The Bangle Files: #30 | The Two Lost Brothers

Of the twelve children born to William Bangle (1765-1821) and Marie Tourville (1778-1853), two are nowhere to be found: Joseph-Hippolyte, born in 1806, and his brother Félix, born in 1812.

Let’s start with the youngest. Félix was born on June 13, 1812, and was baptized on the following day, in the parish of Saint-Henri, in Mascouche. This is the only recorded event I got for this child: no clue about a marriage or a burial, no nothing. Until a man called Philip D. Bangle caught my attention. On Find A Grave Website, his birth year is 1813. He was married to Polly Ann Loing. Hum… Philip, Félix… I decided he was worth a careful investigation! Continue reading

ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | I for Illinois

What does Illinois have to do with the Bangles? Well, a lot actually. Around 1855, Elizabeth, daughter of William and granddaughter of Adam, moved to Kankakee with her husband, François-Xavier Zace, and ten of their children (only François-Xavier Jr moved to Massachusetts). If her brother Joseph Bangle, married to Theodate Yeaton, is our Joseph, he moved to Boone County before 1850. Philip (her brother Félix?) Bangle, married to Polly Loing and a neighbour to Joseph’s family, was granted his land in 1846. Boone County (north-west of Chicago) is a two-hour drive from Kankakee (south of Chicago).

The Bangle Files


The 2017 Challenge A to Z is proposed to the French community of bloggers by Sophie Boudarel of La Gazette des ancêtres

40 Days | Day 5 | Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher, Illinois and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri

What a gorgeous and sunny day it was! So hot and humid though!

Here are some pictures that will give you an idea of the day spent in company of Liz Loveland: Continue reading

Missing Man Found After Decades: Louis Rail (abt 1798-1854)

recherche theme_1After such a busy month (ChallengeAZ 2016) and vaguely dealing with the idea of rewarding myself with well-deserved time off, I—guess what?—ended up on the Web. I then realized that the Holy Family Parish records for Cahokia, St. Clair County, Illinois were available on Family Search. For those unfamiliar with the area, Cahokia and St. Louis, Missouri almost face each other across the Mississippi River. Continue reading

#52Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #32 Nancy Tourville (née Head) (~1816-1906)

If Nancy was still alive today, I would have tons of questions to ask her. There is a lot we know about her, but surprisingly, her exact identity still remains a mystery to me so far. Let’s take a look. Continue reading

#52Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #22 Nina Tourville (?-1910)

My annual research trip to Salt Lake City is coming up fast and I have started preparing for it. I often get the same comment before leaving: “Again?! Aren’t you done?” No I’m not… 😉 Continue reading