New issue of Le Forum blooms with ‘memeres and peperes’

Whether or not you know any of the subjects personally, you will enjoy “meeting” the grandparents – the memeres and peperes – of youngsters from Lewiston Middle School in the latest issue of Le Forum.

Thanks to the March-April issue, published by the Franco-American Center at the University of Maine, we can read the results of the oral history project undertaken by Adam Dube, Dana Beaudin, Deneige Pelletier, Rachel Miller, Courtney Keach, Brian Bilodeau, Lauren Rodrigue, Kara Beaudin, Renee Desmarais, Chantel McLellan, Danielle Dubuc, Kate Prideaux, Matthew Gutshall, Kaitlynn Pike and Elizabeth Brochu.

At the end of the section is a list of 26 sample questions for a Franco-American interview, from “Can you tell us what you remember about the place you were born?” to “Do you have any pictures of yourself and others that you can include for my story?” It’s a great example of a questionnaire, even for those without Franco-American ancestry.

Other features of this issue include copies of the proclamation by Queen Elizabeth II acknowledging the responsibility of the Crown for the Acadian Deportation in 1755.

Another interesting piece is “The French inhabitants of the upper St. John River Valley, viewed by the editor of the Portland Transcript, Edward Elwell, in 1858 and 1878.”

Le Forum is printed partly in English and partly in French. Those with Franco-American heritage from Maine definitely will enjoy it. Subscriptions are $20 a person for six issues a year in the United States, $25 for those living outside the United States, and $40 for organizations and libraries. Write to Le Forum, Franco-American Center, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5719.

Four American Indian families are highlighted in “Basketmakers of the Dawn, Carrying on the Tradition,” a special exhibit on display at the University of Maine’s Hudson Museum through July 20.

Featured in the exhibit are the Shay family of the Penobscots, Sylvia Gabriel and the Frey family of the Passamaquoddies, the Sanipass family, which includes three generations of Micmac basket makers, and the Neptune family of Passamaquoddy artists.

The Hudson Museum is located in the Maine Center for the Arts building on the Orono campus. The museum is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays.

To learn more about the museum, its exhibits and programs, call 581-1901, or visit www.maine.edu/hudsonmuseum.

Linda Dodge of Stow, Mass., has written “Nathan Fish (1748-ca. 1811) and His Wife, Betsey Kinney/Kenney, Early Settlers of Starks, Maine and Their Descendants Volume I,” published through Penobscot Press, an imprint of Picton Press in Rockport.

The book follows Nathan Fish and his family to Mason, N.H.; to Ballstown, Maine, now Jefferson; then to Starks, Maine. It is 244 pages and has an every-name index. Allied families include Quimby, Walker, Brown, Collins, Gray and Kincaid

For ordering information, contact Linda Dodge at lrldodge@aol.com.

Andrea Hawkes, author of “The Same Great Struggle: The History of the Vickery Family of Unity, Maine, 1634-1997,” will give a talk at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 8, at Bangor Public Library. Drawn in part from the extensive genealogical research of the late James B. Vickery, Hawkes tells the tale of a remarkable Maine family.

The next organizational meeting of the Daughters of Union Veterans will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at the Abbot town hall on Route 15. Bring information on your ancestor who served in the Civil War. Donna Runnels also is looking for comment on whether Abbot is the most convenient town to hold DUV meetings in.

3256. HITCHBORN-HICHBORN-HAYNES. Seeking birth dates of Susannah and Eliza Hichborn or Hitchborn of Stockton Springs, who died at sea in 1798. They were daughters of Robert Sr. and Susannah (Ellingwood?) Hitchborn of Boston and Stockton Springs (Cape Jellison). The girls also were sisters of Robert Hitchborn Jr., who was Bangor’s second town clerk. Susannah was on her way to be married in Boston. Would also like to know name of her fiance. Also seeking info on Francis Haynes, who also died at sea in 1798 with the sisters. He is reported to have been living in Bangor area. C.B. Smith Fisher, 601 Grandview Ave., Bangor, ME 04401-3257.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send e-mail to familyti@bangordailynews.net.