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Ever since I was little I have known that I was part of an extensive family with roots in Australia, America
and obviously from the name in France, but until now I have not had the time to research the family as I would wish.
Considerable research has already been carried out in Australia and I would like to thank all those members of the family
who have and are continuing to supply information and to encourage anyone in any part of the world who thinks they may be
connected to get in touch.
My name is Elizabeth Draper but my maiden name was de Mestre. As I now live in France I am currently undertaking
some investigation into the origins of the family name. Thanks to some remarkable research by Monsieur Raymond Sigelas
of Montastruc there is information going back to 1580 and hopefully from this I will be able to discover branches of the family
that exist in France. I have tried to acknowledge the use of documents or photographs wherever possible. If I
have omitted to name anyone please do not be offended but let me know and I will remedy the omission.
Although my father was born in England, his branch of the family dates from the early 1800s when Prosper de Mestre emigrated
from the USA to Australia. The family name was originally Demestre de Vergnassade but appears to have been changed to
de Mestre at some point.
This picture of an enormous family will change constantly as more information is supplied and I would welcome any
help or additions.
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