"La Cristerie" is a corruption of "La Grisetterie", the original name of the property, since the house was built by an individual named Griset. The original portion of the house, the central part between the 2 chimneys, dates back to the 16th century. The house has been renovated to its present state using the original frame.
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| Sign on the gate entrance |
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| Arriving at La Cristerie |
Chatting with André Gaudet |
There is a sign on the gate entrance to La Cristerie. It reads: "This house has a story". The sign then goes on to describe Guillaume Pelletier's odyssey that brought him to New France (Québec) in 1641 with his wife, Michelle Mabille, and their son, Jean. As we made our way towards the house, the present resident, André Gaudet, met us. Unfortunately, his wife, Jacqueline Pelletier-Gaudet, was away at work. The Gaudets are not the owners of La Crsiterie, they rent the property from the owner who made the renovations.
Jacqueline Pelletier-Gaudet was born and educated in Québec, Canada, where she trained as a nurse. On a visit to France in 1986, she met and married André.
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| Original wall - flintstone (silex) |
Half-timbered framing and wall |
Original hearth - now part of the bedroom |
André invited us in to see the original framework and flint-stone walls. From the appearance of the framework it is evident that the original house was half-timbered as were a great many houses in Normandy. The stone used in the construction of the walls is flint-stone. The French call it "silex". The main beams in the bedroom and living room are from the original structure.
The original hearth, now part of the bedroom, is the backdrop for the photo below of myself, Xavier Van de Walle, the mayor of Bresolettes, my wife Françoise, and André Gaudet.
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| George, Xavier Van de Walle, Françoise, André Gaudet in front of the hearth |
George signing the guest book |
After we had thouroughly examined the structure of the house, André poured a glass of "pommeau" (applejack)for each one of us. We toasted our ancestor and our host. The much appreciated applejack took the chill off this otherwise raw rainy day. I was then asked to sign the Pelletier guest book that had many entries including my brother Pete's in 1995.
Too soon it was time to leave. Françoise and I had a last picture taken at the door of the home with André. Then as we took our last look at La Cristerie as André walked back to the house, we noticed once again that the wall that is seen extending up to the roof dates back to the 16th century: to a time when our ancestor Guillaume and his younger brother Antoine spent their early childhood playing in this yard.
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| Françoise, George, André Gaudet |
A last look at La Cristerie |
NOTE: I recently read Lon Pelletier book "Pelletier Chronicles - 500 Years" and learned that André Gaudet, who had so graciously invited us into his home, had passed away on July 24, 2004. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his wife Jacqueline.