Leo,
Following is an excerpt from a family history written by me Grandmother. Her Grandfather was Louis LaMetterey from LeHavre, France.
"I am starting my story with my grandparents on my Mother’s side. My grandfather, Louis Nicholas
Napoleon LeMaitre was born in LeHavre France on September 22, 1852. Nothing is known of his mother. His father and grandfather were both military men in Napoleon's army. His father was a general and his grandfather was quite close to the king. When Louis was quite young, he ran away from a boarding school in LeHavre, stowed away on a ship which his older brother was working, and came ashore in New
Orleans. He worked at farm work and as a water boy in the Civil War. He worked his way up to southern
Minnesota. When he was 22, he met and married, Frances Mary
Dickey, on August 5, 1875. Frances Mary was born on October 22, 1859 in Lanesboro,
Filmore County,
Minnesota, to Andrew
Dickey and Louise Recie. Andrew and Louise had both come from near Frankfurt Germany. Andrew was born in 1825, and passed away in 1917. Louise was born in 1839, and passed away in 1898. When my grandparents, Louis and Frances LaMetterey , had two children, Frances and Gertrude, they moved by covered wagon, with a pair of oxen and a cow, up near Elizabeth,
Minnesota, where they built a log cabin. This was about 1880. President
Grover Cleveland signed their homestead certificate of ownership in 1888. Their third child Mary Dorothy (my mother) was born in the log cabin December 21, 1880. They had six more children,
Ambrose born 1882, Lawrence born 1884, Ellen (Zalusky) born 1893, Lucile (Forbey) born 1896, Rose (Brown) born 19 hundred, and Bernadette (
Auger) born in 19 02. About 19 hundred, they had outgrown the log cabin and built a large frame house. It was the first frame house built in Ottertail County."
I would be interested if you find any links to your family with this information.
Larry Karl
