My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: L for Lebonte

When looking for French Canadians in Vermont, all sources have to be considered. I am thinking here of town history books from the 19th century—mug books as they’re called. You might think that only Americans would be featured in these. Well, such is not the case. Without the history of Addison County, how would I know that:

“Jo. Lebonte, a noted character in Vergennes, lived opposite the present schoolhouse, southeasterly, had been a servant for Colonel Wells, and was famous for his witticisms and oddities. He had a large family. Mrs. January is the only one remaining in Vergennes.”


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: K for King

Although I am working on French Canadians mainly living in Northern Addison County, I must keep in mind that boundaries between counties were easily crossed by our ancestors. Just north of the town of Ferrisburgh was the village of East Charlotte, in Chittenden County, where there was a Catholic Church—Our Lady of Mount Carmel—as early as 1858. However, that would not stop Oliver King (Roy), wife Eleonora Dufresne, and their children—nor any fellow French Canadians who lived in North Ferrisburgh—to attend this church as they were closer to East Charlotte than to Vergennes St. Peters Church.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: J for January

Mitchell January—Janvier in Québec—was living in Vergennes at least since 1833 when he married Louise Labonté, daughter of Joseph Labonté and Élizabeth Rock. They will have 13 children. He died between 1870 and 1880. But unfortunately for us, unless you were an important figure in town, obituaries were uncommon at that time. Was Madelin January, deceased in Vergennes in 1870, at age 95, his mother? In that case he could be Michel Deschenaux dit Janvier, born in Trois-Rivières in 1808, son of Michel Deschenaux dit Janvier and Madeleine Bodin dit Benoît. Definitely an interesting path to follow.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: I for Imbleau

Jean-Baptiste Imbleau—or John Amblo, as he was known in Vermont—was born in Trois-Rivières, Québec, in 1813. He is one of the earlier French Canadian settlers of Vergennes, where he also married Susan Oak in 1836. She died in 1842 and was buried in the Vergennes Burying Ground. She is one of the few people whose tombstone still stands today. Did John come to Vergennes with his widowed father? At least, we are sure he came with some of his siblings since many of them were sponsors at his children’s baptisms. John died in 1901 in Vergennes.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: H for History

Passion for genealogy often rhymes with history. What I like most about working on my Vermont Project is definitely what I can learn while researching. You may know about American and Quebec history timelines, but the story is quite different when it comes to remote localities. You need to dip into the regional, political, and cultural history. For instance, I was baffled when I read about the Ku Klux Klan targeting French Canadians in New England—including Vermont—in the 1920s because they were Catholics. And who would have thought that so many French Canadians fought in the Civil War?


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: G for Genealogy

Genealogy has many faces. For some, it might simply be to find their paternal ancestor. For others, searching for all their ancestors becomes a never-ending quest. As for me, curiosity and passion led me to investigate. While working on my Hubou line, I located some living in Ferrisburgh and Vergennes, Vermont. While they didn’t stay for long—just a few years—I must say I stuck around, interested in what happened to some of their relatives and neighbours. I am fortunate enough not to live too far from Vermont and thus being able to visit once in a while.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: F for Ferrisburgh

The town of Ferrisburgh—sometimes spelled Ferrisburg—is located in the northwest corner of Addison County. It was founded on June 24, 1762. The 1850 census tells us that if a few French Canadians were iron smiths, shoemakers, farmers, or cabinet makers, most of them were labourers. Starting in 1834, the Catholics were served by priests from the churches of St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s of Burlington. In the mid-fifties, they had access to St. Peter’s of Vergennes and to Our Lady of Mount Carmel of East Charlotte—neighbouring town in Chittenden County. Others turned to other Christian denominations.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: E for Exact

When looking for French Canadians in US censuses, the last thing you should expect is to find them under the exact original surname spelling. If a couple had several children in Québec before leaving for Vermont, you might proceed by using the wildcard feature or one of the children’s first name. Picking more uncommon names, such as Calixte or Olivier, instead of Joseph or Marie—and, of course, their alternative spelling—might indeed help you track down the family and discover where they had settled in the States. Checking out the parish repertoires might also prove timely during your quest.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: C for Chartier

While working on a project like mine, discoveries come from all kinds of sources. I first “met” Peter/Pierre Chartier—born in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu in 1756—in a Revolutionary War Pension File application made by his wife, Polly Robinson. Peter marries Polly—Marie-Françoise Robinet—in New York State shortly after the war. He dies in Vergennes in 1820. Besides, their respective identity was corroborated owing to two of their children baptized in 1787 (parish of Chambly). Clearly, I had found in this family probably the oldest French Canadians living in Vergennes in the early 1800s.


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My 2018 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words: B for Bixby

The Bixby Memorial Free Library is located on Main Street, in Vergennes. It has a large collection of historical newspapers, and genealogy items. Moreover, the Vermont Collection has everything a history buff needs to read about the city, area, and the State of Vermont.

It was named after William Gove Bixby, born in 1829 in Vergennes where he spent most of his lifetime and died in 1907. To everyone’s surprise, Bixby—he had told no one of his wishes—had bequeathed funds for the establishment of a public library in his hometown. The first cornerstone was laid in September 1911.


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