Who Am I? My First Steps

My name is Catherine Courageux, and I have been researching genealogy since 2017.

This passion was born in part thanks to my uncle Georges, who was the memory keeper of our family and who, without realizing it, passed on to me the desire to search and understand where we come from.

I began my research with only a few family memories and a family record book. Very quickly, this became a true passion.

My goal is simple: to find my ancestors, understand their stories, and preserve their memory.

Over time, I learned to use many different sources: online archives, civil records, exchanges with other genealogists, and DNA testing.

Genealogy brings me as much satisfaction as frustration. Some family branches progress quickly, while others remain blocked for years. Yet every discovery, no matter how small, feels like a reward.

My First Steps

My uncle Georges was my mother’s eldest brother. He lived in Volx, a village near Manosque in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region. He was the memory of the family.

In his office hung paintings by Aunt Berthe, portraits of his grandparents Samuel and Catherine BOURGEOIS-POINTEZ, alongside documents and objects that had belonged to our ancestors.

After the death of his wife Nelly, he sold his house to move into a retirement home. He took only what could fit into his room, and the rest had to be stored away. When he died in 2015, everything disappeared — stolen or thrown away, I will probably never know.

Perhaps one day, while wandering through a flea market, a genealogist will contact me to say they have archives connected to my family.

After much reflection, in June 2017 I decided that my ancestors would not be forgotten.

I was sponsored on Geneanet to begin my research and subscribed a week later. I registered on every genealogy website I could find to take advantage of their free trial periods.

Like everyone else, I started with the family record book and my mother’s memories. COURAGEUX is not a common surname, so I began with my father’s line.

Days and evenings were no longer long enough. I was constantly racing against time. Housework and cooking became secondary — a sandwich, a television tray, and then back to my research again.

I had scraps of paper everywhere and was getting lost among them, so I began taking notes in notebooks. Today, those notebooks have become a true journal where I record dates, discoveries, things to do, and even my moods.

In 2019, I took a DNA test with MyHeritage. I later transferred the results to several dedicated genealogy websites, most of them in English.

I must admit I was disappointed. I contacted many people in England, America, Australia, and other countries, yet received very few replies.

Unknown fathers, unfaithful or assaulted women, abandoned children — all of this is part of our genealogical history.

I also discovered connections to regions of France that do not appear in my family tree, alongside others that feel very familiar. Normandy, for example, is the birthplace of the LE PETIT family. Burned archives and a very common surname in that region prevent me from completing this branch.

Genealogy is not only about direct ancestors. One must also pay attention to brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, half-brothers and half-sisters. We all share at least a fragment of DNA.

Very quickly, genealogy took an immense place in my life. It became a passion.

And I cannot even describe the adrenaline rush I feel when I finally find a long-sought document, when a town hall sends me records revealing unknown family secrets, or when someone offers me old photographs.

Of course, there are also moments of exhaustion when I want to put everything away in a drawer and move on to something else. But curiosity is always stronger.

“A failure or a frustration will not defeat me.”

What is also difficult for me is the incomprehension of others, including members of my own family, who sometimes see me as a dreamer or an eccentric.

Fortunately, along the way, I have met true enthusiasts — people who share knowledge generously, offer kindness, patience, and understanding.

No, I will not speak about the complainers. I do not wish to spoil the atmosphere.

But this story does not end here. Because behind these searches lies my own journey as well.

Through these pages, I hope to preserve the memory of those who came before us and perhaps reconnect with distant cousins across the world who share a part of this history.