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JANUARY’S edition of The Connexion includes an article about an American family searching for long-lost French relatives – here we give extra information for those interested in helping them.

Angela Willis, a farmer’s wife and artist from Indiana in the United States, told us about her quest to make contact with a branch of the family in France with which they lost contact around the end of the Second World War.

The following is detailed genealogical information that Mrs Willis has supplied to us.
“My Great Grandmother was Eugenie Vache. She was the daughter of Louis Vache and Elisabeth Louise Gertrude Dromery. Elisabeth Louise Gertrude Dromery was born May 10, 1869 at 9 Nation Street, Paris 18th arrondissement. Louis Vache was born January 31, 1854 in Paris. They married on April 20, 1889 in Paris 18th.

“At one time, Louis and Elisabeth lived at 181 Ordener Street, Paris 18th and had two children there. A son, Louis Gabriel Vache, was born December 21, 1890. A daughter, Hélène Vache, was born August 13, 1892. At a future address of 30 Montcalm Street, Paris 18th another son was born. We believe his name was Marcel Vache and he died within hours of being born on June 22, 1894. They had another surviving daughter, Eugenie Vache. She was born May 29, 1898 in Paris 18th.

“I know that my great grandfather, John Emmius Brown, was deployed to Paris to serve in the First World War. While there, he married my great grandmother, Eugenie Vache, in August 1919. On August 14, 1921 their son, John Edouard Brown, my grandfather, was born at 15 Rue du Roi D’Alger, Paris. Eugenie always called him “Bonhomme”. Sometime during the next year or so, the Brown family moved to Muncie, Indiana, USA which was my great grandfather’s place of birth.

John Emmius and Eugenie went on to have three more children, Louise, Geneviève and Rose Mary. Eugenie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died on November 25, 1931. She is buried in Beech Grove Cemetery in Muncie, Indiana. The communication between Eugenie’s family in Paris and my great grandfather’s family continued until sometime in the Second World War. Because of safety reasons for the American and French families, communication was cut off for a long period of time. However, we do have one surviving letter dated 28 July, 1945.

The last known address of Eugenie’s family in Paris was 15 Passage Duhesme, Paris 18th arrondissement.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, John Edouard Brown (Bonhomme) enlisted in the United States Army. He was sent to France. It was there that he was able to reunite with his Aunt Hélène (sister to Eugenie) and some cousins. After the war, my Grandfather, John Edouard Brown returned home to Muncie, Indiana. Waiting for him was his wife Pat and his two-year-old daughter. This daughter, Michele Ann Brown, is my mother. A few years later, my grandparents had one more child. A son named Harrold Kenneth Brown. Both are still living.

We hope someone will recognize this story and perhaps people in the provided pictures. We are hopeful there are surviving children of Eugenie’s sister Hélène and her brother Louis Gabriel Vache.”
Mrs Willis also told us more about herself: “My full name is Angela Michele Wilson-Willis. My family still lives in the area of Muncie, Indiana. I am a graduate of Ball State University and I am married to Delvaughn Willis. We have two sons and one daughter. They are Brian, Daniel and Rebekah and are all grown now. My husband and I live on a small farm with horses and other pets.

“Our land produces corn, soybeans, hay and sometimes wheat. Delvaughn is retired from the railroad and we both drive school buses for the local school system. I own and operate a working art studio. It is multi-media oriented, but my bread and butter is in the craft of stained glass. I do new design work for anyone and repair church windows. The studio also includes fine art, lapidary work and jewellery design, and textiles.”