About
My name is Cate Willis, and I am a communications professional based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I’m also a writer, editor and avid reader and researcher with interests in storytelling, history, literature, feminism, socialism, pop culture and photography.
Miss Nixie is my website, where I explore the stories of my French-Canadian and Puritan ancestors and their unique places in Canadian and American history.
I hold a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature, and I’m currently taking history courses at the local university where I work. My areas of interest include American, Canadian and Indigenous histories.
Working on my family tree has deepened my interest in Canadian and American history and the intersections between them and Indigenous histories, especially after learning that I am a descendant of both early French Canadians and Puritans. On my mother’s side, I trace my roots to some of the founding families of New France who first settled in Quebec in the early 1600s. Some of my French Canadian ancestors were among the original French Canadian settlers in Detroit, who eventually established roots in Essex County.
Over the centuries, my family’s history has intersected with many consequential moments in North American history. They experienced Mohawk raids during the 1600s and fought on opposing sides of major conflicts, including the Seven Years’ War (known in North America as the French and Indian War), the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
If you’re French Canadian or have Puritan ancestry, I’d love to connect and hear your story.
You can also find me on Instagram, where I share my travel photography and more.
