Knowing where I came from

I have never made any secret of being a proud Newfoundlander. All of my formative years was spent growing up in the towns and outports of the province surrounded by people immersed within a culture several hundreds old and people that have endured many trials and tribulations from nature and fellow man. It is a culture that has been blended from many sources but there are three dominant ones: English Catholic (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset) English Protestant, and Irish Catholic. There is also a smattering of Scotch and French as well. Yet is the Irish culture that influences much of the way Newfoundlanders talk and their outlook on life and the arts despite the fact that a majority of Newfoundlanders do not have an Irish ancestral heritage.

Newfoundland culture has influenced me deeply and is part of my identity. But there is another component of my cultural background that also important to me.

My surname is Leon, a distinctly French name though where my father comes from is a heavily anglicized area of Quebec where whuch has more in common with Newfoundland than with Quebec.

When you enter my home, there are one or two items that reflect a Celtic origin but they are far outnumbered by items of a distinctly Gallic nature: the rooster, the prints on items like the utensil rack or tablecloth, even the calendar displays places in France rather than Ireland. I do not know why I have more Celtic items in my home. When I think of travelling to Europe, it is always about France more than anything else. Perhaps it is the accomplishments in history and culture especially the arts of France more than Ireland’s that make me feel more proud. I like speaking French and took many classes in it in high school and university. Napoleon is a hero of mine; I have no comparable one from Ireland.

Locally here in Winston, there is a annual Celtic celebration where all things of Celtic origin predominantly Scotch-Irish is proudly displayed. I have a great time there especially listening to traditional Irish music with a distinct bluegrass twist to it. A local organisation, the Fiddle and Bow Society, brings in traditional Irish music acts to the area at a local club. The Celtic Cafe has a good selection of Irish cuisine. There is a Irish literature and poetry group centered around the Literature department at Wake Forest University which puts on a literary celebration annually which includes Irish step dancers which I immensely enjoy. So it is being here in Winston that more than anything else that has rekindled my interest in my Celtic heritage. This does not mean I have abandoned my French roots either. While the name, Leon, originates in the Gascony region of France, I would like to believe that my line of the Leon clan originated from the Brittany region, home of many of the early French settlers to Quebec. Brittany is considered to be one of the Celtic regions of Europe which includes, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

I can not escape my heritage nor do I want to escape it. I do like all things French and perhaps that is more of a function of my personality rather than a cultural impulse. But what trumps it all is that I am undeniably a son of Newfoundland and it is her culture that lives within me and if it is Celtic in origin then my culture is Celtic too.

Background of the Leon Family

Origins Available: French, Italian, Spanish

Where did the French Leon family come from? What is the French coat of arms/family crest? When did the Leon family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Leon, including Léonard, Léonnard, Léonhard, Lénard, Liénard, Lenard, Lienard, Lionard, Lionhard, Léonart, Léonhart, Lénart, Liénart, Lionart, Lionhart, Lenart, Lienart, Léonardy, Léon, Léone, Léonne, Lion, Lione and many more.

First found in Gascony, where the family was seated since ancient times.

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Leon has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Leon were Jean Baptiste Léonard, who lived in New Orleans with his two sons in 1727; Frédéric Léonard, who was a property owner in New Orleans in 1732; Nicolas Léonhard, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749.

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