From the Editor's Desk
As I write these comments in late
November, autumn has come to Minnesota. The leaves have fallen, the evenings are
crisp, and the birds, ducks and geese have headed south. We are preparing for
another Minnesota winter.
A special thank you to all of our
namesakes and family descendants who continue to support our efforts to share
the history of our families. It takes a considerable amount of time and effort
to publish the Eustace Families Post. Your continued support helps to make this
time seem worthwhile. I welcome your suggestions, corrections and ideas.
In this issue, readers will become
better acquainted with Tim Eustace of Abington, Oxfordshire, England , Ellsworth
“Sam” Eustace of California and our son Kevin Eustice of California. It is a
pleasure to share these stories with you.
In each issue we attempt to feature
family members from various branches. Sam Eustice and Tim Eustace each descend
from families that originated in Cornwall. Kevin Eustice is a descendent of the
Irish family that has its base in the counties of Kildare and Wicklow. We hope
to share more biographical sketches with you in future issues. Please send
information that will help me to write the articles.
I often receive questions concerning
the possible connection between the various branches of the families. Some have
suggested research to find a common ancestor in an attempt to link the English,
Cornish and Irish lines. Here is my perspective on possible links in a nutshell.
Eustace Families Association Donald
W. Eustace attempted to find the common “link.” He was unsuccessful and as
research progressed it became apparent that we have three distinct families. The
Eustace famiy of Oxfordshire has been linked to the Eustises of Boston and the
Eustaces of Virginia. The Cornish families may or may not have a common link
with the Oxfordshire family. The Oxfordshire, Boston and Virginia families have
roots in Flanders which is now part of Belgium. Efforts to link the Oxfordshire
family with the Counts of Boulogne continue. It appears certain that the Irish
family is of entirely different ancestry and descends from Normans who have
earlier roots not just in Normandy but in the Norse countries of Scandinavia.
It’s been a busy year for Margaret
and me. Our oldest son Kevin married Alison Walker on April 30th in Santa
Monica, California. Please see pages 13-15. We are thrilled and look forward to
all the excitement that a new daughter-in-law has brought to our family! Alison
and Kevin are both in graduate school at UCLA pursuing Ph.D’s. A special
highlight of our trip to Santa Monica was a visit with long time EFA member
Steve Eustis of San Angelo, Texas who was attending a conference in the area.
This was our second meeting with Steve and it is always a pleasure.
In June, Margaret and I traveled to
Providence, Rhode Island where I spoke at a food safety conference sponsored by
the National Environmental Health Association. Following the conference, we went
to Saratoga County, New York where we met the Eustis family of Schuylerville and
Victory Mills. We still have not determined whether there is a common ancestor
between the Eustises of Schuylerville and the Eustices in Minnesota, however we
know that both families are Irish and perhaps that in itself provides a common
link. I suspect that there if we dig deeply we will find a link but perhaps as
far back as the 1700s. My research into the Eustis families of Schuylerville and
a possible link with my immigrant ancestor John Eustice (1833-1916) has been
enriched through the efforts of Terry Diebel of Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
Terry, an astute family history researcher, has Eustice ancestors that came from
County Clare to Minnesota. We will learn more about the Eustice/Eustace family
of County Clare in a future issue.
In October, my wife Margaret and I
traveled to Lima, Peru where I was invited to speak about food irradiation to
the Peruvian Asparagus Growers. A highlight odf this trip was a stop in the
historic city of Cuzco and a visit to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Only pictures
can describe the beauty of Peru and its wonders. Truly, our visit to Peru was a
trip of a lifetime.
Our two other children have very busy
lives too! Our son John completed his studies in horticulture at the University
of Minnesota. He has many projects including a busy schedule at Eastcliffe, the
home of the president of the University of Minnesota. Our daughter AnnMarie is
pursuing a degree in Interior Design also at the University of Minnesota. Her
studies keep her very busy but somehow she finds time to work in retail sales at
Nordstroms and is involved with the production of an HGTV television program
about home decorating and interior design.
As Christmas and a new year approach,
I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for a wonderful holiday season.
Please don’t forget to send ideas and suggestions for future articles for the
Eustace Families Post.