Edmund 1st King of England 922-946

Edmund the 1st was also called "the Magnificent".  He is my 31st great grandfather; connected through the Bruso, Welch and Stark families.  He ruled from 940 (when he was only 18 years old) until his untimely death in 946 when he was killed while holding royal court at Pucklechurch in Gloustershire.  A previously banished outlaw named Leofa had entered the church, intent on escaping discovery among the many courtiers who were there . When Leofa was discovered, an altercation ensued as the royal guard was attempting to take him into custody.   Edmund intervened in the struggle and  was stabbed in the stomach.  He died almost immediately.  Some accounts say that he managed to kill Leofa before he died.

In 938, as a sixteen year old, he had ridden with his half-brother, King Athelstan, into northern England to do battle with the invading Vikings.  Edmund commanded part of his brother's army during the fighting.  Eventually, they defeated the Norse army at the Battle of Brunanburgh, effectively uniting England.  Two years later, Edmund became king upon the death of Athelstan. 

He was considered to have been a strong monarch; a harsh but fair ruler who strengthened the unity of Anglo Saxon England.  His violent death at Pucklechurch ended his reign after only 6 years.

He was the father of two future kings of England; Edwig and Edgar the Peacemaker.

Edmund was buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England.  This Abbey is traditionally considered to be the oldest above-ground Christian church in the world.  This part of England is the location of Avalon, the mystical kingdom of King Arthur.  Legend has it that the site of the Abbey is where Joseph of Arimethea came during his visit in 63A.D. carrying the Holy Grail.

Family Connections to Samuel de Champlain

In addition to working on a section of the family history about Isidore Bushnoe, I have been working on connections through both the Jarvis and Baker sides that go back to the founding of Quebec and Acadia by Samuel de Champlain.

Some notables:  Louis Hebert and his wife Marie Rollet are my 11th great grandparents.  They are credited with being the first settlers of Quebec City.  Louis' father, Nicholas was the court physician to French Queen, Catherine De Medici.  Louis and Marie came to the New World in 1617.  He was one of the leaders of the new colony.

Zacharie Cloutier is my 10th great grandfather. He first arrived in Quebec in 1619 with Champlain.  He was not a settler at first but a laborer brought over to clear and cultivate farmland for the settlement.  He returned in 1634 and was one of the original settlers of Beauport, Que.

Guillaume Trahan and his wife, Francoise Corbineau, are my 11th great grandparents.  They arrived on the "St. Jehan" in 1636 and were among the first families to settle in Acadia, helping to found the community of Port Royal.  He was head of the Port Royal Council when the British seized the colony in 1654.

Jean Guyon arrived at the same time Zacharie Cloutier did in 1634.  He and his wife, Mathurine Robin are my 11th great grandparents, as well.  I have traced Jean's ancestry back to  the French royal family; particularly, Henry I Beauclerc who reigned from 1100 to 1135.

In all, I have found 11 of my grandfathers who were among the first settlers of Acadia and Quebec City.  When completed, this chapter of the family history will be a great story told.

Next Historical Society Articles

I am currently working on two articles for the May issue of the Society's newsletter. 

The first is a chronology of the theater that is in the Chateaugay Town Hall.  It began as the opulent "Opera House" when the Town Hall was built in 1910.  Stage shows, vaudeville acts and concerts were offered regularly.  It later became known as the "Ideal Theater" where movies were primarily shown. Then, following the rebuilding of the Town Hall after a disastrous fire in 1940, the movie theater was renamed the "Gay Theater", after the "Gay" in "Chateaugay".  It closed as a movie house in the mid 1960's.  Two subsequent attempts were made to revive it as a movie theater, but both failed. Today, an extensive renovation project is underway to restore the theater to a measure of its former glory and usefulness.

The second article concerns the Moffit brothers; John Henry and Stephen.  Both were Civil War heroes and led impressive public lives following their war service with connections to the Lyon Mountain mines, Plattsburgh State, the NYS Assembly and other venues.  They also owned the island in Upper Chateaugay Lake and maintained an impressive residence there.  Their sister lived in Chateaugay and John Henry married a local lady.

I think both will prove to be great tales to tell with lots of information and illustrations.

The History of Chateaugay

I've always been interested in local history.  I became a founding member of the Chateaugay Historical Society  in 2006 and regularly research and write articles for our quarterly newsletter.  All this has prompted me to decide to write an updated history of Chateaugay.  I have begun the first volume which will cover 1796 to 1918.  This winter's project is to continue writing the first four or five chapters.  As I tackle a chapter or subject, I'll post summaries here.

Family Genealogy

Among the families I am researching are:  Jarvis (Gervais), Baker, Boyea (Boyer), Yelle, Bruso, Mongeon (Montjean, Morgan), Bushnoe (Bousquet), Welch, Bell and Blow.  I plan on posting as I do research in any of the branches of the family.  I am currrently working on the Bushnoe line beginning with my great grandfather, Isadore Bushnoe, a Civil War veteran.