Sibling Saturday: The Children of Joseph and Olivine (Hotte) Beauvais

Today’s Sibling Saturday is the fifth part in an ongoing series about my ancestors’ families. Here are the previous articles in this series:

• 21 May 2016: Sibling Saturday: The Children of Jean-Baptiste Bouchard (1698-1755)

• 21 April 2018: Sibling Saturday: The Children of Pierre Janvry dit Belair (1851-1941)

• 21 July 2018: Sibling Saturday: The Children of Olivier and Elizabeth (Vanasse) Vanasse

• 15 September 2018: Sibling Saturday: The Children of Albert and Clémentine (Léveillé) Desgroseilliers

Joseph and Olivine (possibly their wedding photo)

My maternal great-grandparents Joseph Beauvais and Olivine Hotte were born in Papineau County, Quebec – he in Ripon and she in nearby Hartwell (now Chénéville). They married on 16 August 1897 in Chénéville. Joseph and Olivine were the parents of 16 children: 12 sons and 4 daughters. Joseph was a bûcheron (a woodcutter, timberman or a faller) and that’s probably what led him to move his young family to Tupper Lake in New York State, an area known for its lumber production. His second son Oscar was born there in 1899. The Beauvais family lived in New York for one or two years, before they returned to live in the province of Quebec. About 1923, Joseph and his family moved to Moonbeam, a village in northern Ontario. Olivine died there soon after on 4 June 1926. Joseph died on 17 September 1937, also in Moonbeam.

I knew some of my mother’s aunts and uncles, like Réal and the three youngest ones. When my family was on holiday in Ontario and Quebec in 1986, we visited Gatineau (across from Ottawa in the province of Quebec) and met Réal (Mom’s godfather) and his wife Stella. While there, we visited Jean-Marie and spent a lovely afternoon at his home. His twin brother Jean-Paul was there, so I met him, too. As for Laurette, I knew her from our occasional visits to Moonbeam where she lived. (Moonbeam is about 1½ hours north of Timmins where my family lived.) After we moved to British Columbia in 1979, we rarely saw Mom’s Beauvais relatives. We really appreciated that Aunt Madeleine, Mom’s sister, who lived in eastern Canada, kept us up-to-date with news about their relatives.

Children of Joseph and Olivine (Hotte) Beauvais

1. Ovide Beauvais
Ovide was born on 8 June 1898 in Chénéville. On 7 June 1920, he married Lucienne Duchesne in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. They had 16 children. In 1941, Ovide and his family moved from Sudbury and settled in Blue Water, a village that no longer exists near Sarnia, Ontario. He died on 12 July 1981 in Sarnia.

2. Oscar Beauvais
Oscar was born on 25 November 1899 in Tupper Lake, Franklin County, New York, USA. He married on 5 October 1922 in Montpellier, near Chénéville, Rosa Robillard. They were the parents of 14 children. Oscar and his family later settled in Blue Water like Ovide and Juliette. Oscar died on 4 July 1979 in Sarnia.

3. Juliette Beauvais
My grandmother Juliette was born on 30 June 1901 in Chénéville. On 18 August 1925, she married Eugène Desgroseilliers in Moonbeam. Juliette and Eugène, who had nine children, lived in northern Ontario and northern Quebec, where he was a chief of police. In 1942, they settled in Blue Water like her brothers Ovide and Oscar. Juliette died of pancreatic cancer on 14 August 1948 in Sarnia, Ontario. Eugène’s brother Ovide Desgroseilliers married Juliette’s sister Laurette (Lorette) Beauvais. I wrote about Juliette and her sister Agathe at Sibling Saturday: Juliette and Agathe Beauvais.

Juliette and Agathe (about 1935)

4. Marie-Louise Beauvais
Marie-Louise was born on 30 January 1903 in Montpellier. She died on 26 May 1947 in hospital, possibly in Kapuskasing, Ontario. Marie-Louise was unmarried. About 10 years ago, her niece, my Aunt Madeleine, told me that Marie-Louise had been in love with one of her sister Juliette’s brothers-in-law, either Arthur Desgroseilliers (1901-1923) or Hormidas Desgroseilliers (1906-1934). Unfortunately, both brothers died young and unmarried.

Marie-Louise (left) holding her niece Mariette, daughter of Juliette (centre) and Eugène (right) (1928)

5. Aldège Beauvais
Aldège was born on 16 August 1905 in Montpellier. In January 1940, one of Aldège’s horses kicked him in the face. He died from complications from his injuries on 2 February 1940 in Montreal, Quebec. Aldège was unmarried.

6. Léger Beauvais
Léger was born on 4 January 1907 in Montpellier. On 26 February 1935, he married Rollande Filion in Cochrane, Ontario. They lived in Moonbeam and were the parents of 14 children. Léger died on 6 September 1992 in Moonbeam.

7. Romuald Beauvais
Romuald was born on 16 March 1908 in Montpellier. He married Bernadette Dubosse (Dubosq) on 22 November 1944 in Moonbeam. They had four children. Romuald died on 5 November 1991 in Kapuskasing.

8. Emile Beauvais
Emile was born on 7 April 1910 in Montpellier. On 15 July 1947, he married Claire Bourgeois, a schoolteacher, in Val-Rita, Ontario. The couple had four children. Emile died on 28 July 1990 in Hearst, Ontario.

9. Martial Beauvais
Martial was born on 17 September 1911 in Montpellier. He married Marie-Paule Marin on 3 July 1948 in Moonbeam. They had seven children. Martial died 18 August 1982. The cause of death was a vehicle accident, according to the coroner’s report.

10. Réal Beauvais
Réal was born on 26 January 1913 in Montpellier. On 15 August 1936, he married Stella Moisan in Val d’Or, Quebec. The couple had 16 children. Réal died on 29 September 1997 in Gatineau. Réal and his younger sister Agathe were godparents to their niece, Jacqueline Desgroseilliers (my mother), at her baptism in 1933.

Réal (1986)

11. Aurèle Beauvais
Aurèle was born on 6 June 1914 in Montpellier. He married Florence Carrière on 12 May 1942 in Moonbeam. They had four children. Aurèle died in 1996 in Hearst.

12. Joseph Beauvais
Joseph was born on 22 August 1916 in Montpellier. On 22 November 1939, he married Germaine Girard in Moonbeam. The couple, who had six children, lived in Val d’Or. Joseph died there on 6 March 2003.

Joseph (about 1936)

13. Agathe Beauvais
Agathe was born on 3 March 1918 in Montpellier. She and her elder brother Réal were godparents to their niece, Jacqueline (my mother), at her baptism in 1933. Agathe married Lucien Larouche on 25 March 1940 in Val d’Or. They had eight children. Agathe died on 30 December 1956 in Val d’Or after giving birth to a son earlier that day. Her niece, my Aunt Madeleine, said her death was due to a blood clot. My Mom Jacqueline was visiting her when they got the news of their Aunt’s death. I wrote about Agathe and her sister Juliette at Sibling Saturday: Juliette and Agathe Beauvais.

14. Laurette (Lorette) Beauvais
Laurette (Lorette) was born on 9 August 1919 in Montpellier. She married Ovide Desgroseilliers on 9 September 1936 in Moonbeam. They had seven children, all boys, and lived in Moonbeam. Laurette died on 24 April 1995. Ovide’s brother Eugène Desgroseilliers married Laurette’s sister Juliette Beauvais.

Ovide and Laurette with their niece Jacqueline (1974)

15. Jean-Marie Beauvais
Jean-Marie and Jean-Paul were fraternal twins. They were born on 1 May 1921 in Montpellier. Jean-Marie married Huguette Larouche on 5 July 1948 in Val Senneville, Quebec. They lived in Gatineau, Quebec and were the parents of four children. Jean-Marie died there on 20 December 2010. Jean-Marie and Jean-Paul served in World War II. Jean-Marie was posted at CFB Chilliwack, British Columbia for a time. On their leave, the twins visited their eldest sister, my grandmother Juliette, at home in Blue Water. Mom said Juliette loved her brothers and was close to them even though there was a 20-year gap between them. Uncle Jean-Marie lived for a brief time with my parents and our family in the early 1970s. He was a sales rep for Filter Queen vacuum cleaners and came to Timmins to recruit my father as a salesman. I can still see Uncle Jean-Marie sitting in our living room on Main (now Bélanger) Avenue talking to someone on the telephone and asking for a French operator. He believed that since Canada was a bilingual country, the phone company ought to find him someone who spoke French. I'm pretty sure he succeeded, too.

16. Jean-Paul Beauvais
Jean-Paul and Jean-Marie were fraternal twins. They were born on 1 May 1921 in Montpellier. On 12 September 1959, Jean-Paul married Pauline Ennis, a widow, in Montreal. He died in 2002.

Back, left to right: Jean-Marie, Joseph, and Jean-Paul
Front, left to right: Laurette, Réal and his wife Stella (1987)

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

On This Day: des Groseilliers reaches Rupert River in 1668

Rupert River

It was 350 years ago today, on 29 September 1668 that Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers and the crew of the Nonsuch reached Rupert River on James Bay, in present-day Quebec, Canada. [1]

The Nonsuch and the Eaglet, on which Chouart’s business partner Pierre-Esprit Radisson travelled, left London a few months earlier in June. [2] Bad weather forced the Eaglet to return to England, but Chouart’s ship, under Captain Zachariah Gillam, continued to its destination. [3]

Chouart, the French explorer and fur trader, and the ship’s crew made camp at Rupert River and settled in for the winter. The following spring, “almost 300 peaceful Cree” arrived to trade beaver pelts. [4]

The success of this trip led to the creation of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1670. [5]

Photo credit:

Wikipedia contributors, "Rupert River", Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_River : accessed 26 September 2018).

Sources:

1. HBC Heritage (http://www.hbcheritage.ca/things/technology/the-nonsuch : accessed 25 September 2018), “Nonsuch”.

2. Peter C. Newman, Company of Adventurers: The Story of the Hudson’s Bay Company, 2 vols., (Markham, Ontario: Penguin Books, 1985), I: 107.

3. Newman, Company of Adventurers, I: 108.

4. HBC Heritage (http://www.hbcheritage.ca/things/technology/the-nonsuch : accessed 25 September 2018), “Nonsuch”.

5. Newman, Company of Adventurers, I: 110.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sarah (Martin) Grozelle’s 1938 Death Registration

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the death of Sarah Martin. Her husband Peter Grozelle (1838-1919) and my maternal grandfather Eugène Desgroseilliers (1900-1960) are distant relatives. They are descendants of the famous Canadian explorer and fur trader Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers.

Sarah was born on 8 May 1847 in Otonabee, Peterborough County, in present-day Ontario, Canada. Her father James Martin emigrated from Ireland and her mother Lucy Watters came from England. Sarah received the Sacrament of Baptism on 5 June 1847 at St Joseph’s church in Douro, near Otonabee.

When she was 22 years old, Sarah married Pierre de Grozellier on 13 February 1870 at the Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lindsay, Ontario. Pierre was born in 1838 in Châteauguay, Canada East (now the province of Quebec). After his family moved to Ontario about 1850, they shortened their surname to Groselle or Grozelle, while Pierre (and his father Pierre) Anglicized their Christian names to Peter.

Sarah and Peter had three sons and four daughters, born between 1871 and 1887. Their younger son Martin died tragically in 1896; see Sympathy Saturday: Martin Grozelle. 

Sarah (Martin) Grozelle death registration (Ancestry)

Peter died in 1919 and Sarah survived him nearly twenty years. She died, age 91, on 18 September 1938 at home in Miners Bay, Haliburton County, Ontario. [1] She was ill for five days with bronchial pneumonia before she succumbed to the infection. Sarah’s burial took place on 20 September 1938 in nearby Kinmount.

Source:

1. “Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, 1943, and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947”, digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 December 2013), entry for Sarah Grozelle (written as Sarah Grozelle, indexed as Sarah Grozella), 18 September 1938; citing Archives of Ontario, Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1938; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; microfilm series MS935, reel 607. Sarah’s youngest son, Peter Grozelle, was the informant.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sibling Saturday: The Children of Albert and Clémentine (Léveillé) Desgroseilliers

Today’s Sibling Saturday offering is the fourth part in an ongoing series about my ancestors’ families. Here are the previous articles in this series:

• Sibling Saturday: The Children of Jean-Baptiste Bouchard (1698-1755) 

• Sibling Saturday: The Children of Pierre Janvry dit Belair (1851-1941) 

• Sibling Saturday: The Children of Olivier and Elizabeth (Vanasse) Vanasse 

My maternal great-grandparents Albert and Clémentine were born in Embrun, Russell County, Ontario. They married in April 1899 in nearby South Indian (now Limoges), but within a few months moved north to Nipissing (now Sudbury) District. They made their home in the village of St. Charles, where Albert’s parents lived. Albert, a farmer, and Clémentine were the parents of 14 children, 11 sons and 3 daughters. They suffered the loss of seven children during their lifetime, including my grandfather Eugène. Albert died in December 1957 and Clémentine passed away in October 1969.

Albert and Clémentine (seated) with some of their children, about 1955.
L to R: Flavie, Roméo, Ovide, Donat, Ovila, and Léon.

This photo shows them with six of their children. It might not be obvious from the picture, but the Desgroseilliers family had taller than average members. For example, Albert was about 6’5” and his son my grandfather Eugène (not in the photo) was 6’7”. Clémentine and her daughter Flavie were also tall.

Children of Albert and Clémentine (Léveillé) Desgroseilliers

1. Eugène Desgroseilliers
Eugène was born on 30 August 1900 in St. Charles, Ontario. On 18 August 1925, he married Juliette Beauvais in Moonbeam, Ontario. Juliette was the sister of Laurette (Lorette) Beauvais, who married Eugène’s brother Ovide. Eugène died on 20 September 1960 in Sarnia, Ontario. He was a chief of police in the 1920s-1930s and a carpenter in the 1940s-1950s. Eugène and Juliette are my maternal grandparents.

2. Arthur Desgroseilliers
Arthur was born on 11 July 1901 in St. Charles. When he was 21 years old, Arthur contracted typhoid fever and died about five days later on 10 May 1923 in Kapuskasing, Ontario. Arthur, a farmer, was unmarried. I’ve written about my great-uncle at Arthur Desgroseilliers (1901-1923). 

3. Alma Desgroseilliers
Alma was born on 14 January 1904 in St. Charles. She was only three and a half years old when she died from bronchitis on 7 July 1907 in Cobalt, Ontario, where her family lived. The story of Alma’s brief life can be read at Wednesday’s Child: Alma Desgroseilliers (1904-1907).

The three eldest: Eugène (left), Alma and Arthur, about 1906

4. Ovila Hormidas Desgroseilliers
Ovila Hormidas was born on 21 October 1905 in St. Charles. He appears to have died young, presumably before 11 December 1906, becase a brother of the same name was born on that date.

5. Hormidas Desgroseilliers
Hormidas was born on 11 December 1906 in South Indian (Limoges) where his family resided at the time. He died on 5 February 1934 in Cochrane, Ontario. The cause of death was a kidney and bowel infection that led to generalised peritonitis. Hormidas, who was 27 years old, was unmarried.

6. Roméo Desgroseilliers
Roméo was born on 26 May 1908 in St. Charles. He married on 11 October 1933 in Moonbeam, Marie-Claire Albert. Roméo died on 15 April 1995 in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario.

7. Anna Desgroseilliers
Anna was born on 10 December 1909 in St. Charles. She and her mother Clémentine were on a visit to South Indian (Limoges), when she died there on 7 August 1910 aged eight months old.

8. Léonidas Desgroseilliers
Léonidas was born on 21 July 1911 in St. Charles. On 1 August 1935, he married Thérèse Credger in Moonbeam. Léonidas died on 6 March 1999 in Labelle, Quebec. His nieces Madeleine and Jacqueline (Eugène’s daughters) knew him by his nicknames of Léo, Nida, and Oneida.

9. Flavie Desgroseilliers
Flavie was born on 16 May 1913 in St. Charles. She married on 27 September 1932 Georges Léonard in Moonbeam. Flavie died on 3 October 1991 in Sudbury.

9. Léandre (Léon) Desgroseilliers
Léandre was born on 15 March 1915 in St. Charles. On 22 December 1938, he married Annette Potvin in Rouyn, Quebec. Léandre, a carpenter, died on 28 May 1996 in Sturgeon Falls. Annette’s sister Lucille Potvin married Léandre’s brother Ovila.

10. Donat Desgroseilliers
Donat was born on 25 June 1916 in St. Charles. He died on 20 October 1979 in Sturgeon Falls. Donat, a farmer, never married.

11. Ovide Desgroseilliers
Ovide was born on 9 April 1918 in Moonbeam. He married Laurette (Lorette) Beauvais there on 9 September 1936. Ovila died on 9 June 1978 in Moonbeam. Laurette’s sister Juliette Beauvais married Ovide’s brother Eugène. My Mom was very fond of her aunt and uncle, because they reminded her of her parents.

12. Ovila Desgroseilliers
Ovila was born on 6 March 1920 in Moonbeam. He married Lucille Potvin there on 6 January 1943. Ovila died on 11 November 1997 in North Bay, Ontario. Lucille’s sister Annette Potvin married Ovila’s brother Léandre.

13. Joseph Desgroseilliers
Joseph was born on 8 March 1924 in Moonbeam. He married on 25 December 1946 in Cache Bay, Ontario, Florence Renaud. He died in a vehicle accident on 2 August 1957 in Sturgeon Falls. His widow remarried and died in 2017. Their son Albert visits Mom (his cousin) at our home whenever he travels to B.C.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Wedding Wednesday: Janvry – St-Michel

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the wedding of my paternal great-great-great-grandparents, Pierre Janvry dit Belair and Scholastique St-Michel.

Pierre was born on 2 March 1772 in Ste-Geneviève (now Pierrefonds), near Montreal. He was the sixth child and youngest son of François Janvry dit Belair, a French-born soldier, by his wife Marie-Elisabeth Martel.

On 12 August 1793, Pierre married Marguerite Campeau. They had 14 children before Marguerite died, age 44, on 10 September 1817.

Within a few months, Pierre sought a wife for himself and a mother for his five surviving children. He fixed his choice on 22-year-old Scholastique St-Michel. Daughter of Joseph St-Michel, a miller, and Elisabeth Marleau (Merlot), Scholastique was born on 4 May 1796 in Vaudreuil, east of Montreal.

On 5 September 1818, Pierre and Scholastique entered into a marriage contract at the office of notary Joseph Payment. Two days later, on 7 September 1818, the couple married in the parish church at Ste-Geneviève. [1]

Janvry – St-Michel marriage record, verso (FamilySearch)

Janvry – St-Michel marriage record, recto (FamilySearch)

My transcription of Pierre and Scholastique’s marriage record (original lineation indicated by / ):

Lan mil huit cent dix huit le sept septembre après la publica- / tion de trois bans de mariage faite au prône de Messe paroissiale par / trois Dimanches consécutifs entre pière Jeanvri veuf de Marguerite / Campau d’une part et de Scholastique St Michel majeure fille de / Joseph St Michel et d’Elisabeth Merlot ses père et mère d’ / autre part, tous habitants de cette Paroisse, ne s’étant trouvé / aucun empêchement entre les dites parties, je soussigné curé / Missionnaire ai reçu leur mutuel consentement par paroles et / leur ai donné la bénédiction Nuptiale avec les cérémonies / prescrites par la Ste Eglise notre mère, en présence et du / consentement de François Lalonde qui sert de père au garcon [,] de / Lois cardinal témoin, de Joseph St Michel père de la fille, de François / Lebrun témoin et de plusieurs autres parens et amis qui tous ont déclaré / ne savoir signer de [ce?] enquis lecture faite suivant L’ordonnance. [signed] Dumouchel ptre

My English translation (original lineation indicated by / ):

Year one thousand eight hundred and eighteen the seventh september after the publica- / tion of three banns of marriage read at the sermons of our parish Mass on / three consecutive Sundays between pière Jeanvri widower of Marguerite / Campau on the one part and of Scholastique St Michel of age daughter of / Joseph St Michel and of Elisabeth Merlot her father and mother / on the other part, all residents of this Parish, not having found / any impediment between the said parties, I undersigned parish priest / Missionary have received their mutual consent by spoken words and / have given the Nuptial blessing with the prescribed ceremonies / by the Holy Church our mother, in the presence and of / the consent of François Lalonde acting as father to the boy [,] and / Lois cardinal witness, of Joseph St Michel father of the girl, of François / Lebrun witness and of several other relatives and friends all of whom have declared / not knowing how to sign [their names] and as inquired reading done according to the law. [signed] Dumouchel [priest]

A couple of things stood out in the text. One, Pierre and Scholastique are referred to as garçon [boy] and fille [girl], even though he was 46 years old and she was 22. Two, Pierre's brothers-in-law were present: François Lalonde served as proxy father to Pierre (François père died the previous year) and François Lebrun was a witness.

Pierre and Scholastique were married for thirty years. He died in 1848, while Scholastique remarried in 1851, and died in 1864.

Source:

1. Sainte-Geneviève (Sainte-Geneviève [Pierrefonds], Quebec), parish register, 1812-1838, p. 127 verso, no entry no. (1818), Pierre Janvry – Scholastique St Michel marriage, 7 September 1818; Sainte-Geneviève parish; digital images, “Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 September 2018).

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Church Record Sunday: Jeanvril – Lalonde 1845 Marriage Record

One hundred and seventy-three years ago today – on 2 September 1845 – my paternal great-great-grandparents Paul Janvry dit Belair and Angélique Lalonde married. [1]

Paul, born in 1822, was the third, but eldest surviving son of Pierre Janvry dit Belair by his second wife Scholastique St-Michel. (To learn more about Pierre’s children by his two wives, see 52 Ancestors 2015: #32 – Pierre Janvry dit Belair, Father of 25 Children.)

Angélique, four years older than her husband, was born in 1818. She was the eleventh of twelve children of Jean-Baptiste Lalonde by his wife Angélique Bray.

Jeanvril - Lalonde marriage record, Ancestry

Transcription of Paul and Angélique’s marriage record (original lineation indicated by /):

Le deux Septembre, mil huit cent quarante-cinq / après la publication de trois bans de mariage faits / au prône des messes de nos missions, entre Paul / Jeanvril, domicilié à Hull, fils majeur de Pierre / Jeanvril et de Scholastique St-Michel de Hull / d’une part et Angélique Lalonde, aussi domiciliée / à Hull, fille majeure de Jean Baptiste Lalonde du / Côteau du Lac, et de défunte Angélique Bray d’autre / part; ne s’étant découvert aucun empêchement et / vu le consentement des parens [sic], nous prêtre mission- / naire soussigné avons reçu leur mutuel consen- / tement de mariage et leur avons donné la benediction / nuptial en présence de Pierre Jeanvril, Louis [Poulin?] / Louis Guilbault et Toussaint Jeanvril qui ainsi / que les époux ont déclaré ne savoir [signé]. [signed] J. Desautels, ptre

My English translation (original lineation indicated by /):

The two September, one hundred eighteen forty-five / after the publication of three banns of marriage made / at the sermons of the masses of our missions, between Paul / Jeanvril, domiciled at Hull, son of age of Pierre / Jeanvril and of Scholastique St-Michel of Hull / on the one part and Angélique Lalonde, also domiciled / at Hull, daughter of age of Jean Baptiste Lalonde of / Côteau du Lac, and of the late Angélique Bray on the other / part; not having found any impediment and / having the consent of the parents, we missionary priest / undersigned have received their mutual consent / of marriage and have given them the nuptial benediction / in the presence of Pierre Jeanvril, Louis [Poulin?] / Louis Guilbault and Toussaint Jeanvril who along / with the couple have declared they could not sign [their names]. [signed] J. Desautels, [priest]

The ceremony took place in St-Paul’s R.C. church in Aylmer, Quebec. Four witnesses were present, including Paul’s father Pierre and his younger brother Toussaint.

Source:

1. St-Paul (Aylmer, Quebec), parish register, 1841-1848, p. 250, no entry no. (1845), Paul Jeanvril – Angelique Lalonde marriage, 2 September 1845, Missions d’Aylmer parish; digital images, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968”, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 1 March 2012).

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers – Baptised 400 Years Ago

Today – July 31, 2018 – marks the 400th anniversary of the baptism of Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers.

Médard is my 8x maternal great-grandfather. My mother Jacqueline, née Desgroseilliers, descends from Marie-Antoinette Chouart (1661-1731), youngest daughter of Médard by his second wife Marguerite Hayet.

The future explorer and fur trader was the fourth son of Médard Chouart by his wife Marie Poirier. Infant Médard was baptised on 31 July 1618 in St-Martin parish church in Charly (now Charly-sur-Marne), 81 km (50 miles) east of Paris. [1] Unfortunately, the priest omitted Médard’s date of birth in his baptism record, but the child likely received the Sacrament within a day or two of his birth.

Charly église St-Martin 1280.jpg [2]

I originally wrote about Médard’s baptism two years ago in Church Record Sunday: Médard Chouart, sieur des Groseilliers’ 1618 Baptism Record. At that time, I tried to decipher the Latin text, but couldn’t quite manage it. Since then, I came across an article that included both the Latin and the French texts. [3]

Médard Chouart's baptism record* [Archives Départementales de l’Aisne]

* I circled Médard’s name (seen here as Medardus) in yellow.

The Latin transcription of Médard’s baptism record by author Roland-Yves Gagné [4]:

Ultima die mensis & anni ejusdem baptizatus fuit Medardus filius Medardi Chouart & Maria Poirier coniugis cujus patrinus fuit Anthoinis Cheron maxima autrus Illium Catharina LeRoy

Gagné’s French translation of Médard’s baptism record [5]:

Le dernier jour du même mois et année fut baptisé Médard fils de Médard Chouart et Marie Poirier son épouse le parrain fut Antoine Cheron l’ainé l’autre parrain Catherine LeRoy

Here is my English translation of Gagné’s French text:

The last day of the same month and year was baptised Médard son of Médard Chouart and Marie Poirier his spouse the godfather was Antoine Cheron the elder the other [godparent] Catherine LeRoy

I’m pleased that I found Roland-Yves Gagné’s article. His Latin transcription was just what I needed to understand my ancestor’s baptism record.

Sources:

1. Saint-Martin parish (Charly-sur-Marne, France), Registres paroissiaux et d’état civil, Baptêmes 1600-1645, vue: 126/364, poste: 242; baptême, Medardus Souar [sic], 31 juillet 1618; digital image, Archives Départementales de l’Aisne (www.archives.aisne/fr : accessed 8 September 2012).

2. "File:Charly église St-Martin 1280.jpg", Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Charly_%C3%A9glise_St-Martin_1280.jpg&oldid=223390728 : accessed 29 July 2018).

3. Roland-Yves Gagné, “Charly, Médard Chouart des Groseilliers et Jeanne Godard”, Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française (MSGCF) 57 (été 2006): 109-114, specifically 112; DVD edition (Montreal, QC: SGCF, 2013).

4. Gagné, “Charly, Médard Chouart des Groseilliers et Jeanne Godard”, 112.

5. Gagné, “Charly, Médard Chouart des Groseilliers et Jeanne Godard”, 112.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Church Record Sunday: Hubert Neveu’s 1853 Burial Record

Hubert Neveu died 165 years ago this month in July 1853. He is my paternal 4x great-grandfather and is somewhat of an ancestral brick wall. For example, I haven’t found a birth or baptism record for him and I don’t know who his parents are.

Born about 1777, Hubert was a voyageur in the fur trade. He married Josephe Pitabanokwe (var. Petabanokwe), an Algonquin, in August 1818. They were the parents of at least 11 children, including Louise Neveu, the great-grandmother of my grandmother Julie Vanasse.

Hubert died between July 8 -14, 1853. His burial record doesn’t indicate the exact date, only that it was in the second week of July of that year and that he was buried in the church cemetery of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel in LaPasse, Renfrew County, Ontario. [1]

Hubert Neveu burial record (Ancestry)

My transcription of Hubert’s burial record (original lineation indicated by / ):

Dans la seconde semaine de Juillet a été inhumé dans le cimetière / de cette mission le corps de Eubert Neveu agé de 76 ans. Témoins / Antoine Lavoie et J. Baptiste Lanvin. [signé L.C.A. Ouellet]

My English translation of the record (original lineation indicated by / ):

In the second week of July was interred in the cemetery / of this mission the body of Eubert Neveu aged 76 years. Witnesses / Antoine Lavoie and J. Baptiste Lanvin. [signed L.C.A. Ouellet]

Source:

1. Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel (LaPasse, Ontario), parish register, 1851-1943, p. 6 recto, entry no. S.2 (1853), Eubert Neveu [sic] burial, July 1853; Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel parish; digital images, “Ontario, Canada, Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1747-1967”, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 September 2014).

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Sibling Saturday: The Children of Olivier and Elizabeth (Vanasse) Vanasse

Olivier and Elizabeth Vanasse are my paternal great-grandparents. Olivier was born on 4 February 1863 in Chapeau, Pontiac County, Quebec (then known as Canada East). He was the sixth and youngest child of Olivier and Elizabeth (Frappier) Vanasse. Elizabeth was born on 11 September 1862, also in Chapeau. She was the third of thirteen children of Joseph and Marie (Guérard) Vanasse.

Olivier and Elizabeth Vanasse (ca 1930s)

Olivier and Elizabeth were first cousins, their fathers being brothers. They married in the summer of 1889 and lived in Chapeau, where Olivier farmed. He and Elizabeth had nine children, who all survived to adulthood. Olivier died on 7 December 1944 at home. About 1946, my great-grandmother moved to Ottawa, Ontario to live with her daughter Mary. She died there on 1 September 1947.

Children of Olivier and Elizabeth (Vanasse) Vanasse

1. Mary Vanasse
Mary was born on 1 April 1890 and died, unmarried, on 21 September 1951.

2. George Vanasse
George was born on 13 October 1891. On 15 June 1920, he married Louisa Potvin (1902-1996) in Bourget, Ontario. Louisa was the sister of Clément Potvin, who married George’s sister Celia. George and Louisa had seven children. George died on 22 March 1976 in Ottawa.

3. William (Willie) Vanasse
Willie was born on 23 February 1893 and died on 13 May 1955 in a veterans’ hospital in London, Ontario. He was unmarried. Willie served in World War I.

4. Cecilia (Celia) Vanasse
Celia was born on 6 January 1895. She married on 14 June 1921 in Ottawa Clément (Clem) Potvin (1895-1987). Clem was the brother of Louisa Potvin, who married Celia’s brother George. She and Clem had two children. Celia died on 3 September 1986 in Ottawa.

Olivier and Elizabeth Vanasse (centre, back) with their children
Mary (centre, left) and Joe (in uniform) and (front, left to right)
Celia, Aggie, and Dave (ca 1939)

5. Julia (Julie) Vanasse
Julie was born on 31 August 1896. She married on 28 October 1926 Fred Belair (1889-1991) in Ottawa. Julie and Fred had six children, including my father Maurice. She died on 19 March 1967 in Timmins, Ontario.

6. Joseph (Joe) Vanasse
Joe was born on 23 January 1898. He married on 19 August 1942 Stella (Shirley) Ranger (1920-2010) in Chapeau. Like his elder brother, Joe served in World War I. He and his wife Stella had two children. Joe died on 23 March 1973 in Ottawa.

7. Corinne (Cora) Vanasse
Cora was born on 20 August 1900. She married Francis (Frank) Milks (1900-1968) on 5 November 1921 In Ottawa. Cora and Frank had five children. She died on 11 April 1977 in Ottawa.

8. David (Dave) Vanasse (Venasse)
Dave was born on 3 May 1903. He married on 12 June 1929 Louise St-Martin (1911-1991) in Chapeau. They didn’t have children of their own, but adopted a boy. Dave died on 28 May 1979 in Pembroke, Ontario.

9. Agnes (Aggie) Vanasse
Aggie was born on 12 September 1905. She married on 2 September 1935 Frederick (Fred; Freddie) Burchill (ca 1907-1989) in Chapeau. Fred was a British home child. He and Aggie had three children. Aggie died on 28 June 2000 in Ottawa.

Celia, Julie, Cora, and Aggie Vanasse (1962)

My grandmother Julie lived a couple of houses from mine when I was a child, so I knew her very well. I never met great-aunt Mary and great-uncle Willie, who passed away before I was born. I don’t believe I ever met George, Joe and Dave, but might have the year my family went to Ottawa on vacation in 1969. When I was a teenager, I visited Celia, Cora, and Aggie on a few occasions at their homes in Ottawa. I loved those visits with my great-aunts, because they were a link to my beloved grandmother after she passed away.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Church Record Sunday: Elisabeth Lemieux’s 1891 Burial Record

Elisabeth, also known as Isabelle, is my maternal 3x great-grandmother.

The ninth child of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Anne (Séguin) Lemieux, Elisabeth was born on December 16, 1810 in LaPrairie, a community on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River facing Montreal.

In January 1828, Elisabeth married François Desgroseilliers in nearby Châteauguay. The following year, her elder sister Jovite (1808-1893) married Joseph Desgroseilliers, François’ brother. (One day I’ll write an article about how they are sometimes confused as one couple in online family trees.)

Elisabeth and François had eleven children, eight of whom survived to adulthood. About twenty years after François’ death in 1853, Elisabeth left her home in Châteauguay County, Quebec for Russell County, Ontario. Her children Aurélie, François, and Pierre (my 2x great-grandfather) also moved to Ontario about that time.

Elisabeth died in Embrun, Russell County, Ontario on July 14, 1891. [1] Her death registration, however, states that she died on July 15. [2] The funeral took place two days later (July 16) at St-Jacques church, followed by burial in the parish cemetery.

Elisabeth Lemieux burial record (Ancestry)

My transcription of Elisabeth’s burial record (original lineation indicated by / ):

Le seize Juillet, mil huit cent quatre vingt onze / Nous soussigné Vicaire, avons inhumé dans le / cimetière de cette paroisse, le corps de Isabelle / D. Lemieux, décédée avant-hier a l’âge de quatre- / vingt-deux ans, épouse de feu François Desgro- / seillers [sic], cultivateur de cette paroisse. Étaient / presents Onésime Desrosiers, Amable Bourdeau / et autres de cette paroisse, qui ainsi que le fils / François Desgroseillers [sic], n’ont pu signer. / Lecture faite. [signé ChsSdeCarufel Ptre]

My English translation of the record (original lineation indicated by / ):

The sixteen July, one thousand eight hundred ninety one / We undersigned Vicar, have interred in the / cemetery of this parish, the body of Isabelle / D. Lemieux, deceased before yesterday at the age of / 82 years, spouse of the late François Desgro- / seillers [sic], farmer of this parish. Were / present Onésime Desrosiers, Amable Bourdeau / and others of this parish, who along with the son / François Desgroseillers [sic], could not sign [their names]. / Reading done. [signed ChsSdeCarufel Ptre]

I noticed a couple of minor errors in Elisabeth’s burial record. One, she was 80 years old (not 82) when she died. Two, her late husband François never lived in Embrun (he died in Châteauguay County, Quebec), so could not have been a cultivateur de cette paroisse. Someone present at the funeral, possibly a family member, likely gave these incorrect details to the vicar, the recently ordained Charles Sicard de Carufel. [3]

Sources:

1. St-Jacques (Embrun, Ontario), parish register, 1884-1891, page no. 531 stamped, entry no. S.25 (1891), Isabelle Lemieux (written as Isabelle Lemieux, indexed as Isabelle Desgroseillers) burial, 16 July 1891; St-Jacques parish; digital images, “Ontario, Canada, Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1747-1967”, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 22 September 2015).

2. “Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938 and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947”, digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 22 September 2015), entry for Isabelle Desgroseilliers (written as Isabelle Desgroseilliers, indexed as Isabelle Desposeillien), 15 July 1891; citing Archives of Ontario, Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1938, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, series MS935, reel 62.

3. Cyprien Tanguay, Répertoire Général du Clergé Canadien […] (Montréal, 1893, 514); digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/ : accessed 11 July 2018), entry for Charles-Olivier Sicard de Carufel.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Charlotte Lunegand’s 1754 Baptism Record

Today – July 10 – is the 264th anniversary of the birth and baptism of Charlotte Lunegand dite Beaurosier, my maternal 5x great-grandmother.

Charlotte was born on 10 July 1754 at Fort St-Frédéric, aka Fort Beauharnois, now Crown Point, Essex County, New York. A younger daughter of François Lunegand (var. Lunegent) dit Beaurosier by his wife Marie Louise Ouimet, she had two brothers and four sisters.

François, originally from Brittany, France, was an infantry soldier. He arrived in the colony of New France in 1745, married there three years later, and was posted to Fort St-Frédéric in about 1750. Three of his and Marie Louise’s children were born at the Fort, before the family returned to New France in about 1758.

Although Charlotte’s name appears as “Marie Charles” in the sidebar of her baptism record, she was baptised “Marie Charlotte”. Father Hippolyte Collet, a French-born Recollect priest, officiated at the Sacrament of Baptism on the morning of 10 July 1754. [1]

Charlotte Lunegand baptism record, p. 118 (Généalogie Québec)

Charlotte Lunegand baptism record, p. 118 (Généalogie Québec)

My transcription of Charlotte’s baptism record (original lineation indicated by / ):

L’an mil sept cent cinquante quatre, le 10 / de Juilliet [sic], à dix heures du matin, par / nous, Récolé, soussigné, aumonier du fort / St-Frédéric et missionnaire pour les habitans [sic] circonvoisins, a été Baptisée Marie / Charlotte Lunegand, née d’aujourd’hui, fille / de François Lunegand et de Marie Louise / Oymette, légitimes époux, habitans [sic] du dit lieu. / le Parain [sic] a été David Biguet, soldat du gar- / nison, dans le dit fort, la maraine [sic] Marie Char- / lotte Lafoi, fille de Jean Baptiste Lafoi, habitant du dit lieu, le père, le parain [sic] et la ma- / raine [sic] ont déclaré ne savoir signer, de ce requis / lecture faite, suivant l’ordonnance. [signé f. Hippolyte Cober. R.] 

My English translation of the record (original lineation indicated by / ):

Year one thousand seven hundred fifty four, the 10 / of July, at ten o’clock in the morning, by / us, [Recollect] undersigned, almoner of the fort / St-Frédéric and missionary for the surrounding inhabitants, was Baptised Marie / Charlotte Lunegand, born today, daughter / of François Lunegand and of Marie Louise / Oymette, legitimate spouses, inhabitants of the said place. / the Godfather was David Biguet, soldier of the garr- / ison, in the said fort, the godmother Marie Char- / lotte Lafoi, daughter of Jean Baptiste Lafoi, inhabitant of the said place, the father, the godfather and the god - / mother have declared not able to sign [their names], as required / reading done, according to the ordonnance. [signed f. Hippolyte Cober. R.] 

Source:

1. “Registres du Fonds Drouin”, digital images, Généalogie Québec (https://www.genealogiequebec.com : accessed 9 July 2018), “Registre du Fort Frédéric ou Beauharnois 1732-1760”, pages 118-119, no entry no. (1754), Marie Charlotte Lunegand baptism, 10 July 1754. To access this browsable-only image (subscription required), follow this path from the Généalogie Québec homepage: Outils > États-Unis > New York > Fort Frédéric ou Fort Beauharnois > 1732-1760 > image d1p_33161251.jpg.

Copyright © 2018, Yvonne Demoskoff.