Loyalist Roots (from USA to Canada 200 years ago)

Dykeman FAMILY in North America are descended from Jan Dijckman of Harlem NY (Manhattan). He was a farmer with land at the upper end of Manhattan Island. One of his descendants decided not to stay in what was to become the United States of America, but rather, to stay loyal to the British Crown under George III after 1783. In popular culture, this family is mentioned in Mad Men (TV show) where one character, Peter Dyckman Campbell, is said to have descended.

The descendant that moved to what is now Canada (at the time it was The Colony of Nova Scotia) in about 1786.

Garrett Dyckman (changed to Dykeman as he moved to 'Canada') lived the remainder of his life in his new adopted country. This Loyalist (United Empire Loyalist offically, or UEL) was given a tract of land which he was able to farm in what is now close to the Saint John River. This is s wide gentle river, which has no cataracts between north of Fredericton (now the capital of New Brunswick) to one at Saint John which is at tide water. The cataract at Saint John can be traversed at high tide as Bay of Fundy tides are amoung the highest in the world: enough to carry small personal boats with no issue if properly timed.

Entry of his entry from the Find A Grave website:

Birth:	Mar. 4, 1741 White Plains Westchester County New York, USA
Death:	Jun. 20, 1813 Gagetown New Brunswick, Canada
Son of Jacob Dyckman and Rebecca Dyckman nee Vermilye. Tradition says he changed his name from Gerrit Dyckman to appear less foreign to the English-domnated colonial New York society. Following the Revolutionary War, in 1783 Garret emigrated with his wife and family to the British Colony of Nova Scotia. On April 20, 1784 they were granted Lot no. 66 in Parr Town (now Saint John, NB) Soon thereafter, on August 16, 1784, the Colony of New Brunswick was created by partition. On January 20, 1787, the Dykemans were granted Lot no. 9 containing 150 acres on Jemseg Creek, Parish of Waterborough, Queen's County, New Brunswick, where they settled to farm. He has been called "The grandfather of all the Loyalist Dykemans" Family links:  Spouse:   Eunice Ann Hatfield Dykeman (1746 - 1808)  Children:   Gilbert Hatfield Dykeman (1769 - 1851)*   Moses A. Dykeman (1772 - 1850)* *Calculated relationship
Burial: Saint John's Anglican Church Cemetery Gagetown Queens County New Brunswick, Canada Plot: In the shade of a large pine tree The Children of Garrett are buried at the Dykeman family cemetary in Jemseg, NB on the ancestral Dykeman family farm. Great Grandfather and Grandmother graves

Garden (End of Season) 2016

Canada is not a hot country but from May to end October it is frost free in many areas including Southern Quebec. This provides an ample opportunity to grow many different legumes, maize, root vegetables as well. Fruit is limited to pears, apples and grapes in local area. Peaches, apricots and more common variety of grapes are not hardy enough for the cold winters (-30C usually once or twice a winter). Vegatables grown from seed such as tomatoes, squash, pumpkin types grow well in the warm summer days.

Garden plants are a beauty of minor details which can be captured on film (or electronic film). Here below are some of the captured images:

Mayan Garden in Canada

Companion Planting: Mayan Agriculture in Canada

A few years ago it became fashionable to plant the 'Three Sisters', a method of inter cropping developed by the Mayan's to produce all three of their staple crops on one plot of land.

The basic method used in 'Three Sisters' planting is to plant Corn, Beans, and Squash in the same vegetable patch. The Sweet corn will grow tall and strong and provide a support for the Beans. The Beans grow up the Corn whilst adding Nitrogen to the soil, and the Squash plants spread out around the base and proved a live mulch and spiky protection. A simple and natural way to inter crop your vegetables

reference: http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk/Guides/Story.asp?nid=2679

Montreal Canada is not a tropical zone for agriculture, having winters that can approach arctic temperatures of -40F (-40C), but blessed with summers that are frost free from early May to mid October. The months from May to September are the prime time for agriculture, as October time is not ideal for plants. In late summer, early autumn, the temperatures at night are becoming colder which produces dampness. This favours insects and rot, so as a consequence, the plants tend to become diseased and cease to be productive.

Montreal summers are warm to hot (10-20 days of 30+C (high 80's+F), with good sunshine and ample rainfall (usually). The southern Quebec region is between 45 and 47 in latitude, resulting in days having sunrise before 5am (Daylight Savings time) and sunset after 8 pm. 

SEM - Caricature Artist in France, turn of the 19th Century.

SEM (Georges Goursat) caricatures

Georges Goursat was born and raised in an upper-middle-class family from Perigueux.  The wealth inherited from his father at the age of 21 allowed him to sustain a gilded youth.

He had access to high society of France, who were mainly centered in Paris (entertainment, food, drink), and Monte Carlo (racing, betting). SEM, as he signed, produced these lithographs seen here below from our private collection. Some are framed and some are not.

Années Folles (1918–1934)

After the war, Goursat came back to the kind of caricatures that made him famous. In 1919, he published Le Grand Monde à l'envers (High Society upside down).^]Around 1923, he published 3 almums under the general title of Le Nouveau Monde (The New World). In 1923, he was made an officer of the Légion d'honneur. In 1929, he was severely impoverished by the  economic crisis. After a heart attack in 1933,mhe died in 1934.

Stevens family ancestors; wreck of White Ship : 1120 AD

Our immigrant ancestor to England, Airard Fitz Stephen was born probably about 1036 and was in command of the ship Mora in the fleet conveying the Norman forces to England in 1066 for the Battle of Hastings. 1 
A son of Airard Fitz Stephen was Thomas Fitz Stephen who died 1120 in the wreck of the White Ship or Blanche Nef, of which he was in Command. It was said to have been the finest ship in the Norman navy. While Dante Gabriel Rossetti is perhaps better known for his somewhat naughty poem entitled "Jenny", he also wrote the "Ballad of the White Ship"2 which is historically accurate. An abstract from it follows: 
"The rowers made good cheer without check; 
The lords and ladies obeyed his beck; 
The night was light and they danced on the deck. 
But at midnight's stroke they cleared the bay. 
And the White Ship furrowed the water-way. 
As white as a lily glimmered she 
Like a ship's fair ghost upon the sea. 
And under the winter star's still throng 
From brown throats, white throats, merry and strong. 
The knights and ladies raised a song; 
A song, - nay a shriek that rent the sky 
Of three hundred living that now must die. 
An instant shriek that sprang to the shock 
As the ship's keel felt the sunken rock. 
Pale Fitz-Stephen stood by the helm 
`Mid all those folk that the waves must whelm; 
A great King's heir for the waves to whelm, 
And the helpless pilot pale at the helm! 
With prayers in vain and curses in vain, 
The White Ship sundered on the mid-main, 
And what were men and what was a ship 
Were toys and splinters in the sea's grip. 
He clutched the yard with panting stare, 
And we looked and knew Fitz-Stephen there. 
He clung, and `What of the prince?' quoth he, 
`Lost, lost' we cried. He cried, `Woe on me!' 
And loosed his hold and sank through the sea." 
-(Dante Gabriel Rossetti) 
1 Strickland's Queens of England, I, 116; Taylor's Mss. 
2 The Poetical Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 192 et seq. 

The invasion by William the Conquerer in 1066AD was carried out by sea crossing, led by Thomas FitzStephen's father Stephen FitzAirard, who captained the MORA, lead ship in the invasion. In the Bayeaux Tapestry, it is the boat with the light standard afixed to the main mast. (far right in the image below).

Views from Quebec City (only walled city in North America)

Quebec City in Canada (Province of Quebec) is one of the oldest continually settled European colonies in North America (outside of Mexico). This town has been fought over for centuries and was French for about 1.5 centuries. In 1763 the Treaty of Paris ceded this part of North America to English Empire (French decided to keep Martinique and Guadeloupe since the sugar trade (powered by African Slaves) was more lucrative.) The French also keep St. Pierre and Miquelon because of access to rich fishing grounds on the Grand Banks. To the French, Quebec was 'quelques arpents de neiges' (several acres of snow) according to the French philosopher Voltaire (Cogno, ergo sum) (I think, therefore I am) was his famous revelation. Obviously he didn't think much of Quebec, otherwise he would have argued to keep it.....since it also was access to MidWest US up to and including Minnesota. Quebec has maintained its distinct French identity thru the centuries partly because of the Quebec Act by Lord Dorchester which allowed the King's subjects in British North America to maintain their religion (primarily if not exclusively Roman Catholic) and language, and manner of laws (based on Civil Law, making it the only jurisdiction in North America (other than Louisiana or Louisiane, which was also French, but sold to US by Napoleon to raise money for wars with the British Empire).

Wrought Iron gates outside the former semainaire (university Laval)

(La Fabrique) in old town Quebec City.

Tourist shopping street (narrowest street in North America)

Cannons to fight off the French, or English or Americans. In the background (the green ....appears Cap Diamant (Cape Diamond) which occupies the highest point above the Fleuve St Laurent (St Lawrence River....a Fleuve is a major river that empties to the sea: there is tide water in Quebec City of up to 10 feet upon occasion)

This site contains the Fortress of Quebec, a British styled redoubt, fortress that is fortified with earthen and stone perimeter into which is built the quarters for small army contingent, including a dwelling for the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, the Viceroy representative of the Queen of Canada (presently Queen Elizabeth II).