MEMORIAL DAY–– HEROES ARE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

 

Image from: http://detroit1701.org/

As the United States honors our fallen heroes this Memorial Day, most of us will think of the courageous men and women who fell in our most recent wars–Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, and of course, World War II and World War I. These wars are and were distant conflicts, far from our shores.

Fortunately, and perhaps because of those distant wars, the US has not seen a battlefield on it's own land since the Civil War ended in 1865.

But our country was founded by hundreds of years of struggle, and defended by thousands of men and women during it's 236 year history, in battlefields we might call our backyard today. As Americans walk the streets of our cities and towns, as they drive past cemeteries, old homes and buildings, how many stop to read those large green and bronze plaques called historical markers.

The Michigan Historical Marker Website lists all the markers in Michigan. I've linked to a few below. Why not check it out for yourself. There's a google map with each marker and you might discover more heroism and history in your own neighborhood than you ever dreamed.

Located in Grosse Pointe
Fox Indian Massacre 1712




Battle of Bloody Run 1763

Located in Detroit's Elmwood Cemetery

War of 1812 Battle of Monguagon
Between Detroit and Monroe Michigan

War of 1812 Dead
Located downtown Detroit

If you'd like to honor some Civil War and yes, Revolutionary War veterans, look in the Newburg Cemetery, located in Livonia Michigan.

1778 Livonia Revolutionary War Veterans
Civil War Veterans Newburg Cemetery

Viv
http://amzn.to/zVsVDZ

THE HEART OF FRENCH DETROIT

Founded July 26, 1701, Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church was one of the first structures ever built in Detroit. Those who followed Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac to settle on the banks of the Detroit River started work on their log church only two days after they arrived.


Ste. Anne's current church, built in 1886, is nestled between the Detroit River and the Ambassador Bridge. Though it is the eighth structure to carry that name, and these days a Mass is said in Spanish, this church remains the heart of old French Detroit.


The second oldest Catholic parish in the United States, Detroit's first settlers were baptized married and buried in this parish, and Ste. Anne de Detroit is keeper of the longest continuous church records in the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ste._Anne_de_Detroit_Catholic_Church

I found this information on the Ste. Anne de Detroit website, a treasure of Detroit history.  http://www.ste-anne.org/history.html

Vivian
http://amzn.to/zVsVDZ

DETROIT MICHIGAN AND WINDSOR ONTARIO AT WAR?

Hard to imagine today, but yes it's true. Ever hear of the War of 1812?

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMDVEN_Capture_of_Detroit_Windsor_ON

And, here's a great history book about the Detroit River region during the War of 1812. It covers the peoples, politics, and culture, as well as historical events.

A Wampum Denied: Procter's War of 1812 by Sandy Antal.

http://books.google.com/books/about/A_Wampum_Denied.html?id=2xOQ7RrIPaUC

I've added it to my reading list at Goodreads.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5774053.Vivian_LeMay

LILACS

My Lilacs seem anemic this year. Perhaps the warm March weather forced them to bloom before their time. They smell wonderful though, and the Forget Me Nots did just fine.

Did you know Lilacs have a lifespan of fifty years and are a member of the Olive family?  Native to the Balkan Peninsula in Europe where they grew wild on rocky ledges, the plants were brought to western Europe for the gardens of royalty. The early settlers of North America brought Lilacs with them. The French of Detroit were no exception and Lilacs once dotted the Detroit River. 

I love Lilacs. Beautiful and hardy, they are an underlying theme of THE LAST LORD OF PARADISE.

amazon.com/The-Last-Lord-…

My knowledge about Lilacs comes from an excellent website.

http://plantwatch.fanweb.ca/plant-information/common-purple-lilac

A GREAT DETROIT HISTORY WEBSITE

http://detroit1701.org/Graphics/TrombleyHome.jpg

The Charles Trombly/Beaubien Home 1851 

Below are some links to "Detroit The History and Future of the Motor City". It has photos of everything, from historic buildings and homes to artwork and statues to churches and cemeteries. It lists locations and there's a detailed history with every photo.

Don't know why I haven't run across http://detroit1701.org/ in my research before. I love this site. Here are just a few of the links about French Detroit.

http://detroit1701.org/BeaubienHome.html

http://detroit1701.org/Chapton%20House.html

http://detroit1701.org/Moross%20Home.html

Vivian

http://amzn.to/zVsVDZ

MY FAVORITE MOVIE?

I puzzled for a couple of days over the "favorite movie" box on my Blogger profile. Thinking of the hundreds of films my husband and I watched on Netflix over the years, nothing stood out in my mind. In fact, there were times when halfway through a movie I realized we'd seen it before––not exactly memorable films. I wanted to dismiss the favorite movie question as frivolous.

Then it came to me. A movie series that I never passed up, a family saga that compels me to to keep watching whenever I discover it on TV, even at one in the morning, even though I own the DVD boxed set.

My all time favorite movie is, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. I know...so violent, and I hate violent movies. Yet I can watch The Godfather series over and over. I love the earthy quality of the characters, their Italian names, their hearty meals with red wine, their celebration of marriage and children as a serious matter, but it's their strong family ties that keep me watching. And in spite of whatever evil the Corleones might do, how far adrift they go, they are anchored by the Catholic Church. The Church is their only lifeline to goodness, and they know it.

I wasn't channeling Mario Puzo as I wrote The Last Lord of Paradise series. It is nothing like The Godfather. Yet I realize now these two stories have many of the same underlying ideas––food and drink, marriage and children are the future, and generations of families all anchored by their Catholic faith.

Thank you Blogger.

Vivian :) 

 http://amzn.to/zVsVDZ

Come to Paradis, a place so beautiful, so peaceful, you can hear the truth ... if you want to.

Hidden from the outside world by a vast swamp and ridge of gray rock, a group of Detroit River French got down on one knee and took an Oath of Fealty to the man who led them out of British rule at Detroit. Thankful for their new home they called it Paradis, or Heaven. And on that day in 1766, they vowed loyalty to Anton Gauchere and his heirs, pronounced him Lord of Paradis, and swore to keep  their settlement "forever isolated, peaceful and French."

For six generations they thrived in Paradis. In its beauty and quiet they became vividly alive, drawing the joy of life from their marriages, their many children, their Catholic faith, and the strength of their Seigneur, the Lord of Paradise. 

The Last Lord of Paradise is a series of six books. As in any real life family saga each generation builds on the one before it. So here is Generation One, Jeanne and Anton. Enjoy.

amazon.com/The-Last-Lord-…