The Vermont Project

vermont 2016


I am very good at New Year’s resolutions. I often start projects in early January, I don’t know why. Maybe because I hate winter and it keeps me busy around the house.
As a French Canadian living in Montréal, Vermont is quite familiar to me. I have visited the Green Mountain State numerous times in the last decades and I remember, as a little girl, we would drive down there with my parents and be so amazed to read those French Canadians names on mailboxes.

“Look Dad! Isn’t that funny? Tromblei, Poquette, LaDuke… Why are they written like this?”

Much later, I would be astonished by the creativity shown by people who anglicized their names.

Having fun in Ferrisburgh Town's Clerk Office!

Having fun in Ferrisburgh Town Clerk’s Office!

During the 1830-1920 period, about 900,000 persons left the Province of Québec to either work or eventually settle in the United States. If they mostly first went to the bordering States, they also chose Massachusetts and Rhode Island later for the mill jobs. Some also went West after the U.S. Civil War.

You might wonder by now if some Tourvilles lived in northern Vermont. If you are a regular visitor to my blog, some of you might recall that Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou (as well as their siblings) have settled in Vermont during the 1840’s. So I must admit that I became kind of obsessed with French Canadians of two towns of Addison County, namely Ferrisburgh and Vergennes.

The quest for answers about their journey south of the border made me visit their town offices, cemeteries as well as the Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes. I wanted to create a database for French Canadians of Ferrisburgh and Vergennes but I am not particularly tech-savvy and that project has been put on hold for too many years; then it came over me that I could proceed otherwise to share the results of my research with you.

I have been blogging more regularly this past year and I realize that it helps me organize my research. So what can you expect for the year to come?

FullSizeRender 79For 2016, I intend to publish posts about all the French Canadians listed in the 1850 US Census in Ferrisburgh. There are 213 people living in about 80 households listed as being born in Canada. Are they all French Canadians? That will be for me to find out.

The information provided will be French Canadian ancestry, vital, census, military, religious and land property information as well as a short biography if possible. All descendants are welcome to share insights or photos.

This will be a long journey but I am happy because I feel I will finally get somewhere with my Northern Addison French Canadian people.


To know everything about the French Canadians who were listed in the 1850 US Census for the town in Ferrisburgh, here’s the way to go!


adresse vermont