Genealogy for Joseph R. and Geraldine A. (Greenwood) Buley connects the dots from the results of Buley's DNA test to the progression of Western civilization, to the forming of the borders of France, and to the emergence of the Buley-Boisvert traceable lineage that begins in the Perche region of France, circa 1600. Buley then draws attention to the importance of Samuel de Champlain as the founding father of New France. He makes a compelling argument that the Buley and Boisvert lineages were among the original French colonists that settled New France in Quebec, later immigrating to Vermont. In a similar fashion, he draws attention to the emergence of Ireland and the subsequent emigration of his Irish ancestors to Vermont.
The story emphasizes Christianity and, in particular, the Catholic religion in concert with the development of Western civilization, New France, Ireland, and ultimately Vermont. He explores the social, political, and economic forces that impacted his and Geri's heritage and gives a compelling argument about their ancestors' attraction to Vermont.
Most impressive is the story of his great-grandfather John, who was one of the first, at age eighteen, to enlist in Company G, Vermont 2nd Infantry Regiment for service in the Civil War. He would serve honorably in battles from Bull Run to the Wilderness Campaign, where he was wounded.
The Buley-Greenwood ancestors came to Vermont because they were aggressive and ambitious; they were the ones willing to take chances, relocate themselves, and begin again. In the British, they had a common enemy. They had been forced from their land and persecuted for their religion. Our ancestors were attracted to Vermont because it offered a similar landscape to their homes in Ireland and Quebec. Its growth economy enabled their skills in farming, the railroad, and construction. Vermont stood for the abolition of slavery, suffrage for non-landowning men, and education. Vermonters were exceptionally loyal to the Union; its men answered the call as needed. They were welcomed by a state that fiercely defended its freedom and that allowed its diverse religious preferences to flourish along with individual ownership of land and home. This is their story.