Category Archives: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2015 Edition – #1 Jeanne Garnier (1683 – ?)

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Don’t we find wonderful things in the Archives? Take for instance Jeanne Garnier, who was a captive along with several family members after an Iroquois attack in November 1689 in Lachenaie. How can you even hope to know what happened to her? But before getting to this, let’s step back and tell about how it began.

In his master paper, Le Premier demi-siècle de Lachenaie (1670-1724) — The First 50 years of Lachenaie, Mario Nadon explains why we cannot find some death acts of the Hubous’ in the Catholic records.

Mathieu Hubou and Suzanne Betfer have had 9 children. In November 1689, Suzanne is the widow of Mathieu for already 11 years and at least five of her children are still living. Her two single sons are still living with her: Mathieu, 36 years old and Charles, 24 years old. Her two daughters are married: Geneviève to Julien Garnier and Anne to René Sauvageau. Jean Hubou is married for a year now to Marguerite Goulet. All are residents of Lachenaie.

For some years, the war between the French and the Indians has been going on. In August 1689, Lachenaie is attacked by the Iroquois. The residents are scared and find refuge in the fort of the seignory. In the fall, things seemed to calm down and they return home. However, during the night of November 13, 1689, they are attacked by some 150 Iroquois. Almost the third of the population had vanished, 33 people were killed or went missing.

The Hubous’ were not spared. Suzanne Betfer and Charles Hubou are supposedly dead. An inventory after death of Notary Basset dated December 12, 1689 confirms that Geneviève Hubou and Julien Garnier were killed or vanished during the night of November 13. Another document from Notary Basset dated June 1, 1691 mentions that René Sauvageau was killed by the Iroquois. Possibly five of his six children were also killed. That document also describes the transaction entered between Joseph Barbeau and Jean-Baptiste Hubou who is administrating the succession of Mathieu Hubou and Suzanne Betfer, of Julien Garnier and of René Sauvageau. This transaction is made to maintain the peace between the two parties as Joseph Barbeau was responsible for the death of Julien and René by the Iroquois.

After these events, Anne Hubou left Lachenaie with her daughter Anne Sauvageau for Montreal where she married Moïse Hilarest in 1691. She died in 1728, at 69 years old. However, her brothers stayed in the area. Mathieu Hubou was married to Catherine Goulet in 1694 and died in 1723 in St-François-de l’île Jésus. Jean Hubou died between 1696 and 1699. He was probably killed during a military campaign. He was the first guard of the marquis de Denonville. His widow was married to Michel Feuillon in 1699.

So Geneviève, aged 7 at the time of the events, would have been the sole survivor of the Garnier family. Her paternal uncle, Mathieu Hubou Deslongchamps is her tutor, attested by a tutorship act dated January 1698. She would have been the only heir.

On June 12, 1702, at age 20, Geneviève married Jean Rochon (or Rocheron) in St-François-de-Sales de l’île Jésus. Present at the ceremony are Jean Beauchamp, Pierre Beauchamp, Mathieu Hubou, her uncle and tutor, Catherine Goulet, her aunt, wife of Mathieu.

But a document dated June 27, 1706 and available on the Website of BANQ mentions that Julien Garnier was dead but her daughter Jeanne was a captive of the Iroquois and would be still alive, has married an Indian and was living with the Oneida nation.

We can almost imagine the panic of Jean Rocheron who asks the intendant Raudot to be able to have access to the inheritance of his wife. He says that the land of Julien Garnier was abandoned and in a very bad shape. He had to work a lot on that land and had put a lot of money for it. He mentions that it was always assumed that Jeanne was dead and he doesn’t think she will come back to Lachenaie as she lives the life of the Indians. Intendant Raudot made his decision: Jean Rocheron may take the possessions of Julien Garnier but if ever Jeanne comes back, half of the inheritance should be given to her. All the possessions of Julien Garnier are in Lachenaie.

Another document passed before Notary Senet July 15, 1711 states that Jeanne Garnier was living with the Iroquois. This document relates to a transaction passed between Jean Rocheron and Mathieu Hubou.

Geneviève and Jean had 13 children. Geneviève died in 1758 at age 76. Without ever seeing her sister.

Here are the Hubou family members who went missing after the night of November 13, 1689:

  • Suzanne Betfer, abt 55
  • Charles Hubou, 24
  • Julien Garnier, 40
  • Geneviève Hubou, 33
  • Pierre Garnier, 10
  • Jeanne Garnier, 6
  • Charles Garnier, 5
  • Michel Garnier, 4
  • Marguerite Garnier, 1
  • René Sauvageau, abt 67
  • Marguerite Sauvageau, 8
  • Marie-Thérèse Sauvageau, 7
  • Flavie Sauvageau, 5
  • Bernard Sauvageau,  2
  • Marie Sauvageau, 1

Reference:

Mario Nadon, Le Premier demi-siècle de Lachenaie (1670-1724)

Claude Martel, Lachenaie : du fort à la ville

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

We will call her Hélène

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We will call her Hélène!

You so often told me that, after your birth, your father had pronounced these words with pride while entering the room. You loved your given name so much, and rightly so. Synonymous with gentleness and kindness, it suited you so well. The last child of a family of seven children, your parents must have welcomed your birth with joy and apprehension as both your brothers Maurice and Armand had died a few months before your were born.

You were undoubtedly loved and cherished and lived a happy childhood. You adored your parents. You lost your father when you were only 17 years’ old. But before your wedding, you enjoyed a privileged relationship with your mother.

Not even two weeks ago, we were looking through your photo albums together. We did it so often! How proud were you of all the trips you made when you were younger. When I told you that I would go visit Chicago at the end of August, you told me once again all about the World’s Fair of 1934 to which you had traveled by car with your family. You were only seven years’ old at the time, but you still remembered it so well.

You affectionately called me your traveling companion. We had so much fun together! Not to mention our shopping sprees! How can I ever forget our laughing fits in the fitting rooms of the US Outlets? During nearly 10 years or so, we went to the Sparhawk in Ogunquit, Maine. I remember seeing you sitting on the balcony, facing the sea, either reading a good detective novel or doing your famous crossword puzzles. Each year, thinking that it would be the last time, you were shedding a small tear. I made you laugh when I said “Come on, stop crying, I have already made our reservations for next year!”

In 2010, I came up with the idea of celebrating my 50th birthday in New York City. We had not been there in 16 years. You had always been afraid to travel by plane, you had not taken a flight since 20 years. When I told you about it, you told me you wanted to go there by train. I told you it would take too long. And by plane, we just take off and land, it would not even last an hour. Alzheimer’s disease has its benefits, the day of the flight, you had forgotten all your fears. When the plane started moving along the runway, you laughed as if you were in an amusement park ride, while, as usual, I was terrified when the plane took off. YOU held my hand.

We had made no plan for this four-day stay in New York City. In fact, our only goal was to go to Bloomingdale’s, which is the first thing we did upon our arrival. After that, we were so exhausted that we just fell asleep. “Mom, wake up, you must eat, it’s already 8:00 p.m.! You answered: Where are we? You will not believe me! Come see! Looking through the window, there was this breathtaking view of Avenue of the Americas with its countless yellow cabs and us, shedding tears of joy, as we were so happy to be there.

Of all the gifts you made to your traveling companion, that week-end was the most beautiful of all. The only thing that you refused to do was taking a horse-drawn carriage ride in Central Park. You were so afraid to be cold. You were always so cold, mom. When we got back, you regretted it and told me that next time, we would take that ride. Never mind, mom, I just read recently that carriage rides in Central Park were controversial. This was the perfect trip.

You undertook your last trip two days ago, mom. Godspeed! I already know that you no longer feel pain, that you no longer feel cold. Go meet up with René again. He is waiting for you with his lopsided smile. He was never very romantic, but I know that just to please you, he will sing you that Aznavour song you loved so much:

“The sky is weaving a wool blanket
Summer is preparing for its Winter retreat
But be not afraid of the cold, Hélène
I will keep you warm, I will keep you warm
Let’s go dream on the shore of the Seine
If there is still some green space out there
And if it’s quity chilly out of the sun, Hélène
I will keep you warm, I will keep you warm.”

This tribute was written 3 days ago. My dearest friend Danielle Assaad has kindly accepted to translate it to English for me. I wanted it to be perfect. Danielle, thank you so much. This text exactly says what I have written in French. You are the best!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #14: Matilda Tourville (née LaQuire) (1847-aft 1886)

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I cannot post anything on Nettie Tourville, one of Charles and Sophia Arpajou’s children, before I tell you the story of my quest for Matilda Laquire (1847-?).

Never give up.

Used to a goldmine of genealogical information from the Quebec Catholic Records, I was at a lost with Matilda, the wife of Louis Tourville.

All the information I had was the following:

  • In 1866, she had a daughter baptized at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Chateaugay, NY. Her maiden name was recorded as Sequin.
  • She appeared in the 1880 US Census as the wife of Louis Tourville in Grand Haven, MI, born about 1847 in Vermont and her parents, in Pennsylvania.

Never give up, I am telling you.

I don’t know why but I always thought that the fact that her parents were supposedly born in Pennsylvania might be a mistake. I mean her name, Sequin, looked a lot like Seguin or Séguin, which are very common surnames here in Quebec. But as Louis fought in the Civil War I thought that maybe he met her closer to Washington, DC, in Virginia, or even in Pennsylvania.

What to do?

I first checked the original document from St. Patrick’s to see if there was a mistake in the transcription. Nope. I then looked for all Sequin or Seguin families in Vermont, hoping to find her in 1850 or 1860: nothing.

Louis and Matilda’s daughter Lizzie died at age 1 in Grand Haven in 1869. No more clue. Next, I tried to find their daughters Jennie and Clarissa after 1880. Ah! that 1880-1900 gap! I did find a marriage for Clarissa Tourville and Edward Palmer in 1886 in Grand Haven but nothing more than that, except it confirmed that Matilda was still living in 1886 as she was one of the witnesses at the marriage. I did find an Edward Palmer in 1900 but he was married to another woman. Was he the same one? He was indeed as I found a second marriage for him in 1892 and that his obituary confirmed that he was the same Edward Palmer who married Clarissa. The Palmers’ came from Allegan County and I found the records for the cemetery family lot and no Clarissa.

By the way, the Clarissa Tourville Palmer case is still cold.

My first break came from my first trip to Salt Lake City. By looking at all the vital records for Ottawa County, I found the birth of Clarissa in 1869 (no maiden name for the mother) and I found a marriage for a Jennie Lovill married to a Marine Kamphout in 1883. That L from Lovill looked like a T so I decided to follow that track. I found the couple in the 1900 US Census and I found births in the vital records of Ottawa County (online) that matched the names on the census.

I had no proof that this person was indeed the daughter of Louis and Matilda but I had no other clue to pursue.

So I followed Jennie or Mary Jane as she was later called n the census until 1930 where she lived with her daughter in Wyandotte, near Detroit. Marinus Kamhout died in 1906 so in 1910 I found the daughters with their remarried mother in Michigan. In 1920, Mary Jane was back to the Kamhout surname. Who knows what happened with that marriage?

My second big break came from the Louttit Library in Grand Haven. A wonderful woman sent me some newspaper clips (they were not online at the time) as well as a cemetery lot listing for the family. I then had a date for the death of Mary Jane! But… nothing in the Grand Haven newspapers even if she was buried there in 1953.

I even ordered a microfilm through BANQ for a Detroit newspapers (one of her son died there) and I couldn’t find anything still.

Have I ever told you that I have never found ANYBODY in those funeral home repertoires? On another trip to Salt Lake City, I was going through the Michigan books on the US Book Floor and I saw a funeral home repertoire for Wyandotte. I opened it and I almost screamed (I think I did)!

There she was: Mary Jane Kamhout. And that funeral home index refered to a record of funeral in another book which was also on the shelves and it even looked like a DEATH certificate.

Hummm! Father: Louis Detourville. Mother: Matilda LaQuire. Where is that surname coming from? I was so excited I ran to a computer to search for Laquires. First thing I noticed, some Laquires are corrected to Lecuyer and that is also a common surname in Quebec. I also saw Saquire corrected to Laquire. Humm! Saquire and I had Sequin all along. So I went on the Lecuyer trail. Cold trail too.

Then I decided to go through the Vermont vital records for Laquires. I found out that some were living in Ferrisburgh very near the families I knew from the Tourvilles’ circle of family and friends. Interesting.

I looked through the Vermont Vital Records and found a Matilda Laquire married to a Lewis Covill (my second scream of the day). Remember that sometimes the Tourvilles were also called Courville in various catholic church records.

Matilda was the daughter of Mitchell Laquire and Mary German. I found two other marriages for children of Mitchell and Mary German. I could not find the family in censuses. They obviously came to the States after 1850 and the 1851 Canadian Census record for their parish were lost. I did find Matilda, living alone in 1860 in Vermont.

As the Laquire trail went cold also, I decided to go through the Germans. Hummm! Was it German for Lallemand, a French surname here? Nope. It was for Germain or St-Germain. So with a lot of research I did find the St-Germain in Quebec and in St. Mary’s Catholic Repertoire of Burlington. And there it was: Lequin. The name in Quebec was Lequin or Lequien.

After that, it was so easy.

Michel Lequin married Marie-Louise St-Germain on November 3, 1840, in Marieville, Québec. Mathilde was born May 13, 1847 in Mont-St-Grégoire. Michel died in Farnham in 1855, the record states he was living in the United States. Mary German may have remarried in Vermont but no trace of her after that.

As I mentioned before, the last trace of Matilda Laquire Tourville was in 1886 as she was the witness at Clarissa’s marriage. I will never give up. I am pretty sure that one of these days I will find her even if I have no trace of her death in Michigan, Minnesota or even Vermont. And of course, I looked for siblings’ obituaries. No such luck.

But my biggest break was this: while I was looking at the Vermont vital records index on microfilms in Montreal, I saw a child named German, father was Joseph German and the mother was Nettie TOURVILLE. Who was that Nettie?!

I suddenly remembered that years ago someone gave me the name of the children of Charles and Sophia Arpajou from the Clarence Tourville Book and that Sophia (married to Joseph Giguère as I proofed later) was mentioned as being married to a Joseph St-Germain. I never found the couple and as later I found the name of Joseph Giguère, I thought it was a simple mistake. Yeah, MY mistake.

Who was that Nettie? The answer in post #15 coming soon!

 

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #13: Louis Tourville (1844-1912)

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Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou had eight children who made it to adulthood, four sons and four daughters. Let’s continue with one of their sons, Louis Tourville, a Civil War veteran.

Louis was born on September 30, 1844 and baptized 6 days later, on October 6, in St-Hughes, Québec. His father Charles was absent at the baptismal ceremony which led me to believe that he was perhaps working in Addison County while Sophia was waiting for Louis’ birth at their house in St-Hughes.

As I explained in previous posts, it seems that around 1850 Charles, then a widower, went on to live with his sister Catherine, brother-in-law and nephews in Chateaugay, NY to get some help from Catherine to raise the younger children. By the end of 1851 or beginning of 1852, we can assume that both the families of Louis’ siblings, Charles Jr and Sophia, moved to Chateaugay after living a few years in Addison County, VT. His brother Joseph and sister Julia seemed to have spent all their lives in Clinton or Franklin Counties after their mother’s death. A decade later, around 1862-63, two other siblings, Peter Stephen and Philomena, also moved from Vergennes, VT to Franklin County, NY with their spouse and children. Nettie will be the only one who will stay permanently in Vermont with her family.

What about Louis? In 1860, he was living in Vergennes within the household of a lawyer. According to the census, at age 15, he attended school during the year which is a little bit surprising to me. Was he working there as a servant as well? Because another boy in the same household was a servant and had also attended school that same year at age 17. Maybe there are some research to do about that lawyer, George W. Grandey. We know for sure that Louis was educated because he knew how to sign his name.

One year later, on September 6, 1861, Louis enrolled in the Civil War. He was mustered in on September 20, fighting with Company F, in the 2nd Regiment of Vermont. Some hints about his appearance: he was 5′ 6″, had black hair and dark eyes. You can read the organization and service of Louis regiment here.

Some important dates concerning Louis’ Civil War Service:

  • He survived the Battle of Gettysburg, PA, which occured July 2-4, 1863.
  • He was mustered out on December, 20,1863 but re-enlisted the following day at Brandy Station, VA.
  • He was wounded from a musket gun shot in the right thigh at the battle of the Wilderness, VA, on May 5, 1864, which lasted 3 days. The ball entered on the inside about 6 or 7 inches above the knee joint and exited nearly opposite its entry. He was admitted at Campbell General Hospital, in Washington, D.C. on May 11, 1864.
  • On May 16, 1864, Louis was furloughed. He returned to duty on August 1, 1864.
  • He was struck in the left thigh by a piece of an exploded shell at the Third Battle of Winchester, VA, on September 19, 1864.
  • He was hospitalized in Montpelier, VT General Hospital and during the following months he is listed as present at the Fort Wood Station, on Bedloe’s Island, in the New York Harbor. By November 1864, he was back with his regiment.
  • He was promoted Corporal on January 1, 1865.
  • He was mustered out with the rest of the regiment on July 15, 1865, in Washington, D.C. although some papers in his Pension file also mentioned July 20 as his discharge date.
Louis' Hospital Card in Washington, DC

Louis’ Hospital Card in Washington, DC

Shortly after his service, on September 20, 1865, Louis married Matilda LaQuire (or Lequin in Québec) in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, before a Methodist minister. Matilda was no stranger to Louis as she was the cousin of Joseph St-Germain, his brother-in-law. The couple quickly moved to Chateaugay, NY as Matilda gave birth there to daughter Mary Jane on December 6, 1865 and baptized on January 1, 1866 at the local St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

You people out there did notice the dates and did the math. I suppose that Louis did her a favor. I have no proof that he was back in Vermont nine months or even seven months before the birth of Mary Jane. I also noticed that Mary Jane stated her birth year as 1866. She was probably told that she was born in 1866. You can change a birth date but not the timeline of the Civil War.

At the end of the summer of 1868, the couple welcomed another daughter, Lizzie. A few months later, the family moved to Grand Haven, MI. On August 19, 1869, Lizzie died at age 1, from teething. On December 23, 1869, a third daughter was born, Clarissa.

I know from various Grantor/Grantee Indexes that a land was purchased from Louis in 1866, 1868 as well as in 1872 in Chateaugay, NY but I haven’t seen the documents. Only very recently have I found the birth of another child, George, who was born on March 17, 1872 in Ferrisburgh, VT. He was baptized 4 days later at the Charlotte Catholic Church. I think there is a possibility that his brother Peter Stephen was living on the land as it was sold to Peter by Louis in 1884. The family probably returned to Grand Haven shortly after George’s birth.

I tried everything to find Louis and Matilda in the 1870 US Census in Michigan without any luck. Same thing for Louis sister’s Philomena and her husband Dwight Daniels who also lived in Grand Haven at the same time.They were left out.

According to the 1880 US Census, Louis was living in Grand Haven, working in a livery stable, with his wife Matilda and their two daughters, Mary and Clarissa. So his son George either died in Vermont or in Michigan. On January 1, 1883, Louis’ name appeared in the 1883 Michigan Civil War Pension Roll as a resident of Grand Haven. Also the Grand Haven G.A.R. Post #75 1883 List states that he was a sailor. His daughter Mary Jane was married in 1883 to Marinus Kamhout and his daughter Clarissa was married in 1886 to Edward Palmer, both in Grand Haven. Clarissa’s father-in-law, Philander Palmer, a physician, was also a Civil War Veteran and was a member of G.A.R. Post #75 with Louis.

Clarissa is high on my “Missing People” list. Edward Palmer married his second wife in 1892 but I have no idea what happened to Clarissa. In fact, Clarissa’s marriage is the last trace I found of Matilda as well as she was the witness for the bride.

By 1886, Louis moved to Minneapolis, MN. He occupied all kind of jobs there: hackman, laborer, hostler, groom, teamster. For a time, he was working at E.C. Butts & Sons. E.C. Butts was a native a Vermont and had also a business in Grand Haven. I often wondered if Louis left Grand Haven because his wife died. Or had he left with her and she died in Minneapolis? Or has he simply left his family? A questionnaire sent to the veterans in 1898 concerning the family members of the veterans only states: “Wife dead”  written by Louis’ hand. No mention of his daughters.

By 1896 Louis was back in Grand Haven as he was working as a porter at an hotel there. In 1907, he declared that he then lived in Chateaugay, NY. His name is not in the 1905 NY State Census so we can assume he came back to Chateaugay around 1907. We found him there in 1910, living with his nephew Albert.

In order to receive his pension, Louis had to go through a biannual medical exam from what I gathered.The first one was in Malone, NY in 1867. The doctor declared him one half incapacitated and the disability was permanent. Louis complained of rheumatic pains in the leg which became aggravated after much fatigue. The next exams were in Grand Haven, MI, in both 1873 and 1875. In 1877, the exam was made in Grand Rapids, MI. The later exams were in Minneapolis in 1890, 1891 and 1892. His pension was first at the monthly rate of $4, then went down to $2. He did challenge the amount but he had to wait until 1907 to get a monthly rate of $12 due to his age (over 62). His medical reports also showed his weight gain. From 145 lbs at age 29 to 165 lbs at age 45.

Louis died on March 27, 1912 in Chateaugay. At the time, he was living with his nephew Albert Tourville. He was buried in St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery, in Chateaugay, NY. All these long trips accross the country and he died where he grew up as child.

 

Louis Tourville Obituary - March 29, 1912 - Chateaugay Record and Franklin Democrat

Louis Tourville Obituary – March 29, 1912 – Chateaugay Record and Franklin Democrat

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #12: Philomène Leblanc (1847-1915)

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PhilomeneI discovered recently that I have an Acadian line. I am very excited about this because I have never done any serious research about that line.

My paternal great-grandmother, Philomène Leblanc, married Joseph Tourville on April 30, 1883, at Ste-Brigide Church in Montréal. Joseph had lost his first wife, Georgiana Dufault, six months earlier. With seven young children still living, he was probably looking for a new wife to help him raise the children.

Philomène was born on July 8, 1847 and baptized the next day in St-Jacques-de-l’Achigan in Québec. Her parents were Pierre Leblanc and Émilie Gaudet, all of Acadian ancestry. Her father was a farmer first in St-Jacques and then in St-Liguori-de-Montcalm. They left St-Liguori for Montréal shortly after Émilie’s death in July 1873. After her father’s death in 1879, Philomène was living with her sister and brother-in-law. According to the Lovell Directory and 1881 Canadian Census, she was a dressmaker. When she married Joseph, she was almost 36 years old. She had 6 children with Joseph, all died in infancy except the first-born, my grandfather Ovila.

Philomène died on May 5, 1915, at age 67 in Montréal and is buried in the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery.

Philomène Leblanc (1847-1915), my paternal great-grandmother, was an Acadian.

Philomène Leblanc (1847-1915), my paternal great-grandmother, was an Acadian.

Since I have been looking for her four ancestral lines, I learned so much. I am very much interested as of what happened to my 4th great-grandparents who were deported to Massachusetts and Connecticut in 1755. On my next trip to Salt Lake City, I hope to get some work done on that fascinating line!

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #11 William Thomas (1819-1901)

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William Thomas was born on December 27, 1819, in St-Benoît, Deux-Montagnes County, in Québec. His parents were Walter Thomas, of Wales, Great-Britain, and Marguerite Paradis, a French-Canadian. They were married in the Anglican Church, in Lachine, Québec, on October 26, 1818. A Walter Thomas emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1818. It might be him.

William Thomas was the first born. I found eight siblings so far. All were baptized in the Catholic Church, except one for which I do not have a birth date.The family mainly lived in St-Benoît, Ste-Scholastique, Rigaud and St-André d’Argenteuil, in Québec. William’s parents, Walter and Marguerite, later moved to Franklin County, NY. They appear in the 1840 US Census for Westville and the 1850 US Census for Constable. Walter died between 1875 and 1880 and Marguerite, between 1870 and 1875. Both were living in Westville at the time.

Before 1842, William Thomas married Ann (Todd?), probably in Canada. It looks like they moved to Franklin County, NY in the early 1850’s. The 1900 US Census indicates 1851 as the year of arrival for William although one child was supposedly born in Canada in 1852.

William and Ann are listed in the 1860 US Census in Constable, NY. The first child to be born in NY state was born in 1853.

William and Ann had at least ten children:

  • Walter, born about 1842, Canada
  • Elizabeth, born about 1845, Canada
  • Margaret, born about 1848, Canada
  • Clarissa, born about 1850, Canada
  • Mary A, born about 1850, Canada
  • George, born February 1852, Canada
  • John, born July 25, 1853, NY
  • Rebecca, born about 1856, NY
  • Adelia, born October 1860, NY
  • William, born July 1863, NY

I have been told that Ann’s surname was Todd but I haven’t found any proof yet. I will have to make further research on her. Peter Thomas, William’s brother, did marry a Christiana Todd, in 1861. She might be Ann’s younger sister. Her parents were Thomas Todd and her mother was called Anna.

Ann was born abt 1822 in Canada. She died on November 1, 1864 in Westville, NY at age 42. She was buried in the local Briggs Street Cemetery. William’s remains would later be buried in the same plot.

In early 1865, William Thomas married Julia Tourville. A post have been published for her, you can read it here.

They had seven children, only six were found:

Since his arrival, William Thomas was farming in Franklin County. More research will have to be done in Franklin County on land records for William Thomas. Another area of research includes the naturalization records as the 1900 US Census indicates that William was naturalized.

I haven’t found any obituaries for William Thomas. He died on July 15, 1901, at age 81 and was buried in Briggs Street Cemetery, in Westville, with his first wife Ann.

And last, here is a picture of Julia and William, his second wife. Would this be a picture at the time of their wedding? She was 22 and quite pretty, he was 45.

Julia Tourville and William Thomas (1865?)

Julia Tourville and William Thomas (1865?)

 

 

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #10: Julia Thomas Davenport (née Tourville) (1843-1915)

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Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou had eight children who made it to adulthood, four sons and four daughters. Let’s continue with one of their daughters, Julia Tourville, born in Vermont in October 1843.

I do not have an exact birth date for Julia. The 1900 US Census indicates that she was born in October 1843 which makes sense as a document dated October 20, 1851 gives her age as 8, so she would be born in early October 1843. The other censuses confirm that information as well, except for the 1850 and 1860 Census.

In 1860, Julia was 17 years and was working as a servant in a hotel in Chateaugay, NY. She probably married William Thomas, a widower who lost his first wife Ann on November 1, 1864, in early 1865 as she gave birth to their first son on December 24, 1865. It is the only child for William and Julia for whom I found a Catholic baptism. According to the 1900 US Census, Julia had seven children, six of them still living in 1900. Probably one died in infancy as I only found six children for William and Julia. They lived all their lives in Franklin County, New York.

According to the censuses, William and Julia lived in Constable, NY, after moving from Fort Covington, at least until 1880. In 1900, they were living in Brandon, NY, more precisely in Skerry, on a farm. William Thomas died on July 15, 1901 and was buried in Briggs Street Cemetery, in Westville, with his first wife Ann.

I looked for years to find Julia after William’s death and a relative of the Thomas family had found some newspaper articles solving the mystery.

On November 7, 1906, The Malone Farmer had this interesting local news about Julia:

“Mrs. Julia Thomas is repairing her house. J. H. Davenport is doing the work.”

They probably got along fine because the next newspaper article published on December 19, 1906 made the following announcement:

“The many friends of Gail (sic) Davenport and Mrs. Julia Thomas were surprised to learn of their marriage last Thursday. Mrs. Thomas was an old resident of Brandon and was loved and respected by all. Mr. Davenport has made his home here for several years and was kind and charitable. The happy couple will reside at the home of the bride. Many friends wish them much joy in their new relation.”

On August 19, 1908, The Malone Farmer, reported that Julia was quite ill. Fortunately, some ten day later, she was doing much better. Is it because of her health problem that the couple decided at the end of that year to sell the farm or “William Thomas Place” as the newspaper called it, to Henry Larock of Vermont? It seems that they decide to live in Joel’s house in Skerry as in January 1910, they moved from there to their farm in Dickinson where they received visitors like their grandchildren in 1913.

They apparently later moved to Brushton as Joel’s son, John Davenport, from New Hamspshire, visited the couple in 1914.

Julia died on February 7, 1915 in Brushton and was buried in local Sunnyside Cemetery, on Gale Road. I have found this last article on her in The Malone Farmer:

“The many friends of Mrs. Joel Davenport were shocked to hear of her sudden death which occurred at her home in Brushton Sunday evening Feb. 7th. Mrs. Davenport suffered a very severe attack of pneumonia several months ago, and since which time she has suffered with a weakness of the heart which was the direct cause of her death after an illness of less than one hour at the age of 73 years. Mrs. Davenport’s first husband was William Thomas. They with their family moved to this place from Fort Covington about thirty years ago, where they lived until his death fourteen years ago. Eight years ago she married Joel Davenport who survives her, together with six children. Mrs. Bert Eseltine, of Dickinson, Mrs. Joseph French, Mrs. Albert Eseltine, William and Grant Thomas of this place and Mrs. Joseph Cling of Deferiet, N.Y., Mrs. Chas. McElwain and George Thomas also of this town are step children. The funeral was held from the Christian church at Brushton Tuesday afternoon, Rev. Shaw officiating. Interment at Brushton. To the aged husband and family a large circle of friends extend their sympathy in the loss of a faithful and loving wife and mother.”

With these articles, I have lots of work to do! First of all, William Thomas had a farm, maybe more than one, so I should check the land record index of Franklin County, either in Malone, NY or on my next trip to Salt Lake City. It’s lucky for me they lived all their lives in Franklin County. Second, I would like to find the obituaries of her children, I might find out more details.

And last, here is a picture of Julia and William, her first husband. Would this be a picture at the time of their wedding? She was 22 and quite pretty, he was 45.

Julia Tourville and William Thomas (1865?)

Julia Tourville and William Thomas (1865?)

Her second husband, Joel H. Davenport, died in 1920 in Massachusetts, while visiting his niece. I haven’t found his burial place yet.

You might be interested in Julia Tourville’s first husband, William Thomas, as well. He was also featured in a post here.

 

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #9 Joséphine Cantin (1830-1909)

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I am away from home this week and don’t have access to my paperwork, so I’ll skip a week for the family of Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou.

Joséphine Cantin is my maternal great-great-grandmother. Well, she is also my paternal great-great-grandmother. My parents were first cousins so I have a lot of duplicates in my tree but this one came as a surprise as I discovered last year that Joséphine’s grandmother is Josephte Hubou-Tourville, daughter of Jérôme Hubou-Tourville and Catherine Brunet. So that makes another line of Tourvilles in my tree!

Born in Lachenaie in 1830 to Nicolas Cantin and Clémence Content, Joséphine married Antoine Laneuville on May 3, 1858 in Notre-Dame Church in Montreal. Antoine had lost his wife, Adélaïde Laurendeau, one year earlier with whom he had 10 children. You would think that Adélaïde would show on my genealogy program as my step-great-great-grandmother. Not she’s not. She is my great-great-great-aunt because Antoine first wife was the sister of Esther Laurendeau, a paternal great-great-grandmother (and also a maternal great-great-mother of course). Are you still following?

Joséphine Cantin, wife of Antoine Laneuville, with her two sons, Napoléon on her lap, and Joseph, my great-great-grandfather.

Joséphine Cantin, wife of Antoine Laneuville, with her two sons, Napoléon on her lap, and Joseph, my great-great-grandfather.

Joséphine must be the earliest ancestor for whom I have a picture. This picture was taken around 1864-65 because my great-grandfather was born in 1861 and he’s not older than 4-5 years old. Antoine died in July 1867 at age 52 so I wondered why this picture was taken without him. Perhaps he was sick?

Joséphine died in 1909, she was buried in Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #8 Philomena Tourville (1841-?)

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Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou had eight children who made it to adulthood, four sons and four daughters. Let’s start with one of their daughters, Philomena Tourville, born in Vermont in 1841.

For a long time I thought that Philomena was in fact Domethilde Tourville who was born in 1837 to Charles Tourville and Sophie Arpajou. In so many instances have the parents changed the name of a child from the one chosen at the baptism. It is only last year that I indeed find a baptism for a Philomena Corver, born to Charles Corver (for Courville) (sic) and Sophia Harparper in St. Mary’s Church, Burlington, VT, on May 16, 1841. Then, and only then, did I realize that Philomena was NOT Domethilde (I will talk about her in another post, let’s not spoil the surprise). 😉

The first time I saw the name of Philomena, it was in the St. Patrick’s Church records, from Chateaugay, NY. It was for the baptism of Maria Clara Bauchemin, with the sponsors being Joseph Tourville (perhaps her brother or nephew) and Maria Gillier (her niece).

Bauchemin Maria Clara 9 Apr 1865 29 Mar 1865 Edward & Philomena Tourville Joseph Tourville & Maria Gillier

I endlessly looked for clues for the whereabouts of Edward Bauchemin and Philomena Tourville and could not find anything. And of course, I had the confirmation that Philomena was a child of Charles and Sophie from the inventory after death taken in October of 1851. What puzzled me for a long time is that she was not mentioned in the 1850 US Census. It was only when I found her baptism last year that I realized that the Meranda Tourville living with Charles Tourville Jr was in fact Philomena.

On the other hand, many years ago, I read on a Genealogy Forum that a Mr. Daniels was desesperately looking to find the ancestry of his GGmother called Mary Tourville married to Dwight Daniels. He knew that Mary could not speak English, that Dwight was born in Vergennes, Vermont, that their first-born William was from Vermont but that they later moved to Westville, NY where John was born. He also mentioned that the family moved to Grand Haven, MI where Dwight was working for the railroad company.

When I read this, I was convinced that this “Mary” was “Marie-Édesse” or “Edith” in the 1850 Census. It all made sense since she was the only girl for whom I did not find a clue after the 1850 US Census. I wrote to Mr. Daniels and told him there were too many coincidences. The Tourvilles’ lived in Vergennes and then moved to Chateaugay, NY, close to Westville. One of the son, Louis, moved to Grand Haven, MI in 1869 almost at the same time that Dwight Daniels and Mary Tourville moved to Grand Haven. He was not convinced but wrote to me that this was the best lead he had so far. Unfortunately, Mr. Daniels died a few years afterwards long before I found out more about that couple.

Here is the 1880 US Census for the family of Mary and Dwight Daniels:

1880 matilda

 When did I figure out that Dwight and Mary were the same as Edward and Philomena? The light struck me when I realized that Clarissa Daniels was born in 1865 in Michigan and Clara Beauchemin, in 1865 in New York. What if that Clarissa was born in NY? That Dwight could be Edward? I had the proof when the baptismal repertoire for Vergennes was published recently. William Daniels, born on April 14, 1859 born to Dwight Daniels (no mother mentioned) is in the Vital Records for the town of Vergennes. Guillaume (William in French) Beauchemin was baptized May 8, 1859, born to Edouard Beauchemin and Mary Courville. He was born April 14, 1859…

Family Search also helped me: I found a marriage record for Edwin Daniels (born in 1870). His parents are listed as Dwight Daniels and Mary P. Tourville.

There is still a mystery as to what happened to Philomena. Daniels family lore mentioned that she would have died around 1875 in Grand Haven, MI. We know for a fact that Dwight Daniels married three times. First time to Philomena (marriage still not found to this date), second time to his first cousin, Mary Barton (marriage still not found to this date). She died in 1895 in Vergennes, from consumption, death certificate indicating that she was 36 years old. His third wife was Mary’s sister, Martha Barton. I haven’t find her death yet but she was still living in 1940, with her only daughter and son-in-law, near Albany, NY. Dwight Daniels died in 1914 in Vergennes.

Now back to Philomena. Maybe she hasn’t died in 1875. Because in the 1880 US Census, the wife was 40 years old (Mary Barton was only 21 years old in 1880). The fact that Mary was said to be born in Canada (we know she only spoke French). Unfortunately I have never found the death date of Philomena. We know for sure she died before 1895.

The question is: when did Dwight Daniels come back to Vergennes? In his obituary he is said that have lived in Vergennes all his life except a few years in Chicago.

What about the children? So many mysteries.

  1. William, born in 1859, in Vermont came back to New York State, he lived in Salamanca. He was married to Anna McCann (date unknown). He is sometimes mentioned as being born either in Vermont or Michigan. He died in 1914.
  2. John, born abt 1863, in NY, is “missing” since the 1880 US Census.
  3. Clarissa, born in 1865, in NY, was a nurse at Asbury Hospital for many years. Where? Was she married? No clue. According to family lore, shed died about 1932. I may have found her living in Duluth, Minnesota in the 1885 State Census.
  4. Benjamin, born in 1867 in MI, left the family very young after the death of his mother as he didn’t get along with his father who was mean to the children. Made his life in Minnesota and died there in 1935.
  5. Edwin Dwight, born in 1870, married twice (1891 and 1904). He supposedly died in Chicago around 1944. I have never found him in any censuses after 1880 but I did find him in Directories in Detroit (1891 to 1894) and Chicago (1897). I did find an article on him in 1892. He was arrested with his brother-in-law for arson.
  6. Alfred, born in 1878 (to the first wife, or second wife?), died supposedly from a bonfire around 1881.

Philomena is the only child from Charles and Sophie from whom I haven’t find a death date (except for children who died in infancy). I will not give up!

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors / 52 Weeks is an idea proposed by Amy Johnson Crow. Link on the image for more details about it.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #7 – Sophie Arpajou (1811-bef 1850)

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We all have a favorite family in our tree, you know, that we keep coming back to, hoping to find something new. Sophie Arpajou is not my ancestor, she is my first cousin 4 times removed but I like her anyway. 😉

I could have chosen her husband Charles Tourville for this article but so much has been written about him. Let the woman shine!

First, let me tell you how I got acquainted with Sophie. It was a long time ago, maybe 15 years back, before I even knew the existence of US Censuses, Ancestry and so on. One night when I was working very late at the office, waiting for the sign-off of a document, trying hard to keep myself awake, I surfed the Internet (no Internet at home at that time). Guess what I did? Well, I typed my surname of course! I was already into genealogy at that time, trying to find all the descendents of Mathieu Hubou and a lot of them seemed to have vanished in the air. As there was no online search at that time, I had to go through each parish repertoire, most of them featuring only mariages, no baptisms nor burials, so you understand that my research did not go very far giving the little time I had to dedicate to genealogy. I still remember when I was arriving early at the library in Montreal on a Saturday morning, waiting for my turn to have the microfilm reader just for one hour. Going through Canadian censuses at the time was quite a long process.

So, as I was saying, I surfed the Internet and I saw on a US genealogy forum that someone was looking for LaCounts, mentioning the mother was Catherine Tourville from Canada. So I sent an email to this person, Clay LaCount, at 2AM and I got an answer almost immediately much to my surprise (I haven’t realized that he was living on the West Coast). He wrote to me that he was looking for information on Anthony LaCount and Catherine Tourville. He also mentioned that the brother of Catherine, Charles Tourville and his children were living with them in Chateaugay, New York in 1850. That according to family lore, they first settled in Vergennes, Vermont, about 200 km south from St-Hughes, in the late 1830’s but were in Chateaugay since the late 1840’s. As I said in an earlier post, that is how I was introduced to genealogy research in the US.

Arpajou fam ENGWhat do I know about Sophie? She was born in 1811 in St-Hyacinthe. Her father Étienne Arpajou lost his first wife Marie-Françoise Laprée in 1804, who left behind her 5 children. Her mother is Madeleine Plourde who was married to Étienne in 1805. Besides her 5 half siblings, Sophie had also 3 siblings. Sophie got married to Charles Tourville in 1827 at age 16. At the time of their marriage, Charles purchased a land in what would become St-Hughes later.

Sophie seems to have lived in St-Hughes until about 1837. After that year, the family moved to Vermont, maybe during the winter time, where Charles probably worked on larger farms or in mills as a laborer as were doing other French-Canadians in that time period. Was their move a consequence of the rebellions of 1837-38 in Lower Canada? It is a strong possibility.

Their daughter Domithilde Tourville was born on February 16, 1839 but only baptized in July 1839 in Quebec. It is very much possible that she was born in Vermont. The family is in Ferrisburgh, in 1840. A daughter, Philomena, was baptized in Burlington in 1841. Another daughter, Julia was born about 1843 also in Vermont. Both sons, Louis and Joseph, respectively born in 1844 and 1846 were born and baptized in Quebec. Interesting fact: in 1844, for the baptism of Louis, Charles is absent. I recently found two younger children, both baptized the same day in 1848 in Burlington. They were probably twins. Sophie had 13 children, a total of 8 making it to adulthood.

Arpajou map ENGI always assumed that Sophie Arpajou died in Chateaugay as Charles was living there in 1850 with some of his children. I now think she died in Vermont. Maybe she died shortly after giving birth to the twins. Maybe Charles went to live to Chateaugay with his sister to get some help for the children.

What we know for sure is that the twins didn’t survive because in October 1851, Charles sold his land is St-Hughes which appeared, along with the old house, to have been abandonned. In a tutorship act related to the sale of the land, Charles lists his surviving children, Charles, Sophie, Étienne, Marie-Édesse, Philomène, Julie, Louis and Joseph.

Finding all the children of Sophie Arpajou was not a piece of cake. In the next 8 weeks, I will feature each of the children who made it to adulthood. Finding information on each of them was an adventure in itself (which is far from over), so be sure to tune in next week!

The name Arpajou is quite rare. Sometimes spelled Harpageau or Arpageau, it seemed to have vanished. I know from a fact that a nephew of Sophie married twice in Vermont but is nowhere to be found. If you happen to know how the name was changed to in the US, please let me know!