|
|
 |
|
Family History Book
Copyright © 1998, Richard McQuisten, All rights reserved
A large and extended Martel/Martell/Martelle family among a group of 500 persons, settled in the Harper Ferry, IA and Prairie du Chien, WI areas in the late 1840s. This group of French Canadians started from near Québec, Canada, heading south seeking a promised land in which to settle and build homes. (see Leaving Canada) A multiple volume family history book, 500-600 pages, is being researched and compiled for publication in the summer of 2000. This book will be the first of its kind... although there was one other published several years ago by Mary Martell titled "Memoirs, Our People . . . the Indians"; however it was not near so extensive or complete. Ours will cover the time period from around 1637 in Paris, France to the year 2000. We expect when completed it will have 14 generations, and 7000-8000 Martell relatives and allied families in this ancestral history.
Allied families closely connected by marriage into the Martel/Martell/Martelle families are ASSELIN, AUPRY, AVERTY, BEBEAU, BEDARD, BERUBE, BLAKE, BOARDMAN, BOLDUC, BONET, BOUCHER, BOURBEAU, BRANCHAUD, BURKE, CAHALAN, CAYA, CHASSE, CHASTENAY, CHENEVERT, CHAILLÉ, CAMIRE, COURIER, COUSINEAU, COUTURE, CONWAY, COTÉ, COTA, DeLANEY, DeRUSHA, DOUCET, DuCHARME, DuFRESNE, DuHAIME, DION/HEON, DREW, DROUIN, EGAN, FERNETTE, FORCIER, FORTIER, FRANK, GAUTHIER, GAVIN, GILLIES, GROINIER, GUILLOT, GRAVELLE, GROU, GROUERT, GROUX, HAMMELL, HAWES, HUOTE, KELLY, KERNAN, KIRK, LACLIAR, LEMIRE, LANGUEDOC, LANGLOIS, LaPOINTE, LaPORTE, LARRIVIER, LaFRANÇOIS, LaRONT, LaTRANCHE, LaVOIE, LeBLANC, LeFEBVRE, LeGENDRE, LePAGE, LEMAY, LIONAIS, LONGUÉ, LUCAS, MANNING, MATTHEWS, MEEHAN, McCOY, McDONALD, McGUIRE, McQUISTEN, MOHN, MOREL, MULLARKEY, NOLAN, PANKA, PASTOUREL, PAQUET, PELLITIER, PERRAULT, PERUSSE, PLAMONDON, PROURD, PROULX, PREW, RATÉ, RICHER, ROBINSON, ROGNON, RONDEAU, ROSE, ROULOIS, ROY, SHEA, SIMONEAU, SLABY, STEINBACH, STRUB, St. PETER, St. PIERRE, SULLIVAN, THEIDE, TRAVERSEY, TROENDLE, UETZ, VAILLANCOURT, VANIER, VALLEÉ, VALLEY, VERDON, VILLENEUVE, VINNETTE, WILCOX, and many others too numerous to mention.
Some of these and other families were identified in a family history book written and published by Mrs. John Clifford Martelle (Mary "Mayme" McGuire), titled, "Memoirs--Our People...the Indians". I believe she wrote this book with the main purpose of documenting family lineage and heritage. She was involved with a group in the late 1940s who were trying to prove their (our) Chippewa ancestry hoping to share in an unsettled claim against the United States government for failure to pay Native Americans for the land that now comprises several Midwestern states. She had only a few of these printed when she published the book in the 1940's. She sold them for 50 cents each to cover printing costs. Not many original copies of this historic book are known to exist today. I have a duplicated copy which I obtained from my mother's (Mary Philomena Martell) papers upon her death.
This new forthcoming family history will be much more comprehensive and much better
documented than Mary (McGuire) Martell's. For an example of the type and kind of
information you will find in the massive database can be evidenced by clicking on
the hand 
. It is being completely compiled on two
computer software systems.
I've been at this family research actively for 17 years now. My mom got me
interested many years ago -- although I've always been interested in family ties, where and
when our ancestors came from. Back then, it was pencil a paper (and she had a
lot of it - even on little scraps). I wasn't sure I wanted to get too deeply
involved because of the problem of making corrections as the result of new information.
When the PC came along I then renewed my interest. Even back then,
17 years
ago, the software wasn't what it is today -- believe me. I started with a developer
(FAMILY TECHNOLOGIES) out in California at that time (they are in
New York now) because he was one of the first to start incorporating images into the tree
as well as biographies, events and reference sources. I've always felt that a
genealogical history should be much more than lineage connection, birth and death dates,
etc. - which is what my mother and many, many family historians did previous to the
PC.
Family Treasures by FAMILY TECHNOLOGIES is my base program software in which I input and control all my data entries and much prefer to use. I also use two other software packages, because other family members have these software packages. It makes passing information back and forth much easier than trying to use the so-called universal interface protocol called GEDCOM. This protocol was developed by the LDS group and let me tell you it isn't fool proof in importing/exporting information from one software to another as it is suppose to do. A lot of the information comes out as garbage and you end up having to do major editing. So, it is much easier, though time consuming to read the information with the software that information was originally developed with and then enter the information directly into the software that you prefer using. The two other software programs that I use are FAMILY TREE produced by Parson's Technology and FAMILY TREE MAKER produced by Broderbund Software. These two programs are very similar in data input, display and output. Of the two, I believe FAMILY TREE MAKER is much more comprehensive and user friendly.
Eventually, I may have a complete data base on both Family Treasures and Family Tree
Maker software. Patricia Gillies, our assistant editor, is using Family Tree Maker
software to compile the family history data. The output format from Family Treasures has
not been completely determined yet, because of the massive amount of pages involved.
Nor, has the publishing house.
Authors of this comprehensive compilation are Lynn Candace Harper, 1629 E. Morgan Ave.,
Milwaukee, WI, 53207, pH# (414) 769-7694; Patricia Jean Gillies, 110 N. Haven Drive,
Kalispell, MT, 59901, and Richard McQuisten, 1706 Symons St.,
Laramie, WY, 82070, pH# (307) 745-8406. Lynn, primary historian (researcher), has been
performing the hard work of this effort, that is the grunt work, by doing base research and data
gathering: i.e., visiting records in churches, libraries, newspapers, cemeteries, court
houses, interviewing family members, etc. While I, editor in chief, (Data Compiler)
have the easier of the tasks, though very time consuming, of computerizing the data.
And, Patricia serves as assistant editor also computerizing the data base and
providing valued editing assistance.
Please contact us if you are interested in this project. We welcome family records (in as much detail as possible) of all connected family members in whatever format you have recorded (computer or hand written)? We would very much appreciate receiving a copy in either format. Also, we are looking for family photo's... as far back as we can get. Original photographs would be returned if you cannot provide copies, since we will be digitally recording the images.
To reserve this once in a lifetime offer of unprecedented history, please Email us @
Or, contact Lynn Harper at the above noted address.
If you wish this Family Genealogical History on CD click here. 
Please sign our guest book. We wish to know your opinions and insight for future updates.
