Tag Archives: World War I

Maine Gold Star Family Memorial planned for Augusta Maine

World War I interview conducted in Bangor's Tarratine.

Mrs. Emma Martin Morin of Biddeford, Maine was 95 years old when she died at home. She was the oldest Gold Star Mother of World War I, among those who were honored by the Tighe-Beaudoin-Farley unit of the American Legion auxiliary, in York County Maine. Her son Napoleon Morin was killed on August 8, 1918, […]

Above the Fold – an essay about Sister Myriam

Bells of Peace

A  startling  World  War  history  lesson  leaped  out  of  a  1940, Lewiston Maine newspaper,  yellowing  with  age,  in  an  above  the  fold headline:  “Une  Jeune  Relig’euse  de  Lewiston  tuée  France”. This essay is my tribute to the life of Sister Myriam*. World nations are recognizing the centennial anniversary commemorating the signing of the Armistice ending […]

Gold Star Mother Emma Martin Morin of Biddeford

Gold Star Memorial in Lewiston

American Gold Star families are immediate relatives of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have been killed in combat or in support of certain military activities. Emma Martin Morin was a Gold Star mother as the result of her son Napoleon’s death at the 1918, Battle of Chateau Thierry, during World War I, in France.  […]

Boisvert and Franco-American “dit” names

L'Heureux is a "dit" name. The family's English name was translated to Happy but then legally changed to L'Heureux

Learning about “topographic monikers”. Many years after graduating from high school in Dundalk, Maryland, I had the opportunity to discuss the origins of the “Greenwood” surname with our class sponsor.  Mr. David Greenwood was a quiet man with an effervescent smile.  His participation in our class didn’t end on graduation day.  In fact, he attended […]

The American Friends of Blérancourt exhibit in Lewiston

exhibit photo

LEWISTON, ME– A wonderful opportunity to experience Franco-American international friendship is arriving in an impressive exhibit, beginning August 28, at the University of Southern Maine Lewiston Auburn College (USM LAC). Curator of this exceptional opportunity is Elaine Uzan O’Leary, who is a native of Auburn. In fact, the exhibit is a celebration of Franco-American friendship, […]