Survival!

Many years ago, I was privileged to discover the roots of the Rougeux family and document the story of their emigration into in a book titled The Long Journey, which was published in 2000. That book focused on their incredible journey from the beautiful Champagne region of Northeastern France and their survival in isolated Central Pennsylvania nearly two hundred years ago. Survival fills in much of the background and ancient history dating back to pre-Roman times until their emigration two thousand years later. Survival is sourced from recently translated medieval documents pertaining to the forty villages nestled within the Valley of lAmance in the Champagne region of the Upper Marne River of France. Unlike most historical works, these sources describe events impacting the powerless living under the thumb of the very few at the top of the food chain. A photograph tour of many of these old villages is included. Much of this translation is composed of contemporary events recorded more than a millennium ago in the archaic French of that time. This story certainly illustrates the tenuous and fragile thread of our great good fortune to be alive in this country.