Category Archives: The Bangle Files

ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | E for Engagement

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Engagement contracts involving the Bangles intervened between a fur company and a voyageur and were signed before a notary public. We know that William—as well as his nephew John Davis (Bangle) Jr.—made it to Upper Canada. There were two types of voyageurs: those who made the trip up to Grand Portage and came back to Montréal in the fall; and the others, the hivernants, who spent the winter and made the return trip almost 18 months later. These journeys were no piece of cake. The money earned was probably worth it and, hopefully, relieved some of the hardship.

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

ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | D for Davis

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Marie Davis was born about 1731, in Germany. We know that she was married to Adam Bangle when she arrived with him in America in November 1764 as she gave birth to William in September 1765 and that their son John, born in Germany, was most likely their eldest. Marie died on October 28, 1805, in Sorel. We can thank the Québec notaries and the Catholic Church because without them we would have never ascertained Marie’s maiden name.

Davis is also the other surname that John Bangle went by—his mother’s maiden name—like “dit names” used by French Canadians.

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

ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | C for Catherine

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Catherine Bangle is the only daughter (as far as we know) of Adam Bangle, the patriarch, and Marie Davis. Born on October 23, 1770, near Palatine, in today’s Montgomery County, NY, she was baptized nearby at the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, in the village of Stone Arabia. As the daughter of a Loyalist family, she left with her parents who first went to Ontario and later settled in Terrebonne, Québec. At age 16, she married Jacob Schmidt on June 22, 1787, at Christ Church Cathedral, in Montréal—they had 8 children. Catherine died after 1844, probably in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec.

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

ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | B for Bangle

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Bangle is the spelling I have come to adopt for the standardization of our featured family’s surname. The signature of Adam Bangle makes me wonder if he was literate, because his name seems to be Bingel or Bengil, depending on the document. In the United States, Bangle was largely used. In Québec, the priest would first write Pingle or other variations as the B is pronounced as a P in German. Afterwards, Bengle and Bingle were mostly used. Adam’s grandsons Andrew and Charles used Bangle, but—interesting fact—they were both married to women of English heritage.

♠ 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

ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | A for Adam

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Meet Adam, the patriarch of the Bangle family. He came from Germany in 1764 aboard the Jennefer, arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Less than a year later, he settled in New York State, along the Mohawk River, in the current county of Montgomery. A loyalist during the War of Independence, he will reappear around 1786 in Terrebonne, Québec, along with his wife, Marie Davis, his sons John, William, and Peter, and his daughter Catherine as well. The fate of his son Henry is unfortunately unknown. Adam died on May 9, 1800, and will be buried the next day in Montréal.

♠ 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

The Bangle Files: #26 | William Bangle, the Voyageur

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According to various baptismal records or notary acts, William identified himself either as a miller, master miller, ploughman, farmer, daily labourer or habitant (term designing someone who owned a concession in current Québec Province territory). Still, there is a further aspect of William’s occupations that I wanted to write about—for in spite of what things look like he might have got his share of thrills.

William was also a voyageur.

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From the Archives: A Snapshot of Montréal’s Common Gaol in 1820

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Prison commune de Montréal, Place Vauquelin, 19e siècle — Archives de Montréal, VM6,R3067-2_155E-1939-005

Life is full of surprises.

As I was doing research for the Bangle Files at the Archives nationales du Québec on Viger Street in Montréal, I unearthed a document among the criminal files shedding light on the appalling living conditions at Montréal’s Common Gaol, actually the same building where John Bangle and his wife, Marie-Louise Quevillon, were detained in September, October, November 1820 and beyond.

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The Bangle Files: #25 | A First Land for William Bangle

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After having revisited the year 1820 through John Bangle’s uncommon way of life, let’s retrace our steps to the late 1790s to explore the one of his brother, William Bangle.

As evidenced by the Catholic parish records, William Bangle and his wife, Marie Tourville, spent the first years of their marriage in Terrebonne (ca 1794-1806) (with a brief stay in Saint-Vincent-de-Paul on Isle Jésus in 1799-1800), and then moved to Mascouche until 1812. Afterward, they will settle in Berthierville and, finally, in Sainte-Élisabeth of Joliette, where William died and was buried in 1821. Other records provide more specific details about William which we will address in the next few posts.

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The Bangle Files: #24 | Mary Bangle and William Hogan

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After having confirmed—as related in the last post—that Mary Hogan was indeed John Bangle’s daughter, I thought it would be interesting for you to get to know her and her family.

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The Bangle Files: #23 | John Bangle On Trial

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Thanks to John Bangle, I had my very first experience in digging in Quebec Archives criminal records in Montréal. Not only was it fascinating but it also proved to be an opportunity to upgrade my knowledge for that period, namely the 1820s.

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