INTRODUCTION
Yes, I know - that is not a picture of Saint-Andre-D'Argenteuil in the header above. It is just a great picture of the castle Mehun-sur-Yèvre de Berry! My heritage goes back to Martin Mathurin LeRoy (1384-1453) who was "refined and fond of luxury, like all the princes of the Valois line, seemed to have no more consuming passion than the embellishment of his various residences, especially the hôtel de Nesles in Paris and the château of Mehun-sur-Yèvre in Berry, which he filled, as Charles V had done at the Louvre and Vincennes, with the most fabulous art collections of the age."
Ah, well, when you have the time and the money - Shop!
Ah, well, when you have the time and the money - Shop!
. . . what a life span!
I have been working on Alexander McCord's (1811-1887) life and times and began accumulating a considerable amount of documents, pictures and relative's recollections. As I continued to dig deeper into the history of the Iowa McCords, more and more links to other information began to surface. It will be an ongoing research project for many years to come. If you wish to see the results thus far go to:
Alexander McCord
When I turned my attention to the other side of the family, the LeRoys, I pretty much had nothing. I started this research about the LeRoys with very few available relatives and very little information. These two pictures of my mom and her siblings, some letters, a few documents and my grandmother and grandfather's names were all I had to begin this undertaking. My Dad passed away in 1991, my Uncle Harold LeRoy died from pancreatic cancer in 1985, Uncle Douglas' whereabouts were unknown to me and my Aunt Gwen kept changing the subject.
Alexander McCord
When I turned my attention to the other side of the family, the LeRoys, I pretty much had nothing. I started this research about the LeRoys with very few available relatives and very little information. These two pictures of my mom and her siblings, some letters, a few documents and my grandmother and grandfather's names were all I had to begin this undertaking. My Dad passed away in 1991, my Uncle Harold LeRoy died from pancreatic cancer in 1985, Uncle Douglas' whereabouts were unknown to me and my Aunt Gwen kept changing the subject.
The right word - le mot juste -
was a lifelong quest for the French novelist Gustave Flaubert:
"Whatever you want to say,
there is only one word that will express it,
one verb to make it move,
one adjective to qualify it.
You must seek that word, that verb, that adjective,
and never be satisfied with approximations,
never resort to tricks, even clever ones,
or to verbal pirouettes to escape the difficulty."
Then there was Mom!
Although I did not receive that much information from her before her death in 2008, I was given enough tasty treats to whet the appetite. She never spoke about her mom or dad, although I did learn that her dad was "not the most pleasant person to be around; draw your own conclusions" - that’s all I have! He was in construction as a wood floor installer. It was a lot more difficult and time consuming than the methods and means we have available to us today. Still, there is no justifiable reason to be “unpleasant” with your own family.
Back to Mom. Like her sister, Gwen, she was tight lipped about her childhood, her parents, her friends and where she grew up. While I was growing up, my brothers and sister heard the story about “walking x amount of miles to go to school.” The “x” depends on the weather - 50 miles in snow, 2 in the spring. I will never know what life was like for her and her siblings back in 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Or even the 50's! My younger brother, John, was fortunate to be with Mom in the last few years of her life. She had developed dementia and needed a family member to be near. John, being the wealthiest, single and his own boss was the perfect candidate for this opportunity. And he welcomed the challenge with open arms, realism and optimism. He alone was able to catch those rare and infrequent glimpses into mom’s past. She spoke at random about events, people and things that had come across her path.
John put it this way in his e-mails:
Although I did not receive that much information from her before her death in 2008, I was given enough tasty treats to whet the appetite. She never spoke about her mom or dad, although I did learn that her dad was "not the most pleasant person to be around; draw your own conclusions" - that’s all I have! He was in construction as a wood floor installer. It was a lot more difficult and time consuming than the methods and means we have available to us today. Still, there is no justifiable reason to be “unpleasant” with your own family.
Back to Mom. Like her sister, Gwen, she was tight lipped about her childhood, her parents, her friends and where she grew up. While I was growing up, my brothers and sister heard the story about “walking x amount of miles to go to school.” The “x” depends on the weather - 50 miles in snow, 2 in the spring. I will never know what life was like for her and her siblings back in 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Or even the 50's! My younger brother, John, was fortunate to be with Mom in the last few years of her life. She had developed dementia and needed a family member to be near. John, being the wealthiest, single and his own boss was the perfect candidate for this opportunity. And he welcomed the challenge with open arms, realism and optimism. He alone was able to catch those rare and infrequent glimpses into mom’s past. She spoke at random about events, people and things that had come across her path.
John put it this way in his e-mails:
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 2:25 AM
Subject: mom tonight
I stopped by tonight around 11:30pm. Mom was awake and the drugs have mostly worn off. She was beautiful.
She talked about her fears, her Catholicism, her guilt and her insecurities, her sister envy and vulnerabilities.
She was so in the moment to be with and a friend too, the nurses were impressed with her irrepressible sense of humor.
She wants to have a priest come visit her. I recommended my friend and teacher Mel Jurisich. She'd like him to come so I'll work on it. I'm working on something equally important, Noelle's daughter Erin who is a hair dresser!
It was good tonight.
J
Subject: mom tonight
I stopped by tonight around 11:30pm. Mom was awake and the drugs have mostly worn off. She was beautiful.
She talked about her fears, her Catholicism, her guilt and her insecurities, her sister envy and vulnerabilities.
She was so in the moment to be with and a friend too, the nurses were impressed with her irrepressible sense of humor.
She wants to have a priest come visit her. I recommended my friend and teacher Mel Jurisich. She'd like him to come so I'll work on it. I'm working on something equally important, Noelle's daughter Erin who is a hair dresser!
It was good tonight.
J
…and more insight about mom’s life came ten days later…
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 12:49 AM
Subject: Mom tonight
I visited mom tonight. She broke into a short cry and quickly recovered. She is incredibly resilient and continues to try to figure out what is going wrong with her. In her salient moments she knows her brain isn't working as well as it once did and then she goes off into her memories. What a remarkable privilege to get a glimpse of the past we don't know much about.
Horse and buggies,
outhouses,
boyfriends who didn't come home from war,
leaning on her sister for confidence and courage...
From horse & buggy and outhouses, financial prosperity, economic depression and poverty, at least four wars; to me and her watching a man on the moon in the den, then stepping outside to gaze up and see Tranquility Base on a warm July night; and the world wide web, ...what a life span!
Tonight the most wonderful thing was watching one of her grand kids tease her and she responded with her singular sense of humor while he fed her ice cream by spoon.
Cathy, it will be great when Bridget gets here. I'll do whatever I can to facilitate her visit or any one else's.
Please come.
...the course is hard, still... steer.
J
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 12:49 AM
Subject: Mom tonight
I visited mom tonight. She broke into a short cry and quickly recovered. She is incredibly resilient and continues to try to figure out what is going wrong with her. In her salient moments she knows her brain isn't working as well as it once did and then she goes off into her memories. What a remarkable privilege to get a glimpse of the past we don't know much about.
Horse and buggies,
outhouses,
boyfriends who didn't come home from war,
leaning on her sister for confidence and courage...
From horse & buggy and outhouses, financial prosperity, economic depression and poverty, at least four wars; to me and her watching a man on the moon in the den, then stepping outside to gaze up and see Tranquility Base on a warm July night; and the world wide web, ...what a life span!
Tonight the most wonderful thing was watching one of her grand kids tease her and she responded with her singular sense of humor while he fed her ice cream by spoon.
Cathy, it will be great when Bridget gets here. I'll do whatever I can to facilitate her visit or any one else's.
Please come.
...the course is hard, still... steer.
J
I was able to transfer my thoughts and emotions to the written word in this manner:
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2008 11:42 AM
Subject: Mom, me and you
John...
I believe it is long overdue for me to verbalize that which has been seldom articulated.
I trust you.
Without question or hesitation.
You should also know that Claire (my daughter) and I are very grateful and wholeheartedly appreciate all that you have done, not just with mom's current situation, but going back oh so many years with dad and his last days with you and mom.
I am also grateful that you have been considerate to keep us abreast of the ups and downs of mom's current situations. I can only imagine what it must be like for you to experience firsthand mom's various conditions and then have to relive them through your emails.
Although you rarely, if ever, mention the emotional and mental anguish which you are experiencing, rest assured that I am able to read between the lines. My only wish is that I was in a position to alleviate some of the challenges and responsibilities that you have unselfishly embraced and faithfully undertaken. I most certainly have a strong desire to be by your side through all the unwelcomed changes that you and mom have experienced. These are moments that only you will be privileged to share with the rest of us.
The love of a son for his mother is clearly evident through your words and deeds.
With regards to mom's final resting place, I am too much of a sentimentalist. My choice would be for Mom and Dad to be together ad infinitium. However, in any decision you need to make regarding mom, I would prefer that you be my proxy as you have a much clearer and realistic view of mom's wants, needs and wishes.
And so, my dear brother, on this Father's Day...
...I wish you those warm breezes in a full sail.
Don
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2008 11:42 AM
Subject: Mom, me and you
John...
I believe it is long overdue for me to verbalize that which has been seldom articulated.
I trust you.
Without question or hesitation.
You should also know that Claire (my daughter) and I are very grateful and wholeheartedly appreciate all that you have done, not just with mom's current situation, but going back oh so many years with dad and his last days with you and mom.
I am also grateful that you have been considerate to keep us abreast of the ups and downs of mom's current situations. I can only imagine what it must be like for you to experience firsthand mom's various conditions and then have to relive them through your emails.
Although you rarely, if ever, mention the emotional and mental anguish which you are experiencing, rest assured that I am able to read between the lines. My only wish is that I was in a position to alleviate some of the challenges and responsibilities that you have unselfishly embraced and faithfully undertaken. I most certainly have a strong desire to be by your side through all the unwelcomed changes that you and mom have experienced. These are moments that only you will be privileged to share with the rest of us.
The love of a son for his mother is clearly evident through your words and deeds.
With regards to mom's final resting place, I am too much of a sentimentalist. My choice would be for Mom and Dad to be together ad infinitium. However, in any decision you need to make regarding mom, I would prefer that you be my proxy as you have a much clearer and realistic view of mom's wants, needs and wishes.
And so, my dear brother, on this Father's Day...
...I wish you those warm breezes in a full sail.
Don
Back to you, my reader…
Although my mom, and her family, rarely, if ever, shared their own life’s experiences, she created a determination within me to find those lost moments in time. Somewhere there is a photograph, a newspaper clipping, a letter, a yearbook, or quite possibly, a young girl’s diary that will reveal the excitements and disappointments that she faced while growing up north of our border. Somewhere there is that reason for two young women to travel across the United States to the west coast. Maybe it was just the whim of two sisters. Or the lure of warm and sunny beaches all year long. Or perhaps it was to run from the awful memories of their father. I don't know.
I was taught many lessons during those last months of mom’s life. The worst being how cruel and cold the black lettering of an e-mail can be with regards to another's viewpoint.
The best? Well, the best has to be those little words that make you tear up before you finish reading the thought placed there by the author.
And so today, because of the lack of knowledge about my own mother’s life experiences, her childhood friends, her joys and sorrows, I commit myself to find as many facts and details as possible about her, and her family. The challenge is certainly a formidable one, but with today’s ever increasing acceleration of technology, it certainly is not impossible.
I'm still amazed at what we can do with one ‘click’.
Although my mom, and her family, rarely, if ever, shared their own life’s experiences, she created a determination within me to find those lost moments in time. Somewhere there is a photograph, a newspaper clipping, a letter, a yearbook, or quite possibly, a young girl’s diary that will reveal the excitements and disappointments that she faced while growing up north of our border. Somewhere there is that reason for two young women to travel across the United States to the west coast. Maybe it was just the whim of two sisters. Or the lure of warm and sunny beaches all year long. Or perhaps it was to run from the awful memories of their father. I don't know.
I was taught many lessons during those last months of mom’s life. The worst being how cruel and cold the black lettering of an e-mail can be with regards to another's viewpoint.
The best? Well, the best has to be those little words that make you tear up before you finish reading the thought placed there by the author.
And so today, because of the lack of knowledge about my own mother’s life experiences, her childhood friends, her joys and sorrows, I commit myself to find as many facts and details as possible about her, and her family. The challenge is certainly a formidable one, but with today’s ever increasing acceleration of technology, it certainly is not impossible.
I'm still amazed at what we can do with one ‘click’.
SIMPLE TREES: LEROY & MCCORD
Questions?? Issues!!!! with regards to this website.
Please contact me at: [email protected]
Let's make it right!
Please contact me at: [email protected]
Let's make it right!