The Pioneers from Mesnil-Durand, FranceWe have identified five persons who came from Mesnil-Durand in the 17th Century: Guillaume Hubou (about 1627), Barbe Hubou (1639), Mathieu Hubou (1641), Nicolas Goupil (1642) and Françoise Hubou (1662). Here is the story of Barbe Hubou. Continue reading
The very preliminary steps of the first acknowledged trip in which Toussaint Tourville and his older brother Pierre were involved as voyageurs started on April 3, 1790 at the office of Notary Public Louis Chaboillez (in office 1787-1813), where they each sign a one-year contract with the merchant company Todd McGill & Co. The destination was unknown as they were accepting to travel wherever they were required to (North excluded). Even if the agreement entered into was for a one-year term only, they were contracted as “hyvernants” which meant they would spend the winter and make the return trip the next year. Continue reading
Was one of your ancestors a member of the Union de prières et de La Bonne Mort [Union of prayers and of the “good death”]?
Founded in 1851 in Montreal, this association’s objective was to prepare their members for the after-life and help them save their soul. In 1873, it has no less than 50,000 members. Continue reading
Have you ever heard of the well-renowned Montreal’s photographer, William Notman (1826-1891)? Thanks to the McCord Museum Website and its online database, you can take a look at the wonderful portraits taken by this great artist who has welcomed in his studio many famous people of the time.
If it hadn’t been for my passion for genealogy, would I have been able to identify “Mrs. R. Forget” as being Alexandra Tourville, wife of Rodolphe Forget?
Source: http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/II-81633.1, Photograph | Mrs. R. Forget, Montreal, QC, 1886 | II-81633.1
Born in 1863, Alexandra was the daughter of Louis Tourville, co-founder of the Banque d’Hochelaga (known today as Banque Nationale du Canada or National Bank of Canada), and Célina St-Jean. Alexandra was married to Rodolphe Forget on October 12, 1885, in St. Jacques’ Catholic Church, in Montreal. This picture was taken one year after her wedding at the age of 23 years old. In 1889, she gave birth to a daughter, Marguerite Marie-Louise. Alexandra died at age 27 years and 11 months.
La Minerve, May 14, 1891 – TRANSLATION: Death- FORGET- At 86 Cherrier St. on the 12th, at age 27 years and 11 months, died Alexandra Tourville, wife of Mr. Rodolphe Forget, of L.J. Forget et Cie. The funeral will be held on Monday the 16th, at 8:45 am at the Gesu. Family members and friends are requested to attend.
If the name of Rodolphe Forget rings a bell, well he’s the one! He married his second wife Blanche McDonald in 1894. One of their children was Thérèse Forget, more commonly known as Thérèse Casgrain.
I thought, what a shame I am not related to that great pioneer of the Women’s rights movement. Well, I was wrong, we are related. Rodolphe Forget’s direct ancestor is the brother of Élisabeth Forget, wife of Augustin Tourville. Aren’t we all cousins?
Well, I am not done yet with the St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat. Oneida Alexander is another one who escaped the radar of the census for the period between 1880 and 1900.
Oneida married Peter D. Tourville in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 18, 1881. We know for sure they had one child, Lillie M. Tourville, as the latter weds Julius B. Seitz in Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois, on March 19, 1903, and that is quite all I have learned about her. As a French-Canadian, I tend to forget that divorce was allowed in those years in the United States, so I had assumed she died before 1891 as Peter D. Tourville was remarried to Lockie Wadkins (date and place unknown) and that they had a child in July 1891.
This is where the St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat fills in the blanks. To say the least, this marriage gives the feeling of a tumultuous one. On May 3, 1886, Peter Tourville is arrested for beating his wife as indicated in the following article:
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, May 4, 1886, p. 10
Shortly thereafter, in August 1886, Oneida files for divorce. Please note that the couple was married in 1881 not 1871.
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, August 7, 1886, p. 6
It seems that the two lovebirds were back together after all because it is reported that in March 1887 the police came to their house and recovered goods previously stolen by Peter Tourville who was then arrested.
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, March 12, 1887, p. 8
Then, the following month, Peter Tourville pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison and sent to the Chester Penitentiary in Illinois.
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, April 1, 1887, p. 11
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, April 2, 1887, p. 15
A month later, in May 1887, Oneida filed for divorce probably for good this time as I was able to trace a marriage between Oneida Alexander and Thomas Henry Smith, in East St. Louis, Illinois, on October 25, 1888.
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, May 5, 1887, p. 9
I also discovered her parents’ names: A. Enoch Alexander and Nancy Moor which led me to the date and place of their marriage: July 14, 1859, in Franklin County, Missouri. Here is a snapshot of the family in the 1870 US Census for Central, Franklin, Missouri:
1870 US Census for Central Township, Franklin County, MO
1880 US Census, St. Louis City, MO
So it is credible to think she was born around 1866, meaning that in 1880, when she was in East St. Louis, Missouri working as a servant, she would have been only 14 and not 16 as declared. Unfortunately, I haven’t discovered anything more about her family. One can assume this is where she met Peter D. Tourville because they were married in St. Louis, Missouri the next year.
Oneida was nowhere to be found in the 1900 US Census under the name Smith but while searching, I remembered a newspaper article noticed years ago referring to a woman named Zelda Tourville also named Smith and I had no clue at all about who she was. Is this Zelda Tourville the first-born of Peter D. Tourville and Oneida Alexander? Again, when first reading the article I thought her former husband Peter Tourville was dead but it doesn’t say so. It is unclear if Peter is the father of all of Oneida’s children. Furthermore, we know that Lillie M. who is named Tourville also disappeared after her own marriage. Moreover, it looks that Julius Seitz married another woman before 1920. Death or divorce? So here are the two articles:
St. Louis Republic, March 16, 1897, p. 6
St. Louis Republic, April 3, 1897, p. 6
I did some additional digging and found in the St. Louis Obituary Index an entry for Zelda Smith also known as Lillie Mae O’Brien for 1943. The death certificate online confirms that Lillie Mae O’Brien was born February 22, 1882 and was the daughter of Peter Tourville and Oneida Alexander, married to Thomas O’Brien. Furthermore, the informant was Mrs. Onedia McNulty. I found her in the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Census in St. Louis, she was born in 1895. At one point, she is living with her nephew Francis Smith, born around 1914. So can we assume that the three children mentioned in the article are Lillie Mae (or Zelda), an unknown male child and Onedia Smith, later married to William McNulty. In 1910, Onedia Smith was an inmate at the St. Louis Industrial School, a penitentiary for juvenile delinquents.
Unfortunately, no clue though as what to happened to Oneida Alexander Tourville Smith! Any ideas? Any help will be appreciated
Picturing the lives of the people in our family trees between 1780 and 1820 in what is now the Province of Quebec is no easy task. The parish records may provide some hints about their relationships but without a census and no indication about the date of death, there is not much to write about. That is when the notary records come in handy.
It seems that some people had a close relationship with their notary. In small villages, their names keep coming back when reading the notary’s minutier (repertoire). Buying and selling lands, taking care of business; going to the notary’s office was no big deal for them. For others, it was a lifetime event, as it seemed to be the case for Antoine.
But first, let’s take a look at what the parish records tell us about him.
His parents, Joseph Tourville and second wife, Françoise Daunay, were married in 1766 in Lachenaie. Antoine, who was baptized on May 30, 1779 in Terrebonne, was the youngest child of the couple as my research led me to find two older sisters, Marie-Angélique, who probably died at a young age as there is no trace of her, except for her baptismal record in 1770, and Marie-Louise, who was born in 1773 and died in 1832. Antoine had numerous half-siblings, including Joseph Tourville, my GGG grandfather, married to Marguerite Fortin, and Michel Tourville, married to Catherine Marié.
Antoine was not even three years old when his father died in 1782, at age 62. In 1789, a few months before his 10th birthday, his mother passed away at age 54.
What happened to Antoine after his parents died? In fact, we would be in the dark if it wasn’t for a notary act telling the story of two major events of his life.
Picture him, on that Friday, November 22, 1799, walking to Notary Joseph Turgeon’s office in Terrebonne, accompanied by his godfather, Joseph Limoges, the Town’s Militia Captain.
On that day, Antoine is signing an agreement passed between Michel Rochelau dit Morrisseau and himself. Antoine thereby agreed to be his engagé (servant or laborer) for the next four years, from November 20, 1799 to November 20, 1803, which means he accepts to do whatever task Michel will ask him to do and, in return, he will get free room and board in Michel’s house as well as an annual salary of 132 pounds. The contract also states that Antoine is satisfied with the agreement as he has been living in Michel’s house for 16 years.
We therefore presume that, around 1783, Antoine is three or four years old when moving in with Michel Rochelau who got married with Marie-Archange Charpentier in 1782, the year Antoine’s father died. Maybe Françoise Daunay went there to work as a servant and she and her children went to live with that family.
The notary’s act furthermore indicates, by a addenda to that act, that Michel and Antoine returned to Notary Turgeon’s office on April 30, 1803 when Michel agreed to pay Antoine what was due to him and cancel the agreement before the November 20, 1803 deadline. You may wonder why? A very simple reason. Three days later, Antoine married Josephte Amiot-Villeneuve in Mascouche on May 2, 1803.
![Montréal, vers 1800. Panorama depuis un flanc du mont Royal. Archives du Musée McCord / Richard Dillon, (1772-1856), dessin (détail). By Philippe Du Berger [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/www.huboutourvillegenealogy.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Montreal-1800.jpg?resize=584%2C353)
Montréal, vers 1800. Panorama depuis un flanc du mont Royal. Archives du Musée McCord / Richard Dillon, (1772-1856), dessin (détail). By Philippe Du Berger [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The only clue pointing out that Antoine lived no longer than 33 years is to be found in Josephte Amiot-Villeneuve’s second marriage record on February 2, 1813, whereby she was identified as Antoine’s widow. On the day of the wedding, she declared residing temporarily at l’Île Jésus (now Ville de Laval) but was a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Rivière-des-Prairies (on Montreal Island).
There were a lot of notaries in Montreal in the early 1800’s, so who knows? I may find some other clues about Antoine’s life. And who would have guessed that this man’s grandson, Louis Tourville, would be the co-founder of the Banque d’Hochelaga, now the Banque Nationale du Canada (National Bank of Canada) which, as you may know, is a major Canadian bank, in addition to being a very successful businessman in the late 1800’s, as well as a politician? I do have more than 52 ancestors to write about.
The theme of Love proposed by Amy Johnson Crow on St. Valentine’s week made me think of two little articles I read in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat while in Salt Lake City last November.
It concerned Susan Stout, the wife of Joseph T. Tourville, who had a little argument with her neighbour in front of her house in March 1883 in St. Louis, Missouri.
As you know, I am a French-Canadian and I learned two new expressions: “the father of a butin” — no meaning found but I can guess! —and “Steal a march on the enemy”. You never stop learning with genealogy!
Here, enjoy. But the story doesn’t tell if they spoke to each other after that! 😉
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 20, 1883, page 12
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 21, 1883, p. 5
Last Saturday, I was looking at the Clarence Wells Tourville genealogy book which he had prepared for his close family members in the late 1980’s. I was lucky enough to receive a copy last month from one of Mr. Tourville’s relative. I cannot tell you how generous I think it was from her for doing so [Thank You Joan! #happydance].
Well, I almost fell off my chair when I read in that book that Charles Tourville (1802-?) and Sophie Arpajou (1811-?) were supposedly buried in their son Stephen Tourville’s cemetery plot which is in Section 2, Lot 22 in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Chateaugay, Franklin County, NY. No source or reference were indicated for that information.
I was often told that Charles and Sophie were probably buried there but no one has ever specified to me that there was a listing of the cemetery plot in the Clarence Wells Tourville book.
I decided to write to the St. Patrick’s Cemetery [why haven’t I done this before, I’ll never know except I didn’t realize that the cemetery opened in 1844, almost two decades before the Church] to ask confirmation of the listing that was in the book. The book listed 11 names, including those of Peter Stephen Tourville, his wife, Caroline, their son Stephen, his wife Fanny Amo, their son Henry, his wife Roseland, Charles Tourville, his wife, Sophie Arpajou, Estele and two children of Stephen. Here is the answer I received from the Church office secretary:
“I indeed found the plot you described, but it is not as large as you thought. […] The lot is not made up of 12 spaces though, it appears to be only 6, since 5 are already taken, but it could consist of 9, and they haven’t been documented correctly. If I had to guess though, I would say that it is only a 6 person lot, with one still open, or it has been taken and not documented properly. […] The following people are buried in St. Patrick’s for sure according to our records:
† Henry Tourville buried in 1931, born in 1876
† Roseland Tourville buried in 1952, born in 1876
† Peter Tourville buried in 1922, born in 1836
† Charlie DeTourville, born in 1802 (I believe, it is written next to his name, there is no notation on what the date means) no date when he was buried, but he is buried in the lot otherwise his name wouldn’t be there.
† Sophie Arpajou (no date of burial or birth) She is buried in the lot though because her name is listed.”
So she could not confirm that the other people mentioned in the book were there but then she wrote back that she found the information on Caroline Daignault on Find A Grave. She indicated:
“I can’t find any record of her in our books, but it says she was buried in St. Patrick’s, and it even has a picture of her stone. Some books were destroyed in a fire years ago, so she might have been in one of those. She should be in the books that I have here, but she is not.
I found Stephen Tourville in our books, but unfortunately for whatever reason there are no dates associated with his name. I have the following info for Stephen Tourville
Stephen Tourville 28 yrs died 27 May 1901 buried 29 May 1901 received last Sacraments. He is in Lot 22. It also lists a few other names below his, not sure if they ring a bell for you. James Leers [sic – should be Seers] 4 years old- buried 1883, Elizabeth Barrette 10 months old- buried 1883.”
I answered back as I wanted to confirm that I understood it right, that Charles and Sophie were indeed in Section 2, Lot 22.
“Their names are written as Charlie Tourville, and Sophia Arpajou in the book, so you did get the names right. They are buried in Section 2, lot 22. They are in the same lot as Peter Tourville.”
The two children mentioned in the Clarence book may be in fact Peter’s grandchildren as James and Elizabeth were his daughters’ children.
As for “Estele” which has not been found by the secretary I thought that she might be Marie-Édesse who was still living in 1840 and died before 1850. The Cemetery opened in 1844 but the fact that Sophie and Charles are both buried in Chateaugay probably means that they went to live in Chateaugay before Sophie’s death which probably occurred between 1848 (she had twins that year in Vermont) and 1850. As for Charles, he died between 1850 and 1860.
I have updated Find A Grave to include Charles and Sophie‘s burials in St. Patrick’s Cemetery. A trip to Chateaugay is planned for this Spring for sure!
All researchers who have helped me over the years know my obsession for Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou. Well, Charles and Sophie can now rest in peace… and so can I! I will of course continue to look for the date of Charles’ death but I am so happy I finally know their final resting place!
Your ancestor lived in the Montreal parish in 1872? Maybe in Hochelaga, Côte de la Visitation, Côte St. Louis, Côte St. Jean Baptiste or Côte-des-Neiges? Would you like to know if he owned his home or not?
Then, you might be interested by this book I found on the Web.
Extract of the official book of reference of the parish of Montreal : including the incorporated villages of Hochelaga, la Côte de la Visitation, la Côte St. Louis, St. Jean-Baptiste, and la Côte des Neiges / prepared and published by L.W. Sicotte (1872)
It indicates for each lot the name of the owner and the dimensions in the villages mentioned above. The number before each name is the official lot number. If you download the PDF version, you may easily do a search in the document.
For those who are wondering about the streets mentioned above, they are named today Rachel, Hôtel-de-Ville, Duluth and de Bullion
When compared to the 1871 Canadian Census, this book might be very useful.
I found the names of Honoré Tourville, who lived in the village of St-Henri as well as Élisabeth Lamoureux, widow of Louis Tourville, her son Médard as well as two of her sons-in-law, Denis Barrette and Napoléon Gauvreau who lived in St-Jean-Baptiste village.
Happy Searching!