photographer unknown

Les descendants de Tabor qui vivent en France

Horace and Augusta Tabor's only son Maxcy was born in Kansas in 1857. He accompanied his parents on their generation-long journey to riches and places of distinction in Colorado history, and eventually found himself torn between loyalty to his wealthy father and support for his aggrieved mother. In 1892, he became the manager and part-owner of the new Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, located directly across Broadway from Augusta's mansion.

Maxcy married Luella Babcock, of a prominent Denver merchant family. Their daughter, Persis (named for an Aunt, Persis Babcock Gray), married a French military officer, Paul Alain Laforgue. They resided on the Avenue Mozart in Paris and had four children.

Early in 2002, one of their descendants, Nathanael Bagland of Paris, discovered the www.babydoe.org website, and wrote to us with an interest in his American ancestors. A few months later, he agreed to compose this "histoire" of his family for inclusion among these essays.

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Histoire de ma famille, vue par Nathanaël Bagland
(born the 31.01.1970 in Blois) :

Les descendants de Tabor qui vivent en France constituent une grande famille vivant en Ile de France ( Paris , Neuilly sur Seine, Fontainebleau , Versailles ) et dans la région centre, aux alentours des châteaux de la Loire Tours, Angers , Orléans, Blois ).

Mon nom est Nathanaël Bagland, Nathaniel pour les anglo-saxons. Je suis né le 31 janvier 1970 à Blois , et actuellement ma vie se passe à Paris . J'ai grandi et effectué mes études à Tours , ville où de nombreux étrangers viennent apprendre le français car nous n'y avons pas d'accent. Je suis marié à la femme de ma vie que j'ai rencontrée lors de la fin de mes études à Toulouse . Son nom est Karen et représente beaucoup pour moi car peu de temps après l'avoir rencontrée, le 26 janvier 1993 à la bibliothèque de Toulouse , je suis allé la retrouver à Denver , Colorado où elle passait des vacances dans une famille américaine rencontrée dans les Landes une année plus tôt. A partir de là, nous sommes allés à la recherche de mes racines américaines en sillonnant Denver , sa région, avant de se rendre à Leadville, théatre de l'histoire des Tabor.

J'ai connu les Tabor par mon grand père, Paul Alain Louis Laforgue, né le 04 février 1915 et mort en août 1993 lors de mon voyage aux origines de sa vie. Alain Laforgue est l'aîné de 4 enfants dont la mère était Persis Tabor, morte aux Baléares au début des années 80 après avoir vécu aux USA , en France puis avoir fini sa vie de "riche" américaine à Palma de Majorque. Cette femme, que l'on surnommait Bonne Maman, était, ainsi que mon souvenir peut me la décrire, une femme formidable, généreuse, buvant et fumant comme jamais.

Les enfants de bonne Maman étaient donc au nombre de 4 : Alain, Philppe, Louis et Antoinette (les 2 faux jumeaux). Mon grand père a eu, après la seconde guerre mondiale, 5 enfants avec une jeune femme du nom de Geneviéve. Les 5 enfants sont nés au moment du baby boom puisque l'aînée, ma mère Nathalie, est née en 1946, mon oncle Alain en 1947, mes tantes Corinne et Fabienne en 1948 et 1950 et ma dernière tante et aussi marraine Dorothée (Dorothy) en 1954.

Mes oncle et tantes ont eu de 2 à 4 enfants, ma tante Dorothée, dit Doudou, a eu 4 enfants, mon oncle Alain 4 enfants, tandis que mes 2 autres tantes n'ont pas pu avoir d'enfant. Pour réunir toute la famille, c'est assez compliqué depuis que mon grand père est mort. Une seule fois, la famille toute entière (grand oncles, grandes tantes, oncles, tantes, neveux, nièces, cousins, cousines et le grand père) furent réunis pour une fête. c'était extraordinaire et peut être qu'un jour ....

Karen and Nathanaël Bagland, sixth-generation descendant of Horace Tabor. At Saintes, France, September 2004

 

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My family history by Nathanael Bagland (born January 31, 1970 in Blois):

The Tabor descendants who live in France constitute a large family living in the Ile de France (Paris, Neuilly sur Seine, Fontainebleu, Versailles) and in the center region in the vicinity of the castles of the Loire, Tours, Angers, Orleans, Blois).

My name is Nathanael Bagland, Nathaniel for Anglo-Saxons. I was born the 31st of January, 1970 in Blois and spend my life presently in Paris. I grew up and carried out my studies at Tours, the city where many foreigners come to learn French because we don't have an accent.

I was married to the love of my life who I met at the time I finished my studies at Toulouse. Her name is Karen and it means a lot for me because a little after I met her, the 16th of January, 1993 at the Toulouse library, I went to find her in Denver, Colorado where she spent a vacation with an American family she met in the Landes (region) a year earlier. Leaving there, we went to research my American roots, crossing Denver, its region, before going to Leadville, scene of the Tabor history.

I came to know the Tabors through my grandfather, Paul Alain Louis Laforgue, born the 4th of February, 1915 and died in August 1993 at the time of my trip for the roots of his life. Alain Laforgue was the eldest of 4 children whose mother was Persis Tabor, who died in the Baleares at the beginning of the 1980s after living in the USA, and in France; after finishing her life of a "rich" American at Palma de Mallorca. This woman, who was nicknamed Good Grandma, was as much as my memory can let me describe, a formidable woman, generous, drinking and smoking like always.

The children of Good Grandma were 4: Alain, Philippe, Louis and Antoinette (the 2 fraternal twins). My grandfather had, after the second World War, 5 children with a young woman named Genevieve. The 5 children were born during the baby boom, since the eldest, my mother Nathalie, was born in 1946, my Uncle Alain in 1947, my aunts Corinne and Fabienne in 1948 and 1950 and my last aunt and also godmother Dorothee in 1954.

My grand uncles and aunts had 2 to 4 children, my aunt Dorothee, called Doudou, had 4 children, my uncle Alain 4 children, while my other two aunts could not have children. To reunite the family is complicated since my grandfather died. One time, the whole family (grand uncles, grand aunts, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins and grandfather) were reunited for a celebration. It was extraordinary and maybe one day...

English translation by Jeanne T. Warner, Asheville, North Carolina

 

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As this is written, in January 2006, Maxcy Bagland is the most recent of Horace Tabor's descendants. He was born in Paris on December 16, 2004 to Karen and Nathanaël Bagland. This delightful picture was made as he was flying to his new home in Montreal in September of 2005. Subsequently Maxcy encountered some difficulty getting a proper picture for his immigration papers. Canadian authorities apparently require that such pictures show a serious facial expression. But whenever his parents took him to the photographer Maxcy smiled too much.