Skip to content
  • Welcome to Bramble and Brush!
  • Genealogy Services
  • Historic Home and Land Research
  • Stone Cleaning and Triage
  • Rambles of a Genealogist
  • About Bramble and Brush

Providing the following in Maine and beyond:

* Genealogical Research and Consultation
* Historic Home and Land Research
* Burial Research and Reconnaissance
* Grave Stone Cleaning and Triage

Bramble and Brush
  • Welcome to Bramble and Brush!
  • Genealogy Services
  • Historic Home and Land Research
  • Stone Cleaning and Triage
  • Rambles of a Genealogist
  • About Bramble and Brush
52Ancestors

Ancestor Hide and Seek

On 29 January 2022 by TRaymond

Some people are lucky in the way that their families were so involved with their town that it seems every newspaper had a picture of at least one aunt, uncle, or sibling.

The Simard family, on my paternal side, is nothing of the sort. In documents I seen thus far, shared online by the town historical society and other people who grew up in the area, I had never seen a picture of family members with the Simard surname.

Until now!

I can’t begin to describe how ecstatic I was to see this page of the local mill’s newspaper from way back when share photos of my great-grandparents and their brood of children. I never – to my knowledge – met my great-grandfather, but did meet Meme a handful of times. I remember her as a petite, lovely old lady who only knew French. She had 12 kids, including two twins and a set of “Catholic twins.” This page from Paper Talks is the first time I’ve ever seen her as a young mother, and also the only time I’ve ever seen a picture of all twelve kids together.


This blog post is done in part for Amy Johnson Crow’s #52Ancestors challenge. To learn more, visit https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/.

Tags: 52Ancestors, genealogy, Large Families, Maine, Mill Town, Rumford, Simard
I am a firm believer that through knowing our past we more thoroughly know ourselves. Our experiences in this life have been directly – and indirectly – affected by our ancestors.

Active member of:

Copyright Bramble and Brush 2025 | Theme by ThemeinProgress | Proudly powered by WordPress