I have a ancestor with the last name Strickland who is buried in this small village. While the majority of my ancestors came to North America from Scotland and England, they were descents of people who fought for the Normans and were rewarded with lands and titles in France. Mostly in the Picardie region. The original family name in French is 'de Strickland.'

My ancestor died in the 1800's about the time that Napoleon III came to power and started the Second Revolution. My ancestor was older when he went to the France and died there. As the family held large estates in the area, I believe he may have traveled to France to ensure the family's properties were not claimed as French holdings and seized by the government.

I haven't proven this theory as yet, but it makes sense given the politics are the time. And for women who traveled there, it may have been to marry to prevent the same threats to the family holdings by tying them to an American descendent.

Did you ever figure out what happened with "Y, Somme, Picardie, France"?

I did and I shared that a year or so ago on more than one other thread, but I don't know if you ever saw any of it. I think you'll find it pretty easily if you search specifically for "The Secret of Y, Somme, Picardie, France".

Your theory is more elegant and sounds entirely logical, but if you don't mind my saying so, you've been over-thinking it.

In a nutshell, the misinformation originates on various Members' Family Trees due to a specific data entry mistake that I've explained on a small blog (link below), focused solely on the "Y, Somme, Picardie, France" phenomenon. Here's the link: http://ysommepicardiefrance.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the information. I read through the info on the site that you sent. I don't think this applies in my case. I know for certain that my mother's ancestors came from this area of France. What I don't know is why this specific individual went back to the Picardie area, where he died. I don't where in Picardie he passed away. But I have some friends in France who can help me get information directly from the records in Picardie based on the original French map of the area, not the current one who has different boundaries for Picardie.