Euphremie Godin (1868-1953) worked until she was 81 years old!

Marie Euphremie Godin is my Great Great Great Aunt on my Dad's side of the family. She was born in Caraquet, New Brunswick on October 12, 1868. Euphremie was the 9th and last child of Joseph Godin and Tharsile Hache. She would have had many hands taking care of her; her closest sibling was 9 years older than her!

Euphremie attended school and learned to read,write and speak English and French. She would have been in school during the 1875 Caraquet riots; a clash over the Common Schools Act elimination of religious education in New Brunswick. That must have been a scary time for her as it happened right in her community, in fact only 18 houses away!

When Euphremie was in her 20's (1891to 1901) she (and her mother & father) lived with her sister, Mathilde, and her family. Sometime between 1901 and 1911 she  began living and working as a servant at the college Sacre-Coeur de Caraquet, located across from the parish church, St-Pierre-aux-liens, in the Village of Caraquet, N.B.

collège Sacré-Coeur de Caraquet
Image obtained April 28, 2018 from https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5rv1lsh4V1ryl6jko1_500.jpg

She probably worked there until it was destroyed by fire  December 30-31, 1915 (rebuilt in Bathurst). Hopefully she was visiting with family for the holidays and not in the building during the fire.

After the fire, she began working as a housemaid for the parish. She continued to work as a housekeeper and cook for the parish until she was 81 years old. Her last years were most likely spent in the care of her great niece Julie (Mathilde's granddaughter). She suffered from chronic bronchitis and died of bronchial pneumonia on October 13, 1953 one day after her 85th birthday.

52 Ancestors: Elizabeth Legace (1861-1940)

Elizabeth Legace is my 2nd great aunt (on my Mom's side).

Elizabeth Legacy funeral card photo
obtained from Ancestry member Campbdr1

Elizabeth was born Sept 1, 1867 in Bathurst, New Brunswick; two months to the day that New Brunswick became part of the Dominion of Canada. She is the third daughter and last child of Isaac Legace and Thersile Daigle. Although she lost her mother before she was 3 years old she still had plenty of siblings to grow up with as her father remarried and had an additional eight children.

Elizabeth was 5'2" with a medium complexion, brown hair and eyes. She was able to speak French and English but never learned to read or write. Her inability to read or write did not stop her from venturing to Moncton, New Brunswick for a job as a domestic servant sometime between the ages of 12 and 19. She is recorded as being a domestic servant on the April 1891 Canadian census for New Brunswick, working for a Scotish General Freight Agent; this will be the last time she will be recorded as single. In a little over a month, on May 18, 1891, she will marry Jacques Leblanc at St. Bernard parish in Moncton, New Brunswick. Elizabeth will settle into Jacques farm home with his mother and sister Helen, in Fox Creek, Westmorland county, New Brunswick.

Elizabeth and Jacques would start their family right away with their first child born in November 1892; a son named Isaac, named after Elizabeth's father. Helen's help was probably greatly appreciated as they would continue to grow their family by 10 more; 6 daughters and 4 more sons; between 1884 and 1914. Jacques supported their growing family at first as a farmer then also as a plummer/pipefitter working in a factory.

Sometime between 1915 and 1921 Elizabeth's father came to live her family. It was during this time that the First World War was in full swing. Elizabeth's family was not left untouched by the war. Her oldest living son, Emanuel, was enlisted and fought overseas between 1916 -1919. The fall of 1919 was a happy time for Elizabeth's family, it brought 3 marriages to her family, two on the same day at different churches! This reduced the size of her family living at home to 10 (herself, Jacques, her father Isaac and 7 children). 1920 brought not only the arrival of the first of Elizabeth's many grandchildren it ended with the death of her husband Jacques on Christmas day. Just a short 14 months later, Feb. 1922, Elizabeth will mourn the death of her father.

In November 1923 Elizabeth, two daughters and a son travel to Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts, USA; following two other daughters who went before her in Jan 1923; to stay with her sons, Emanual who settled there in June 1921 and Arcade who settled there in Oct. 1922. Elizabeth is still living in Lynn in 1930 with three of her 11 children and possibly their spouses and some boarders.

Sometime between 1930 and 1935 Elizabeth returned to Fox Creek, Westmorland county, New Brunswick. At 68 years old she found herself in love again and married widower Camille Richard on the 20th of October 1935 at St. Anselme parish in Fox Creek. They resided on the Main road of Fox Creek for 14 years until her death on May 9, 1949 at 81 years old.