Birth of François Desgroseilliers in 1804

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the anniversary of the birth of my maternal 4x great-grandfather, François Desgroseilliers (See François Desgroseilliers’ 1783 Baptism Record.) Today I’m writing about the 211th anniversary of the birth of his eldest son François.

François fils is my maternal 3x great-grandfather. He was born on 22 September 1804 and baptised that day in St-Joachim parish church in Châteauguay, Lower Canada (now the province of Quebec). [1]

François Desgroseilliers’ baptism record (FamilySearch.org)

His baptism record, seen above, reads:

“Le vingt deu[x]ieme de Septembre l’an mil huit cent quatre par / nous a été baptisé françois né de ce jour du legitime Marriage / de françois degrossellier laboureur et de Louïse roi. le parrain / ambroise degrossellier et la marraine Catherine merlot qui / n’ont Su Signer de ce requis.”

In English:

“The twenty second of September of [1804] by / us was baptised françois born of this day of the legitimate marriage / of françois degrossellier laborer and of Louïse roi. the godfather / ambroise degrossellier and the godmother Catherine merlot / [no one] knew how to sign [their names] [as requested].”

François had five brothers (Joseph, Michel, Charles, Jean-Baptiste, Jean-Baptiste, and Gabriel) and four sisters (Marie, Louise, Marie, and Sophie). When he was 23 years old, François married Elisabeth (Isabelle) Lemieux in January 1828. They had eleven children, born between 1829 and 1852, before François died in August 1853.

Source:

1. St-Joachim (Châteauguay, Quebec), parish register, 1797-1818, p. 150 recto, entry no. 108, François Degrossellier [sic] baptism, 22 September 1804; St-Joachim parish; digital image, “Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979”, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 21 September 2015). To access these browsable-only images, follow this path from the FamilySearch homepage: Search > Records > Canada > Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979 > [Browse] > Châteauguay > Saint-Joachim-de-Châteauguay > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1797-1818 > image 175 of 659.

Copyright © 2015, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Friday’s Faces from the Past: A Desgroseilliers Cousin’s Wedding

This early 1970s photo of my mother Jacqueline shows her and her sisters at their cousin’s wedding. Mom thinks it might be Nicole Desgroseilliers, who married in September 1974. If she’s correct, then Nicole is the youngest child of Joseph Desgroseilliers, who passed away suddenly when she was three weeks old. (Joseph was the youngest sibling of Mom’s father, Eugène.)

From left to right are Normande, Jacqueline, Simone, the bride, Mariette, Madeleine, and Jeanne d’arc. It was rare for Mom and her sisters to be all gathered in one place as adults, so it's wonderful that the photo not only celebrates Nicole’s wedding, but also records that the six Desgroseilliers sisters were at the event.

Copyright © 2015, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sunday’s Obituary: Peter F. Plotnikoff

Peter F. Plotnikoff obituary (1998)

Peter Fred Plotnikoff passed away on 5 September 1998 in Grand Forks, British Columbia. I never asked Pop about this particular obituary, but I suspect that he saved it, because he and Peter were friends going back to their days when they picked fruit in the Okanagan orchards of BC in the 1940s. My husband Michael remembers working with a man named Pete Plotnikoff at the Grand Forks’ division of Pope & Talbot, a lumber company, in the 1970s, so that’s probably another connection.

The text appears to have continued in the next column, so Bill wrote the remaining few words at the end of the obituary. (I recognize his handwriting.)

Source:

“Peter Fred Plotnikoff”, obituary, undated clipping, from unidentified newspaper; Demoskoff Family Papers, privately held by Yvonne (Belair) Demoskoff, British Columbia, 2015. Yvonne received an assortment of family memorabilia (including Peter’s obituary) in January 2012 from her father-in-law William (Bill) Demoskoff.

Copyright © 2015, Yvonne Demoskoff.