Cajun by Any Other Name* focuses on the history of one person’sAcadian, Native American and European ancestral lines. Author Marie Rundquist sharesthe relocation and establishment of her ancestors from Canada to Louisiana.
The book is organized into six chapters. Five of the sixchapters detail distinct eras in the location of the author’s ancestors. Thefirst chapter details the relocation of Rundquist’s ancestors from Nova Scotiato Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The author’s description of their plight and thesetting make a good read for those unfamiliar with the area’s history. This sectionitself would make an excellent book on the topic of Acadian exile in Maryland.
The middle chapters of Cajun by Any Other Name focus specificallyon the authors own ancestors as they made their way to Louisiana. Rundquistmoves back and forth between her ancestors’ past and her own story in thepresent day including detailed travel itineraries and commentary. This worksmost of the time but occasionally takes away from the historical narrative.
Chapter six is titled “Out of Acadia,” but it actually is adiscussion on the use of DNA tests in genealogy. Here the book shifts unexpectedly fromthe focus on history as the author discusses her own experiences with DNA andshares those of others who are in her same research interest group. Those whoare not familiar with DNA tests as they are used in family history may beconfused by this chapter, as there is no introductory lesson on haplogroups andY-DNA and mt-DNA. This final section--like the first chapter--would make aninteresting book topic in itself.
The book includes several color photos and references at theend including a healthy bibliography. There is no name index, though the author’smaternal ancestral line is provided for reference as an appendix.
Cajun by Any Other Name is most relevant to those who sharecommon Acadian ancestry with the author. Though my own Cajun roots landed andgrew further west in Louisiana, I still found Rundquist’s ancestral story to bean interesting read.
* affiliate link
Cajun by Any Other Name*
by Marie Rundquist
ISBN - 978-0-7414-7042-X
$11.95
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder