Sherbrooke 2011: A success on all fronts
he temperature was ideal and the Levasseurs were there! This first gathering in the Eastern townships was very successful.
Levasseurs from New Brunswick, Ontario, various locations in Québec and from the North Eastern States met in the beautiful city of Sherbrooke. They socialized and exchanged information and memories about their families and where they lived.
The day began with welcoming remarks by our President, Roger Levasseur. He stressed the importance of these gatherings and how our ancestors would be proud to see many of us together, 400 years after they crossed the Atlantic.
Mr. Jacques Beaugrand, our guess speaker, informed us about recent discoveries tied to his DNA research and its application to family genealogy. He informed the participants about the family origins of the Levasseurs and from what countries they originated. Keep in mind that certain members of our Association participated in DNA tests to determine if our original ancestors were related. The results of his findings are published on our Web site. 
A conference titled «A well connected Association» was made by Jean-Pierre, our Webmaster.
Huguette Levasseur spoke about the genealogical dictionaries produced by the Association. Her main emphasis was how to effectively carry out a research when referring to them. She also spoke about the continuous work Joceline, our genealogist, and Gilles Carmel do by reviewing and adding data to this gigantic data base.
In the afternoon, we participated in an historical theatrical presentation that allowed us to go back in time! In the company of Mary O’Malley, a colourful Irish girl, we met historical characters who left their mark in the development of the Eastern Townships. Gilbert Hyatt, a proud and valiant Loyalist, Géraldine Mollins the fiery wife of a settler, Grace Thompson, a seductive rich merchant from Lennox Ville and Andrew Paton, the owner and director of the largest wool mill in Canada.
Our data base on the Association’s site is very user friendly. Gilles Carmel made a presentation that was much appreciated by all of us. He showed us how to use the various research functions, easily accessible and readily available on the Web Site.
A great dinner was served and we enjoyed the pleasant music provided by a string quartet. There were also many door prizes awarded during the course of the evening.
We thank and express our gratitude to Paul, Pierrette and the team who organized this memorable gathering in Sherbrooke this past August 20, 2011. It is only a “so long” until next time!
