Lake Champlain and How We Got Here

McCaffrey and Cadieux Families in Burlington, Vermont

John Alden and
Priscilla Mullins

Capt. John Alden Sr. (ca. 1598–1687) and Priscilla Mullins (1602-1685) emigrated from England on the Mayflower in 1620. He was the ship's cooper, she the sole survivor of a traveling family. Their descendants populated eastern Massachusetts and, beginning in the late 18th Century, started migrating northward and westward. Caroline Helen Sinclair (1849-1919), a descendant of Alden daughter Rebecca Alden Delano (1643-1688), married James Carl McCaffrey (1830-1908), possibly in Fort Covington, N.Y., and they eventually moved to Burlington.

An Invitation to Dig In

Welcome to these pages. Don't worry if you live somewhere besides Vermont. This is the story of a far-flung family with one branch that dropped anchor in the Green Mountain State.

If you look below, you'll see names like Duffy, Delano, Garrow, Giroux, and Sanders. They came from Ireland, England, and France starting in the 1500s, and they landed in places like Newfoundland, Québec, Plymouth Rock, and (somehow) northern New York. They survived harsh, cold, spare conditions and religious oppression. They did their part to build a Canadian Confederation and an American Union. Many served in war, and some survived it.

The term "genealogy" has to be mentioned here. This is genealogical research, but behind the dates and the alternative names, the endless footnotes and the charts, is the story of people who had a real life in this world, just as you do. A few of them are famous, most are known only to a few descendants—and to you.

You are invited to read, to make connections, to explore. And if you know something is missing or incorrect, please contact us! Look under the Info menu on any page, and click "Contact Us."

Happy exploring!

Marcel Cadieux

Marcel David Cadieux, C.C. (1915-1981) was one of Quebec's great figures of the 20th Century. His leadership in public service was well-known. His passion for the Canadian federation inspired many young Quebeckers to consider a career in the Canadian Foreign Service. Marcel served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States from 1970-1975, the first Francophone to represent the Canadian government in this role. He is the great-grandfather of Pauline Cadieux McCaffrey, of Burlington, and paid a memorable visit to Pauline and her mother Alvine after an event at the University of Vermont.