The US Census records are consistent on the fact that my second great-grandparents were born in France. I am one-eighth French—12%.
I know that early Buffalo (my hometown) had French Churches. Due to a significant representation of Franco-Americans, the Buffalo volunteer fire department’s Engine 8 was know as “French 8.” There is a French and German Cemetery in nearby Cheektowaga. All this caused me to wonder about the community of French immigrants. Perhaps understanding more about their community, I could get some additional insights regarding my ancestors.
I posted a message on RootsWeb.com’s Erie County New York message board, mentioning some of my ancestors’ names, and indicating that I would be grateful for any insights about French immigrant society in mid-1800's Buffalo, NY.
Someone responded!
He provided some information about the small French community, and inquired about my ancestors’ religion. He also pointed out (the common reaction) that WATTS does not "look French." He wondered, “could it have been changed from something else?”
It turns out, that responder is professional genealogist, in Buffalo, specializing in Catholic families. His name is Glenn R. P. Atwell—and you would be amazed at the data he has compiled from Buffalo’s Catholic churches and cemeteries. Luckily, for me, Frenchmen with such an apparently non-French surname intrigued Mr. Atwell. I engaged Mr. Atwell for some brief but extremely insightful research, which proved a great investment.
It turns out that our family name was VAUTHRIN. How that became WATTS is still a mystery.
In later posts, I go into some details.
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Our Lady of Lourdes did pay homage to its French heritage, on the southwest corner of the church is a cornerstone labeled "St. Pierre's."
The November 19, 1898 Buffalo Morning Express story was headlined "New French Church - Notre Dame De Lourdes"
On my website is a history of Lourdes: http://gapfel.com/Lourdes.
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