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.
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Saturday, 19 April 2014
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?
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?
Saturday, 12 April 2014
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.
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.
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 |
Saturday, 5 April 2014
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)