It was a hobby. It has become an all-consuming passion. For several years, Bernard Masson has devoted several hours each day to genealogical research. "We are a very sedentary family of peasants and workers, without any nobility," smiles the 69-year-old former farmer. At first, I immersed myself in research to better understand where my ancestors came from. And then I got caught up in the game. »
In Sorcy-Saint-Martin, a village of 1,100 souls south of the Meuse, the surname Masson is used in about fifteen households! "Two branches of the Masson family had lived side by side without always knowing each other. For my part, I was fed with doubt," explains the retiree. "So, I did a lot of research and finally realized that the two families, in fact, were one and the same. Their common roots went back to the sixteenth century and the two branches of the family were unaware of it. »
Soon a second exhibition?
One thing leading to another, Bernard Masson also collected a great deal of information on the origins of the other families of Sorcy-Saint-Martin. He recently exhibited the family trees of many residents, revealing the historical and family ties of their ancestors.
For two days, he exhibited the results of his research in the village hall. Nearly 130 residents came to take a close look at a comprehensive document that was long... of a hundred meters. Seven generations are mentioned.
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The success of his approach has fuelled word-of-mouth among residents and helped to create links. So much so that the possibility of a second exhibition, in the coming months, cannot be ruled out. You'll just have to make sure you put up signs to reveal the family trees of record size.