My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: Z for Zezare

Let’s end this challenge with one of the funniest surname variations I have ever found in the Ferrisburgh Town Vital Records. I was in Salt Lake City, leaning over the microfilm reader, when I noticed a family name ending in “ville”. Who is this? Isn’t it Sophie Tourville’s marriage I am trying to establish for years? Yes, it is! The bride is indeed Sophie Tourville—or Sophia Curville as per the record—and the groom is Joseph Giguère—spelled Joseph Zezare! Isn’t this the proof that sometimes indexes are not that useful and that you need to go through everything?


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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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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: V for Vergennes

Last summer, while I was in Vergennes, I asked someone to tell me how to pronounce the city’s name. And surprisingly, she said that I got it right—it’s a French name! It was indeed named after Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes (1719-1787), a Frenchman who played a role in supporting the rebels during the American Revolutionary War.

You might actually assume that my favourite place in town is the county clerk’s office where you may find vital records, land records, naturalization index, voters list index, tax records, and burial records. Well, let’s not forget the Black Sheep Bistro!


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: T for Tatro

The case of a farmer who lived in Ferrisburgh, Ambrose Tatro (1833-1905), speaks for itself when it comes to putting forward on how newspapers can help you know more about your ancestors. Owing to his peculiar behaviour, Ambrose is all over the place in the Vergennes newspapers. He once posted a notice advising that his wife has left him with the children without just cause. Afterwards, the poor Mrs. Ambrose Tatro was the victim of an unsuccessful attempt to burn the house where she lived. Guess who was arrested—but acquitted—for arson? Later on, Ambrose’s farm was burned after a quarrel with his wife. This time, he was charged with cruelty against animals as two of his horses were burned alive. Well, indeed, I should give credit where credit is due : Ambrose’s achievements deserved much more than the expected 100 words!


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: S for Snay

John Snay is my newest mystery man. He was on Vergennes Voters List for 1815. He might be Jean-Baptiste Seney who married Barbe Frenière dit Desrochers in 1802 in Saint-Luc, Quebec. Barbe is Gabriel and Jean-Baptiste’s sister— probably Gabriel and John Rock of Vergennes. I also found a John H. Snay on a military list who enlisted in Dayton, Ohio. He was born in Vergennes, Vermont around 1820. And what about Peter Snay living in Clinton County, NY in 1850? He was born in Vermont and his father was John Snay born in “France”. Food for thoughts.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: R for Rock

The Rock family, or Frenière dit Desrochers, is my new pet project. The prime suspects—siblings Gabriel, Mitchell, John, and Elizabeth—are featured in censuses, voters lists, and vital records for the city of Vergennes.

Gabriel married Appoline Blain in 1802 in Saint-Luc Parish in Lower Canada—their daughter was baptized there in 1803. In October 1805, the family lives in Vergennes where Gabriel bought a piece of land. If we have a marriage proof for Elizabeth—she married Joseph Labonté in Vergennes in 1810—, such is not the case for Mitchell and John, who were married between 1805-1815.


To Learn More About my Vermont Project, click here.


My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: Q for Quebec

While researching French Canadians in US Census, I noticed a lot of newcomers in Vergennes and Ferrisburgh just before 1840. It struck me how many people—whole families—from Marieville, Saint-Mathias (Pointe-Olivier), and Yamaska, among others, had to leave their village to go to work in Vermont. While some only spent the winter season, others never returned. Available lands being far from enough for the ever-increasing demand, same clearly led families to take the road. With 900,000 people emigrating between 1830 and 1920 to the United States, some say that the Quebec population would be much larger today.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: P for Parish

You may assume that I am referring to the Vermont parish repertoires here. I am rather thinking about Peter Parish, who lived in Ferrisburgh in the mid 1850s until the early 1880s. He was one of my famous brick walls. When I found this French Canadian, son of John and Mary—insert a big sigh—, I couldn’t figure out what his surname was in Québec. And I remember conceding that I would never know who his parents were. Well, I am very proud of the hard work I have done on this one—you may read the whole story here.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: N for Naturalization

Did you know that petitions for naturalization filed in Vergennes Court are available on Family Search (1848-1906)? Although the information provided is rather scarce for the earlier years, it gives an indication of how long your ancestor was in Vermont—or in the United States, as the immigrant had to be a resident for five years—one in the state where he petitioned. Once becoming a US citizen, that individual was granted the right to vote, to hold public office, and to buy land from the government—when a man, citizenship was extended to his wife and children too.


Learn More About my Vermont Project, click here.


My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: M for Military

If you are looking for a French Canadian ancestor in Vermont, there is one website not to be overlooked especially if he lived during the Civil War era. Tom Ledoux’s Vermont in the Civil War is a real gem. You must check if your ancestor’s name is listed in this database—even if you are convinced it is useless. If you do find him, besides information on his age, military service and pension, you will learn if his name is associated with various Vermont towns (birth, enlistment, death, or burial). Additional information might include a gravestone picture. Definitely a must!


To Learn More About my Vermont Project, click here.