Residential Brandon. Looking West. Credit: Albertype Company/Library and Archives Canada/PA-031622

As you may remember, some of Prosper Tourville and Julie Bélisle’s children emigrated to the West. While daughters Marie-Louise and Julia, and son Magloire (Mack) settled in Montana—Marie-Louise will actually return with third husband to Montréal—, their son Napoléon and wife Marie-Louise Labelle had chosen Brandon, Manitoba as their home—and so did Napoléon’s brother David.

The couple married on August 1, 1876, at Sainte-Brigide Church, in Montréal. They left the city between 1903 and 1906 as they appear in the Western Provinces Census for that year with three children: Napoléon, Gilbert, and Olive.

Well, the latter are those who indeed survived, because you see—as phenomenal as it may seem—, Marie-Louise gave birth to NINETEEN children during the course of a 25-year period. And no, no twins! Her last known child was born in 1902 when she was 46. The others all died before the age of 4, but mostly before the age of 1.

I now have an obituary for Marie-Louise:

Mary Louise Tourville

The death took place early this morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. J. A. Keenan, 250 Fourth street, of Mary Louise Tourville, aged 73 years. The deceased has been a resident of Brandon for the past thirty years, having lived at 516 Ninth street. The funeral will be held from St. Augustine’s church on Wednesday at 10.30 o’clock. Dr. Lynch to be in charge of the service. Campbell and Fargusson have charge of the funeral arrangements. ~ Brandon Daily Sun, Monday, December 21, 1931, Brandon, Manitoba

Marie-Louise was buried in Brandon Municipal Cemetery besides her husband Napoléon, who died in 1950, and her brother-in-law David Tourville. Since there is no headstone, the information comes from the cemetery records.