My mother died in 1989 at 99 years of age and 3 weeks. I inherited a number of her keepsakes. Enclosed is a translation of a letter that was written to her in 1926 by a young man who had proposed marriage to her. Out of the many proposals that she had, this is one letter that she kept all her life, although she married someone else.

Letter dated April 28, 1926
Addressed to Miss Aline Thouvenin in Bezaumont, by Dieulouard (Meurthe et Moselle)

From Alix Lorrain of Clemery:

Dear Miss Aline,

Please forgive me for taking upon myself to write to you, but, I am somewhat pushed by my present situation.

When, with your permission, I visited you, and I told you that you could take whatever time you needed to think carefully, I was thinking that it may take several weeks. The decision that I need to make regarding various things, namely the return of my brother from the army, causes me to ask you if you think that there is a possibility to fulfill the project that you and your family have permitted me to propose to you.

Nevertheless, I would like to point out more specifically the purpose that I had in mind when I visited you, because it is the basis of my whole life: I am, Miss Aline, a believer, since my mother taught me to pray, especially since I have contemplated the stars in the firmament. I have believed in a God as the Creator and I am one of his creations. Consequently I have decided to act according to the laws of God, considering this life as a preparation for Eternity.

I have tried to live up to all the great virtues that derive from this belief. All my being, All my efforts and all my means are oriented towards everything which is true, beautiful and good. My rule of life is the Gospel and everything it includes which is great and generous. I despise the vanities of the earth as long as they do not serve to the glory of God.

To be good, to do my duty, to do good around, such are my goals which unfortunately I do not always live up to.

If you share this ideal, please tell me quickly, Miss Aline, and if you want to place your trust in me to live according to this ideal, you can be certain that it will give us the maximum happiness that one can find in this life.

Please forgive this presentation a little dry, but from the bottom of my heart. I always like to be sincere. This has caused me a few problems sometimes, but I have never had any remorse.

I would ask you to please consider this little sketch and to let me know as soon as you can, your decision. Whatever it may be, I will accept is and consider it as the will of God.

Awaiting your decision regarding my proposition, I assure you of my deepest respect for you and your family.

Please receive, Miss Aline, as well as Mrs Thouvenin your mother and Miss Eugénie your sister, the assurance of my good remembrance and respectful greetings.

Signature: A. Lorrain.

Last February, I decided to have a family reunion in France during my visit there in May. While gathering material for a little history, I came across the above letter, re-read it and felt again that the writer of this letter, if he was deceased, would surely want his Temple work. I felt that I would like to know more about him but at the same time felt many objections:

– I am not related to him
– It is not my duty nor prerogative to do his Temple work.
– He might still be alive.
– The last hundred years are confidential. And even if I had birth date and death date for this man, there are rights of precedence to be observed to do Temple work.

I concluded that if this Alix Lorrain was deceased and wanted Temple work, he better somehow, inspire his posterity to join the church and do his Temple work.

I went on my trip to France. During my short visit in Lorraine, I got acquainted with and met two recently found cousins. One of them mentioned Michel Lorrain as another person that I might like to meet. Several years ago, while attending a genealogical meeting, everyone was asked to introduce themselves. This man, by the names of Michel Lorrain, was sitting on the other end of the room. Having his surname in my pedigree, I wanted to talk to him but never had the chance. I promised myself that I would obtain his address and write to him but never carried out my intention. But this time his telephone number was given to me.

I called him the night prior to leaving Nancy. I introduced myself. Right away he knew who I was and said “Mrs Longstaff, I am so “honored” that you called me. (I WAS honored to talk to him). There is hardly ever a meeting in Blenod that we do not speak of you… (probably meaning the Genealogical Association).” I asked him if we might be related by the Lorrain and he confirmed that “yes, we are both descendants of André Lorrain of Sainte Geneviève.” Then he said “I have three more generations. Would you like me to leave you the pleasure to research them yourself or would you like me to give you the information?” I told him that I had little time to research my own genealogy and would gladly accept whatever information he felt he could share with me. We parted with the promise that on my next visit to France, I would surely visit his family.

I came home to Salt Lake just in time for the visit of the French Genealogical group at the Library. It was during their visit that I received a large manilla envelope which contained much genealogy and history from Michel Lorrain. Being avid of genealogical data, I immediately scrutinized the pedigree charts and found that I was twice related to Michel and twice related to his wife. I left the history he had written about the Lorrain family for later, when I would have time to read it.

Finally, in July, I found the time to read the Lorrain history which started in the early 1600’s and continued all the way down to Alix Lorrain of Clemery, father of Michel (my correspondent). I could not believe it. The man who had asked to marry my mother, was the father of my correspondent! He had married in 1927. His wife had died of childbirth in 1935 after 8 years marriage. He had never remarried and died in 1972.

Needless to say that the correspondence that followed permitted us to learn much more about each other’s family. I learned that the older brother of Alix Lorain was a catholic priest and that Alix himself had studied German, Latin and Theology during his three years as a prisoner of war in Germany in the first world war. I also learned that Alix had been somewhat of a patriarch in his village, as people with problems would come and talk to him behind closed doors away from the indiscreet ears of his children. He lived his life according to the dictates of his catholic conscience and would never have deviated of one iota from the catechism.

But, most of all, I knew that this good man needed Temple work and the Lord had already provided me with the needed information and the next of kin from whom to ask permission. The rest was up to me. I sat down and wrote the letter requesting the necessary permission from his son. A letter which would normally be most difficult for me to write to someone that I never met, became fairly easy.

Last Saturday, I received the answer: Michel gave me his permission to do the necessary ordinances for his parents to be a couple for Eternity.

We are indeed involved in a great and marvelous work of the last days.

(Written by Yvette Longstaff – September 1997 )

-Yvette Longstaff, Temple and Family History Consultant, Hazelhurst Ward