The Way We Were

A personal and heartwarming story of two families who left their Quebec, Canada homes and made the long difficult journey through New England to find work in the textile mills, finally settling in the city of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The Telliers and Fontaines joined many French Canadians who had transplanted their culture and language virtually intact to this American city. The author Rene Tellier recorded the stories passed down to him by his mother Leopoldine and father Alphonse in their French patois language, a dialect of the common people. For readers who don't speak French, all have been translated into English. Like many teens of their time, Alphonse and Leopoldine were required to cut short their formal education to help support their families, but both were intelligent, well-read and highly informed individuals who passed on their love of learning to their five children: Robert, Suzanne, Rene, Bernard and Rachel. In telling his family's story beginning in 1904, Tellier also delves into the history of Woonsocket and the many friends and relatives who influenced his life, surviving the Great Depression, serving the World War II effort and adjusting to the post-war changes in the city. As a family of deep faith they attended St. Ann's Church, visible from their Gaulin Avenue apartment, which was the center of their lives where they worshiped and received the sacraments. The author attended Mount Saint Charles Academy and returned as a Brother of the Sacred Heart to serve as Guidance Counselor. Guided by a love of family, a strong Roman Catholic faith, a sense of humor, and an eagerness to learn, this family of seven endured, persevered and triumphed, achieving the American dream.