Funeral Card Friday: Cecilia (Brazeau) Caron

Front of card

This funeral card is in memory of Cécilia Brazeau, épouse bien-aimée (beloved wife) of Michel Caron, who died on 25 December 1956. The card measures 10 cm x 5.5. cm (approximately 3¾” x 2¼”).

Back of card

I received this card with family memorabilia either from my Aunt Darlene or my Aunt Joan in the 1980s or 1990s.

I don’t know if or how Cécilia is related to my family, but from basic research I did, she might have been someone who knew my grandparents Fred and Julie (Vanasse) Belair when they lived in northeastern Ontario during the 1940s and 1950s.

Cécilia, born about 1881, was the daughter of Léon and Célina (Gauthier) Brazeau. She married on 22 June 1903 in Notre-Dame-du-Laüs, Labelle County, Quebec, Michel Caron, son of Paul and Zoe (Gauthier) Caron.

Cécilia and Michel had at least six children: three sons (Domina, Emilien and Gérard) and three daughters (Marie-Emilia, Sonia and Yvette). The family lived in the township of Montjoy and next door in Timmins, Ontario from about 1937 through the 1950s.

After Cécilia’s death, presumably in Timmins, Michel lived there with his daughter Yvette and her husband Aldéric Lafontaine.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Tombstone Tuesday: Philip Casacove

Gravemarker of Philip Casacove

Philip Casacove (né Cazakoff) was my husband’s maternal uncle. His obituary can be read here.

The third, but second surviving son of George and Polly (Poznekoff) Cazakoff, Philip was born in July 1911 in Simeonovka (aka Semenovo), a Doukhobor village near Arran, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Philip legally changed his name to ‘Philip Gordon Casacove’ in July 1948. A few weeks earlier in June, he married Mary Abrosimoff in Vancouver, British Columbia. The couple had two daughters, Donna and Elizabeth.

Philip died thirty-seven years ago on 16 December 1976. He was buried four days later at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby, British Columbia. His wife Mary, who died in 2002, is interred beside him.

His gravemarker reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY

PHILIP G. CASACOVE

1911 – 1976

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sunday’s Obituary: Philip Casacove

Obituary of Philip Casacove, 1976

Philip is my husband’s maternal uncle, being an elder brother of his mother Ann. He passed away thirty-seven years ago tomorrow (December 16).

Philip was the third child of George and Polly (Poznekoff) Cazakoff, Doukhobor immigrants who left Russia in 1899. He changed his surname from Cazakoff to Casacove in the summer of 1948.

Philip married twice and had children by both unions. He was survived by his (second) wife Mary and their daughters Donna and Elizabeth.

Source:
“Casacove”, obituary, undated clipping, from unidentified newspaper; Demoskoff Family Papers, privately held by Yvonne (Belair) Demoskoff, British Columbia, 2013. Yvonne received an assortment of family memorabilia (including Philip’s obituary) in January 2012 from her father-in-law William (Bill) Demoskoff.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Church Record Sunday: Fred Belair’s Baptism Record

Fred Belair's baptism record*

My paternal grandfather Fred Belair always maintained that he was born on 18 December 1889. I had no reason to doubt him; after all, he should know, shouldn’t he?

One summer in the 1980s, I visited my Pépère Fred’s hometown of Ste-Cécile-de-Masham in Gatineau County, Quebec. While there, I took the opportunity to do some research in the local Roman Catholic church’s sacramental registers. I looked for my Pépère’s baptism record on or about December 18th, but didn’t locate it. I searched a few pages before and after that date, but only found the record when I went as far back as December 1st. That’s when I found entry no. B.81 for Jean-Baptiste-Ménésippe Bélair. I knew I had the right person, because my grandfather’s real name was Ménésippe. But I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the date of birth – 26 Novembre dernier (26 November last). My goodness! My grandfather was, according to this document, born in late November, not in mid-December.

My grandfather Fred once told me that his baptism record was incorrect, because a fire had destroyed the church’s records. But, during my visit, I asked the secretary if there ever was a fire at Ste-Cécile’s. She told me, yes, there had been a fire a long time ago, but that the records were saved.

I wasn’t about to argue this point with my beloved Pépère. He was in his 90s, by then, and had celebrated his birthday on December 18th for as long as my family could remember, that it didn’t matter too much on what day he was born.

* Source: Ste-Cécile-de-Masham (Ste-Cécile-de-Masham, Quebec), parish register, 1887-1898, p. 42 recto, entry no. B.81 (1889), Jean-Baptiste-Ménésippe Bélair baptism, 1 December 1889; Ste-Cécile-de-Masham parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 July 2007).

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Surname Saturday: Prosper (formerly Desgroseilliers)

My mother's maiden name is Desgroseilliers. She’s a 9th generation descendant of Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers. (See my post Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers.) I've been researching my Mom’s paternal ancestors for as long as I can remember, and always assumed that many of sieur des Groseilliers’ descendants through his only surviving (legitimate) daughter Marie-Antoinette Chouart were surnamed Desgroseilliers or a spelling variation of that name.

However, genealogy research throws curve balls at you every so often. A few years ago, I found out that some of sieur des Groseilliers’ descendants took the Christian name ‘Prosper’ and turned it into their surname. As curve balls go, this one was relatively minor, but definitely interesting.

As far as I can tell, ‘Prosper’ was a first name in the Desgroseilliers family as early as 1743, when Marie-Antoinette's grandson was christened with the compound first name ‘Joseph Prosper’. [1] His surname was Dorval at birth, but he later used Bouchard and Desgroseliers.

‘Prosper’ seems to be used as a dit name for the first time when Joseph Prosper Dorval’s sons François (born in 1783) and Joseph (born in 1791) appear as ‘Desgroseilliers dit Prosper’ in some of their children’s baptism and marriage records in the mid-1830s in Châteauguay County, Quebec. For example, when François’ daughter Marie married Antoine Roy in 1834, and Joseph’s son Michel was baptised that same year, their surname was ‘Desgroseilliers dit Prosper’. [2] On other occasions during this time frame, the surname was ‘Prosper dit Desgroseilliers’. [3]

The earliest use of ‘Prosper’ as a stand-alone surname might be when Amable Desgroseilliers (son of Joseph born in 1791) married (as ‘Aimable Prospert’) Caroline Archambault in 1845 in Cooperville (now Coopersville), Clinton County, New York. [4]

Chart showing the progression of Desgroseilliers surname to Prosper

It’s a mystery to me why some of sieur des Groseilliers’ descendants in Canada and the USA chose ‘Prosper’ as a surname. The only thing I can think of is that they are from the line of Joseph Prosper Dorval. Or, could it be that ‘Prosper’ is easier to pronounce and write than ‘Desgroseilliers’?

Sources:

1. St-Joseph (Deschambault, Quebec), parish register, 1713-1791, p. 10 verso, no entry no. (1743), Joseph Prosper Dorval baptism, 19 May 1743; St-Joseph parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 November 2013).

2. Ste-Martine (Ste-Martine, Quebec), parish register, 1834, p. 7 verso, entry no. M.8, Roy – Desgroseilliers marriage, 10 February 1834; Ste-Martine parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 November 2013). Also, Ste-Martine (Ste-Martine, Quebec), parish register, 1834, p. 9 recto, entry no. B.27, Michel Desgroseilliers dit Prosper baptism, 15 February 1834; Ste-Martine parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 November 2013).

3. Ste-Martine (Ste-Martine, Quebec), parish register, 1835, p. 9 verso, no entry no., Dumas – Prosper marriage, 16 February 1835; Ste-Martine parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 November 2013).

4. St-Joseph du Corbeau (Cooperville [Coopersville], New York), parish register, 1843-1846, p. 82, no entry no. (1845), Prospert – Archambeault [sic] marriage, 10 June 1845; St-Joseph du Corbeau parish; digital image, "Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 November 2013).

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Treasure Chest Thursday: The Sale Contract

A couple of months ago, John at Filiopietism Prism had a thought-provoking article about genealogists and hoarding. It reminded me that I have something that wasn’t meant to last, but I’m glad it did because it offers a glimpse of a particular time and place in my parents’ life.

Sale contract between Maurice Belair and Vanity Fair Furniture, 1958 

It’s a conditional sale contract for household furniture and appliances that my Dad signed in late 1958 a few months after he and Mom moved to Timmins, Ontario. Mom kept this contract in her bedroom dresser, along with other odds and ends like photos and souvenirs. In time, though, some of those items were lost or thrown out, but the sale contract survived.

It was only a few years ago, though, that I realized just how special the contract was. One day, I was looking at it again for the umpteenth time when something clicked in my mind. I paused, and then I did something I don’t think I ever did with that contract. I read it, properly read it – line by line, word by word. Not only that, but I also checked the ink, the style of writing, the crossed-out words, and other details.

When I realized that I was holding a treasure, the personal, financial and business facts emerged from it with ease. Here are some of those details:

• Personal:

- My Dad’s name and age.
- His mail and residence address.
- His length of time at present address.
- His residence telephone number.
- His marital status and number of dependents.
- His type of accommodation and name of landlord.
- His previous home address and length of time at that residence.
- The names and addresses of two relatives.
- His signature.

• Business:

- His present employer.
- His length of time and occupation with present employer.
- His previous employment and length of time there.

• Financial:

- His approximate monthly income.
- His bank.
- His references.
- Goods purchased and the cost.
- Cash selling price for purchased goods, cash payment, finance charge and length of term, recording charge, and total deferred payments.
- Payments payable to whom and when monthly installments commence.
- The date of transaction.
- The vendor and salesman.

And something else: my Dad’s signature (Maurice M. Belair) located in the bottom right portion of the image. His style of handwriting stayed essentially the same throughout his adult life.

Imagine how much information about my Dad I’d never know about if he or Mom had thrown away this simple piece of paper after they finished making those payments.

Pretty cool stuff, eh?

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sympathy Saturday: Deaths of 12 Children in One Family

Reading an article last week at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog reminded me of a similar situation in my paternal family tree in which a family lost 12 of their 16 newborn or young children.

Burial record of Adèle Belair (1869-1871)

In the late autumn of 1861, Moïse Belair married Martine Guestier in the picturesque village of Ste-Adèle, north of Montreal, Quebec. [1] The Belair and Guestier families’ relationship went back to 1850, when Martine’s uncle Jérémie Guestier married Moïse’s sister Virginie. [2] The family links were strengthened when newly married Moïse and Martine became godparents to Damase, younger son of Jérémie and Virginie, in March 1862. [3]

Martine gave birth to 16 children between 1863 and 1885, but only the first four children survived to adulthood. Something changed after the birth of her daughter Adèle in December 1869. Martine’s next pregnancy in 1871 (her sixth in eight years) and her subsequent ones all ended in the death of her babies at birth or when very young.

First Children

Moïse and Martine’s first child was a daughter, baptised Martine on the day she was born in April 1863. [4] The next child was daughter Malvina, born in June 1864. [5] Two years later, the couple’s first son, Moïse, was born in March 1866. [6] Another son, Israël, followed in October 1867. [7] He became the inspiration for the French-Canadian fictional literary character “Séraphin Poudrier” in Un homme et son péché, by Claude-Henri Grignon. (See my post Black Sheep Sunday: Séraphin Poudrier, Fact or Fiction?) 

A Family’s Sorrows

Martine’s fifth child was another daughter, Adèle, born and baptised on Christmas Day 1869. [8] In the summer of 1871, Martine was expecting her sixth child. She was 25 years old, according to that year’s census, when the family was enumerated in May. [9]

On July 23, Martine was delivered of a child of unspecified gender. The infant didn’t live long enough to be ondoyé* and died within moments of its birth. [10] Father Louis-Alfred Dequoy officiated at the funeral two days later. [11]

* The word ondoyé (or ondoyée for a female child) appears in an infant’s burial record. If the child survives and is subsequently baptised, the priest records the event in the baptism register.

Within days of the family’s sorrow, daughter Adèle died on August 1. Her death was ruled an accidental drowning, according to a coroner’s jury; she was only 19 months old. Moïse was present at his little girl’s funeral. [12]

A Pattern of Births and Deaths

The birth and death of this 1871 anonymous child set a pattern (with one exception) that lasted until late 1885.

In October 1872, Martine’s newborn child died within moments of its birth. [13] One year later, her eighth child died soon after birth in October 1873. [14] A little girl was baptised Marie Louise in February 1876, but she died when 15 days old. [15] The next child was born and died in August 1878. [16] With this latest death, Father Dequoy had buried six Belair infants.

In April 1879, Martine’s 11th child died soon after birth. [17] This time, Father F.-X. Sauriol, Ste-Adèle’s new parish priest, buried the infant. He would also bury those who were born and died in August 1880, August 1881, May 1882, March 1883, and November 1885. [18]

Two months earlier in September 1885, while Martine was expecting her 16th child, she and Moïse were present at the baptism of their first grandchild, Marie Rose. [19] The newborn was the daughter of Martine and her husband Calixte Desjardins, who had married the previous year.

Four Surviving Children

I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Moïse and Martine to go through these losses year after year. I don’t know how Martine coped and carried on, but perhaps she received comfort from her faith and gained a certain amount of happiness when her surviving children Martine, Malvina, Moïse and Israël married in her lifetime.

Martine died in the spring of 1912 in Ste-Adèle, 27 years after the death of her last child. [20]

Sources:

1. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1861, p. 23 verso, entry no. M.22, Jeanvry – Guétier [sic] marriage, 26 November 1861; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

2. St-Jérôme (St-Jérôme, Quebec), parish register, 1850, p. 21 recto, entry no. M.28, Guétier – Janvry [sic] marriage, 30 April 1850; St-Jérôme parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

3. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1863, p. 10 recto, entry no. B.33, Martine Bélair baptism, 3 April 1863; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 November 2013).

4. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1864, p. 14 verso, entry no. B.63, Marie Malvina Bélair baptism, 28 June 1864; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 November 2013).

5. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1866, p. 6 verso, entry no. B.21, Moïse Bélair baptism, 15 Mar 1866; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 November 2013).

6. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1867, p. 14 recto, entry no. B.63, Israël Bélair baptism, 7 October 1867; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 November 2013).

7. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1862, p. 8 verso, entry no. B.27, Damase Guéthier baptism, 16 March 1862; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 15 November 2013).

8. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1869, p. 21 recto, entry no. B.79, Adèle Bélaire [sic] baptism, 25 December 1869; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 15 November 2013).

9. 1871 census of Canada, Ste-Adèle, Terrebonne, Quebec, population schedule, district 99, subdistrict m, p. 61, dwelling 208, family 208, line 15, Martine Janvril [sic]; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-10033.

10. When a newborn is in danger of death, he or she can be “baptised without any delay” [Can. 867] by someone present at its birth. The sacrament of baptism is usually conferred by a Roman Catholic priest in the “proper parish church of the parents” [Can. 857], but if a priest isn’t present, “[...] in a case of necessity, any person who has the requisite intention may do so.” [Can. 861] (The Code of Canon Law In English translation, The Canon Law Society Trust, London: Collins Liturgical Publications, 1983, 159-160)

11. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1871, p. 12 verso, entry no. S.17, Anonyme de Moise Belair burial, 25 July 1871; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

12. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1871-1880, p. 13 recto, entry no. S.18 (1871), Adèle Bélaire [sic] burial, 1 August 1871; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Catholic Parish Records, 1621-1979”, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 November 2013).

13. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1872, p. 17 verso, entry no. S.25, Anonyme de Moïse Bélaire burial, 16 October 1872; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

14. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1873, p. 22 verso, entry no. S.43, Anonyme de Moïse Bélaire burial, 17 October 1873; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

15. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1876, p. 3 recto, entry no. B.6, Marie Louise Bélaire baptism, 11 February 1876; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013). Also, Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1876, p. 5 recto, entry no. S.8, Marie Louise Bélaire burial, 28 February 1876; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

16. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1878, p. 19 recto, entry no. S.27, Anonyme de Moïse Bélaire burial, 12 August 1878; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

17. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1879, p. 11 verso, entry no. S.19, Anonyme de Moïse Bélair burial, 28 April 1879; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

18. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1880, p. 16 recto, entry no. S.16, Anonyme de Moïse Bélair burial, 16 August 1880; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013). Also, Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1881, p. 14 recto, entry no. S.30, Anonyme de Moise Bélair burial, 7 August 1881; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013). Also, Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1882, p. 12 verso, entry no. S.28, Anonyme de Moise Bélair burial, 29 May 1882; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013). Also, Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1883, p. 5 recto, entry no. S.3, Anonyme de Moïse Bélair burial, 3 March 1883; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013). Also, Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1885, p. 21 recto, entry no. S.56, Anonyme de Moïse Bélair burial, 3 November 1885; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

19. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1885, p. 17 verso, entry no. B.51, Marie Rose Desjardins baptism, 14 September 1885; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 November 2013).

20. Ste-Adèle (Ste-Adèle, Quebec), parish register, 1912, p. 4 verso, entry no. S.10, Martine Guesthier [sic] burial, 13 April 1912; Ste-Adèle parish; digital image, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 16 November 2013).

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Wednesday’s Child: Baby Boy Desgroseilliers

Maurice and Jacqueline Belair with their godson

I don’t know the name of this child, and I don't know if a photo of his gravestone exists.

Baby boy Desgroseilliers was born in the late 1950s or early 1960s, and died when very young.

His parents Jean-Paul and Fleur-Ange (Dupuis) Desgroseilliers lived in Timmins, where my parents lived.

Jean-Paul asked my mom Jacqueline, his cousin, and my dad Maurice to be his son’s godparents.

The baptism took place at St-Antoine cathedral in Timmins, and afterwards, Mom and Dad were photographed with their godson.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Famous Relatives: Queen Elizabeth II

Last year, I prepared a chart for my family that showed how Queen Elizabeth II and I were distantly related. Our closest common ancestor is Robert Gaillard, who lived in Picardy, France in the 15th century. Through him, I am the 16th cousin twice removed of Queen Elizabeth II. With Her Majesty celebrating the 60th anniversary of her coronation as sovereign this year, I thought I’d show my readers how we are related.

Closest Common Ancestor of HM The Queen and Yvonne (Belair) Demoskoff

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sunday’s Obituary: Paul Stooshinoff

Paul Stooshinoff obituary, 1972

Forty-one years ago today (6 October 1972) a single-car accident claimed the life of Paul Stooshinoff. He was only 20 years old. He was one of my husband Michael’s school friends.

Paul and Michael met as teenagers in junior high school in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, where they lived. They hung out together with other boys from school, like Kerry Horkoff and Danny Derhousoff. After Michael graduated from Kamsack Collegiate and moved to Grand Forks, British Columbia, Paul and Kerry followed him there to find work.

One autumn afternoon, Paul lost control of his Dodge Charger and struck a tree on a quiet residential street in Grand Forks. He died at the scene.

The funeral, which took place in Kamsack, was co-officiated by Michael's maternal uncle, Larry Cazakoff.

Paul's tragic and untimely death deeply affected his family, his girlfriend, his friends and co-workers. Michael has never forgotten his friend who died so young and so long ago.

Source:

Paul Stooshinoff, obituary, undated clipping (1972), from unidentified newspaper; Demoskoff Family Papers, privately held by Yvonne (Belair) Demoskoff, British Columbia. Yvonne acquired assorted memorabilia (including Paul’s obituary) in January 2012 from her father-in-law William (Bill) Demoskoff.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sibling Saturday: Euphrosine and Elisabeth Laronde

My ancestor Euphrosine Laronde is sometimes confused with her younger sister Elisabeth in family trees at Ancestry.ca. Those muddled trees give her two husbands (Jean-Baptiste Guérard and François-Xavier Gaudette) and give 1878 as her year of death.

Based on my research, Euphrosine had one husband, Guérard, and she died before the 1861 census. It was her younger sister Elisabeth who was the wife of Gaudette, and who died in 1878.

Background Information

Euphrosine and Elisabeth were the daughters of Toussaint Laronde and his Aboriginal wife Marie Kekijicakoe. [1] The Laronde family lived on Ile aux Allumettes, an island located in the Ottawa River between the province of Quebec on the east and the province of Ontario on the west.

Euphrosine was born about 1820 or 1821 at Lake Nipissing. [2] Elisabeth was born between 1826 and 1831 in Ontario or Quebec. [3]

Euphrosine married Jean-Baptiste Guérard at an unknown date and place, but presumably before December 1840. [4] (I’ve written about how I haven’t been able to find their marriage record here.) The couple had three children.

Elisabeth and François-Xavier Gaudette’s date and place of marriage are also unknown, but the event took place before 30 April 1846. [5] They had seven children.

Separate Identities

I examined the sacramental records for the parish of St-Alphonse de Liguori on Ile des Allumettes and made a list of the different names under which the two sisters appeared. The results gave me a better understanding of the sisters’ identities at various times in their lives.

In Euphrosine’s case, she was known as ‘Euphrosine’ as early as 1824. [6] On other occasions, she was known by what appears to be shortened phonetic versions of that name: ‘Frisin’ and ‘Fisina’. [7] Interestingly, I found only one occasion where she was known as ‘Isabella’. [8]

Meanwhile, her sister Elisabeth was known as Elizabeth/Elisabeth, [9] Isabelle/Isabella, [10] or Eliza. [11]

Family Units

Now that Euphrosine and Elisabeth’s names and aliases were established, I turned to baptism records to recreate their family units.

Euphrosine and Jean-Baptiste had three known children:

• Marie (Mary), born December 1840 [12]
• Delina (Célina), born 4 August 1851 [13]
• Euphémie, born 24 October 1852 [14]

All three daughters were baptised at the parish church at Chapeau on Ile aux Allumettes, with the records stating they were the children of Jean Baptiste Guéra[rd] and Euphrosine Laronde (1840), John B. Gerrard and Fisina Laronde (1851), and J.B. Girrard and Felicita Laronde (1852).

Elisabeth and François-Xavier had seven known children:

• Francis (Olivier), born 30 November 1846 [15]
• Michael, born 3 September 1848 [16]
• Mary Julie, born 2 October 1858 [17]
• Andrew (Denis), born 18 January 1861 [18]
• Toussaint, born 12 March 1863 [19]
• Susanne, born 9 June 1864 [20]
• Mederick (Edward), born 20 June 1867 [21]

Like their Guérard cousins, the Gaudette siblings were baptised at Chapeau. The records show they were the children of Francis Gaudette and Isabella Laronde (1846), Xavier Gaudet and Isabella Laronde (1848), Michel [sic] Gaudette and Elisabeth Laronde (1858), Francis [X.] Gaudette and Elizabeth Laronde (1861), Francis Xavier Gaudette and Isabella Le Rhonde (1863), Francis X. Gaudet and Elizabeth Leronde (1864), and Xavier Gaudet and Isabelle Leronde (1867).

More Clues

Two sets of godparents stood out among these baptism records. First, Michael Gaudette’s godparents at his 1848 baptism are recorded as “Michael Gaudet” and “Frisin Laronde”. [22] Although the relationship between the infant and his godparents isn’t stated in the parish register, Michel is likely his father’s brother, while Frisin is likely his mother’s sister. (In French, ‘Frisin’ sounds like a shortened version of ‘Euphrosine’: Euphrosine = Phrosine = Frisin.)

Second, at Delina Guérard’s baptism in 1851, her godparents are named “X. Gaudet” and “Isabell Laronde”. [23] Again, no relationship is stated, but they are likely her mother’s brother-in-law and her sister.

Sorting Death Dates

The exact date and place of Euphrosine’s death is a mystery to me. However, the event occurred between 24 October 1852 when her daughter Euphémie was baptised [24] and the 1861 census of Canada on which her husband is a widower. [25]

Unlike her sister, Elisabeth’s date and place of death are known. Her burial record states that she died on 11 October 1878 and that she was buried in Chapeau two days later. [26] Her widowed husband remarried in 1883. [27]

Conclusion

Sacramental and census records helped untangle fact from fiction and eliminated confusion between Euphrosine and Elisabeth Laronde. They showed that although the sisters both used the name Isabella, Euphrosine married Jean-Baptiste Guérard and died before the 1861 census, while Elisabeth was the wife of François-Xavier Gaudette and died in 1878.

Sources:

1. Marie's surname is "Kekijicakoe" or "Kekijicoköe" in her son François' baptism record. To date, this is the only record I have found in which her Aboriginal surname is stated. St-Grégoire-de-Nazianze (Buckingham, Quebec), parish register, 1839-1854, p. 35 verso, entry no. B136 (1840), Francis Laronde baptism, 15 September 1840; St-Grégoire-de-Nazianze parish; digital image, "Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967", Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 28 February 2011).

2. “Registres paroissiaux” [Régistres des missions de 19 juillet 1836 au 27 may [sic] 1839], p. 77 verso, no entry no., Laronde – Laronde marriage rehabilitation, 28 August 1838; Family History Library (FHL) microfilm 1703968. Euphrosine’s age (17) is stated in her parents’ marriage record. Also, Ste-Anne (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec), parish register, 1796-1846, p. 54 verso, no entry no. (1824), Euphroisine [sic] Laronde baptism, 28 July 1824; Ste-Anne parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 4 March 2011). Euphrosine was 3 years old. Her baptismal entry states she was born “au Lac Népiscingue” [at Lake Nipissing].

3. “Registres paroissiaux”, p. 77 verso, Laronde – Laronde marriage rehabilitation, 28 August 1838. Elisabeth was 11 years old. Also, “Registres paroissiaux” [Régistres des missions de 19 juillet 1836 au 27 may [sic] 1839], p. 77 verso, entry no. B117 and B118, Marie and Elizabeth Laronde baptism, 28 August 1838; FHL microfilm 1703968. Elisabeth was about 11 years old. Also, 1871 census of Canada, Allumette Island, Pontiac South, Quebec, population schedule, division 01, subdistrict k, p. 20, dwelling 59, family 71, Elizabeth Gaudette; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 1 July 2009); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-10025. Elisabeth is 43 years old and her place of birth is Ontario. Also, St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1876-1886, p. 56 recto, entry no. S15 (1878), Isabelle Laronde burial, 13 October 1878; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 1 April 2009). Elisabeth was 48 years old. Also, 1861 census of Canada, [Allumettes,] Pontiac, Canada East [Quebec], population schedule, p. 12, line 21, Eliza Gaudet [sic]; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 1 July 2009); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-1305. Elizabeth was 30 years old and was born in Lower Canada [Quebec].

4. Euphrosine and Jean-Baptiste’s marriage date is deduced from when their presumed eldest daughter Marie was born – “dans le mois de décembre dernier” [in the month of last December]. St-Paul (Aylmer, Quebec), parish register, 1841-1851, p. 14 verso, no entry no. (1841), Marie Guérard baptism, 4 February 1841; St-Paul parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 11 March 2008). Marie’s baptism took place in the “mission de St Alphonse de Liguori des Allumettes”, but the priest recorded the event in St-Paul’s sacramental register.

5. Elisabeth and François-Xavier married before 30 April 1846, because they are described as a married couple who witnessed the marriage of François-Xavier’s brother Michel Gaudet [sic] to Vitaline Généreux on that date. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 20 verso, entry no. M20 (1846), Gaudet – Généreux marriage, 30 April 1846; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 9 February 2011).

6. Ste-Anne, parish register, 1796-1846, p. 54 verso, Euphroisine [sic] Laronde baptism, 28 July 1824.

7. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 78 recto, entry no. B76 (1848), Michael Gaudet [sic] baptism, 10 September 1848; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011). Euphrosine’s name is rendered as “Frisin Laronde” in her godchild’s baptism record. Also, St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 137 recto, entry no. B77 (1851), Delina Gerrard [sic] baptism, 5 August 1851; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 11 March 2008). Euphrosine appears as “Fisina Laronde” at her daughter’s baptism.

8. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1859-1876, p. 278 recto, entry no. M16 (1870), Foisy – Guérard marriage, 10 October 1870; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 March 2009). Euphrosine’s name is given as “Isabella Laronde” in her daughter’s marriage record.

9. “Registres paroissiaux”, p. 77 verso, Marie and Elizabeth Laronde baptism, 28 August 1838. Elisabeth’s name is spelled “Elizabeth” at her baptism. Also, St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856 [sic], p. 232 verso, entry no. B55 (1858), Mary Julie Gaudette baptism, 10 October 1858; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011). Elisabeth’s name is spelled “Elisabeth” in her daughter’s baptism record.

10. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1846-1856, p. 20 verso, Gaudet – Généreux marriage, 30 April 1846. Elisabeth’s name is rendered as “Isabelle” on this occasion. Also, St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 39 recto, entry no. B186 (1846), Francis Gaudette baptism, 1 December 1846; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011). Elisabeth appears as “Isabella Laronde” in her son’s baptism record.

11. 1861 census of Canada, [Allumettes,] Pontiac, Canada East [Quebec], pop. sched., p. 12, line 21, Eliza Gaudet [sic].

12. St-Paul, parish register, 1841-1851, p. 14 verso, Marie Guérard baptism, 4 February 1841.

13. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1846-1856, p. 137 recto, Delina Gerrard [sic] baptism, 5 August 1851.

14. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 164 verso, entry no. B95 (1852), Euph[émie] Guérard baptism, 24 October 1852; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 11 March 2008).

15. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 39 recto, entry no. B186 (1846), Francis Gaudette baptism, 1 December 1846; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011).

16. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1846-1856, p. 78 recto, Michael Gaudet [sic] baptism, 10 September 1848.

17. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1846-1856, p. 232 verso, entry no. B55 (1858), Mary Julie Gaudette baptism, 10 October 1858; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011).

18. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1857-1876, p. 44 recto, entry no. B22 (1861), Andrew Gaudette baptism, 2 February 1861; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 22 June 2010).

19. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1857-1876, p. 107 verso, entry no. B22 (1863), Toussaint Gaudette baptism, 13 March 1863; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011).

20. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1857-1876, p. 141 recto, entry no. B49 (1864), Susanne Gaudet [sic] baptism, 14 June 1864; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011).

21. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1857-1876, p. 208 verso, entry no. B52 (1867), Mederick Gaudet [sic] baptism, 24 June 1867; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 March 2011).

22. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1846-1856, p. 78 recto, Michael Gaudet [sic] baptism, 10 September 1848.

23. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1846-1856, p. 137 recto, Delina Gerrard [sic] baptism, 5 August 1851.

24. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1846-1856, p. 164 verso, Euph[émie] Guérard baptism, 24 October 1852.

25. 1861 census of Canada, [Township of Chichester,] Pontiac, Canada East [Quebec], population schedule, p. 132, line 11, Bte Gerard [sic]; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 8 June 2010); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-1305. The official enumeration date was 14 January 1861.

26. St-Alphonse, parish register, 1876-1886, p. 56 recto, Isabelle Laronde burial, 13 October 1878.

27. François-Xavier married widow Maria Pack on 16 October 1883 in Chapeau. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1876-1886, p. 139 recto, entry no. M13 (1883), Gaudette – Pack marriage, 16 October 1883; St-Alphonse parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 1 April 2009).

Copyright (c) 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Ancestral Anniversaries for October 2013

From October to December last year, I posted articles about some of my ancestors’ life events that marked an anniversary in 2012. I’m continuing this series by presenting a selection of ancestral events for 2013.

2 October 1693:
Marriage contract between Charles Brazeau and Geneviève Quenneville. The contract was drawn up by notary Antoine Adhémar. Three days later, the couple wed in a religious ceremony in Montreal. Charles and Geneviève had a large family: eleven sons and five daughters, all born in Montreal or nearby Pointe-aux-Trembles. Charles, originally from Paris, France, was a cartwright or wheelwright. After his wife’s death in July 1726, he remarried twice, but had no further children. Charles and Geneviève are my paternal ancestors.

4 October 1853:
Marriage of Ménésippe Meunier and Louise (Eloise) Drouin in Ste-Cécile-de-Masham, Gatineau County, Quebec. They were fourth cousins, but no mention of consanguinity is mentioned in their marriage record. They lived in Masham, where their eleven children were born, including their eldest, Angélina, my great-grandmother. Ménésippe and Louise are my paternal ancestors.

7 October 1823:
Death of Ignace Racette in L’Assomption, L’Assomption County, Quebec. Ignace, who was 83 years old, was buried there two days later. After the death of his first wife in October 1800, Ignace married Marguerite Naud in February 1802; a thirty-one year age gap separated them. Ignace and Marguerite are my maternal ancestors.

14 October 1673:
Birth of Charles Tinon dit Desroches at Rivières-aux-Roches, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Portneuf County, Quebec. He was the third child but eldest surviving son of his immigrant parents Emard Tinon dit Desroches and Aimée Roux, a fille du Roi. Charles married Marie-Anne Bonnodeau in 1700 in Quebec City and had thirteen children. Marie-Anne died in 1728, the year that Charles served as a militia captain. He remarried and had a further six children. Charles and Marie-Anne are my maternal ancestors.

17 October 1803:
Marriage of François Desgroseilliers and Louise Roy in St-Constant, Laprairie County, Quebec. Louise was supposedly a widow at this marriage, but I haven’t been able to find documentary proof of the event. She and François had ten children, all born in Châteauguay and Beauharnois. After her death in 1839, François might have remarried twice, and died possibly in 1865. François and Louise are my maternal ancestors.

26 October 1703:
Birth of Jean Charbonneau in Lachenaie, L’Assomption County, Quebec. His baptism was recorded in the sacramental register of nearby Rivière-des-Prairies when he was two days old. Jean was the seventh child and fifth son of Joseph Charbonneau and his wife Anne Picard. Jean married twice: first, in 1724 to Marie-Anne Carpentier, by whom he was widowed, and second, in 1734 to Barbe Séguin. Jean and Barbe are my paternal ancestors.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Tombstone Tuesday: Mary Casacove

Mary Casacove gravemarker

Mary was the wife of Philip Casacove (né Cazakoff), my husband’s maternal uncle.

Mary, daughter of George and Annie (Bedinoff) Abrosimoff, was born in 1918 in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. She and Philip married in June 1948 in Vancouver, British Columbia and had two daughters, Donna and Elizabeth.

Mary died eleven years ago today on 1 October 2002. She was buried next to her husband Philip, who predeceased her in 1976, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Her gravemarker reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY

MARY CASACOVE

1918 – 2002

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Mystery Monday: Guérard – Laronde Marriage

The marriage record for my paternal ancestors Jean-Baptiste Guérard (ca 1814-after 10 Oct 1870) and Euphrosine Laronde (ca 1820-before 1861 census) does not seem to exist.

I started looking for this couple’s marriage over twenty years ago. I used published resources like Tanguay’s Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes and microfilmed ones like Loiselle Marriage Index.

Later, I searched a number of online resources when they became available on the Internet, including:

• “Drouin Collection” at Ancestry.ca
• BMS2000 [baptism, marriage, burial] database
• Généalogie du Québec et française d'Amérique 
• Le Centre de généalogie francophone d'Amérique [Gedcom files]
• Mes aieux

I also turned to a firm of Montreal-based professional genealogists for help. Unfortunately, they didn’t succeed in locating a marriage record, but they sent me a report of the types of sources they consulted without success; for example, Fichier Fabien, the Archives nationales du Québec à Montréal, and various Répertoires des mariages.¹

Lake Allumette on the Ottawa River in Ontario (ca 1870)

I might not know exactly when and where Jean-Baptiste and Euphrosine married, but I have it estimated to presumably before December 1840. That’s when their daughter Marie was born, according to her baptism, which took place in February 1841 on Ile des Allumettes.²

Thinking they might have married where their daughter was baptized, I searched the 1841-1851 mission register of St-Paul’s church in Aylmer, Quebec, which is available in the "Drouin Collection" at Ancestry.ca. (St-Paul’s was established in 1841 and started keeping records that year.) I didn’t find a marriage entry for them.

I looked at the register of nearby parish of St-Grégoire-de-Naziance in Buckingham, searching page-by-page from January 1839 through to March 1841. I didn’t find the marriage record.

I extended my search to parishes further afield, like the Pembroke, Ontario missions register for 1839-1842, but was unsuccessful. (Pembroke, which lies across the Ottawa River on the Ontario side, faces Ile des Allumettes.)

I was also not successful when I looked at Ottawa’s Notre-Dame Basilica for January 1835 to July 1841. (I didn’t search earlier than 1835, because Euphrosine, who was born about 1820, probably wouldn’t be younger than 15 years old at her wedding.)

I can think of three reasons why Jean-Baptiste and Euphrosine’s marriage is impossible to find.

#1 – The family lived on Ile des Allumettes in Pontiac County, a sparsely populated and more or less wilderness area in the 1850s. The island didn’t have a resident priest at this time and was served instead by missionary priests. Jean-Baptiste and Euphrosine's marriage record may never have made it into the sacramental register in the travelling priest’s home parish. If it did, it’s in a parish that I haven’t searched or considered.

#2 – Since Euphrosine was born in the Lake Nipissing region of present-day Ontario, she might have married there.³ If she was married by a missionary priest, he might have lost or mislaid the record before he reached his usual parish.

#3 – Euphrosine and Jean-Baptiste might have wed in a Native Indian ceremony with the event going unrecorded.⁴

So, after 20 years of looking, this is where I’m at – the same place as I was at the beginning of my quest.

Could it be that I’ve overlooked a particular parish? Could it be that my Guérard – Laronde ancestors’ marriage record doesn’t exist?

What about you, dear readers? How would you proceed?

Sources:

1. Institut généalogique J.L. & associés inc., “Rapport de recherche en généalogie concernant le couple Guérard-Laronde”, prepared by Micheline Lécuyer, prés., Montreal, Quebec, for Yvonne Demoskoff, 10 September 1991; copy privately held by Yvonne Demoskoff, Hope, British Columbia, 2013.

2. St-Paul (Aylmer, Quebec), parish register, 1841-1851, p. 14 verso, no entry no. (1841), Marie Guéra[r]d baptism, 4 February 1841; St-Paul parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : 11 March 2008). Marie’s date of birth “dans le mois de décembre dernier” (in the month of December last) is stated in her baptism record. The baptism took place in the mission of St-Alphonse de Liguori on Ile des Allumettes, but recorded in St-Paul’s sacramental register.

3. Ste-Anne (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue (aka Ste-Anne-du-Bout-de-l’Isle), Quebec), parish register, 1796-1846, p. 54 verso, no entry no. (1824), Euphroisine [sic] Laronde baptism, 28 July 1824; Ste-Anne parish; digital image, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : 4 March 2011). Euphrosine was 3 years old. Her baptism entry states she was born “au Lac Népiscingue” [Lake Nipissing].

4. Euphrosine’s father Toussaint Laronde appears to be the son of a French-Canadian father and an Aboriginal mother. Her mother Marie Kekijicoköe [Kekijicakoe], described as “une sau[va]gesse” in her daughter’s baptism record, was probably Ojibwa (Chippewa, Algonquin).

Image credit: 

“Lake Allumette on the Ottawa River in Ontario” (ca 1870), by Alfred Worsley Holdstock (1820-1901), W.H. Coverdale Collection of Canadiana, Library and Archives Canada.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.