Franco-American Population in New England

Maps of New England cities

showing the 1900 population of Franco-American residents

are available

by clicking on the title above.

Founding Families of BEAUPORT, QC

Jacques TREMPE

of the

TREMBLAY

lineage

has uploaded photos of locations where the founding families of BEAUPORT, QC settled.

You may view them on Webshots

by cliding on the title above.
Jacques' genealogy HOMEPAGE
may be found at
http://www3.sympatico.ca/jacquest/index.htm

The ST-GELAIS Families of North America

Those of you, who are really into French-Canadian & Franco-American genealogy, would profit from checking out Bob ST-GELAIS site. As of today, he has 262,239 individuals in his files & he's always available to help out.

CLICK on the title above
to be brought to the
ST-GELAIS site

Jacques GILBERT

Jacques GILBERT

is a Québec amateur artist, who was born in Shawinigan, QC. We are finally able to view his work  on Webshot.

Click on the title above

to enjoy his paintings.

NELLY ARCAN (born: Isabelle FORTIER)

According to news reports, NELLY ARCAN's body was found by her live-in boyfriend in her home on St. Dominick St., in Montréal, QC Friday, September 24, 2009. The first police report that I heard over the radio noted that she was 37 years old & that she had committed suicide. Subsequent newspaper articles have given her age as 35 & her funeral home obituary notes that she was 36 years old but her birth year was not indicated. One article lists her DOB as 1973-03-05 but I have no proof of this.

Nelly's birth name was Isabelle FORTIER, the daughter of Germain FORTIER & Jacinthe MERCIER, who were married in Notre-Dame-de-Fatima parish, in Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac County, QC. Her obituary notes that  they had 2 children: Isabelle & her brother, Érik.

Apparently, Isabelle left her hometown of Lac-Mégantic in her early twenties to settle in Montréal, where she became a Call Girl. The people, who knew her, claim that she was mentally unstable & suicidal, having attempted to kill herself on several occasions. As a result of these attempts, she was hospitalized now & then.

Isabelle wrote her first book, PUTAIN, under the pen name of NELLY ARCAN. Although a novel, PUTAIN (published 2002) was based upon her experience as a prostitute. It immediately became a bestseller and Nelly's name made the headlines. She was interviewed on radio & television, which brought her more popularity. Some say that the topic of SEX appealed to her readers. Successive novels by Nelly ARCAN were published: Folie (2004), L'enfant dans le miroir (2007), À ciel ouvert (2007) & her most recent novel, Paradis, clés en main (which was scheduled to be published in November 2009). The publisher intends to bring out the book at that date despite Nelly's suicide.

At the time of her death, Nelly was a chronicler on a Montréal television variety show, ICI, on channel VOX. Her co-workers were dismayed by the news of her death, but some commented not being surprised. Youth and good looks were important to Nelly and she was pushing 40 years of age, which seemed to be a problem for her. She had always been a beautiful blond woman and still was, and her physical beauty preoccupied her.

All of NELLY ARCAN's novels seem to be based upon her life experiences, both physical & emotional. I have not yet read any of her books, but I will do so shortly.

FORTIER

(1)

Noël FORTIER

Marthe GOLLE

1638-05-26

St-Rémi, Dieppe (Seine-Maritime), FRANCE

 (2)

Antoine FORTIER

Marie-Madeleine CADIEU/CADIEUX

1677-11-21

Beauport, suburb of Québec City, QC

 (3)

Jean-Baptiste FORTIER

Marie-Madeleine RUEL

1708-10-15

St-Laurent parish, Île-d'Orléans, Montmorency County, QC

 (4)

Basile FORTIER

Madeleine DELAGE

1751-10-11

St-Jean parish, Île-d'Orléans, Montmorency County, QC

(5)

Joseph FORTIER

Marie-Pélagie CLOUTIER

1785-02-07

Saint-Henri, Lévis County, QC

 (6)

Michel FORTIER

Cécile ROI/ROY

1820-07-25

Saint-Henri, Lévis County, QC

 (7)

Thomas FORTIER

Philomène BERNIER

1861-02-04

St-Vital parish, Lambton, Frontenac County, QC

 (8)

Arthur FORTIER

Albertine BERNIER

1901-07-22

St-Vital parish, Lambton, Frontenac County, QC

 (9)

Élie FORTIER

Amanda GRENIER

1938-09-22

St-Zénon parish, Piopolis, Frontenac County, QC

BÉDARD half-brothers: Rolland & Paul

Rolland & Paul BÉDARD,

well-known QC actors,

shared the same father,

Alonzo "Bozo" BÉDARD

who married Adèle "Addie" BOURQUE (Alexis+Olivine FUGÈRE) in  1912 in Montréal, QC. Addie gave birth to her only child, Rolland, in November 1913. In January 1915, she died of Meningitis.

Three years after the death of Addie, Alonzo married Marguerite AUDET (Alexis+Virginie BOUTHILLIER) in February 1918, who bore 7 children: Jean-Jacques, Marielle, Joseph-Charles, miscarriage, Paul, Marie-Anne, Joseph-Robert-Lucien. Alonzo died in 1945; therefore, Marguerite remarried & died in 1973.

Although born of the same father, Rolland & Paul were not close, nor did the former have much contact with his father's second family. Rolland felt that he was put aside by his step-mother, Marguerite, who, according to Rolland, treated him like a "slave" in that, being the eldest, he had to tend to most of the family chores. Rolland seems to have resented his step-mother to whom he did not speak for several years. He moved out of the family home at a young age & set out on his own.

Rolland's first job was as a tailor's assistant thinking he would eventually learn the trade & open his own shop. He was soon discouraged & went to work for Lasnier's Candle Shop where he made candles by hand-dipping them. This job lasted 4 years. He survived the Depression by doing odd jobs (painting, hanging wallpaper, moving helper, truck driver). From age 17, though, he also had small acting parts in radio plays and continued his career part-time by singing, acting & being a comedian till it became a fulltime job.

Paul, known in the family as "Ti-Paulo," was born in 1924 in Longueuil, QC. He had an easier life than his half-brother, Rolland, whom he admired because of his acting career, which he hoped to emulate. But, already having a BÉDARD actor in the family, Paul was advised to take on a stage name so as not to be confused or compared with Rolland. Paul decided to take the stage name of PAUL BERVAL, the name by which he became known for the rest of his life.

I have recently read the biography of each of the half-brothers and found it fascinating to discover that each, having lived in the same household, had experienced vastly different emotions despite similar surroundings.

1) ROLLAND BÉDARD, COMÉDIEN by André BOULANGER, published in 1984, gives us an intimate look into the psychological effects that living with a step-mother had on Rolland. This aspect of family life was not discussed in his brother's biography.

2) VIVRE POUR LE RIRE, biographie de PAUL BERVAL  by Pierre DAY, published in 2004, relates the daily life of a typical blue-collar Québec family living on the south shore of Montréal, QC.

BÉDARD

(1)

 Isaac BÉDARD

Marie GIRARD

1644-03-10

Calvinist Temple, LaRochelle, Aunis, FRANCE

 (2)

Jacques BÉDARD

Élisabeth DOUCINET

1666-10-04

Québec City, QC

 (3)

Jacques BÉDARD

Jeanne Élisabeth RENAULT/RENAUD

1702-11-27

Charlesbourg, QC

 (4)

Joseph BÉDARD

Marguerite LABERGE

1760-02-18

Charlesbourg, QC

 (5)

Jacques BÉDARD

Marie-Angélique DUMAIS/DEMERS

1788-11-17

Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Rouville County, QC

 (6)

Alexis BÉDARD

Catherine SÉGUIN dite LADÉROUTE

1815-01-10

 Marieville, Rouville County, QC

 (7)

Zéphirin BÉDARD

Edwidge LASNIER dite BELLEHUMEUR

1844-10-29

Marieville, Rouville County, QC

 (8)

Amédée BÉDARD

Philomène GARCEAU

1887-07-25

St-Pierre-de-Sorel, Richelieu County, QC 

 (9)

Alonzo BÉDARD

Adèle BOURQUE

1912-09-30

Immaculée-Conception parish, Montréal, QC

 Marguerite AUDET

1918-02-09

St-Antoine-de-Pade, Longueuil, Chambly Coutny, QC

Monthly Genealogy Article

The Revue Sainte-Anne
publishes a monthly article
about a Québec ancestor

Vol. 137, No. 7 (July & August 2009) covers the ancestry of Pierre LAPORTE, a Québec Minister, who was killed by his kidnappers in 1970. In this article we learn more about Jacques de LAPORTE dit SAINT-GEORGES (Jacques+Marie HAMELIN), who was born in Norcé, a small village in Perche near Bellême and Montargne in l'Orne, west of Paris, FRANCE. He arrived in Canada about 1650 and settled in Montréal, QC. In 1657-09-03, he married Marie DUCHESNE (François+Marie ROLET). Nicole was from Larochelle, FRANCE. Between 1659 and 1682, the couple had 11 children.

Vol. 137, No. 8 (September 2009) gives us a look at François GUIRE, who was born in Thiviers, Périgord, FRANCE in 1611 & who died 1699-09-12 in Québec. A weaver by profession, a farmer and soldier in the Carignan Company, he married a "Daughter of the King" (Fille du Roi), Marie-Michelle DENEAU (Pierre+Jeanne DUPOTEAU) in 1670 in Saint-Ours, Richelieu County, QC. She was from the village of L'Épine in Marne, about 150km east of Paris, FRANCE. François is the ancestor of the GUIRE, DEGUIRE, LAROSE & DESROSIERS.

For more information about
the Revue Sainte-Anne,
click on the title above.

More Québec legends by Fredo DESCHÊNES

Fredo's latest book of Québec legends, SHÎMÛN L'ENFANT DE LA FORÊT ET LA SORCIÈRE DU LAC, is now available by getting in touch with him at the following EM address: fredodes@gmail.com
A gifted writer, Fredo was brought up with these legends, which he wishes to share with those of us, who are interested in Québec lore before the stories are buried in the forgotten past..

Fredo's paintings may be viewed
on our Webshots site
within the album of QUÉBEC ARTISTS.
Click on the title above
to be brought to the site.
ENJOY!

Alice ROBITAILLE aka ALYS ROBI

ALYS ROBI
International singing star

was baptized ALICE ROBITAILLE and was born 1923-02-03 in Saint-Raymond, a suburb of Québec City, QC, the daughter of Émile and Albina MOISAN. From early childhood, her only desire was to become a famous singer. Her father would enter her in local talent contests, which she won most of the time, a situation which increased her certainty that she would be a star some day. With this in mind, she left her home in Québec City and, at age 13, took the night train to Montréal, without the knowledge of her parents. Arriving in the city with only 5¢ in her purse after having paid the train passage (one way), she purchased a tram ticket to the theatre where Rose OUELLETTE was head of a variety show. Having met Rose once in the past and having been encouraged by her to continue her singing career, Alice took her at her word and entered the theatre where a rehearsal was going on. She went right up to Mrs. OUELLETTE and told her she was there to be part of the show. Although astounded, Rose immediately hired her and even took her into her home since Alice had nowhere to stay and no money to pay for a room.
This was the beginning of Alice's professional career, and she sang with the variety show for 3 years till she was offered a contract in Ontario, etc. By this time, Alice had taken on the stage name of ALYS ROBI by which she is known to this day.
Alys' life is all the more interesting because she unabashedly shared her emotions through the many situational and mental difficulties that she experienced. Her 1990 autobiography, Un long cri dans la nuit: 5 années à l'asile, describes the horrors of life in a Québec mental institution, St-Michel-Archange, following a nervous breakdown, where she was forced to submit to electric shock therapy, cold ice baths, and, eventually, a lobotomy.
Overcoming the isolation of the mental institution where she lived alone in a small cell and where her father visited her but once in 5 years, she managed to hold onto her sanity despite social deprivation. From 1948 to 1953, she continuously told herself that she was an "international singer" and that she would continue her career despite the fears that grew on her during these 5 years.
Of course, by 1953, when Alice was released from St-Micchel-Archange after a successful lobotomy (which was rare), her father came to see her for the second time, to bring her home. After awhile, she overcame the fear of social contacts, which had been brought on by the isolation experienced at the hospital, and she began accepting singing contracts. She now sings occasionally for local institutions despite her age.
ALYS ROBI's life is an inspiration to us all. If she could survive a mental institution and what it entailed in the 1940's and 50's, we should all be able to overcome our daily difficulties and attain our goals.

For pictures of ALYS ROBI
click on the title above.

ROBITAILLE
(1)
Jean ROBITAILLE
Martine CORMONT
Picardie, FRANCE
(2)
Pierre ROBITAILLE
Marie MAUFAY/MAUFET
marriage contract
1675-05-05
before Notary DUQUET
Sillery, suburb of Québec City, QC
(3)
Joseph ROBITAILLE

Catherine DROLET

1722-01-20

N-D-de-l'Annonciation parish, Ancienne-Lorette, QC
(4)
Pierre ROBITAILLE

Marie-Geneviève VALIN

1765-02-11

N-D-de-l'Annonciation parish, Ancienne-Lorette, QC
(5)
Jean ROBITAILLE

Marie CANTIN

1802-02-15

N-D-de-l'Annonciation parish, Ancienne-Lorette, QC
(6)
Jean ROBITAILLE
Adélaïde DELISLE
1829-01-20
N-D-de-l'Annonciation parish, Ancienne-Lorette, QC
(7)
Siméon ROBITAILLE

Christine ALLAIN

1866-01-30

N-D-de-l'Annonciation parish, Ancienne Lorette, QC
(8)
Napoléon ROBITAILLE

Amanda BUSSIÈRES

1886-06-14

St-Jean-Baptiste parish, Québec City,  QC
(9)
Napoléon ROBITAILLE

Albertine DUSSAULT

1910-07-18
St-Jean-Baptiste parish, Québec City, QC

Anne-Marie DUCHARME (1902-1985)

A Québec actress, Anne-Marie DUCHARME was born 1902-07-01 in St-Félix-de-Valois, Joliette County, QC, the daughter of Henri & Anna “Anny” ASSELIN. She began her career by acting in plays that were put on in various parish halls throughout Québec. Later, she went into movies and tv series. Among her better known appearances were:

* 1972: Les allées de la terre

*1973: Il était une fois dans l'Est

* 1973 : Kamouraska

* 1975 : La Tête de Normande St-Onge

* 1976 : Parlez-nous d'amour

* 1976 : L'Eau chaude, l'eau frette

* 1977 : Ti-mine, Bernie pis la gang

* 1977 : Le Soleil se lève en retard

* 1978 : Le Clan Beaulieu (TV series)

* 1979 : La Belle apparence

*1980 : Ça peut pas être l'hiver, on n'a même pas eu d'été

*1980 : Frédéric (TV series)

Anne-Marie died 1985-02-15 in Montréal, QC. According to my research, she never married.

CHARRON dit DUCHARME

(1)

Pierre CHARRON

Judith MARTIN

Circa 1632

Champagne, (Seine et Marne), FRANCE

(2)

Pierre “Le jeune” Nicolas CHARRON dit DUCHARME

Catherine PILET/PILAT/PILARD

1665-10-19

Notre-Dame parish, Montréal, QC

(3)

François CHARRIN dit DUCHARME

Marguerite PIET/PIETTE dite TREMPE

1701-01-30

Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel, Richelieu County, QC

(4)

Jean-Baptiste CHARRON dit DUCHARME

Marguerite MARET/MARETTE dite LÉPINE

1732-02-11

Ste-Geneviève parish, Berthier, Berthier County, QC

(5)

Jean-Baptiste CHARRON dit DUCHARME

Geneviève JOLY

1762-11-11

Lanoraie, Berthier County, QC

(6)

Jean-Baptiste CHARRON dit DUCHARME

Marie-Louise LESIÈGE

1795.06.08

Ste-Geneviève parish, Berthier, Berthier County, QC

(7)

Basile CHARRON dit DUCHARME

Rose ÉNEAU/ÉNOS/HÉNAULT dite CANADA

1827.06.25

Sainte-Élisabeth, Joliette County, QC

(8)

Alexis CHARRON dit DUCHARME

Josèphte GÉLINAS dite LACOURSE

1849-01-23

Sainte-Élisabeth, Joliette County, QC

(9)

Henri DUCHARME

Anna “Anny” ASSELIN

1901-07-08

Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Joliette County, QC

The DIONNE Quintuplets (1934)

The DIONNE Quints were born in Corbeil, ON in 1934-05-28. The first-known quintuplets to have lived beyond childhood, the DIONNE girls did not have a normal life in that they were exposed to the public during their childhood on a daily basis. Living in a private hospital built for them, they were not allowed much contact with their parents; hence, familial bonds were never experienced and each had emotional and financial difficulties throughout their life. In November 2007, two of the quints, Annette and Cécile, were still living together in Mont-St-Bruno, QC.
Oliva DIONNE & his wife,.Elzire LEGROS, had 6 children before the birth of the Quints: Ernest, Marie-Rose, Thérèse, Daniel, Léo & Pauline, who was born in 1933. After the birth of the Quint, the couple had 3 sons: Oliva, Victor & Claude.
Several books were written about the Quints, including an autobiography at the hands of ANNETTE & CÉCILE. These may easily be found in the Internet.
ANNETTE married Germain ALLARD but they eventually divorced.
CÉCILE married Philippe LANGLOIS and the couple also divorced.
ÉMÉLIE entered a convent where she had a series of seizures. One day, alone in the Infirmary in St-Agathe-des-Mnts, QC, she had a seizure, which caused her to turn over in her bed, face down on the pillow. She thus died from suffocation on 1954-08-06.
MARIE married Florian HOULE (Herman+Rose Alba ROCH) in Montréal, QC on 1958-08-11. The couple divorced. MARIE died in Montréal, QC on 1970-02-24.
YVONNE was a librarian. She died in Longueuil, QC on 2001-06-23.

For pictures of the DIONNE Quints,

click on the title above.

DIONNE

(1)

Antoine DIONNE

Catherine YVORY

Circa 1660

FRANCE

(2)

Jean DIONNE

MARIE Charlotte MIGNAULT

Marriage contract

1694-08-01

Notary E. JACOB, Montmorency County, QC

(3)

Antoine DIONNE

Marie-Anne LIZOTTE

Marriage contract

1734-06-20

Notary E. JANNEAU, Kamouraska County, QC

(4)

Antoine DIONNE

Marie-Louise CARON

1763-02-07

Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, L'Islet County, QC

(5)

Antoine DIONNE

Marie-Marthe MORNEAU

1784-11-15

Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, L'Islet County, QC

(6)

Antoine Lucien DIONNE

Élisabeth CHARPENTIER

1812-09-21

Baie-du-Febvre, Yamaska County, QC

(7)

Joseph DIONNE

Marguerite COURCHESNE

1834.02.10

Baie-du-Febvre, Yamaska County, QC

(8)

Joseph DIONNE

Henriette BOISVERT

1863.11.24

L’Avenir, Drummond County, QC

(9)

OLIVIER Charles DIONNE

Rosalie COUTURE

1893.04.03

Biddeford, York County, ME, USA

(10)

OLIVA Édouard DIONNE

Elzire LEGROS

1925.09.15

Corbeil, ON

Alodie "Élodie" PARADIS (1840-1912)

Alodie Virginie PARADIS

was born 1840-05-12 in L’Acadie, which was then part of the Montréal diocese. It later became part of Saint-Jean County, QC. The 3^rd child of 6 of Joseph PARADIS & Émilie GRÉGOIRE, in the family she was called Élodie.
In 1846, she was sent to the Boarding School of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame in LaPrairie, Qc.
In February 1854, she became a postulant in the convent of the Marianite Sisters in Saint-Laurent, a suburb of the city of Montréal, on the island of Montréal, QC. In 1857-08-22, she pronounced her first vows and took the name of Sister Léonie.
Up till 1862, she taught in the Montréal area. She was then sent to St-Vincent-de-Paul Orphanage in New York. In 1870, She transferred to the American branch of the community of the Sisters of Holy Cross in INDIANA where she taught French & embroidery to the students of St. Marie Academy. Twelve years in the U.S. permitted her to learn the English language. In 1874, she was sent to Memramcook, NB as directrice of a group of young female domestics working at St. Joseph College. At this point, many young girls joined Sr. Léonie in her work; therefore, in 1880, during the General Chapter of the Father of the Holy Cross, who were in charge of the College, dubbed the group of young women domestics as the "Petites Soeurs de la Sainte-Famille." These women took private vows & performed domestic duties in the Colleges run by the Fathers of the Holy Cross. The small community did not have Canonical approval at that time. Then, Msgr. Paul LAROCQUE, bishop of Sherbrooke, QC, asked Sr. Léonie & the “Little Sisters” to staff the seminary and the bishop's house. It was at this point that Sr. Léonie transferred the Mother House and Novitiate from New Brunswick to Sherbrooke. In 1896, the Petites Soeurs de la Sainte-Famille received diocesan approval. Sr. Léonie was still a member of the community of the Sisters of the Holy Cross; but, in 1905, Pope Pius X relieved her of her obligations to that community and allowed her to wear the habit of the community which she had founded in NB, the Petites Soeurs de la Sainte-Famille. At the time of Mother Léonie's death (1912-05-03) in Sherbrooke, QC, there were 600 sisters, who worked in 38 houses.

PARADIS
(1)
Jacques PARADIS
Marguerite PESLÉ/PELLÉ
Chartres, Perche (Orne), FRANCE
(2)
Pierre PARADIS
Barbe GUYON
Marriage contract
1632-02-11
before Notary Mathurin ROUSSEL
Chartres, Perche (Orne), FRANCE
(3)
Pierre PARADIS
Jeanne MILLOIR
Marriage contract
1674-08-23
before Notary VaCHON
Beauport, QC
(4)
Joseph PARADIS
Geneviève CAUCHON
1712-04-05
Château-Richer, Montmorency County, QC
(5)
Pierre PARADIS
Ursule CANTIN
1744-09-28
St-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Montmorency County, QC
(6)
Jean-Baptiste PARADIS
Marueguerite GUÉRIN
1781-08-20
LaPrairie, Laprairie County, QC
(7)
Jean-Baptiste PARADIS
Isabelle ROY
1804-11-26
L'Acadie, St-Jean County, QC
(8)
Joseph PARADIS
Émilie GRÉGOIRE
1837-10-03
L'Acadie, St-Jean County, QC

For more information about
Alodie Virginie PARADIS
AKA
Mother Léonie PARADIS,
click on the title above.

Ste-Irène church transformed into a museum

Sainte-Irène church
Laferté/Taschereau
Abitibi, QC
On August 1st & 2nd,
the parish church will be ignaugurated
as a museum.

The second wave of colonization in 1933 brought the founders of LAFERTÉ to this area of Abitibi. By 1934, the parish was organized and the church built by 1939. The first pastor was Father Henri PARÉ.
Today there are 300 inhabitants in what is now known as LAFERTÉ/TASCHEREAU, but in the 1950's therre were as many as 1,200 residents.
From 1926 to 1968, a train ran from TASCHEREAU to ROUYN-NORANDA. It is in the process of being "rebuilt" and will be known as "The Green Line."

Sainte-Irène church was officially closed in 2006.

Esther SUREAU dite BLONDIN (1809-1890)

Born in 1809 on her father’s farm on Côte Terrebonne in the city of the same name, Esther BLONDIN lived like other female children of her era. She learned the chores necessary to become a good wife & homemaker.

At age 20, she was hired as a domestic for a village merchant. Soon afterward, she accepted a similar job at the convent of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame (CND), who staffed the local school. It is thanks to the sisters that Esther learned to read & write, knowledge that was not deemed essential by her parents for a daughter. Eventually, Esther entered the community of the CND sisters having been attracted by the lifestyle of the Sisters for whom she worked. She had to leave the novitiate because of illness. Esther then met a former CND novice, who had opened a school in Vaudreuil, QC where she began her teaching career.

In 1850, with the encouragement of the Montréal clergy, Esther founded the Roman Catholic religious teaching community of the Sisters of Saint Anne. As a nun, she was known as Sister Marie-Anne. Esther died in 1890 at the Mother House of the Sisters in Lachine, QC.

Female founders of religious communities in Québec did not have an easy life. Like all women of their era, the sisters were subject to the clergy, who regulated every aspect of their daily life even though they were quite capable of administering schools, hospitals and other social institutions. Despite their abilities, the Sisters were looked upon by the all-male clergy as “inferior” beings, who must be “guided” at all times by the watchful authority of men.

Hence, it may be worth your while to read one or more biographies of such women in QC as Esther BLONDIN. Such reading will bear witness to the influence that the Roman Catholic Church had upon the life of our ancestors in QC during the 17th, 18th & early 19th centuries.

Click on the title above

to be brought to the homepage

of the

Sisters of Saint Anne.

SUREAU dit BLONDIN
(1)
Jacques SUREAU
Honorée POULLET
Poitou (Vienne) FRANCE
(2)
Hilaire SUREAU dit BLONDIN
Louise PARADIS
1691-06-18
Québec City, QC
(3)
Pierre SUREAU dit BLONDIN
Agnès LEDOUX
1723-05-18
Montréal, QC
Catherine PETITCLERC
1745-01-07
Terrebonne, Terrebonne County, QC
(4)
Jean-Baptiste SUREAU dit BLONDIN
Thérèse MARIÉ
1778-02-02
Terrebonne, Terrebonne County, QC
(5)
Jean-Baptiste SUREAU dit BLONDIN
Marie-Rose LIMOGES
1804-10-08
Laval, Île-Jésus County, QC
(6)
Esther BLONDIN
(1809-1890)

CATUDAL dit SAINT-JEAN

Judy SCHNEIDER, who is living in Germany, has devoted much time to the research of her maternal CATUDAL dit ST-JEAN ancestry. As a result of this work, she has published 2 voluntes entitled: The Extended Catudal Family History; An In-depth Study of 8 Family Lineages including the Families: Boisse, Catudal, Chabot, Couture, Daragon dit Lafrance, Godard dit Lapointe, Fabre dit Larosée and Tremblay.

Judy's CATUDAL lineage is as follows:

CATUDAL dit ST-JEAN

Unknown ancestors

(1)

Jean-Baptiste CATUDAL

Angélique SABOURIN

1728-07-18

Saint-Joseph-de-Chambly, Chambly County, QC

(2)

Joseph CATUDAL dit ST-JEAN

Charlotte ROCQUE

1756-05-03

St-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Hyacinthe County, QC

(3)

Michel CATUDAL dit ST-JEAN

Élisabeth/Isabelle VIDAL

1794-09-22

Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Rouville County, QC

(4)

Jean-Baptiste CATUDAL dit ST-JEAN

Sophie PAQUET

1821-06-25

Marieville, Rouville County, QC

(5)

Magloire CATUDAL

Philomène CHABOT

1856-04-22

Saint-Césaire, Rouville County, QC

(6)

Barthélémy CATUDAL

Joséphine BOISSÉ

1896-02-17

Valcourt, Shefford County, QC

(7)

Adélard CATUDAL

Yvonne TREMBLAY

1929-04-01

Haileybury, ON

Having unearthed many CATUDAL pictures through the years, Judy has decided to share some of them on her Webshots site.

For those of you, who are interested in viewing them,

simply CLICK on the title above to be brought to her site.

Enjoy!

RC churches in QC open to visitors during the summer 2009

From June 7 to September 7, 2009

the historic churches of the

Montérégie region of QC

will be open to the public.

This is a unique opportunity to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors, whose life centered around their parish church.

The following is a list of churches open to visitors:

Beauharnois, Hinchinbrooke, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, Philipsburg, Rigaud, Sainte-Marthe, Vaudreuil-Dorion

RICHELIEU RIVER

Beloeil, Chambly, Lacolle, Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Alexandre, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville, Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Rouville, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (secteurs Iberville, Saint-Jean et l'Acadie), Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Ours, Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel, Sorel

SOUTH SHORE OF MONTRÉAL

Boucherville, Châteauguay, Contrecoeur, Kahnawake, LaPrairie, Longueuil, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Saint-Isidore, Saint-Lambert, Varennes

MONTÉRÉGIE EAST

Acton Vale, Bromont, Farnham, Granby, La Présentation, Marieville, Roxton Falls, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Théodore-d’Acton

For more information
click on the ORANGE title above.

Connie LEMONDE's latest book

Our favorite Franco-American author published "Changing Winds and Seasons" in April 2009. As usual, Connie bases her novels upon real-life experiences of which she is aware, not only in her personal life, but in that of people around her. This time, ALZHEIMER is the topic of Connie's novel. Anyone having been in touch with this disease will appreciate Connie's view of how a patient with Alzheimer, relatives and friends may all be affected by the condition.

To take a peek inside
"Changing Winds and Seasons,"
click on the title above,
which will bring you to
Connie's HIDEAWAY.

Eugène RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE (1871-1925)

Born April 17, 1871 in Saint-Georges-de-Windsor, Richmond County, QC, Eugène RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE was the son of Jean-Baptiste & Julie GUIMONT/GUIMOND. In 1913, he founded the "Mission de l'Esprit-Saint" (Mission of the Holy Spirit). The word MISSION meaning MESSAGE since it was Eugène's self-proclaimed work to spread the messages of the Holy-Spirit, which, to him, included the teachings of EUGENICS, that became popular in Nazi Germany.
The group took hold in the province of Québec and soon spread to francophone areas in Canada and the U.S. A house in Westport, MA was purchased and members settled in the area during the mid-1920's; but, they have since dispersed.
At the beginning of March 2009, a former member of the mission came forth and divulged her experience of 30 or so years as a member of the MISSION, which is now considered a sect and which is still flourishing in Québec. The Québec government has been "watching" the MIssion for several years because of their unauthorized schooling of members' children, but nothing seems to have been done thus far to shut down these schools.

(1)
Jean RICHER
Marie GALARDE
Anjou (maine et Loire) FRANCE
(2)
Pierre RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Dorothée BRASSARD
1671-10-05
Québec City, QC
(3)
Pierre RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Marguerite HUBERT
1716-10-12
Québec City, QC
(4)
Pierre RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Charlotte NORMANDEAU
1749-10-27
Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Richelieu County, QC
(5)
Athanase RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Marie BONIN
1785-08-04
Saint-Ours, Richelieu County, QC
(6)
Augustin RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Céleste LAGRAVE
1824-11-16
Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel, Richelieu County, QC
(7)
Jean-Baptiste RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Julie GUMOND
1854-10-05
Wotton, Wolfe County, QC
(8)
Eugène RICHER dit LAFLÈCHE
Marie-Louise Adéla DAVID
1895-02-25
Montréal, QC
For more information about the
Mission de l'Esprit-Saint
click on the title above
to be brought to their homepage.
A search on Google for
the Mission of the Holy Spirit
in Westport, MA
will bring you to the website of the
Westport, MA Historical Society
where you'll find an interesting story about the Mission.

Daniel (SUIRE) PERRON

Daniel SUIRE PERRON
born 1638-11-25 in LaRochelle, FRANCE
was the illigitimate son of
François (PERON) PERRON
and

Jeanne SUIRE

In return for an amount of money, his father, François, demanded that Daniel bear his mother's surname, SUIRE, that he be baptized in the Calvinist church & that he, the father, be given charge of Daniel at 8 years of age.
After his arrival in New France in 1662, Daniel relized that if he wanted to work in Catholic Québec & marry Louise GARGOTIN, he would have to denounce his religion, which he did in Notre-Dame church on December 6, 1663. He then married Louise (Jacques GARGOTIN+Françoise BERNARD) on February 26, 1664 in Château-Richer, Montmorency County, QC.
Daniel's father, François PERRON, was upset by his denunciation of the Calvinist religion; and he rejected him as his son, thus cutting off all ties as well as his inheritance. This resulted in Daniel's loss of the land his father owned in L'Ange-Gardien, Montmorency County, QC when he died. Nonetheless, in 1674, the court gave François' land in L'Ange-Gardien, to Daniel in return for unpaid work that he had done for his father. On the other hand, François' property on rue Sur-le-Cap in Lower Québec City, was turned over to his creditors. The PERRON family property in L'Ange-Gardien eventually became the inheritance of Daniel's 5 sons:

ANTOINE
b. 1664-11-29 in L'Ange-Gardien,
bapt. in Château-Richer under the surname of SUIRE,
m. 1691-01-15 in L'Angue-Gardien
Jeanne TREMBLAY
(Pierre+Ozanne ACHON);
FRANÇOIS
b. 1666-02-22 in L'Ange-Gardien,
bapt. in Château-Richer under the surname of SUIRE,
d. 1666-04;
MARIE
b. & bapt. unknown
m. 1691-11-27 in L'Ange-Gardien
Louis TREMBLAY
(Pierre+Ozanne ACHON);
MAGDELEINE
b. 1670-04-05 in L'Ange-Gardien
baptized under the surname PERRON
m. 1689-10-17 in L'Ange-Gardien
Charles GODIN
(Charles+Marie BOUCHER);
JEAN
b. 1672-08-10 in L'Ange-Gardien
baptized under the surname of LESUIRE
1st m. 1698-11-10 in L'Ange-Gardien
Anne GODIN
2nd m. 1706-01-25 in L'Ange-Gardien
Suzanne TOUCHET
(Simon+Marie GAGNARD)
For more information about the SUIRE-PERRON descendants
click on the title above
and you will be brought to the
Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré site
where the Revue Sainte-Anne is published.
This ancestry appears in the January 2009 edition
Vol. 136. No. 11

CHARON/CHARRON dit DUCHARME dit DUSHARM

What a wonderful surprise to find relatives in NY state, persons whom I would never have found were it not for our photos of ancestors on Webshots, since there was a surname change from DUCHARME to DUSHARM. Below is their ancestral migration from QC to NY. Maybe you'll find some DUCHARME relatives among their descendants as I have.

(1)
Pierre CHARRON
Judith MARTIN
Champagne, FRANCE
(2)
PIERRE "Le Jeune" Nicolas CHARRON dit DUCHARME
b. 1635.10.21 in Saint-Martin-de-Meaux (Seine-et-Marne), Champagne, FRANCE
m. 1665-10-19 om Mptre-Dame parish, Montréal, QC
CATHERINE Marie PILAT (PILARD)
(3)
François CHARRON dit DUCHARME
m. 1701-01-30 in Sorel, Richlieu County, QC
Marguerite TREMPE PIET (PIETTE)
(4)
FRANÇOIS Jean CHARRON dit DUCHARME
2nd m. 1747-08-06 in Contrecoeur, Verchères County, QC
FRANÇOISE Marie JARED POLOUFF
(5)
MARC Antoine CHARON dit DUCHARME
m. 1785-09-12 in Contrecoeur, Verchères County, QC
Marie-Angélique BERTHIAUME
(6)
FRANÇOIS Xavier CHARON dit DUCHARME
1st m. 1818-07-13 in Contrecoeur, Verchères County, QC
Marie RIEL (dite MAURICE, dite L'IRLANDE)
10 children were born in QC,
2 in NY state
(as far as I know)
(7)
John DUSHARM
b. 1834-06-15 in Plattsburg, NY
m. 1857-10-04 in the Methodist church, Gouverneur, NY
Catherine COMMAND
(8)
CHARLES Augustin DUSHARM
b. 1860.08.01 in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County, NY
married
DELIA Rose ELLIOT

To see pictures of our DUCHARME ancestors,
click on the title above.

A CANADIAN FAMILY: THÉRIAULT

Evelyn Yvonne THÉRIAULT
Teacher in the province of QUÉBEC

created A CANADIAN FAMILY blog a few months ago. Evelyn's 2 great interests are genealogy & history; therefore, anyone interested in THÉRIAULT ancestry should take a serious look at all the information she has posted in just a few months.

Click on the title above
to be brought to Evelyn's Blog

Connie LEMONDE, a favorite Franco-American

Connie LEMONDE
from
Woonsocket, RI

is a prolific Franco-American, who is at it again... An author, poet, playwright, song writer, composer, Connie now has a homepage.
Like many people in Rhode Island, Connie is of Québec ancestry and proud of it. Among her many activities, she continues to promote the French language via various Franco-American organizations. The French caption on Québec license plates, "Je me souviens" is part of the core of her life.

Check out Connie's activities & interests
by clicking on the title above
and you'll be brought to her website.
Enjoy!

Since 2005, 6 new parishes in Nicolet, QC diocese

For those of you, who are interested in genealogical research, it may be important to know that 6 parishes have been founded in the diocese of Nicolet, QC since 2005.

In Bois-Francs: Ste-Marguerite Bourgeois (2008)
In Drummond: Notre-Dame de la Paix (2008)
In Drummondville: St-François-d'Assise (2008),
St-Jean-de-Brébeuf (2005),
Bon Pasteur (2006)
In Victoriaville: Ste-Trinité (2005)

For more information, click on the ORANGE title above to be brought to the official website of the diocese of Nicolet, QC