Current research on the origin of our ancestors lead us to Abel Turcault. At this name the bridge between France and we began a series of mysteries. On one side of the bridge, we therefore France. The other side seems supernatural, as if Abel was a link between the visible and invisible. But facing a stranger, we have signs.
Abel leads us to the charming country of Vendee. This country, located at sea level, does not lie on behalf of gentle France. Indeed, on the coast, the port of La Rochelle, flanked by two magnificent stone towers, looking towards the sea behind the town, country braided corn lands, small paths and green houses with slate roofs Red reflects the dream of a land flowing lovingly gold and blood.
But a surprise awaits us in our research Abel Maillezais ... In the region, many remnants of the time remaining Abel; such churches that open the secrets of centuries worth of Roman style temples, houses and fantastic, amidst a Green Venice, an ancient abbey. This encounter with the monument shows that the small country of our ancestors had a great influence at the time in religious and cultural matters. Abbey Maillezais by its high walls making it impregnable by its monks cultivated by the presence of a bishop and nobles was important in the region thought throughout Europe. We can even visit the place where the famous writer Rabelais lived for several years.
In the houses of the city Maillezais, old people have long memories. One of them told me this story.
Once, near the village of Maillezais, there lived a man and a woman who had no children. Over time, the whole village came to their membership. They had the hardware, bakery, general store, the most beautiful lands in the township. The village people had become very poor. They remembered the time of their father, the village was prosperous, but with the arrival of this man avaricious than seraphim of Canada, people had begun as'endetter and end to having to sell. People do not know his name, so they called Turquot, which in the region meant miser.
One day, while the old miser and his wife slept, the house burned down with its occupants. Since the village was liberated from its creditors. People do not found themselves in the ashes of the famous treasure house of the miser.
That is why today, in light of the moon you can see people digging the ground in search of the treasure of the Miser Turquot.
But that does not tell us about Abel. By chance, in an old bookshop in Clermont-Ferrand I met in the middle of a bazaar of books, a book on the old noble families of France. As the author had compiled the book based on alphabetical order I opened the mailbox laughing Tur .... It was not my surprise to see our name (Turgot), with the explanation that he was telling an old Norman family, who emigrated in the Vendee to the fourteenth century. Therefore, satisfaction and contentment came over me because I always had the intuition that Norman blood flowed in my veins.
I can not say whether the men bearing the name of Turgot and immigrants in the Vendee are our ancestors. Until next audit, it is permissible to believe. The fact is that for three hundred years, Turcotte lived in Vendee, then a man named Abel immigrated to New France and after another three hundred years, we are.
Our name Turcot-te has evolved along with our language. But cons, if the French language has its roots in the Latin language, our name loses its source around the Middle Ages. A genealogist has tried to find the link between Turcot and a town in Normandy called Turetot:1.
Then he turned to birds, not to seek an omen, but because he met in Angoulême a bird named Turgon and another in the name of Anjou Turquont. He tried some etymological comparisons, but after some reflection, he thought this explanation unlikely.
Douzat Albert, a professor at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes published an "etymological dictionary of family names and surnames of France" is what he wrote: Tuc, TURQ, Turkish and Turkish, are nicknames rather than names of origin, medieval nickname was applied to a cross: a family longuedocienne a Latinized his name to Turcy Turci. Diminutive, Turquet, Turgeon (especially in the south) as Corsican, Turco or Turca, surname of a noble family of Cap Corse. Form Alsatian Turck (Turkheim is a city name of alsace and former stronghold).
There, his explanation, but if we consult its introduction, we find that each region had its habits as to the pronunciation of final words.
Thus the ending 'ault' was specific to the Middle Loire (Orleans, Tours, Poitiers). However, in the region of origin of our ancestors, surnames frequently ended "ault", "water", "au". (Note written by Mr. Lucien Turcotte of Quebec.)
We said Abel happened to be the bridge between France and Quebec. In France, at the end of the bridge we walked the paths to the unknown. In Quebec, the roads lead to us. But the long paths of travel has transformed the name of Turco Turcotte. The phenomenon also embodied in Benjamin Turcotte than the 1850 born and died Turcot Turcotte. This state of affairs is due to two reasons. In 1850 the priest had heard the name of Turcot, Turcotte wrote this in the parish registers. Tradition sees an English influence. Who can say? Can we not see just the flavor of the focus of our population. Finally the word is stuck. Memories will remember that some people quarreled about this, saying that their name is not pronounced Turcot Turcotte.
The weather continued its path and name of Turcotte rolls from age to age, following the thread of generations. We bet that our grandchildren will have much to say about it.