Family ties that bind

 Renee, second on the left, with family in Nyon, Switzerland.

Christmas at Claparede;  Edmond's Uncle and Aunt, Mico and Jacqueline. In front: Michele, John, Edmond and their cousin Mounette.

There is much focus on the immigrant experience and not much said about the people they leave behind. In a letter from John, Renee's youngest son, to his grandparents and his Uncle Leon, he writes; "Uncle Leon, how do you find this new life, is it more agreeable than Switzerland?...I hope for you, grandmother, that this winter will go well and for the two men, with this life of Robinson Crusoe, that you will not be too tired." There is a tension between the family that chose to stay and those that made their life elsewhere. What is it about this new country, Canada, that would draw their family away? Is this "new life" so much better than what was offered in the old?
Caroline and Charles Fleur de Lys never would have the opportunity to return to Switzerland to visit family or friends. Edmond himself would return in almost twenty years time and it would be about ten years before Renee would find herself returning to her homeland.
Caroline Fleur de Lys kept a dedicated correspondence with her cousins in her birth country. In one of the many exchanges, her cousin writes: "I hope, dear cousin, that you will come back to live in Switzerland, as it is your birth place." Another cousin writes: "it is too bad that I am not younger as it has been a long time that I have wanted to come to Canada as I love animals so much." Their letters are filled with updates about the activities and health of family members. I admire the dedication demonstrated by this flow of letters, sometimes between people that have never met, such as the case with John and his grandparents. At the end of one such letter a cousin has detailed all members of the families that are living in two different towns, perhaps in an attempt to keep Caroline up to date with the many births and deaths that have occurred over time.

 Family playing croquet.

The departure creates an absence at those significant family events - marriages, births, funerals, family parties. The new immigrants also have their challenges as they recreate meaningful celebrations away from the structure and traditions of family.  Families are resilient, however, and new traditions are created and with that comes a certain freedom.