strip the travelers of their clothes and search for maps and papers leading to safe houses. They would look in the lining and pockets of everything. My mom’s aunt, Yvonne, saw many of her friends killed because they found the papers. Yvonne and some her other friends became smart. Instead of putting papers in the lining of their coats, they printed a map with a secret code on silk scarves. That way, when the guards asked them to take off their clothing, they would take off the scarf and the guards would not even take a second glance. Only the women wore the scarves, and one day, Yvonne’s husband was caught. He was shot dead right before her eyes. She couldn’t cry out or react at all because if she had, the soldiers would have killed her too. All she could do was say a silent prayer, and continue on her journey. Yvonne never got caught, and my mom has her scarf framed in our house.
Another story my mom told us is of another woman in her family. This woman was also her aunt. This aunt was Jewish, but the rest of her family was Catholic. One night, a neighbor turned her in. The soldiers came by my mom’s aunt’s house, and her husband protected her. He told the soldiers that he was the Jewish man, not his wife. He was taken to a concentration camp where he spent the rest of the war. Luckily, he survived the concentration camp and went home safely at the end of the war.
My grandma, Catherine, was alive during this time as well. She was only a little girl, but she remembers the war very well. My grandma said that whenever there were bombings, her mom would take her to the basement and tell her that there were fireworks going off in a nearby area. My grandma also told me that soldiers would come into her house seeking shelter at night. They would sleep in the attic. Other soldiers from the other side would come in later and poke the ceiling with their bayonets. She said that some of the soldiers came down and some she never saw again.
There are many other stories that are also amazing. Somewhere in my family line, there is a line of royals. My mom’s cousin owns a castle in France where people can visit. If family visits, they can stay in the servants’ quarter of the castle which is really cool. My older sister, my mom, and I are going to France and staying there in the summer of 2014. I am very proud of my ancestors, and I hope to do something great too, so that the future generations of my family will hear my story and be proud.
My church has a website in which you can do some of your family history. It is really cool to see all of the relatives that you had, where they lived, and what they did.
No comments:
Post a Comment