Have you ever questioned the origins of your name, who your ancestors were and where they came from? L'Association des familles LAUZON d'Amérique (AFLA) - The LAUZON Families' Association of America is pleased to introduce itself through this leaflet.

The aim of the association is to discover and share the interesting story of our origins with all the Lauzons of America and elsewhere. We also wish to include the Lauzons whose surname is derived from the original Lauzon spelling, but modified over time by the English pronunciation of the original French name, i.e. Lozon, Luzon, Lauzun, Lozen, Lozo.

AFLA is a non-profit organization with by-laws, a board of directors composed of fourtheen members, regional delegates, a newsletter, gatherings of members and maintenance of a genealogical database. We now have over 600 members residing in Canada and the United States, as well as some from France. Communications take place in English as well as in French, since English is the first language of approximately 10% of our membership, particularly those in the United States.

- Gilles Lauzon, from the city of Caen, in the Lower Normandy region of France, was the first LAUZON to settle in New France, in 1653. He was the son of Pierre Lauzon and Anne Boivin. He married Marie Archambault in Ville-Marie (now Montreal) Quebec, in Notre-Dame Church, on November 27, 1656. Important fact to note is that most Lauzon in the United States, as well as in Canada, are descended from Gilles. For example, Gilles Lauzon’s grandson, Nicolas, son of Séraphin, left Montreal for Detroit, Michigan, in 1729. Some descendants of other sons of Gilles followed other paths to the United States.

- Daniel Lauzon came from Strasbourg, France. He was the son of Gabriel Lauzon and Catherine Verise. He married Marie-Charlotte Baril, on October 7, 1765, in Berthier, Quebec.

- Pierre Laurent, also known as Lauzon, was from Lauzun, near Agen, province of Guyenne, France. He was the son of Jean Laurent and Marie-Anne Julien. He married Madeleine Martin, also known as Boisvert, on November 26, 1759, in St-Michel-de-Yamaska, Quebec.

In October 1991, our founder, J. Yvon Lauzon, from Beaconsfield, Quebec, was finally able to realize a long time dream to establish a LAUZON Families’ Association. To get started, he remembered that Maurice Lauzon, from LaSalle, had contacted him many years ago in order to trace his ancestor, Gilles Lauzon, who was born in Caen, France. With the help of his wife Hélène, their daughter Diane, and Maurice's cousin, Gaétan, from St-Bruno, a meeting took place to create the Association. Each of them contributed a sum of money to enable them to contact the Lauzon whose names and addresses appeared in The World Book of Lauzon which they had in their possession.

To coincide with the 350th anniversary of the founding of the City of Montreal, invitations to join and participate in the first gathering of the LAUZON Families' Association were sent out. When membership dues and favorable responses kept coming in, more mailings were sent out and, as a result, more than 7,000 letters were mailed. When the first gathering took place, six months later, 350 Lauzon were members of the Association - a success which surpassed the highest hopes of the founding members. Several directors were recruited from among those who responded first.

Gatherings - Each year, since its founding, the Association has organized a great gathering so that the Lauzons can meet and get to know each other as they enjoy discovering a large part of their heritage. Since the first gathering in Montreal, in 1992, others have taken place in St-Joseph-du-Lac, Ottawa-Hull, Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, St-Jérôme, Buckingham, Val d’Or, Alexandria ON, Blainville, Ste-Marguerite-Estérel, Montreal, Rigaud and St-Eustache in 2005 . Several hundreds Lauzons have attended each year. In addition, the Lauzons who live or vacation in Florida gathered in Fort Pierce in March 1995.

Trip to France - In September 1995, the Association organized a trip to France. Forty-two people from Canada and the United States visited this beautiful country. Special interest was devoted to the region of Caen - the place of our origins. A special reception was given on September 16, 1995 by the Mayor of the City of Caen, at City Hall -- the Abbaye-aux-Hommes built in the eleventh century -- in honor of the Canadian and American visitors, as well as the LAUZON, LOZON and LUZON of France who had joined them.

La Chaudronnée - Many of you may know that the ancestor Gilles Lauzon was a coppersmith and fabricated, among other things, pots and pans — in French: chaudrons. We have a newsletter entitled La Chaudronnée which the Association sends twice a year as a link between the Association and its members. This 30 to 40 page newsletter, of which 20 to 25 per cent is in English, keeps members up to date on recent genealogical discoveries concerning the Lauzon around the world, and other subjects of interest. We encourage our English-speaking members to send in their own articles or news items.

Genealogical database - Our genealogist has succeeded during the course of the years, the amazing task of accumulating genealogical information on close to 20,000 Lauzons, dating back from 1656 until today. In most cases, he was able to trace their ancestors as far back as one of the three first Lauzons who emigrated to New France. Counting the spouses and children of these Lauzons, our database contains more than 60,000 names and it is still growing constantly.

Commemorative plaques - Since its founding, the Association has paid tribute to ancestor Gilles Lauzon by affixing commemorative plaques at places which were significant in his life. On May 31, 1992, a bronze commemorative plaque, 18" x 24", was unveiled at 31 Saint James Street, Montreal, site of his home in 1660. Another bronze plaque, 19" x 15", was unveiled in France, on September 16, 1995, in the narthex of Saint-Julien Church, in Caen, his boyhood parish and that of his parents, Pierre Lauzon and Anne Boivin.

Genealogical research - Execute or have done experts do genealogical research in France on specific subjects.

Advantages of membership

• The Association is an invaluable source of information about our ancestry and cultural heritage.

• The Association can most likely provide you with a genealogical ascending chart dating back to your ancestor from France.

• Twice each year, members receive La Chaudronnée, the official publication of the Association.

• Priority is given to the members when making reservations for the gatherings and a reduction on the cost of tickets applies.

All the activities organized by the Association are financed by those who participate in these activities. The annual membership fee is used to cover the cost of La Chaudronnée above and beyond the amount covered by the sponsors. It also serves to cover the costs incurred by the census of the Lauzon around the world; postage; long distance calls; office supplies and other general expenses. Each and everyone of the members of the Board of Directors work on a volunteer basis. The Annual Financial Report is verified and audited yearly by a Certified Accountant and is published in the fall edition of La Chaudronnée.

The Association cannot survive without its members. They are its heart and "raison d'être". You can become a member by completing the attached Membership Form and sending in your contribution. The annual membership fee per family (spouse and children under 18 ) is $25. We hope that you will become a member. However, should you decide not to, we would ask you, please, to still complete the attached form and mail it at the address indicated on the form. This will allow us to update our data bank and, possibly, find the missing links to certain family lineages. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Contact persons - Although the headquarters of the Association is in Canada and the members of the Board of Directors reside in Canada, if you live in the United States, you may contact any of the following Regional Delegates in the United States for information. Otherwise, contact the Association directly at the indicated address. There are many Lauzon in the United States who share the same ancestry as the Lauzon in Canada.

The U.S. delegates would be pleased to tell you about their experience with the Association. They are:

Northeast:

Normand R. Lauzon

401 E. 34th Street, Apt. N33A

New York, NY 10016-4914

(212) 481-7976

 

Southeast:

Neil F. Lauzon

4795 Parkstone Drive

Viera, FL 32955

(407) 504-6010

 

Midwest:

Charles W. Lauzon

1626 Berkeley Road

Highland Park, IL 60035-2770

(708) 831-2823

Ellen Lauzon Swan

18228 First Road

Walkerton, IN 46574-8632

(219) 586-7181

Laura Lauzon Falby

4257 Smugglers Covet

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302

(248) 932-3865

Dianne J. Little

11040 Berwick Street

Livonia, MI 48150-2860

(313) 421-8382

 

Southwest:

To be filled

 

Charles T. Lauzon

3441 Golden View Terrace

Lemon Grove, CA 91945-2652

(619) 469-4807

 

Association des familles LAUZON d'Amérique Inc.

(AFLA)

69 Ste-Anne Boulevard

Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, QC

Canada

J0N 1H0

Tel.: (450) 478-0904

Internet site: www.oocities.org/jlauzon.geo

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