Heritage Search #1

My visit to the towns of Barlin and Noeux-Les-Mines, France

(September 8, 2011)

Jean-Baptiste and Sophie Dupire,with their not even a year old daughter, also named Sophie, boarded a ship in Cherbourg, France and landed in America, Ellis Island, on August 13, 1901. From there they traveled to Oklahoma, Indian Territory, where I assume Jean-Baptiste worked in the mines. Other Dupire's had already come to the area, and JB and Sophie had an uncle they knew in Oklahoma. This is the immigration story of my great-great grandparents on my biological father's side deciphered through their Ellis Island record.

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I am finally posting this! Mostly taken directly from my journal, because I'm realizing I will never get this posted if I try to write it again while also trying to process Italy experiences!

Thursday (Well now it has been about a week and a half since then although it feels like a million years ago I have done so much.) I took a trip to the towns of Barlin and Noeux-Les-Mines in France (region: Pas-de-Calais). These towns are very close to the Belgian border, and only the last couple of years talking with my grandmother and doing research on my biological father's side, have I found that this is where they came from. My Grandma Betty is half French and half Italian heritage. Both sides of her family immigrated to Oklahoma (Indian Territory at the time) to work in the mines.

Train taking me to the towns

Barlin: Cold, young kids without much hope sitting outside the laundry mat singing to their French rap music, broken windows, closed stores. The first glance I had of this environment change was actually on the train passing into France. More graffiti on the walls. And then stepping out in Hazebrook, where I had to change trains, I immediately felt the change in people's dispositions. And then again in Bethune, where I caught the bus to Barlin. Lots of rough looking people and missing teeth.

And so I took the 66 bus to Barlin, the last French residence of Jean-Baptiste and Sophie Dupire. I wish I had known their address. I really wish I had stopped at the cemetery, but I didn't and so I will never know if Dupire names are there. But I did walk towards the center, encountering a precious jewel in a lot of drab. A mural dedicated to the miners of the past who lived in Barlin. A miner is what Jean-Baptiste was, and it was moving to think that my ancestors were there and part of that history.

MINERS
It has been a long time since since we have seen the miners (leaving for work) in the dark mornings. The bridges are gone, the wheels no longer turn, A few slag heaps still stand lonely on the horizon.

It has been a longtime since we have eaten your "pain d'aloutte" (a special bread specifically connected with the miners in this region)

MINERS, what have you become in our minds?

You came from Poland and elsewhere to go down in a cage every day in what would be a prison for us today, just to make a living. You were taken between coat and anvil in every danger. (sorry, not sure of translation there)

Now we can only wonder how you could have been so strong.

You are the symbol of human effort, not in a legend, but in our history.

You are one of the lights of our past, our roots.

The veins of the earth (the ground), in the shadows, are still ringing the sound of your footsteps.

The mural
These are worth clicking on to get a better view!

But for the rest of the town, there honestly wasn't a whole lot to connect to. I wish it had been sunny, but maybe it was better to be dreary, to maybe feel like they felt when they decided to leave everything for the United States. How strong those immigrants had to have been. I know they must have felt the 'out of theis world' feeling for so long, coming to the United States, not knowing a language (presumably). The feeling I have in French land, even though I can understand and can talk; I still don't quite feel totally connected.

And that was Barlin. I then caught the bus to Noeux-les-Mines. This was also where Dupire's lived, and my grandmother has a letter written from a relative here to Jean-Baptiste (I think it's to him).


Noeux-les-Mines: Things here were a little better. It's much larger and has converted done a better drop in converting their mining heritage to benefit the town economically. They have converted an old mining ramp into an all year round ski hill that is essentially a velcro like surface that you can ski on. (BTW the only one that exists in the United States is in Lynchburg, Virginia which ironically I visited with my friend Rhae)

They also have a big man-made lake that I think was on an old mining pit. Take those two things and a mining museum and walking tour and Noeux-Les-Mines is not doing so bad!

The ski area and lake

My first mission was to track down the address of the letter my grandmother has. If I indeed wrote it down right it was Coron 2 Rue Bethune. What I read was this district was indeed a coron district (the rows of houses set up for miners) but has been renovated.... Still it retains that row-like feel. If that was the address - here is the house! - although no great Dupire spotting.

I had daydreamed of having some sort of Dupire find, but alas mostly drear dominated the day, which in it's own way, was something I appreciated and took in as part of the exploration of my roots.

I then went to the center of town, which I wish I had had more time to explore, but I needed to catch the train, and so I was there and gone. So there I was walking the churches which my ancestors must have went to, and I just tried to think of them there. And then glad that they had decided to leave for America, so I could be standing there discovering it all for myself.

So that was my heritage trip number one. A lot of work, but I am glad I did it. I'm glad to have a visual place and feeling to know about part of my heritage. and next - hopefully Pratiglione! I can do it! (*I did!)

Now that I have done it and really navigated on my own, I know I can do it in Italy (*Hey I am!)