My Peace Design

My Peace design, available at both Cafepress.com/margueritemanor and Zazzle.com/margueritemanor, is comprised of the word Peace in 37 languages. I thought it would be fun today, to feature several of the languages.

Fred, the name of my late father and several of his ancestors, going back to a great great-grand uncle who served on the Union side in the Civil War, means peace in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. We had wondered why Papa's father and grandfather had been named Fred. Family history research yielded the information about my great great great, grand uncle and I am sure that is where the naming tradition comes from.

Der friede, honors my mother's Grandpa, who came from a tiny, tiny town on the Moselle river. I found the information by ordering his death certificate and was thrilled to find and make contact with living relatives. His wife, my great0grandmother, immigrated with her family when she was only six years old from the German speaking part of Switzerland.

Paix, the Alsatian word for peace, honors my mother's people who came from that region. They were farmers who settled in Ohio and Indiana. How different there lives were from mine! Still, I imagine that my love growing things comes from them.

Fois is the French word for peace. Papa's ancestors were French on his father's side, French Canadian actually and they came to Michigan, the Detroit River Raisin area, in the 1700's. They spoke French until the late nineteenth century, when English finally won sway.

Siochain is the Irish gaelic word for peace. My father's ancestor's on his mother's side immigrated from Ireland in Black '47. I am so glad they did, for if they had stayed they might not have survived and I would not be here. Black '47 was the beginning of the Irish Famine. There is also one Irish ancestor on the French Canadian side.

On each side of my family tree, I have one Scots ancestor. So the Scots gaelic word for peace is included in the design. Solh.

May peace in any language be with you today and all the days of your life.