For the 33rd week of this challenge, I used the optional weekly theme (Defective, Dependent, & Delinquent) to feature a distant cousin of mine, Philorome Desgroseilliers.
The terms defective, dependent, and delinquent are classifications found on a special schedule of the 1880 U.S. census. They refer to people who were blind, prisoners, insane, and such. (For more information, see Amy’s post, Do You Have a Defective Ancestor?)
I don’t think there was an equivalent special schedule on Canadian censuses, but similar terms appear on our censuses.
Philorome was born on 25 August 1873 in the province of Quebec. [1] Son of Michel and Odile (Marchand) Desgroseilliers, he had at least seven brothers and seven sisters. Philorome and my maternal great-grandfather Albert Desgroseilliers (who I don’t believe knew each other) were second cousins.
On the 1881, 1891, and 1901 censuses, Philorome is enumerated with his parents and siblings. On the first census, he is 8 years old and does not attend school, unlike his 11-year-old sister Mélina. [2] On the second census, on which he is 18 years old, he does not have an occupation, but can read and write. [3] On the third census, he is 27 years old, unmarried, works as a day labourer, and can read and write. [4]
I noticed that no infirmities are reported for Philorome on these three censuses; he was not “Deaf and Dumb”, “Blind”, or “Unsound of Mind”. However, something happened between 1901 and 1904, because on 30 June 1904, he entered or was admitted to St-Jean de Dieu, a large psychiatric care hospital, in Longue-Pointe, in east Montreal. [5] He was almost 31 years old.
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| St-Jean de Dieu in 1875 |
The hospital, known in English as St-Jean de Dieu Lunatic Asylum, was founded in 1873 under the care of the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence. (The hospital was renamed Hôpital Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine in 1976.)
Philorome appears as a patient of St-Jean de Dieu on the 1911 and 1921 censuses. On the first census, he is 38 years old, single, and has no occupation. [6] On the second census, he is 48 years old, single, speaks French, but not English, can read and write, and his occupation is “journalier” (day labourer). [7]
I lose track of Philorome after the 1921 census. I don’t know when or where he died.
Sources:
Image source: Archives de la Ville de Montréal. Asile Saint-jean-de-Dieu, 1875. VM006, S10.
1. 1901 Census of Canada, Beauharnois, Beauharnois, Quebec, population schedule, subdistrict A-3, p. 10, family 98, Philor[ome] Desgroselliers (written as Philor[ome] Desgroselliers, indexed as Philomin Dosporelliae); digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://ancestry.ca : accessed 18 August 2015); citing Library and Archives Canada, Census of Canada, 1901, no microfilm no. cited.
2. 1881 Census of Canada, St Louis de Gonzague, Beauharnois, Quebec, population schedule, subdistrict E, p. 15, family 65, Philorum Desgroseillers [sic]; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://ancestry.ca : accessed 18 August 2015); citing Library and Archives Canada, Census of Canada, 1881, microfilm C-13207.
3. 1891 Census of Canada, St Louis de Gonzague, Beauharnois, Quebec, population schedule, subdistrict 139, p. 7, family 31, Philorome Desgrosellier (written as Philorome Desgrosellier, indexed as Fhilorowe Desgroseiller); digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://ancestry.ca : accessed 18 August 2015); citing Library and Archives Canada, Census of Canada, 1891, microfilm T-6387.
4. 1901 Census of Canada, Beauharnois, Beauharnois, Quebec, pop. sch., subd. A-3, p. 10, fam. 98, Philor[ome] Desgroselliers.
5. 1911 Census of Canada, Longue Pointe, Laval, Quebec, population schedule, subdistrict 22, p. 25, Philoriom Desgrosseilliers (written as Philoriom Desgrosseilliers, indexed as Phelorum Desgrossulliers); digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://ancestry.ca : accessed 18 August 2015); citing Library and Archives Canada, Census of Canada, 1911, no microfilm no. cited. The enumerator did not record anyone’s date of birth (month and year) in columns 8 and 9. Also, the date on which a patient was admitted is entered in columns 11 and 12 (year of birth and year of immigration).
6. 1911 Census of Canada, Longue Pointe, Laval, Quebec, pop. sch., subd. 22, p. 25, Philoriom Desgrosseilliers.
7. 1921 Census of Canada, Mercier and Maisonneuve Ward, Montreal (Maisonneuve), Quebec, population schedule, subdistrict 16, p. 15 Philor[ome] Desgroseilliers (written as Philor[ome] Desgroseilliers, indexed as Philomon Desgroseilliers); digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://ancestry.ca : accessed 18 August 2015); citing Library and Archives Canada, Sixth Census of Canada, 1921, no microfilm no. cited.
Copyright © 2015, Yvonne Demoskoff.
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