Editorials

2 years ago

‘I will not speak French in school’

Quand j’ai commencé l’école a Grand Isle, les bonne sœurs on commencer de nous enseigner le chinois. Well, c’tais pas du chinois, c’tais d’l’anglais mais c’aurais pu être du chinois en cause que nous autres on connaisais pas la difference entre le chinois pi l’anglais. C’est deux langues que personne parlais par che’ nous.

2 years ago

Trees and gardens

They were a sign of hope in spring, a source of shade in summer, a riot of color in autumn. Now they’re on the ground, challenging you to take care of them. Leaves.

2 years ago

Filles du Roi

Is there a Fille du Roi in your family tree? If you have French-Canadian ancestry, the odds are strong that there is at least one or more of these Daughters of the King in your family.

3 years ago

Volunteers: the good and the bad

Recently several Canopy Crew members assessed what needs to be done to give the landscaping in front of the museum/chamber building on Main Street a facelift.

3 years ago

Ya pu grand monde

Le monde change sous nos yeux, tu sais. Quand j’t’ais un jeune homme a Grand Isle j’me r’semble que l’monde étais plusse débrouillard qu’asteur, you know?

3 years ago

Passenger ship lists are useful

In the past I’ve debunked the claim that names were changed at Ellis Island.  You still hear this story but it never, ever happened.  Whatever name was on the passenger ship list was the name the passenger gave when they embarked.

3 years ago

Missing death notices

Recently I chanced upon what I call the Case of the Missing Death Certificate. In Maine it’s not unusual to be unable to find a death record prior to 1892. Town clerks usually recorded marriages, but death records were normally left to family Bibles and tombstones.

3 years ago

Henry Rolfe, early Aroostook potato farmer

There is no denying the importance of the potato as an agricultural crop to the economy of Aroostook County.  Did you know that Maine produces 4 percent of the national potato crop with Aroostook County producing 96 percent of that?  

3 years ago

The story of Presque Isle’s airport

In 1930, Presque Isle Merchants’ Association (which is now the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce) put together a subcommittee to explore establishing an air service.