52 Ancestors: Isaac Legace/Legacy/Lagassy/Legassey/.... about 1840 - 1922

Ancestor number 31 that I am writing about this time is my Great-great Grandfather Isaac Legace from my Mom's side of my family tree.

I can not find any record of Isaac's birth or baptism in the church records in Bathurst or Petit Rocher, New Brunswick, Canada. Some of the records are very faded and hard to read so he might be there but I have not been able to decipher it. I think his parents might be Francis Legassey and Matilda Boudreau. They were married in Petit Rocher in 1830 so they would be a good match age wise to be Isaac's parents. There were not many Legace (or the various spellings) in the church records of the early 1800's so the chance that they are his parents are good. The 1851 census records for Gloucester county New Brunswick would have been an excellent place to confirm my suspicions; Isaac would have been young enough to still be home. Unfortunately these particular census records did not survive.

Isaac married Tharsile (Theresa) Daigle on August 7, 1860 in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada at the Ste. Famille Parish; unfortunately there is no mention of who their parents were. The 1861 census records for Gloucester county New Brunswick list Isaac and Theresa living in the Northern Section of the parish of Bathurst and Isaac earning a living as a Lumberer. Three households away lived Francis and Matilda Legassey with their 7 children and it is noted that their was a marriage in the previous year (possibly Isaac and Theresa).

Isaac and Theresa started their family right way with the birth of their first child, my Great Grandmother Margaret Ann Legace on September 17, 1861. They had at least 2 other children (both girls) before Isaac was widowed sometime between 1868 - 1871. In 1871 Isaac was unable to read or write, was widowed and earning a living as a Farmer while raising his 3 young girls aged 9, 5 and 3 in the parish of Bathurst.

Sometime between 1871 and 1873 Isaac married Nora Daly. Isaac continued to farm in the Bathurst area while caring for his growing family. By 1881 Isaac had living in his household: his wife Nora, his three daughters from his first marriage and four sons from his marriage to Nora. The McAlpine's New Brunswick Directory 1889-1896, lists an Isaac Legacy as a farmer in Tete-a-Gouche River S.S. of the Bathurst area. Isaac continued to farm and raise his ever growing family in the Bathurst area. In 1991 Isaac and Nora had an additional son and three more daughters. At this time all of Isaac's children were living at home except for this first three daughters. Isaac must have been a successful farmer of a pretty big farm as he employed a farm hand to help him out at the farm. I don't think this was any of his sons as they are not listed as having a profession or occupation.

The 1900's have Isaac continuing to farm but this time each year the family he supports is shrinking. In 1911, he is still farming in South Tetagouche, Bathurst with only his wife Nora and youngest son William still at home. After the death of Nora in 1915 Isaac moved to Fox Creek, Moncton, New Brunswick to live with his daughter Elizabeth who was recently widowed. I wonder why he moved so far away from Bathurst when many of this other children still lived in the area. Did his family convince him to move in with Elizabeth to help her because she was recently widowed?  It is here in Fox Creek where Isaac died on February 13, 1922, at approximately 82 years old, and is buried at the St. Anselme Parish.

L'Acadien - Feb 17, 1922,  http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bXkDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FCoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5569%2C5901032, Accessed November 2, 2014

Isaac's death was reported by his 22 year old grandson. It is interesting to note that his death certificate lists his year of birth as 1826; 4 years before his suspected parents married. The death notice published in L'Acadien February 17, 1922 lists Isaac's age as 96 years old, probably using the information from the death certificate. This information is suspect as all of the census records point to a year of birth around 1840.

52 Ancestors: Benjamin Hebert: 1798 - 1878

It's been awhile since I've written anything, I have lots of excuses some valid, some not. I'm going to try and get back to my regular weekend postings. This will be my 30th post in the 52 Ancestors challenge. I haven't managed to write weekly but I am striving to keep writing.

This week I am writing about my Great-great-great Grandfather, Benjamin Hebert.

Benjamin was born December 2, 1798 to Joseph Hebert and Theotiste Doucet in possibly Bathurst, Gloucester county, New Brunswick. He was baptized in West Bathurst at St. Famille parish on April 7, 1799 the same day as 4 other baptisms. His godparents were listed as Dominique Doucet and Isabelle Robisson. This could possibly be the brother and sister-in-law of Theotiste.

On November 3, 1817 when Benjamin was 19 years old he married Magdeline Duguay in West Bathurst at St. Famille parish. At the time of his marriage both his mother and father were deceased. Benjamin and Magdeline were married the same day as another couple Augustin Godin and Marguerite Robertson. It must have been a double wedding! They had 3 instead of the usual 2 witnesses and these witnesses are also the same people Augustin and Marguerite had, Pierre Degrace, Augustin Godin, and Tranquille Doucet.

Benjamin and Magdeline must have moved to Shippagan, Gloucester county, New Brunswick some time after they were married as this is where they had at least 6 children baptized (5 boys and 1 girl). Sometime between the birth of their last child in 1835 and 1840 Magdeline died and Benjamin married for a second time to Colette Duguay. I have not been able to find a record for Benjamin and Colette's marriage so I am left wondering if Colette and Magdeline were related or was Duguay just a common last name in the area. Benjamin and Colette has at least 4 children, all boys, the oldest was my great-great grandfather Dazi Hebert.

Benjamin was living in Shippagan with his wife Colette and his 3 youngest sons when the 1871 census of New Brunswick was taken. At this time Benjamin was listed as earning a living as a farmer.  I could probably assume that he was also a fisherman in his younger days as 6 of his sons who were living with him or near by were either fishermen or farmers and fishermen in 1871.

Benjamin died April 26, 1878 in Shippagan and was buried in the St. Jerome parish cemetery. The following people were listed in the parish registry as being in attendance: Ferdinand Hebert, Nicholas Chiasson, Jos. B. Dugue & al.

52 Ancestors: William Christie (1814 - between 1875 - 1881)

I have slowed down on my weekly ancestor posts as I wanted to dig back a little deeper and post some information from earlier in the 1800's. It is taking me a little longer to find information from the early part of the 1800's.

I am on story 29 of my 52 Ancestors challenge. This week I am back to my Mom's side of the family, specifically the Christie's.

William (a.k.a. Guillaume) Christie, the father of Alexander Christie,  was born April 7, 1814 to William (Bill/Guillaume) Christie and Francoise Vienneau. He was baptized on the 9th of June 1814 at Ste. Famille Parish in Bathurst, New Brunswick. His god parents were Joseph Boudrault and Elizabeth LeJeune. These were most likely relatives as his grandmothers maiden name was LeJeune. William was one of one of many William Christie's in his family. He was named after his father and grandfather and he also named one of his sons William and many of his grandchildren have William as a middle name. This has presented some challenges in determining which William Christie records are referring to.

William lived in Petit Rocher with his parents and at least 2 older siblings and 3 younger siblings. It is in Petit Rocher where he must have met his wife Teresa (Tarsiel) Arseneau. William and Teresa were married in Petit Rocher November 27, 1839 with John Christie (William's brother?) and Isidore Arseneau (Teresa's brother?) as their witnesses.

William supported his family by farming. He and Teresa had 12 children between 1840 and 1866. They started raising their family in Petit Rocher but by 1861 they are listed as living in the northern section of the Parish of Bathurst. They may have moved their family when Teresa's father left them land after his death. Between January and March 1855 William paid 5 shillings to 6 children and co-heirs of Isadore Arseneau (Teresa's father) and in September 1856 paid 5 shillings to 3 additional sons and co-heirs of Isadore Arseneau in consideration of the will and desire of Isadore Arseneau.

This land consisted of  "...part of lot A adjoining the north parish line of Bathurst aforesaid and originally granted to the said Isadore Arseneau deceased under the name of Theodore Arseneau Viz. to commence at the north east point of the dividing line between said lot A and the lot owned or occupied by John Boyle thence following the said dividing line southerly and westerly to the rear of the grant then northerly along the said rear thirty rods thence to the shore parallel with the said division line thence following the courses of the shore to the place of beginning save and except the salt marsh in front of the same heretofore conveyed to the late Germain Landry which salt marsh is especially reserved and excepted out of this conveyance to contain fifty acres more or less together with all and singular the rights members privileges and appurtenances to the same belonging or in any wise appertaining with there version and reversions remainder and remainders rents issues and profits thereof...."

There are several land records in the 1830's and 1850's that involve a William Christie that need some further review to determine if this is this William or his father.

On May 19th 1875 William filed his will with the land registry office. It states that he is from Peter's River Parish of Bathurst and is of feeble health but sound mind. He leaves everything to his wife until her death and then it is to fall to his son John who is to give specific items to his brothers Alex and William, maintain his brothers Charles and Francis until they are of age and give his sister Louisa sheep.

William died between the time his will was registered and the next census in 1881.

52 Ancestors: Isaac Hebert (1872 - 1936)

I'm back this week to my Dad's side of the family or more specifically to my Grandmother's side.

Isaac Hebert is my Great Great Uncle. He was the first born son of Dazi (Dasie, D'Assis, plus other spellings) and Marie (Clementine) Robert and brother to my Great Grandmother Beatrice Hebert. Although I have not found any baptism or birth records for him I believe that he was most likely born in Shippagan on March 8-9, 1871-72 based on the contents of various census records and his death certificate.

Isaac lived and worked along side his father as a farmer and fisherman in Shippagan, New Brunswick, Canada, with his 10 other siblings, until at least 1891.  On Sept 7, 1891 Isaac married widower Angele Thibodeau in the Roman Catholic Church of Shippagan. One of the witnesses to his marriage was Isaac's younger brother Honore.

Isaac and Angele lived in Shippagan when their first three children were born where I assume that he continued to support his family with farming and fishing. Isaac must have felt strong ties to his family as he name his first born son and daughter after his parents.

Sometime between 1895 and 1897 Isaac moved his family from Shippagan to Paquetville (a distance of about 50 kilometers). This move would have happened during the same time period that Isaac's father moved his family from Shippagan to Paquetville.  I wonder if they moved at the same time or did one family move first and get settled and the other follow them? The 1901 census has them living just one household away from each other with another Hebert family in between (possibly a brother to Dazi, based on the age stated). Isaac's family continued to grow with the addition of three more children, unfortunately their last child died when only one month old. Isaac supported this growing family mainly by farming but he also supplemented his income as a labourer, earning $48 dollars for 2 months of work in 1901. In 1911 Isaac was still farming but he only had his two youngest children left at home. Sometime between 1911 and 1921 Isaac and Angele adopted a son who was born around 1907. Who is this child and how and why did they adopt him? Another genealogy puzzle to solve.

Isaac continued to farm right up until his death from Tuberculosis on Feb 28, 1936 in Paquetville, Range St. Georges.

52 Ancestors: Pierre Pitre 1856 - 1938

Pierre Pitre is my Great Great Uncle. He was the 8th child of Hilaire Pitre and Tarsille Boudreau and was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada sometime around 1856. When Pierre was 3 or 4 months old he moved with his family to Beresford, New Brunswick, Canada (according to a typed written note at the bottom of his death certificate). This might be incorrect as Pierre's younger brother Victor was baptized in Feb/61 in Bathurst and is recorded on the 1861 census (taken in April) as living in Beresford. I think who provided the information may have confused who was a few months old when the family moved to Beresford.

Pierre was raised in Beresford where he attended school with his siblings and learned to read and write and speak both English and French. In 1881, Pierre was farming with his father and living at home with his older widowed sister (Jane), younger brother (Victor), older brother (Joseph) and his wife (Helene) and their young son (Alphonse).

Sometime between the 1881 Census; when he was single and living with his parents; and 1885; the birth of his first child; Pierre married Elizabeth Doucet. I have not been able to find their marriage recorded in the county register or parish registry. I'm going to have to expand my parish records search to Petit Rocher and West Bathurst and be on the look out for alternate spellings.

Pierre provided for his family by farming and working as a labourer. He and Elizabeth raised 8 of their 9 children, from their marriage date until at least 1901, on the farm not far from where Pierre's parents and 3 of his 4 brothers lived. Pierre's children were sent to school and learned to read and write and spoke English and French. When his sons were older (15-16) they began helping out on the farm and working odd jobs or at the sawmill. Sometime between 1901 and 1911 Pierre moved his family off of the family land and 60 houses/farms way towards the middle of Beresford. Why did Pierre move his family away from where he had lived almost his entire life? Did it have something to do with the death of his parents in 1902? Was he not given any of his father's land? For whatever reason he moved his family, he returned to the family land and was living next door to his brother Victor in 1921 with his wife Elizabeth, his grandson, daughter-in-law and son Joseph.

Pierre died December 26, 1938 at approximately 83 years old. It must have been a sad Christmas that year.

Death Certificate Pierre Pitre via NB Archives

52 Ancestors: Marie Mazerolle (1856/7 - 1955)

I'm back over to the Mazerolle side of my family tree, this time to Marie Mazerolle my Great Great Aunt.

Marie was the fifth child and second daughter of Germain Mazerolle and Christine Hache. I have been unable to locate Marie's baptism certificate to confirm her date of birth, guess I will need to look page by page on the parish registry to see if I can find it (no time to do that last week!). Her age and birth year vary over the census years, they were listed as: 1856 (5yrs old in 1861), 1861 (30yrs old in 1891 & 40yrs old in 1901) to 1866 (45years old in 1911). Her birth month, May, when stated has always been consistent. Based her first showing up on the census records in 1861 and her death certificate I have concluded that she was born in May of 1856/57 in Pokemouche, Gloucester county, New Brunswick, Canada.

Marie was raised and went to school (learning to read and write) in Inkerman, Gloucester county, New Brunswick, Canada with her 9 brothers and sisters. She continued to live in Inkerman even after her marriage to George Bruno St. Pierre on Sunday Jan 6, 1878 at l'Immaculee Conception parish, Pokemouche-en-Haut. It must have been a celebration for the whole community that Sunday mass, welcoming in the new year and the beginning of a new family.

Marie and George lived with George's parents and younger siblings at the start of their marriage until at least after their second child was born. It must have been a lively household as Marie & her mother-in-law both had children born around the same time (Marie's first child and her mother-in-law's last child). With large families this must happen often as my oldest sibling and my youngest aunt on my Dad's side can attest to.

When Marie and George moved into their own household they did not move far, the lived right next door! They continued to live right next door raising their 11 children (4 boys & 7 girls) until at least 1901. Starting around this time Marie's children began to marry and start families of their own. By 1911, with the 4 oldest children married, they were down to only 7 children living at home. In 1921 they were living in the Cowan Creek area of Inkerman with only their youngest child still living at home. They were not far from their 3 youngest sons as they settled with their families right next door to each other with Marie and George living in the middle of them. Marie may have been losing her children to marriage but she was rapidly gaining grandchildren (9 living next door).

At some point between census periods or after 1921 Marie adopted a 12th child, a girl. I don't have any information on this child, other than her name and who she married. This information was obtained from Marie's funeral notice that was published in the Nov 11, 1955 edition of l'Evangeline. This is another mystery to solve!

At the time of her death Marie was still living in the Cowan Creek are of Inkerman, possibly with her youngest son. Marie's death was reported by her youngest son on October 31, 1955. She was 98/99 years old at the time of her death. This seems like an incredibly long life for anyone, let alone someone who was born in 1856/7. We seem to have some long lives on the Mazerolle side of the family tree.

 Nov 11, 1955 edition of l'Evangeline

 Nov 11, 1955 edition of l'Evangeline

52 Ancestors: Joseph Alexander Christie (1886 - 1979) Sawmill worker to Sawmill Manager

Joseph Alexander Christie is my Great Uncle on my Mom's side of my family tree. He was born on May 24, 1886 to Alexander Christie and Margaret Legace in Peter's River (West Bathurst, Gloucester, New Brunswick, Canada), he was their third child and first son. Joseph was baptized on May 30, 1886 when he was 6 days old. His baptism sponsors were Francis Christie and Elizabeth Legacey, most likely his Uncle and Aunt.

In 1891 Joseph lived in West Bathurst with his parents, 2 older sisters, a younger sister and brother and his grandmother Teresa Christie (Arseneault). He went to school and learned to read and write. Sometime after completing his schooling he went to work for the sawmill in Beresford, this must have been how he met his future wife as she was from Petit Rocher (just a little further down the road).

When Joseph was 21 he married Rose Godin in Petit Rocher, Gloucester, New Brunswick on May 21, 1907 at St. Polycarpe parish. The witnesses for their marriage were Maggie Christie (Joseph's sister) and Arthur Godin (Rose's brother?). Joseph and Rose started their family right away with the birth of their first child Catheline in April 1908 and a second daughter Delia in May 1910. Joseph worked on average 60 hours per week earning less than $10 per week. In 1910 his yearly earnings from the sawmill were $320 for 48 weeks of work. This was close to the average wage and hours of work for mill workers in 1910. In 1911 Joseph's household consisted of his wife Rose, daughters Catheline and Delia and a 4 year old girl from the U.S. that is listed as a lodger. I don't know how this girl came to live with them or what happened to her after 1911, she is a mystery to solve!

Joseph and Rose continued to expand their family with the birth of daughters Margarette in 1915, Frances in 1917 and Josephine in 1919. In 1920 after the death of his sister Brigitte and her husband, Joseph's nephew Wilfred Daigle came to live with him (finally a boy in the house!). Joseph and Rose continued their family with a 6th daughter, Georgine, in 1921. Joseph and his family were living in West Bathurst in 1921 and Joseph continued to work at the sawmill except that he was no longer a labourer, he had moved to Manager and now earned $1000 per year. Joseph continued to work at the sawmill until his retirement sometime between 1953-1957.

Joseph lived his entire life in West Bathurst. He died in 1979 at the age of 92 and is buried in the New Holy Family Roman Catholic Cemetry in Bathurst, Gloucester, New Brunswick.

52 Ancestors: Marie Theriault (1853-1950)

Marie Theriault is my Great Great Grandmother and spouse of Aime Godin. She was born November 6 1853 in Caraquet, New Brunswick, Canada to Benjamin Theriault and Celeste Young.

I don't know much about Marie's childhood, I have not been able to find any official records for her before her marriage to Aime Godin on Feb 18, 1879 in Caraquet. Was she the oldest, youngest or somewhere in between? Did she come from a small or large family? Her death record state she was born in Caraquet and her marriage record have her being married in Caraquet. I can make the assumption that she probably was raised in Caraquet. Clearly, I need to dig a little deeper into her family!

Marie was approximately 25 when she married 26 year old Aimi Godin on Feb 18, 1879 in Caraquet at the parish of St-Pierre-aux-Liens. It is from Marie's marriage record that I was able to determine who her parents were.

Marie and Aime started their family right away with their first child, Jean-Aime (my Great Grandfather), born in November 1879/80. Their 10 children were born within a year or two of each other except for a four year gap between their third and fourth child. I wonder if they had additional children within this time period (1882-1886) that died as infants? I will have to go back and scroll through the parish baptism records for this period to see if I can find any additional children baptised for Marie and Aime.

After the death of her husband, Aime, in 1909, Marie's son Aime became the head of the household (according to the 1911 census). In 1911 the only children living at home were Aime (head of the house) and Marie's daughter Amanda (born in 1891). At this time she also lived next door to her eldest child (my Great Grandfather Jean-Aime) and his growing family. I wonder if my grandmother had any memories of living next door to her grandmother, she would have been 6 years old at that time. My grandmother has passed on now, it is to bad that I never had a conversation with her about her past.

Marie lived the rest of her life with her son Aime. On the 1921 census she is living with her son Aime and his family and next door to another of her son's, Nicolas and his family. Marie experienced so many things in her lifetime; the birth of Canada as a country, World War 1 and World War 2 not to mention all of the changes in technology from transportation by horse and wagon to the use of cars and the use or telephones to communicate and the invention of television for entertainment. Aime reported the death of his mother, Marie, May 1, 1950 in Paquetville, New Brunswick of old age.

52 Ancestors: Hilaire Pitre (1817/8-1902) Farmer, Carpenter and Store Merchant

Hilaire Pitre is my Great Great Grandfather. He is the father of Victor Pitre.

Hilaire was the 6th child of Jean Baptiste Pitre and Marie Hache. He was baptized April 6, 1818 in the Ste. Famille parish, Nipisiguit (Bathurst), New Brunswick. This was the first time the missionary priest had visited since November 1817 and was one of many children baptized that day. The only time that Hilaire's actual birthday is recorded anywhere is on the 1901 census, it is listed as Jan 8, 1817. It is unlikely that the year of his birth is 1817 since it would have been unusual for a family to wait a year to have their child baptized if they had the opportunity to do so sooner. However, the ages listed for Hilaire on most census records do match with an 1817 birth year. He at least believed that he was born in 1817!

Hilaire married Tarsille (Teresa?) Boudreau on September 1, 1835 in the St. Polycarpe parish in Petit Rocher, New Brunswick. They settled in Beresford, New Brunswick, which is about halfway between Bathurst and Petit Rocher. It is here that Hilaire raised his family of 10 (5 boys and 5 girls) working as a farmer, carpenter and finally as a general store merchant. Hilaire must have worked until the day he died as he is listed as a general store merchant on the 1901 census at the age of 84. As his family married and started families of their own they did not move far away. In 1901, Hilaire was living surrounded by 1 daughter, 3 sons and 20 grandchildren! It must have been wonderful to have his family so close by. Hilaire deeded his land to 4 of his 5 sons (one must have died), I wonder if some of this land is still within the family.

Hilaire died about 2 months after his wife on October 24, 1902 in Petit Rocher, New Brunswick at the age of 84/85, no cause of death listed. Was it old age or a broken heart at the loss of his wife?

52 Ancestors: Joseph Cyrille Mazerolle (1893-1918) Spanish Flu Victim

Joseph Cyrille Mazerolle is my 1st Cousin Twice removed. He is the grandson of Germain Mazerolle. Cyrille was the third child of Urbain Mazerolle and Caroline Albert.

Cyrille was born Nov 22, 1893 in Pokemouche, Gloucester, New Brunswick, Canada. He lived with his parents and 8 siblings on a farm in Inkerman and Upper Pokemouche. Next door to Cyrille and his family were his grandparents, several uncles and their families all earning their living as a farmer. Cyrille was also a farmer when he became old enough.

Farmer was the occupation he listed when he was arrested in Upper Pokemouche on July 11, 1918 for defaulting on his draft orders. Why did he not report for the draft? Was it because he could only speak French (1901 census indicates he only spoke French; unable to locate 1911 census) in what would most likely be an English environment. Was it a fear of dying? By July 1918 Canada had fought in many battles (Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, etc.) and had lost many men. Did he believe that he was exempt from the draft because he was a farmer? Prime Minister Borden promised labouring farmers exemptions during his campaign but broke this promise after the election. We will never know his reason for not reporting.

Four days after being arrested for defaulting, Cyrille underwent medical examination in Sussex, Kings county, New Brunswick where he was declared fit for duty but lacked training. The description on his calling up describe him as 6 feet tall with a 39 inch chest, fair complexion, blue eyes and black hair with no distinctive marks.

Cyrill's time as a soldier was short, it is unknown if he even completed his training. He fell ill November 22, 1918 (approximately) of the Spanish Influenza while in Upper Pokemouche and died one week later on November 29, 1918. Cyrille was one of the 776 Canadian Expeditionary Force members for whom the Spanish Influenza Pandemic was fatal.

Library and Archives Canada; War Graves Registers: Circumstances of Death; Box: 239

52 Ancestors: Margaret Legace (1861-1940)

Margaret Ann Legace is my Great Grandmother. She is the wife of Alexander Christie from an earlier post.

Margaret or Maggie, as records seem to refer to her as, was born September 17-22, 1861 in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. She was the 1st born child of Isaac Legace and Thersile (Theresa) Daigle. Margaret was baptised when she was just a few days old, sponsors were Michael Daigle and Angel Pitre (more research needed to find out who they were), in West Bathurst at Ste. Famille Parish. The more research I do, the more I find that Ste. Famille Parish is a big part of my roots on my mothers side.  So many, almost everyone so far, have either been baptised, married or buried in this parish. Maybe I should do some research on the parish.

Margaret lost her mother when she was between 7-10 years old. She would have had to assume the role of running the household; cooking, cleaning and looking after her 2 younger sisters while her father was working the farm. Margaret would have continued this daunting task until sometime between 1871-1873 when her father re-married. This most likely was the reason she was unable to read and write as Margaret would not have been able to go to school with all of these household duties to look after. She most likely continued to assist her step-mother (who was deaf) with the running of the household and looking after the two brothers who were born before she was married.

On October 30, 1882 when Margaret was 21 years old she married Alexander Christie in West Bathurst at Ste. Famille Parish, the same parish she and Alexander were baptised. The witnesses to their marriage were William Christie and Mary Jane Boyle. William Christie could have been Alexander's brother. I don't know who Mary Jane Boyle could be as I have not found any connection to a Boyle in the family tree yet.

Margaret and Alexander has 12 children (4 girls and 8 boys) all who were able to read, write and speak both French and English. I wonder if Margaret felt that this was a priority for her children as she never went to school and only learned to read and write and speak English after her marriage to Alexander. I wonder if she learned along side her youngest children.

Margaret lived her entire life in West Bathurst. She died Jan 27, 1940 from hypertension (heart attack) when she was 78 years old.  Margaret outlived her husband and 6 of her 12 children.

52 Ancestors: Nicolas Godin (1886-1958)

Nicolas Godin is my Great Great Uncle from my Dad's side of the family.  He is my Grandmother's uncle. He was the 4th of 10 children born to Aime Godin and Marie Theriault. Although I have been unable to find a baptism or birth record for Nicolas his age and birthday are consistently recorded to support a birth date of May 17, 1886 in Paquetville, New Brunswick, Canada.

Nicolas, like his father before him and his male siblings was also a farmer. He must have became a full time farmer around 15-16 years old (school must have stopped at this age) as he was able to read, write and speak French and all siblings younger than 16 were attending school and those 16 and older were farmers or listed with no occupation.

On Thanksgiving day October 14, 1907, Nicolas Godin married Marie Antoinette Godin (10 years his senior) in Paquetville at St. Augustin of Paquetville Parish. They were both from this parish and must have met there originally. After their marriage Nicolas and Antoinette quite possibly lived in the same dwelling as Antoinette's parents. The 1911 census records Nicolas, Antoinette and their 4 month old son Dosithee living in an "appartment" with Antoinette's parents and 3 of her siblings. My guess is that they lived in the same house but had separate living quarters. In 1911, Nicolas was supplementing his farming income with carpentry work to support his growing family. Unfortunately, this son like their daughter, Nelida, 2 years previous would die before his 1st birthday. Such sadness to have lost two children back to back at such a young age when they were just starting their family.

In 1921, Nicolas and Antoinette are still living in Paquetville as a farming family but now have 3 children, 2 girls and a boy! They continue to live in Paquetville until Sept 1939 when they moved about 10km away to the community of Notre-Dames-des-Erables with their son Armand as reported in the September 7, 1939 edition of the La Voix d'Evangeline. Nicolas lived in Notre-Dames-des-Erables until his death August 15, 1958. According to is death certificate he spent the last 5 days of his life in the Hotel-Dieu St. Joseph (hospital) and died of a stomach ulcer. Nicolas is buried in the cemetry at Paroisse De Notre Dame De Auxiliatrice Roman Catholic, Gloucester County.

52 Ancestors: Margaret B Christie (1886-1949) The reason my siblings and I were born?

This week I am writing about my Great Aunt Margaret B. Christie.

Margaret was the second child of Alexander Christie and Margaret Ann Legace. She was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada on April 16, 1885. She was probably baptisted at Ste. Famille parish like the siblings that are younger than her but I am unable to confirm this as the records for Ste. Famille start on page 9, June 21, 1885. Such is the way with genealogy, not all of the records survive.

Margaret lived with her parents until at least 1901, after that I am unable to find her again until she is married to Frank Leonard Best on May 1, 1916 in Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada. Frank was a WW1 Soldier stationed in Sussex in 1916. Margaret must have met Frank in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada where his parents were living. Margaret's death certificate states she lived in Saint John since approximately 1914. Where was she in 1911 that she is not listed on a census record? How and why did she move to Saint John, almost 400km away from Bathurst? In the early 1900's that seems like such a great distance for a single unmarried women to be away from her family. I did not know that I had relatives living in Saint John prior to my parents. I wonder if knowing a relative in the city was a factor in my mom's decision to move to Saint John and work. If so, then Margaret was the reason my parents met and my siblings and I were born!

Margaret and Frank only had a short time together before Frank was shipped overseas in June of 1916. His pending deployment overseas probably hastened their marriage. Margaret lived in various areas of Saint John while Frank was overseas, sometimes on her own other times with Frank's parents. When Frank was first deployed overseas Margaret lived on Paradise Row, for several months in 1917 she lived with Frank's parents and then in 1918 she moved to Prince Street where she and Frank are listed as living at the time of his discharge in January 1919.

According to the 1921 census Margaret and Frank lived in a rented single family 6 room wood house on Moore Street with a one year old daughter. Did they have any other children? I think they had one other daughter, I'm still trying to confirm with more reliable sources. They did move at least one other time to Main Street where Margaret is listed as residing at the time of her death.

Margaret died on March 2, 1949 in Saint Joseph's Hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage due to Hypertension (stroke?). I wonder if my older siblings have any recollection of Margaret and Frank Best and their family.

52 Ancestors: Theodore Godin (1911 - 1916)

I am back over to the Mazerolle-Godin side of my family tree with a very short post as there is not much to find when it is a child you are researching.

Theodore Godin is my Great Uncle. He was born in Paquetville, New Brunswick, Canada in April of 1911 (according to the 1911 census). He was the youngest child of Jean-Aimie Godin and Beatrice Hebert. Theodore had two older sisters and two older brothers. I wonder if he had any memories of his mother as he was only 2 years and 9 months when she died. After the death of his mother his family moved to St. Isidore, New Brunswick, Canada.

Theodore died July 28, 1916 at St. Isidore, New Brunswick, Canada when he was only 5 years and 3 months old. He would not have been in school yet. I wonder if he was looking forward to going to school with the rest of his siblings. How he died or the length of illness is not listed on his death certificate. Why was the reason for his death not listed? You would think that it would be unusual for a child of this age to die without any cause of death noted. Someday I will have to see if I can find where he might be buried in St. Isidore.

52 Ancestors - Joseph Napolean Pitre (1904-1917) Unlucky 13 Hero Remembered

I'm back after a two week vacation and will try and get caught up between this Saturday and next Saturday with 3 posts instead of 1!

Joseph Napolean Pitre was my Great Uncle on my Mom's side of the family tree. His life seemed to be connected to the number 13, none of it bad until the end.

Napolean was the 13th child of Victor Pitre and was born on the 13th of June 1904. He was born and raised in Petit Rocher, New Brunswick, Canada. At the time of his death he was living with his parents and 12 siblings (5 older and 7 younger), making it 13 children at home.

Not long after his 13th birthday, on July 27, 1917, Napolean died from accidental drowning (confirmed by death records) while trying to save another person (family oral history). Could it have been a sibling? They were all very close in age (just about everyone had a sibling 1 year older and 1 year younger than them). Was it a neighbour or friend playing in the river on a hot summers day? Did they survive or was the community in mourning for the loss of two lives? More digging required into archived newspapers to see if I can find a story.

Napolean, I don't know much about you, you were just starting to become a man when you died. I think you would have grown to be a wonderful person if your selfless act of dying while trying to save another person was any indication of the person you were becoming. Your family family thought you were very brave and told the story of your death so that future generations would know you were a good person.

NB Provincial Returns of Deaths, PITRE, NAPOLEON, 1917-07-27, County:GLOUCESTER

52 Ancestors: Sophie Mazerolle (1868 - ????) Inkerman to Chateauguay

This week I researched Sophie Mazerolle my Great Great Aunt from my Dad's side of the family.

Sophie was the ninth child (of 10 children) of Germain Mazerolle and Christine Hache. She was born in Inkerman, Gloucester county, New Brunswick, Canada in April 1868 or Mar 1869. I have not been able to find a baptism or birth record for her, these dates were listed on two different census records.

She lived with her family and contributed to the running of the family farm in Inkerman until she was married.  Sophie married Theotime Dugas on Labour Day, Monday, September 5, 1892 in Caraquet, Gloucester county, New Brunswick, Canada. Her sister Christine was one of the witnesses for her marriage. I wonder if they had a large celebration as it was labour day and many people may have been used to picinics and celebrating during this time.  Or was it just a small celebration as this was farming country and they may have been busy harvesting this time of year.

Sophie and Theotime lived in Caraquet until at least 1921 and had 12 children together (9 girls and 3 boys). Sometime between 1921 and 1955 Sophie and Theotime moved from Caraquet to Chateauguay, Quebec. I wonder why they moved so late in their lives? Was it because of the depression and they were unable to make a living? I would have thought it would be easier in a farming community instead of a city as they would be able to grow their own food and raise some animals. Did one of their children move there ahead of them and tell them to come to the city with them?

Clearly I have some additional research to do! I do not know when Sophie or Theotime died or which of their children moved with them to Chateauguay. I have never researched in the province of Quebec, yet. This will be a research learning experience for me when I get back to this family to dig a little deeper.

52 Ancestors - Marie Clarisse "Doris" Pitre (1913-1955) a reminder to buckle up and lock your doors

My Great Aunt Marie Clarisse "Doris" Pitre, on my mom's side of the family tree, was the 19th child of Victor Pitre.  She was born Sept 23, 1913 in Petit-Rocher, New Brunswick, Canada. It always intrigues me how so many of my ancestors were baptised or had their birth certificates with a totally different name than they were known as. I wonder if it was due to an English speaking person not hearing the name correctly or did they just change their mind after?

Doris was raised around a large family, difficult not to be when you are the 19th of 21 children.  When she was 8 she was one of 10 children still living at home in Beresford, New Brunswick, Canada. On Feb 5, 1932, when she was 19 years old, she married her 1st husband Jean Roy. Doris and Jean had at least 6 children together and continued to raise their family in Beresford where they both were from. When Doris was about 2 months along in the pregnancy of their 6th child, her husband Jean died. I wonder if at the time of Jean's death did they know she was pregnant? When it came time for the child's birth it must have been with mixed emotions that she brought this child into the world. She must have experience the joy of bringing another life into the world and the sadness that this child would never know their father. Doris must have been thrilled to learn that the child was a boy as she named him after his father. Her joy would be short lived as she would never get to see this child grow into adulthood as he would only live for 4 days.

Doris would find happiness again.

Two years later on October 13, 1943 (just after Thanksgiving) Doris would marry for the 2nd time to Lawrence Aube. Doris and Lawrence would have 8 additional children (she has almost caught up to her father's 21 children).

Unfortunately tragedy would strike Doris again, this time it would be Doris herself. On November 15, 1955, Doris would die in what appears to be a freak automobile accident, see the newspaper article about the accident in L'Evangeline. In the early hours of the morning, Doris and Lawrence were being driven home by 18 year old Maurice Roy (relative or taxi driver?). As they turned into their driveway, Doris's door opened and she and Lawrence fell out. Doris sustained multiple broken ribs and a lacerated liver and was declared to have died instantly. Lawrence was also thrown from the car but did not sustain serious injuries.

What a tragic and preventable accident. Seat belts were still an option to have in cars in 1955 let alone getting people to wear them. Did she open her door to soon? Was the door not latched properly? 13 children would now live the rest of their lives without their mother.

Remember to buckle up and lock your doors, you have relatives out there who want to get to know you.

52 Ancestors: Marie Odile Hache (1893-1933)

Staying true to giving equal time to each side of my family tree I am back on my Dad's side this week, however, I'm straying a bit and not writing about a direct ancestor but writing about the wife of a Great Great Uncle. This week's entry is about the life of Marie Odile Hache. She was the daughter-in-law of my Great Great Grandfather Aime Godin.

Marie Odile Hache, or Odile as most of the records seem to refer to her as, was born Feb 5, 1893 in Paquetville, Gloucester, New Brunswick, Canada. She was the first born daughter of Jacques Hache and Victoire Duguay and named after her grandmother Marie Odile Duguay. Odile grew up in Haut-Paquetville with 3 older brothers (Michel, Henri, Majorique) and 1 younger sister (Josephine). As most of the families in the area were Odile's family were also farmers.

Sometime after her Grandfather's death Odile's grandmother, who she was named after, came to live with the family. By 1911 Odile's oldest brother no longer lived at home and her grandmother had passed away. Odile's father was still farming but was also doing carpentry work. Her two brothers who were still at home were working in the forests as lumbermen and her younger sister was still in school. Although the census records say she did nothing as a living she must have worked with her mother to complete all the household chores of cooking and cleaning for everyone living at home. That would have been a very busy day. The 1911 census identifies Odile's house as an apartment! This is very strange for a farming community. More likely it was one house with multiple families living in it. Odile's dwelling contained 3 families (Odile's family of 6, a young family of 4 and a school teacher). I wonder if they were actually separate living areas within a single structure or were they separate bedrooms with shared common areas?

On April 7, 1913 Marie Odile Hache married Aime Godin the son of my Great Great Grandfather Aime Godin. Odile and Aime had 3 children before 1920 (Wilfred-1914, Jacques-1915 and Diana-1917). Unfortunately Jacques would die just days before his first birthday of infant cholera. The number of children Odile had after 1919 is not a easy to determine ( records not available for 95 years), more research is required but they had at least 2 other children (Theresa and an un-named stillborn). Odile died January 17, 1933 of influenza 5 days after giving birth to a stillborn child. What a difficult childbirth that must have been, I wonder if having influenza was a cause of the stillborn birth?

52 Ancestors: Remembering Vimy Ridge: James Christie (1894-1917)

April 9, 2014 was the 97 anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge. When I saw a news article reminding me of this fact it started me thinking about my Great Uncle James Christie who died during this battle. I have been wanting to write about him for a while now but I wanted to I have access to his service file first (it is currently out of circulation and being digitized by Library and Archives Canada). The news article really impacted me and compelled me to change directions on who I was going to write about this week. Here is my story about my Great Uncle James Christie who died fighting so we could be free and in the process became an important part of Canadian history.

James Christie was born on Feb 3, 1894 in Bathurst, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. He was the 8th child  (like his father) of Alexander Christie and Margaret Legacy. He lived and worked as a labourer in the South Tetagouche area of Bathurst until his enlistment. On May 17, 1916 (approximately 2 years after the start of WW1 and before the draft in Canada), when James Alexander Christie was 22 years old he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (C.E.F.) in Bathurst, New Brunswick and was assigned to the 73rd Reg. or the 132 C.E.F. (North Shore) Battalion. What made him decide to enlist for overseas duties? Did he discuss his decision with his parents? His parents must have been proud and worried about him heading overseas to war. They must have been concerned that they would never seen their son again, especially with no end to the war in sight. I wonder if they had a big family gathering to send him off or was it just a quite affair or nothing at all?

I have never seen a picture of James but his enlistment medical does allow me to paint a limited mental picture of him. At the time of his enlistment James was 5 feet 11 1/2 inches tall with a 38 1/5 inch chest, he had a medium complexion, black hair and hazel blue eyes. The medium complexion and hazel blue eyes describes my siblings and I although no black hair inmy family my brothers are near this height.

James had never had any previous military training, and even if he did, I can assume that he would have been sent on training. Where would have the training taken place? In Chatham, New Brunswick where the 132 Battalion was based or in Sussex or Saint John, New Brunswick where there were training camps already established? Maybe his service records will tell me, when I am able to view them. James would have probably continued his training until some time in October when his Battalion would have been sent to Halifax where they embarked on a ship on October 26, 1916 for England and the start of their actual participation in WW1. The 132 Battalion was used for reinforcements in the field when they first arrived overseas, without James' service records I don't know how much or how little field action he would have been involved in. Sometime in early 1917 James along with other members of the 132 were sent/transferred to the 87th Grenadier Guards in France where they began trench warfare and were part of several battles leading up to the battle of Vimy Ridge. If you want to get an idea about what life in the trenches was like, visit the Canadian War Museum website, it was not an easy life for sure.

March 26, 1917 was the beginning of the training for the battle of Vimy Ridge. Training went on for 7 straight days during cold, wet and snowy spring weather. On April 3, 1917 the 87th Battalion was moved to the front lines back in the trenches in preparation for the Vimy Battle. James had so far managed to stay alive for almost a year after enlisting. I wonder if he knew how big this battle really was. Did he write one last letter home before entering into this battle?

James and every soldier in the 87th not only carried their rifle into battle but also: bombs, water, box respirator, helmet, tear gas goggles, wire cutters and a shovel. The 87th was tasked with being the first wave leading on the left side of the 11th Brigade. At 5:30am April 9, 1917, Easter Monday, James along with 519 other soldiers of the 87th Battalion began their assault at Vimy Ridge. By 5:45am every man within the 87th Battalion had left the assembly trenches and had gone forward into battle to the front lines which was full of shell hoes filled with water. At the end of the Vimy Battle the 87th has suffered 157 wounded, 110 killed and 25 missing. James was one of the men listed as missing in action, later to be confirmed dead.

Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948

James' parents must have been devastated when they were informed on his death. Did they receive a telegram or a letter? Did they have a picture to remember him by? Did they hold some sort of service in his memory? Did they know where he was buried in France?

Pte. James Alexander Christie is remembered by many for the ultimate sacrifice he gave to us. Please take a minute and remember him while you view his name on the Book of Remembrance and the Vimy Memorial pictured below.

Page 216 Book of Remembrance

Vimy Memorial - Vimy
Departement du Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France

52 Ancestors: David Lebreton (1878-1926)

 This week I'm back over to my father's side of the family tree where I'll share with you what I know about my Great Great Uncle David Lebreton. David is the brother of my Great Great Grandmother Elizabeth Lebreton who I have already written about. David lived his entire life in the Inkerman area of New Brunswick, specifically in Maltempec. Today, Maltempec is approximately 13 square KM with a population of near 300.    

David was the first born son of Patrice Lebreton and Margaret Comeau, when he was approximately 3 years old his family lived in Inkerman, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada.  His father was a farmer as many of the men in the area were and he would become.  When when David was approximately 13 years old he was still living in Inkerman, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada with his parents: Patrice Lebreton and Margaret Comeau; siblings: Elizabeth (16) Mary (18), Francis (11), Nazaire (8) and Malvina (2); an aunt, Margaret Lebreton and also his grandparents, Morice (71) and Alice (77) Como (Comeau). David continued to live with his family until his marriage on October 11, 1897 to Elenor Laplante. After his marriage David did not move far, with his wife and daughter, he lived next door to his parents until at least 1901 and then just a few households away as his siblings were married and started their households between David and his father.

In 1911 David's family had grown to 5 children (4 daughters and 1 son). His life was not without tragedy as he lost 3 of his children as infants to various common childhood diseases (flu, whooping cough and cholerea). David provided for his family primarily as farmer but he also worked as a lumberman (probably logging in the forests near by). His family continued to grow with the addition of 4 more daughters between 1911 and 1921, unfortunately he also lost 2 daughters as infants. I wonder how they managed to feed, clothes and house such a large family in his 4 room house. There must have been lots of hands working on the farm, many hand-me-downs with lots of mending to keep every item owned in good condition and sharing with family members who lived a short distance away. In 1919 David's 1st born child Olizine was married, it must have been a great time for celebration in his house.

David died on April 23, 1926 from asthma. I wonder how long he suffered from asthma? It must have been very difficult for him to farm and work in the woods as a lumberman while suffering from asthma.

52 Ancestors: Tale of 2 John Denis Christie's (b.1889 & 1891)

I'm back to my Mom's side of the family tree this week. My story this week is about two uncles with the same name! John Denis Christie and John Denis Christie are brothers and share the same parents, Alexander Christie and Margaret Ann Lagacy although they have probably never met.

My Great Uncle John Denis Christie (the first) was born October 8, 1889 and baptized October 13, 1889 at Ste. Famille Parish in West Bathurst, New Brunswick. His god-parents were William Christie (Alexander's brother?) and Mary Jane Daigle. It was difficult for an infant in the 1800's to make it to become a toddler let alone an adult. They had to be healthy with a strong immune system to be able to fight off all of the diseases that we are vaccinated against or treated with antibiotics to get rid of. I have not yet been able to find any record of his death but I can assume that he died prior to Jan 23, 1891 when his younger brother John Denis Christie was born.

John Denis Christie baptized October 13, 1889 - Ste. Famille Parish 

My other Great Uncle John Denis Christie (the second) was born Jan 23, 1891 and was baptized Jan 25, 1891 at Ste. Famille Parish in West Bathurst, New Brunswick. His god-parents were Joseph Christie and Mary Jane Daigle ( I wonder if this is a sibling of Margaret Ann? as she was also the other John Denis's god-mother). Was my 2nd John Denis born close to the death of his brother and he was given the same name to honor him? Did he grow up knowing that he was named the same as his older sibling? I wonder how he felt about that, was he proud to be able to carry on his name or was he sad that he did not get his own name?

John Denis Christie baptized Jan 25, 1891- Ste. Famille Parish

When John Denis Christie was first born they must have tried calling him John instead of Denis as the 1891 census lists a 2 month old John Christie as the son of Alexander & Margaret Christie. Not long after this they must have started calling him Denis as all other records refer to Denis Christie, in fact, he even signed his marriage certificate as Denis A. Christie not John Denis Christie. Maybe he thought his name was Denis Alexander Christie?

Denis lived with his parents and siblings until at least 1911 as he is listed on the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census as a member of his parents household.  He most likely continued to live with his parents until his marriage to Mary Malvina Hachey November 4, 1914 at the church of Magdeline, Bathurst, New Brunswick. At the time of his marriage he was identified as a workman, this could be any occupation! On the 1911 census he was listed as a labourer in the woods, so presumably he continued this occupation for a few years.

Denis and Malvina started their family immediately with their first child born December 1915. With the birth of their first child on the way Denis must have tried his hand at farming as he is listed as a farmer on his first child's birth record. By the time his 2nd and 3rd children are born in 1917 and 1918 he has returned to being a labourer. On the 1921 census Denis, Malvina and their 3 children are living in West Bathurst in a rented single family wooden structure with 4 rooms and Denis is earning a living through various labour jobs. This is the last record that I have found that I am confident is my Denis Christie. I did however find Denis Christie and Mrs. Denis Christie on voters lists for the Bathurst area from 1935 to 1968. Since the voters lists only contain a name, occupation and area currently living I can't be certain this is the correct Denis Christie. However, there is only one Denis Christie showing up on these list when I search sooooo it is probably him. From 1935 to 1968 Denis worked many various labour jobs such as a janitor, painter and garageman (garbageman? or working at a service station?) and moved around a quite a bit as well, except for about a 10 year period from approximately 1953 to 1962 when he live at 685 Queen Street, Bathurst, New Brunswick. In 1968 Denis was finally retired! When did Denis die? I have not yet been able to find out, I'm finding it more difficult to find recent records due to privacy rules, etc. I really need to book a day to go to the Library and Archives Canada and see if I can find an obituary in the Bathurst newspaper for Denis or Malvina.

The first born John Denis Christie may have had a short life but the second John Denis Christie sure had long life filled with many adventures.

52 Ancestors Germain Mazerolle (1819-1908) a lifelong farmer

This is my 10th 52 Ancestors post and the first post about a Mazerolle ancestor with the Mazerolle last name!

Germain is my Great Great Grandfather and the Grandfather of Ann Marie Christina Landry from my post two weeks ago. He was baptized August 15, 1819 at the Stella Maris parish, Escuminac, Northumberland County, New Brunswick. When Gloucester County was created in 1826 Escuminac became part of Gloucester County. Germain's baptism entry states that his parents were Joseph Mazerolle and Marie Vienneau and his godparents were David Mazerolle and ??? (I can't makeout the writing) Mazerolle. It also states that Germain was born March 24, 1819. This parish had a missionary priest that only came by about once every 6 months and stayed only a couple of weeks. The news must have spread to all the families as many baptisms were performed on the same day.

Sometime between 1819 and 1847 Germain moved to the Inkerman area 150 km away. This must have been a huge move, it would have taken oven 30 hours to travel by horse and buggy going at 5km/hr. Why did he move such a great distance away? Was this a move that Germain made by himself or did he move with other family members? Did they stay in some places along the way and some of the family settle along the route to Inkerman?

In 1847 Germain was living in Pokemouche where he would have met his future wife Christine who also lived there. Not long after Germain's 28th birthday he married Christine Hache on April 13, 1847 in Tracadie at the parish of St.Jean BTE. & St. Joseph. This parish was also served by a missionary priest and Germain and Christine would have waited for the return of a priest to have their banns announced and have their marriage ceremony performed. The witnesses to their marriage were William Thompson and Angele Hache. Angele may be a relative of Christine's although I have not confirmed this.  Who is William Thompson? I have not been able to find any information about how he might be related to Germain or lived in the same area, yet.

Sometime after Germain and Christine were married they bought a farm and moved from Pokemouche to Inkerman a distance of 5 km. In 1861 Germain lived in the Upper Parish of Inkerman with his family on his 40 acres of farmland (10 acres of which was deemed improved). His farm was valued at 50 pounds with equipment valued at 2 pounds (remember we were still under British control). At 40 acres with 1 milk cow and 3 pigs, Germain's farm was one of the smallest of the 77 farms within Upper Inkerman. Even though it was small compared to his neighbours it was big enough for his family of wife, 4 sons and 3 daughters to live off of.

In 1871 Germain was still living and farming in Inkerman with his growing family that now consisted of 5 sons and 5 daughters with some of the older children attending school learning to read and write. In 1881, 8 of his 10 children were still living at home on the farm with Gemain and his wife. By 1891, all of their children had left the farm to start their own lives with the exception of their son Romain who along with his wife was living in the same household with Germain and Christine. Living in the next households to Germain were 3 of his other sons (Oliver, Jeremie and Urbain). I am assuming they built their houses on a piece of their father's farm. By 1901 Germain and Christine were listed as living with Romain and his wife (the opposite from 1891) with his 3 sons and their families still living next door all continuing to farm the family land. Germain may have moved a great distance when he was younger but once it was settled with his family he never moved again.

Germain was ill for the 2 months preceding his death on October 3, 1908 from old age.  Although his death certificate indicates that he was 94 years old at the time of this death (consistent from his reported age on the 1891 census) if you do the math from his baptism certificate he was actually 89 years old. Still a very old age to live to even by today's standards. Germain lived to see many things in his life, the birth of Canada as a country, the first french prime minister and the introduction of the automobile to name a few.

52 Ancestors: Marcelline (Marie) Roy (1845-1916)

Marcelline a.k.a. Marie Roy is my Great Great Grandmother from my Mom's side of my tree.  Marie was born, raised, married, widowed, re-married, raised her children and died all within 10 km (Petit Rocher - Beresford, New Brunswick). What a small area she lived her whole life in, I travel further than that just to get to and from work everyday.

Marie was born December 16, 1845 in Petit Rocher, New Brunswick (based upon information pieced together from various census records and her death certificate). She must have married young, by the time she was 25 in 1871 Marie had 5 children aged 9,7,4,3 & 1 and was already a widower! Her first marriage was sometime before 1862 when her oldest child was born, she became a widow less than 10 years later, some time between 1869 (one year before her youngest child) and 1871 (the year of the census). Her first husbands last name was Pitre, maybe I'm related to Pitre's by more than one branch, see my previous post on Victor Pitre. So far I have been unable to find Marie's marriage or baptism certificates which has hindered me in determining her husband's first name or her parents names.

Sometime between 1871 and 1874 Marie met and married Joseph Godin and they started their family together. It must have been a difficult several years for her to raise such a young family all by herself. Joseph must have welcomed Maries children as the two youngest lived with them into their 20's.

Marie and Joseph had at least 10 additional children (7 girls and 3 boys). Several of them ended up living only a few households away.  By 1911 all 15 children had moved on (died or married), they were now empty nester's. I'm sure they were not lonely as they lived next door to their youngest son and his family and with that many children they must have had many grandchildren.

Marie is one of the few women in my family who have not outlived their husbands. She was 70 years old when she died Feb 15, 1916 in Petit Rocher from heart disease (possibly a heart attack as her death is listed as sudden).

52 Ancestors: Sister St. Christina Landry (1897 - 1956) - Religious Hospitaliers of St. Joseph

My ancestor this week is my 1st cousin 2x removed, Anne Mary Christina Landry. She is the only daughter of Marie Christine Mazerolle and Joseph Didace Landry. She was born September 29, 1897 in Inkerman, Gloucester County, New Brunswick and died November 23, 1956 in Chatham, Northumberland County, New Brunswick. Christina was raised along with her only brother Francis in the Inkerman area until at least 1911 (the year her father died). Sometime between 1911 and 1921 Christina left Inkerman and traveled almost 100 km along the coast to Chatham to join the Catholic religious order, the Religious Hospitaliers of St. Joseph (RHSJ).

http://saintmichaelsmuseum.com/history/rhsj.html (accessed March 8, 2014)

When did she decide to join this religious order and how did she end up 100km away from home? I can only speculate that she might have gone to the convent school run by RHSJ in Tracadie, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, only 20 km away, when her mother remarried in 1912. She must have decided to join the order and was sent to Chatham RHSJ had established the Hotel Dieu and nursing home, as well as the large elementary/secondary school (St. Michael's Academy).  On the 1921 Canadian census for Northumberland County, Chatham there is a Mary Landry, 22 years old with occupation Religious living at the Hotel Dieu Hospital and Convent. I think this is Christina, however Mary Landry was a popular name so there is some doubt that this is my Anne Mary Christina Landry. Christina must have been part of the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the RHSJ that was held in 1929, I wonder if she is in the picture above or knew any of the Nuns in the picture below that was taken in 1946 (10 years before she died).

http://saintmichaelsmuseum.com/history/rhsj.html#cemeteries (accessed March 8, 2014)

What pointed me to look for Christina in Chatham on the 1921 census was her death certificate. Christina died of a bowel obstruction on November 23, 1956 at the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Chatham where she served as a Nun of the RHSJ. Her death certificate states she was a Nun for 35 years (which brought me to the 1921 census for Chatham). She was in ill health for over a year as Christina had surgery for an ovarian cyst October 1955. A quick Google search on my part found that ovarian cysts and bowl obstructions commonly are seen together.

http://saintmichaelsmuseum.com/history/rhsj.html#cemeteries (accessed March 8, 2014)

http://saintmichaelsmuseum.com/history/rhsj.html#cemeteries (accessed March 8, 2014)

Christina was buried in the Sister's Cemetery in Chatham November 26, 1956. It is sad that I did not become interested in genealogy sooner as we always visited this area when I was younger. Maybe someday I will get to visit there again and search out her final burial spot.

52 Ancestors: Edith Christie - Born 10 years to early

This is my latest post in the 52 Ancestors challenge to write about an ancestor once a week for 52 weeks. I am starting to forget how many weeks I have written so far (I need to go back and count) but I do know that since I started, I have not missed a week! I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement, kind words and sharing of my posts, this has really helped to motivate me to write the next entry each week.

On Wednesdays of each week www.nostorytosmall.com posts a weekly recap of everyone who has signed up for the 52 Ancestors challenge. This recap includes the titles and links to the posts. I have started checking this recap weekly not only to see my link there :-) but to skim all the other entries looking for possible links to my family tree. So far no connections but I have been treated to many interesting and inspiring stories. One of those stories, wish I had saved the link, stuck with me and inspired me to write about this weeks ancestor.

This weeks ancestor is my aunt, my Mom's older sister, Mary Edith Christie. I have never seen a picture or heard a story about Edith, as she was probably called (all the girls had Mary as their first name). All I knew was that my Mom had another sibling that died before she was born (turns out there was more than one other sibling that died before she was born, but that story is for another day).

On the 1921 Canadian census Frank and Laura (Delores) Christie have three children listed: Irene, Clifford and Edith. I knew my Aunt Irene and Uncle Clifford so Edith must be the unknown sibling that my Mother was referring to. In the 1921 census Edith is listed as being 10 months old, that puts her birth in 1920. So far I have been unable to find a record of her birth or baptism, more work has to be done here.

1921 Canadian Census, Gloucester County, Edith Christie (Library and Archives Canada, accessed ancestry.ca March 1, 2014)

The rest of my knowledge of Edith comes from her death certificate. She was born July 17, 1920 in West Bathurst. She died in West Bathurst when she was just 4 years and 9 months old on April 1, 1925 at 1:00am from Diphtheria. Her parents had her seen by a doctor on March 31st, at which time she would most likely have been to sick for any medicine to help. Frank, Laura and the doctor must have all been at Edith's side when she took her last breath. The doctor last saw her alive on April 1st and is able to state an exact time of death. It must have been difficult for her parents to see her so ill and be unable to make her better. The grief they must have been suffering and the worry they must have had for their other children, would they contract this contagious disease and die as well? What about their unborn child, my mom, who was due in 4 months, was she at risk too? I don't know if anyone else also became ill, if they did they recovered as Irene, Clifford and my mom all survived into adulthood.

Had Edith been born 10 years later she would have most likely not died from Diphtheria as vaccinations against Diphtheria became widely practiced in Canada in 1930, see Diphtheria in Canada .

Rest in Peace Edith, your story like you was not too small to be told.

52 Ancestors: Aime Godin (1852-1909) Caraquet, New Brunswick, Canada

I am back on the Mazerolle-Godin side of my family tree this week with Aime Godin, my great-great-grandfather, the father-in-law of Beatrice Hebert from my post on Feb 8, 2014.

Aime was born in approximately 1852, most likely in Caraquet, New Brunswick, Canada. I have not yet been able to find a birth or baptism record to verify this information. His death certificate does list Caraquet as his place of birth but his age is slightly incorrect. His age reported on all the census records are consistent with his birth year being 1852, someone remembered his birth year, just not the person who reported his death!

Aime's was the 4th of 8 children of Joseph & Tharsile Godin. He grew up in Caraquet where he learned the art of being a farmer from his father, along with his older and younger brothers.  He must have went to school when he was younger as he was able to read and write and his parents were unable to.

On Feb 18, 1879 Aime married Marie Theriault in Caraquet at Ste. Pierre Aux Liens Parish. What a great reason to celebrate during the long dreary winters, having a wedding! Aime and Marie lived in Caraquet and raised at least 7 of their 10 children there until sometime between 1891 and 1901 when they moved approximately 20 km away to Paquetville. I wonder why they moved there? Did they have the opportunity for a larger farm? Were they following other family members who went before them? The only thing I know for sure is that if they had not moved to Paquetville, my great-grandfather (Jean Godin) most likely would never have met my great-grandmother (Beatrice Hebert) and I would not be here today.

Aime continued to make his living as a farmer in Paquetville until his death April 14, 1909 from stomach cancer. Although he was not attended to by a physician at the time of his death he must have seen a doctor to have been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Aime must have worked through the pain and illness to put his farm to bed for the winter for the last time before being diagnosed. He suffered from cancer of the stomach for 6 months (Oct-April). It must have been a difficult winter for his family knowing that they would not spend another one with him and for his wife who would have just celebrated 30 years of marriage to him.

                                                           NB Archives, Provincial Returns Death, Godin, Aimee, accessed Feb 22, 2014.

52 Ancestors: Alexander Christie (1853-1923)

This week I have moved over to my mother’s side of the family and will share with you what I have discovered out about my Great-Grandfather Alexander Christie.

Alexander was born in Peter’s River, Gloucester, New Brunswick.  He was the eighth child of William Christie and Tarsiel (Teresa) Arseneau.  Alexander was born December 21, 1853 and was baptised Dec 25, 1853 in Bathurst at Ste. Famille Parish when he was 4 days old.  What a wonderful Christmas present he must have been to his parents and siblings!

Alexander continued in his father’s and older siblings footsteps and worked as a farm labourer and then at his father’s death, I assume, he continued to work the family farm.

Between 1871 and 1881 Alexander’s father passed away and his older siblings left the family home; this left Alexander as the oldest child (27 years old) living at home with his mother.  On the 1881 Census, Alexander’s mother was listed as the head of the household containing Alexander and 4 other children.  This is the only census in which Alexander’s origin is identified as Scotch.  His mother and the remaining siblings living at home were recorded as being of French origin.  I wonder if Alexander was the person answering the census questions.  Was his father recently deceased and he was feeling a need to honor his father’s heritage and wanted to have it recognized?  This is the only time other than on his death certificate that his origin is listed as Scotch.  Even though all other census records have Alexander identified as French he must have talked to his children about being of Scottish decent as my Mom (his granddaughter), who never met him, often told me that the Christie’s came from Scotland.  My goal is to try and find that first ancestor who arrived from Scotland.

On October 30, 1882, when Alexander was a few months shy of his 29^th birthday, he married Margaret Ann Lecacy (Legace) in Bathurst, New Brunswick at the same parish he was baptised, Ste. Famille.

Even though Alexander was late to marry, he and Margaret had twelve children, born between 1883-1904.  Unfortunately he would outlive half of his children; 3 died as infants, 3 died as adults including a son who died during WWI in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.  Alexander’s children were all able to read and write plus speak both English and French.

Alexander died August 12, 1923 in South Tetagouche (Bathurst) where he lived since 1903. He lived his entire life and raised his family all within a 20 km area between (A) Peter’s River, (B) Ste. Famille parish and (C) South Tetagouche.

                                          Google Maps, accessed Feb 15, 2014