Wilmont Kreis

July 7, 2018
Eventually, the French soldiers realized this was not the open plains of Europe with soldiers lining up on each side. Here the natives were invisible in the forest, and European techniques were of little use. So Abraham Martin and other French-Canadians began to school them in the art of Quebec war. They began to understand, but it would be a good long while before they could subdue any Iroquois. COMING NEXT WEEK, THE NEXT BOOK: PHILOMENE'S DOLL Read More 

June 30, 2018
More Carignan-Salieres: This battle hardened group of French soldiers would seem to be exactly what French-Canada needed. Abraham Martin lived very near their training ground on the so-called Plains of Abraham, a large field behind the fort which can be visited today and named for its first French resident. As Abraham watched them train, he realized they would be no match for the Iroquois and he finally convinced their leader to indulge him and train with a few Algonquin braves. In the morning four Algonquin appeared with their bows and four soldiers with rifles. They faced off and with the first gun shot, the natives retreated into the woods. The soldiers pursued but to their chagrin, they were soon surprised and disarmed by the Indians. More next week Read More 

June 23, 2018
Carignan-Salieres Regiment comes to Quebec: Following the peace between France and Spain, Louis XIV merged two groups of soldiers and sent them to Quebec to help subdue the Iroquois. This battle hardened group of Frenchmen seemed to be just what Canada needed. Unfortunately the fighting styles of the French in Europe, and the natives in Canada were as different as possible and the Iroquois held the home court advantage. In addition, the leader sent by France and Governor de Voyer of Canada were oblivious to this fact. More next week Read More 

June 16, 2018
Quebec and Spanish Succession: For years France and Spain had been battling over the boundaries and monarchies of the two countries. Spain had been ruled for years by a simple and ineffective king and with his death, the claim to the throne became more important. It was solved by the marriage of Louis XIV to the young Princess Marie Therese, the Infantate of Spain. This subsequent peace gave France the use of soldiers who had been fighting the Spanish, and many were sent to Quebec to help subdue the Iroquois. More next week. Read More 

June 9, 2018
What’s new? If the blogs have seemed brief, it’s because I’m working hard on the next work, Philomene’s Doll. When readers asked Marcel Pagnol when the last book of his popular Fanny Trilogy would be released, he answered, “It is nearly done, all that is left is to write it.” In my case, Philomene is written, I merely need to deal with the endless details. At any rate, it should be out in a couple months and announced in the blog. As Philomene would tell the doll, “be patient.” Read More 

June 2, 2018
Versailles: Following many years at the Louvre in Paris, Louis XIV decided to move his palace from the Louvre in Paris to Versailles, a day’s ride (or walk) from the center of Paris. Originally a hunting lodge, Louis embarked on making it the grandest palace in history, a feat of many years, lives, and livres (old French currency). The move in 1682 gave the King and his Court more room, fresh air, freedom from crowds and of course a distance from the Parisian masses. This spectacular site of opulence remains one of the great tourist attractions of France. Read More 

May 26, 2018
The Louvre: Originally a fortress, the Louvre in Paris was converted to a palace in 1546. During the time of The Beaver Wars, it was the Palace of the King and it was here Louis IV first reigned, and here Pierre Boucher met with dignitaries during his time in Paris. It was not until 1682 that Louis moved his court to Versailles, we will discuss that another time. Image: The Louvre as a museum as seen today. Read More 

May 20, 2018
Many thanks to the Port Huron Library for inviting me to speak on my books. I was pleased and astounded at the audience. (I guess there wasn’t much else to do in Port Huron, ha, ha. I chose to speak on how I became an author, and maybe should have spent more time on the books. Following the talk, I was quite pleased by the degree of interest in the books and the number of attendees who had read one, some, or all of them.
I am back in town and plan to be back on the Beaver Wars next week. Read More 

Why in the world would you leave France and go to Quebec in 1660? Great question. We all know about coming to America to avoid, overcrowding, religious persecution, hunger, disease, etc. But there was little of this in France. In fact, very few people ever came to The New World from France. The government was not interested in colonization, only fish and the fur trade and people to support those industries. Cartier had told the king about the Native Americans and he supposed if he sent French males, they would breed with the Indians and produce colonial Frenchmen. Unfortunately, the wilderness was more enticing than the towns and the men who did bond with the Indians frequently ran off to the woods. Read More 

April 28, 2018
Jeanne Anguille: I often find the women in the Allard Series to be the most fascinating characters, and Jeanne is certainly an example. (Therese Allard in Book Six: The Medallion is my favorite but more on her some other day.)
Research reveals a wealth of information concerning Jeanne which presents a number of quandaries for the genealogist but fertile ground for the novelist: She came to Quebec in 1671 as a Fille de Roi (FdR), the FdR records hint who else may have come on the same voyage. She did not stay at one of the FdR housing units but under the protection of Lady Anne Gagnier. She came with a dowry, and was 24 years old (old for a FdR). She married Francois Allard in November of 1671. Read More