52 Ancestors: #48 Jean-Baptiste Lepage, died in 1779, not 1764

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has issued herself and her readers a challenge for 2014. It’s called “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks”, and as Amy explains, the challenge is to “have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor”.

For the 48th week of this challenge, I chose Jean-Baptiste Pagési (Lepage) dit St-Amand (1692-1779).

Jean-Baptiste is my paternal 6x great-grandfather and is number 266 in my ancestor list. 

An only son among the five children of Jean Pagési (Lepage) dit St-Amand (a French immigrant) and his wife Marie-Catherine Gladu, Jean-Baptiste was born and baptized on 26 October 1692 in the village of Lachine (now part of the city of Montreal). [1] When he was about two years old, the Pagési family moved to Boucherville, where his father died suddenly in April 1695. [2]

On the St. Larwrence [sic] near the village of Lachine, Lower Canada.*

* Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1995-28-35.

On 3 July 1717, Jean-Baptiste and twenty-year old Marie-Anne Ondoyer entered into a marriage contract, followed by their marriage ceremony two months later on 6 September in Quebec. [3] Their son Jean-Baptiste was born a year later in October 1718. He was the first of twelve children that were born over the next twenty-four years. [4]

Many years ago, I found my ancestor Jean-Baptiste in Tanguay’s Dictionnaire. [5] According to this source, he died accidentally in the seigneurie of Beauharnois on 28 November 1764. [6] I entered this information in my notes, and moved on.

Earlier this week, I did some background research for my blog post. I also took the time to search for Jean-Baptiste’s burial record at Généalogie Québec.com. I found the record, and then compared the details. [7] They seemed to match those in Tanguay – name, date and place of death, and date and place of burial. I figured I was good, and again, moved on.

The next day, I searched the Internet for the circumstances of Jean-Baptiste’s death, because neither his burial record nor Tanguay indicated what type of accident he had. I came across a database that said Jean-Baptiste died in Montreal on 14 April 1779. [8] I assumed this date and location were incorrect, since it differed from Tanguay. Just in case, though, I looked for the 1779 burial record at Généalogie Québec.com. I found it. [9] Name, check; date and place of death, check; date and place of burial, check. These details matched those of the Internet search.

What was going on? Which source was correct and which source wasn't?

I was confused for a moment, but then realized what happened. I had trusted one source all these years and hadn’t verified it. When I originally found my ancestor Jean-Baptiste in Tanguay over twenty years ago, I was still a beginner researcher, I didn’t know about genealogical standards, and I hadn’t heard of reasonably exhaustive research. [10]

Thank goodness for having a blog. Writing about my ancestors in a public forum is a good way to ensure that I review the work I’ve previously done, and that I don't forget to move beyond using just one or two types of resources.

So, which Jean-Baptiste died when?

I put the various burial details into a table. That’s when I realized that I had overlooked one important piece of information: their ages. One Jean-Baptiste was 48 years old at his death/burial and the other was 94 years old.

One piece of information was still missing, though. Neither of the men’s burial records indicated the names of their respective wives. I went to the online Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH) to see if its databases could help. I located each of their “Individu” file. It turned out that the Jean-Baptiste who died in 1764 was the son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Anne (Ondoyer) Pagési/Lepage. [11] The Jean-Baptiste who died in 1779 was the son of Jean and Marie-Catherine (Gladu) Pagési dit St-Amand. [12]

I now knew that Jean-Baptiste père (my ancestor) died on 14 April 1779 and that Jean-Baptiste fils (my ancestor’s son) died on 28 November 1764.

Thank goodness I chose ancestor no. 266 for this article. The prep work I did for it became a teachable moment for me: don’t trust only one source and do a reasonably exhaustive research.

Sources:

1. Sts-Anges-Gardiens (Lachine, Quebec), parish register, 1676-1756, p. 43 recto, no entry no. (1692), Jean Baptiste Pagesy [sic] baptism, 26 October 1692; Sts-Anges-Gardiens parish; digital image, “Le LAFRANCE”, Généalogie Québec (http://www.genealogiequebec.com : accessed 25 November 2014).

2. Très-Ste-Famille (Boucherville, Quebec), parish register, 1669-1695, no page no., no entry no. (1695), Jean Baptiste Pagesi dit St Amant [sic] burial, 28 April 1695; Très-Ste-Famille parish; digital image, “Le LAFRANCE”, Généalogie Québec (http://www.genealogiequebec.com : accessed 25 November 2014).

3. René Jetté, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec (Montréal: Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 1983), 864.

4. “Dictionnaire”, database, Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH) (http://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca : accessed 30 June 2014), Jean Baptiste Lepage StAmand Pagesi Page – Marie Anne Ondoye Martin [sic], Famille no. 12592.

5. Cyprien Tanguay, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes, 7 vols (1871–1890, reprint, Montréal: Editions Elysée, 1991), VI: 194.

6. Tanguay, Dictionnaire, VI: 194, right column, note (1).

7. Ste-Anne (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec), parish register, 1758-1768, p. 170, no entry no. (1764), Jean Lepage dit St Amant [sic] burial, 30 November 1764; Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue parish; digital image, Généalogie Québec (http://www.genealogiequebec.com : accessed 25 November 2014).

8. Genealogy of Canada (http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/genealogie.aspx?lng=en : 26 November 2014), entry for Jean-Baptiste Lepage, ID No. 29759, spouse of Marie-Anne Leber.

9. Notre-Dame (Montreal, Quebec), parish register, 177[7]-1779, no page no., no entry no. (1779), Jean Baptiste Lepage burial, 15 April 1779; Notre-Dame parish; digital image, “Le LAFRANCE”, Généalogie Québec (http://www.genealogiequebec.com : accessed 26 November 2014).

10. The Board for Certification of Genealogists defines this term as “reasonably exhaustive research – emphasizing original records providing participants’ information – for all evidence that might answer a genealogist’s question about an identity, relationship, event, or situation”. Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, 50th anniversary edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry.com, 2014), 1.

11. “Dictionnaire”, database, Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH) (http://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca : accessed 26 November 2014), Jean Baptiste Lepage StAmand Page [sic] (1718-1764), Individu no. 121531.

12. “Dictionnaire”, database, Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH) (http://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca : accessed 26 November 2014), Jean Baptiste Lepage StAmand Page [sic] (1692-1779), Individu no. 59741.

Copyright © 2014, 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.

Tuesday’s Tip: Beware the Same Name Trap

I know that in some families there are sometimes two living children with the same name. For example, my paternal ancestor Pierre Janvry dit Belair (born 1772) had an elder brother named Pierre Janvry dit Belair (born 1766). Both married twice, had large families, and lived long lives.

However, I didn’t expect to find four living siblings with the same or nearly-the-same-name in one family.

A few days ago, I was trying to sort out the children of my 7x great-grandparents Jacques Marcot and Isabelle Salé, who married in about 1670. They had fifteen children – 10 sons and 5 daughters.

Until now, I believed that their granddaughter Marguerite Marcot (my maternal ancestor) was the daughter of one of their sons and his wife née Morisset. But this was just an assumption on my part. It turns out I hadn’t sufficiently checked Marguerite's parents.

When I took a closer look at all those Marcot – Salé children, I realized that Jacques and Isabelle had four sons who had Jean or François in their names. They were:

• Jean-Baptiste (1676-1731), who married Marie Paquin,
• Jean-François (1691-after 1737), who married Geneviève Morisset,
• Jean aka Jean-François (ca 1693-1760), who married Marie-Anne Morisset,and
• François (ca 1693-1727), who married Marie Thérèse Desnoyers.

I was also surprised to learn that Jean-François (the one who married Geneviève Morisset) had a brother Jean aka Jean-François who also married a Morisset. (Geneviève and Marie-Anne were sisters.)

So I asked myself which one of these Marcot – Morisset couples were my ancestors?

After searching Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, by René Jetté (Montréal: Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 1983), Tanguay’s Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes, 7 vols (1871–1890, reprint, Montréal: Editions Elysée, 1991), and the database at PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique), I discovered that I had confused Marguerite and her parents Jean-François and Geneviève with Marie Madeleine and her parents Jean aka Jean-François Marcot and Marie-Anne Morisset.

So after all these years, I wasn’t a descendant of Jean-François Marcot and Geneviève Morisset, I was a descendant of his brother Jean aka Jean-François Marcot and Marie-Anne Morisset.

My tip to you: beware the same name trap and check all the children in a family to make sure there aren’t multiple living siblings with the same or very similar first names.

Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.