French Ancestors? Learn about Bastille Day

BastilleDay

In some cases historical revolutions lead to yearly celebrations culminating in fireworks, parades, picnics, and other celebrations. The American Revolution led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the United States we celebrate that event every  4th of July. The French Revolution also led to a holiday but in this case the holiday celebrates the heroics and the power of the people as they destroyed a symbol of France’s rulers. France’s  La Fete National or The National Holiday is known as Bastille Day in English speaking countries. This national holiday, celebrated on July 14th, commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Celebrations in  France include a military parade that has taken place since 1880. The largest military parade in Europe find French military personnel and the military participants from other countries marching along the Champs-Elysees. 

What was the French Bastille and why was it destroyed? Simply, it was a military fortress and a prison. Although Louis XV locked up those who disagreed or angered him in the Bastille but by the time of his grandson's reign in 1789 the prison only held a handful of prisoners. However, it  had something much more important to the revolutionaries who had just acquired guns. It stored  gunpowder.

The French Revolution was a time of economic depression suffered by France’s citizens with no relief from their  leaders, the privileged and out of touch Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Modern people wrongly ascribe the harsh, sentiment “let them eat cake” with France’s queen as proof of her cluelessness about the plight of ordinary citizens. Although she didn't actually utter that phrase, the actions of the monarchy negatively affected the citizens and the storming of the Bastille  led to the end of the Bourbon monarchy and the execution of the King and Queen which in turn ushered in the French Republic. The Bastille was destroyed and souvenirs of it were shown throughout France as a symbol of the destruction of the Bourbon monarchy.

France

Interestingly enough, Bastille Day isn’t just a holiday celebrated in France. It’s also celebrated in other parts of the world including the United States who benefitted from France’s financial backing during it’s own fight for independence from Britain. In 2018, the bilingual website France-Amerique counted 150 events in the United States celebrating Bastille Day. These celebrations included food, music, and all things French. This Bastille Day I’ll be near San Francisco where they have been celebrating the holiday for 139 years and have a website dedicated to that yearly celebration.. This year’s festivities include French food, a car show, live music and events.

Take a few minutes to Google a major city near you and the phrase “Bastille Day.” Chances are you may find a celebration near you. If you'd rather celebrate from home, consider a family get-together that includes some French inspired Bastille Day recipes.

Learn more about your French ancestry in these Legacy genealogy classes.

 

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.


New "Member Friday" Webinar - Online Resources for French Genealogy Part III by Paul Woodbury

New "Member Friday" Webinar - Online Resources for French Genealogy Part III by Paul Woodbury

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them!   This Friday enjoy "Online Resources for French Genealogy part III: Succession tables, Electoral lists, Notarial Records, Newspapers" by Paul Woodbury. If you're not a member, remember the webinar previews are always free.

Online Resources for French Genealogy part III: Succession tables, Electoral lists, Notarial Records, Newspapers

French genealogy research benefits from some of the most complete, detailed, and well-preserved records in the world. Due to the digitization efforts of many French archives and societies, records commonly used for French genealogy are also among the most accessible. In the third part of this three-part series, explore notarial records, repertoires, records of the contrôle des actes, succession tables and records of the bureau of mortgages to obtain additional details and information on your ancestor’s life.

Online Resources for French Genealogy part III: Succession tables, Electoral lists, Notarial Records, Newspapers


_WatchVideo

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About the Presenter

Paul WoodburyFrom a young age, Paul Woodbury fell in love with genealogy research. To pursue his passion for this field, he studied genetics and family history at Brigham Young University. To aid in his desire to share his knowledge with others, he has also received a masters degree in instructional design and educational technology from the University of Utah. Paul currently works as a DNA team lead at Legacy Tree Genealogists where he has helped to solve hundreds of genetic genealogy cases. In addition to genetic genealogy, Paul specializes in French, Spanish, and Scandinavian research and regularly presents on topics for these areas.

See all the webinars by Paul Woodbury in the Legacy library.

 
Not a member yet?

Legacy Family Tree Webinars provides genealogy education where-you-are through live and recorded online webinars and videos. Learn from the best instructors in genealogy including Thomas MacEntee, Judy Russell, J. Mark Lowe, Lisa Louise Cooke, Megan Smolenyak, Tom Jones, and many more. Learn at your convenience. On-demand classes are available 24 hours a day! All you need is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.

Subscribe today and get access to this BONUS members-only webinar AND all of this:

  • All 867 classes in the library (1120 hours of quality genealogy education)
  • 3743 pages of instructors' handouts
  • Chat logs from the live webinars
  • Additional 5% off anything at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
  • Chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Additional members-only webinars

It's just $49.95/year or $9.95/month.

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Look at our lineup of speakers for 2019! All live webinars are free to watch.

Print the 2019 webinar brochure here.


New "Member Friday" Webinar - Online Resources for French Genealogy Part II by Paul Woodbury

New "Member Friday" Webinar - Online Resources for French Genealogy Part II by Paul Woodbury

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them!   This Friday enjoy "Online Resources for French Genealogy Part II: Military conscription, Census, Maps, Photographs" by Paul Woodbury. If you're not a member, remember the webinar previews are always free.

Online Resources for French Genealogy Part II: Military conscription, Census, Maps, Photographs

French genealogy research benefits from some of the most complete, detailed, and well-preserved records in the world. Due to the digitization efforts of many French archives and societies, records commonly used for French genealogy are also among the most accessible. In the second part of this three-part series, explore French census records, military conscription records, maps, photographic collections and newspapers.

New "Member Friday" Webinar - Online Resources for French Genealogy Part II by Paul Woodbury


_WatchVideo

_WatchPreview 

About the Presenter

Paul WoodburyFrom a young age, Paul Woodbury fell in love with genealogy research. To pursue his passion for this field, he studied genetics and family history at Brigham Young University. To aid in his desire to share his knowledge with others, he has also received a masters degree in instructional design and educational technology from the University of Utah. Paul currently works as a DNA team lead at Legacy Tree Genealogists where he has helped to solve hundreds of genetic genealogy cases. In addition to genetic genealogy, Paul specializes in French, Spanish, and Scandinavian research and regularly presents on topics for these areas.

See all the webinars by Paul Woodbury in the Legacy library.

 
Not a member yet?

Legacy Family Tree Webinars provides genealogy education where-you-are through live and recorded online webinars and videos. Learn from the best instructors in genealogy including Thomas MacEntee, Judy Russell, J. Mark Lowe, Lisa Louise Cooke, Megan Smolenyak, Tom Jones, and many more. Learn at your convenience. On-demand classes are available 24 hours a day! All you need is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.

Subscribe today and get access to this BONUS members-only webinar AND all of this:

  • All 863 classes in the library (1115 hours of quality genealogy education)
  • 3724 pages of instructors' handouts
  • Chat logs from the live webinars
  • Additional 5% off anything at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
  • Chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Additional members-only webinars

It's just $49.95/year or $9.95/month.

Subscribe

Look at our lineup of speakers for 2019! All live webinars are free to watch.

Print the 2019 webinar brochure here.