Family Matters: Old Quebec

We left Trois-Rivieres taking the old two-lane Highway 40, which we were told would be scenic, and drove the hour plus ride to Quebec City. We passed through or near the ancestral towns of Point-aux-Trembles, L'Ancienne Lorette and Sainte Anne de la Parade. We made our way to the old part of Quebec City and found our small hotel in the backyard of the Chateau Frontenac. We put the car in the car park and spent the next three days walking and exploring. One day we walked through lower town to the old port and took the funicular back to upper town. Another day we walked the entire upper town area. I stopped to examine every bronze statute until I found the one I was looking for at Montmorency Park.

Monument to Louis Hebert

No resemblance

The statue stands in the park across from City Hall in Québec City honoring Louis Hébert, credited with being the first European to build a home in Canada and the first European to establish a farm in Canada. On the back of the statue is a plaque honoring the earliest families to establish themselves in Québec City. His wife Marie Rollet is on the right holding her three children, one is Guillaume ,one of our eighth great grandfathers. Read more on Wikipedia

The other significant ancestral place was the Basilica of Notre Dame. This cathedral was first built in 1647. Only the bell tower and parts of some walls are original. This building has suffered from bombardment and fires over the years, but there are still paintings and treasures from the time of the French regime including a chancel light from King Louis XIV. The cathedral has been beautifully restored. Laurent Soly married Marie Deligny here in 1770. We also have many other ancestors who have been married in this cathedral over the years.