The first name on the Monument aux Morts (monument to the dead) located outside the town hall in Crespières, France is Ernest Ollivon, my maternal great, great grandfather. Sadly, he was the first of many brave young men from Crespieres to die in World War One. Ernest was only shot in the shoulder, but the disorganization and lack of field hospitals rampant during the first few months of the war resulted in him being transferred hundreds of miles by train from the front to a hospital in Toulouse without treatment. That, combined with the lack of yet-to-be-discovered antibiotics, is the reason that Ernest, a 33-year-old father of four, died a useless death due to infection on 8 October 1914. But back to Crespieres, the small commune (town) from which Ernest Theodore Ollivon, and many of my other French ancestors originated...

According to my grandmother, who emigrated from France to the United States following World War II, farmhouses in France are often grouped together to form villages, with the fields generally lying many miles outside of town. Crespieres is one such village, located in the department of Yvelines in northern France, about an hour south of Paris.

The coat of Crespieres includes many features which symbolize the history of the village. The golden lion represents the arms of the Bullion family, whose members were lords of Crespieres, Wideville and surrounding areas. The wavy stripes represent the Latin etymology of the name Crespieres, derived from the latin, crispus, meaning "undulating or hilly." The masonry of the wavy stripes references a profession once common in Crespieres (several of the early Ollivons in Crespieres were masons). The wheat sheaves on the bottom and grape vines running along the right side symbolize crops widespread in Crespieres until the 19th century. The leftmost linden branch represents the trees that surround the village.

A topographic map of the area surrounding Crespieres, drawn by César-François Cassini de Thury, makes it quickly apparent how little the majority of my French ancestors moved during almost two decades. While I have ancestors appearing in the records of Crespieres back to the 1600s, many of my Crespieres families previously originated in Feucherolles, Herbeville and Lanluet - all located within miles of Crespieres. It really surprised me to find that the majority of my French ancestors have been living in one small area for over 250 years.

Crespieres is generally considered a suburb of Paris, but with a population of about 1600 (including the outlying areas) it still retains its village feel. I've been there once - more than 20 years ago - and hope to return soon. At the time of that visit my great, great grandfather Ernest Ollivon was the earliest generation we knew about. Now I have many more generations - and towns - to explore. I can't wait to return!

Researching the local history of a town, village or city where your ancestors lived is a big step toward understanding what their life was like - the people, places and events that impacted the course of their own personal history. Choose an ancestral location and do a bit of digging - I bet you'll be surprised what you can learn!