I began with my Dad. "Pa, tell me more about Grandpa. Where exactly did he come from?"

"Son, I'm glad you asked before it's too late." He disappeared into the attic. When he returned, he was blowing dust off a long scroll all hand-written. "Help me with this." I knew what he meant. Pa was illiterate. He could write his name but never could read. "Your grandpa gave me this long time ago. He spread it out on the table. I looked over his shoulder. I was shocked! It listed my paternal grandfather and grandmother's ancestors. Most identified by generation, names, date of birth, location, weddings, etc. a total of eight ancestors dating back to 1643. Imagine being born with a genealogical, golden spoon!

There was a slight catch. It was all scribbled in French without a name of the researcher for authenticity. A seasoned Genealogist (which I was not) would want to know this.

"Pa, is this for real?"

"Your asking me? You're the smart one in the family. Check it out."

I rolled up my sleeves and for the next four years, I tried to verify this hand-me-down genealogical data. Actually it was fun. There were avenues I didn't know existed. The Internet for one...so many Genealogy programs online like Ancestors.com; the Mormon Centers of Family History in Parker and Littleton; The Denver Public Library with volumes of family histories helping to connect the dots. Despite a few set-backs, I came to the bottom line: I wasn't who I thought I was. I'd known for years I had B- Negative blood. No one ever told me it also had a strong strain of Acadian in it from Ancestors who came from France and settled in a North American place called Acadia.

The encyclopedia told me Acadia is now Nova Scotia, the land where Longfellow's Evangeline came from. Like her, my ancestor, Joseph Benoit, was deported from his homeland in 1755. The English tried to force the Acadians to adopt their culture, to swear allegiance to King George and to renounce their Catholic faith. Upon their refusal, the English removed Acadians from their lands, coerced them to abandon their possessions and to board ships destined for English colonies along the eastern coast. The most devastating of their ordeal is that the families were separated, loaded on different ships. Husbands never saw their families again. They were interspersed as far away as the Falkland Islands. Joseph was unloaded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony . . .thus my New England accent, I guess.

My name hasn't changed. But Genealogy has revealed my true identity. I'm still American but I'm also a tenth generation Acadian. And proud of it.

Ben and his wife, Kathy, live in Surrey Ridge. They are both retired, and Ben has two books published, the most recent called Surviving Damnation which recapitulates the above in historical fiction. For more information, go to Benoit102@aol.com.