My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: W for Water Street

I have always been a devoted fan of old maps. Especially those on which the land owners’ names are mentioned. I am indeed looking at a very informative 1871 map of Vergennes: there, on South Water Street, just east of Otter Creek, I read familiar names from my research such as Amblo (Imbleau), Douglass (Daudelin), Danyo (Daignault), Domino (St-Sauveur dit Dominé), Balduke (Bolduc), Garno (Galarneau), and so many. Mr. C. Sheller—Mitchell Rock and Elizabeth Cutler’s son-in-law—also resides on this street. That’s probably where the Rocks were living since Elizabeth died in that house in 1872.


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From the Archives: Map of a portion of the Seignory of Barrow, St-Hughes, Lower Canada

With this post, I am launching a new series called “From the Archives” in which I will share my discovery of documents from various repositories.

As I am working with transcribing notary contracts for the family of Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou, I found this by pure chance yesterday on the Website of the Archives nationales du Québec. It is impossible to save the image, so what I have here (a screen shot) is not very good. On my next visit to the Archives, I will ask for a copy. By clicking on the image though, you will be redirected to the document on the Archives’ Website and be able to enlarge the image.

Plan of the "fief" Bourchemin-East, in the Seignory of Barrow (St-Hughes), divided in lots during the summer of 1822.

Plan of the “fief” Bourchemin-East, in the Seignory of Barrow (St-Hughes), divided in lots during the summer of 1822.

What is exciting about this document is that we now have a better idea where exactly was the land of Charles Tourville, Antoine Hébert-Lecomte and Catherine Tourville (Charles’ sister) as well as others. We also know that François Tourville was a neighbor to his brother Charles for a while. I will try to find out what was the number of his lot.

If you look at the lef-hand-side, you can read the name of Antoine Hébert-Lecompte, lot 43. Lot 44 is the property of Louis Girard but we know that Charles Tourville bought this land from Girard in 1827. Lots 38-39 are the property of the Plourdes’, the step-family of the sister of Sophie Arpajou.

If you click on this link, you will see where the chemin Bourchemin East is today on Google Maps.

Isn’t this exciting? 😉