The Montana Widow: The Husbands of Marie-Louise Maloney Beach Demers (née Tourville) (1864-1928)

I indeed have kind of mixed relationships with Find-A-Grave: I especially love it when it provides us with exclusive information; but it can sometimes lead to frustrations over lack of accuracy when it comes to dates or when photos are so small one cannot decipher the headstones’ inscriptions.

We know for years now that some Tourvilles’ went to Montana. So did Julie, Magloire, Marie-Louise and David. I have actually recently published a post on their mother, Julie Bélisle.

If Julie and Magloire (a.k.a Mack) remained there for good and David later settled in the province of Manitoba, Marie-Louise came back to Montréal in the late 1890s.

What do we know about these Montana’s early years for Marie-Louise? Well, for a while, before the Family Search era, not much. However, some very dedicated relatives found marriages for her in said State’s registers after lots of microfilm reading ordered from the Salt Lake City Library.

Marie-Louise’s first marriage was to Michael Maloney, an Irish immigrant. They were united on November 23, 1886, at St. Peter’s Catholic mission in Sullivan Valley, Cascade County. The couple had three children: Annie, born in 1887; James, born in 1889; and Margaret-Kate, born in 1891. The years of birth are confirmed by documentation from their father’s probate records.

Michael died on February 17, 1892. His obituary reads as follows:

The Pioneer Death Roll

A List of Old-Timers Who Have Lately Passed Away

Michael Maloney, of Augusta, who came to Montana during 1863, died, aged 56, at his home near Augusta, last week, of congestion of the lungs, after only three days’ illness. Such was the speedy progress of the dread disease that neither himself or his family had any idea of the near approach of death. He leaves a wife and three young children. Mr. Maloney was a native of Ireland, and engaged in mining in Blackfoot and Bear Creek diggins, and in 1876 he removed to the South fork of Sun river and engaged in farming and stock raising. He left his family well provided for.

The Daily Independent, Helena, MT, February 22, 1892

Here’s the perfect case in point which makes me complain about Find-A-Grave: If you look at the Website here, for Augusta Cemetery, Michael’s death year is erroneously transcribed as 1992. Well, it’s obvious to me that his headstone isn’t of the 1990s’ taste.

Marie-Louise later married Solomon Beach (a native of the Province of Ontario, Canada), on April 25, 1893, in the Presbyterian Church of Great Falls, also in Cascade County. A few months later, they had a child named Albert from this marriage but she wasn’t any much luckier as Solomon passed away less than a year after the wedding, on February 13, 1894, as reported by the local press:

Died from Injuries

From advices received in the city on Sunday it is learned that Mr. Solomon Beach, at Augusta, died last Saturday evening from injuries received from being thrown from a horse the day previous. A casket was sent from this city and the funeral was to take place from the family residence near Augusta yesterday afternoon. He had been married less than a year, and leaves a wife and young child. Mr. Beach, although a young man, is an old-timer in that section, and was universally respected, having large stock interests and one of the best farms in that section. The untoward event has cast a gloom over the neighborhood.

The Weekly Tribune, Great Falls, MT, February 16, 1894

Marie-Louise clearly turned out to be one of the most resilient women, as she said yes for a third time (the last, though) to Godefroid-Étienne Demers, a born Montrealer, on June 24, 1895, at the Catholic Cathedral, in Helena, Lewis and Clark County.

They lost a baby on the very day of the birth, on September 8, 1897. And while misery loves company, Marie-Louise also lost her son James Maloney a few months later, on December 13, 1897 (another mistake from Find-A-Grave here). I got the day and month from the stone and the year’s confirmation comes from the probate records. Local newspapers didn’t publish any obituary for James though.

There you have it, all the vital records related to the life of Marie-Louise in Montana. There is so much more to tell about her that I will no doubt write additional articles with regard to her adventurous life (and not necessarily in chronological order) in the next few months so that you get the overall fascinating picture. Stay tuned!


Montana Territory Map, 1879

Montana Territory Map, 1879

4 thoughts on “The Montana Widow: The Husbands of Marie-Louise Maloney Beach Demers (née Tourville) (1864-1928)

  1. Merci de parler de mon arrière grand mere
    Mon arrière grand mere – 3 lits comme is disaient dans le temps.
    J aurais voulu la connaitre je suis certaine qu elle aurais eu beaucoup d histoires pour nous sur les tourville et ses experiences de vie
    Merci encore

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