Josette Sears (Cyr) née Ricard is listed in the 1850 US Census for Ferrisburgh. She is referred to as Josett Sears on Page 303 (stamped-left page), Line 6, Household 136, with the following persons listed, respectively, on lines 5 and 7 to 11:
- Peter Sears
- Josett Sears
- Josett Sears
- Mary
- Julia
- Andrew
- John Jr
Peter (born Pierre Cyr in Québec) is Josett’s husband and the others are their children, all born in Québec, except for the last two, born in Vermont. Josett is probably identical to Josett Sears, wife of Peter, who was buried in 1856 in Morningside Cemetery in East Charlotte, Chittenden County. In the 1860 Census, Peter Sears was listed in Ferrisburgh, and in the 1870 Census, he was listed in Shelburne.
| Name Transcribed from the 1850 US Census: | Sears, Josett |
| Last Name: | Sears (Cyr), née Ricard |
| First & Middle Name: | Josette |
| Sex: | F |
| Original Surname in Québec: | Ricard |
| Earliest Known Paternal Ancestor: | Jean Ricard & Marie-Madeleine Pineau dit Laperle. They married before 1676 in New France (exact place unknown). We do not know where Jean Ricard is from and who are his parents. |
| Status: | Born in Québec; came with spouse and children. |
| Parents' Name: | Jean-Baptiste Ricard & Marie Ursule Boire |
| Parents' Marriage Date & Place: | 26 Sep 1796, Saint-Philippe, Laprairie, Québec, Canada |
| Spouse: | Pierre Cyr (Peter Sears in Vermont) |
| Marriage Date & Place: | 24 Jan 1820, Marieville, Rouville, Québec, Canada |
| Other Spouses: | N/A |
| Vital Information: | |
| Birth Date & Place: | 10 Jan 1799, Saint-Constant, Laprairie, Québec, Canada |
| Baptismal Date & Place: | 10 Jan 1799, Saint-Constant, Laprairie, Québec, Canada |
| Death Date & Place: | 18 Oct 1856, Vermont |
| Burial Date & Place: | aft 18 Oct 1856, Morningside Cemetery, East Charlotte, Chittenden County, Vermont |
| Naturalization Date & Place: | N/A |
| Land Owner in Ferrisburgh: | Unknown |
| Military: | N/A |
| Religion: | Catholic |
| Life Before Ferrisburgh: | Josette’s mother died at age 25, leaving three daughters behind. Their father remarried one year later. The first 11 children of Peter Sears and Josette Ricard were baptized in Marieville, except for three who were baptized in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Athanase-de-Bleury. Their youngest children were probably born in Ferrisburgh as they were baptized in Vermont. They would have arrived before 1842 in Vermont. |
| Life After Ferrisburgh: | Although Peter Sears is living with one Josephine Sears in 1860—please note that Peter is not the head of household—and that people identified her as being Josette, it doesn’t mean she is. Relationships between people were not recorded in pre-1880 censuses. I tend to consider the headstone showing her first name and his husband’s as a more reliable source. |
| Notes: | Information was taken from the 1850 and 1860 US Censuses, Find-a-Grave Website, Collection Drouin (Quebec parish records), and Vermont Church Repertoires. |
Last Updated: July 12, 2017
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