Footprints
In The Snow
© by Bud Lemire
I
started researching my ancestry in 1990. It was a day I’ll never
forget. It was the start of something that would change my life
forever. My Dad had been quite ill at the time, and had been taken to
the Hospital. One night we received a phone call from a Dave LeMire
of Irving Texas. He was looking for relatives in the Marquette and
Negaunee area of Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We lived in the
Escanaba area. My Mom answered the phone and was unfamiliar with any
Dave in our family. The names he mentioned were also unfamiliar. Not
knowing what else to say or do, Mom gave him my Uncle Arthur LEMIRE’s
address and phone number. Hoping Art would be able to help him. Later
we received a photocopy of a letter he sent to my Uncle Art.
The
names didn’t mean anything to me, but it did get me thinking. I
kept wondering about my own LEMIRE ancestry and where they came from.
Most likely somewhere in Canada such as Quebec or Ontario. I asked my
Dad if he knew where his Dad came from. He just knew it was somewhere
in Canada. I asked him if he remembered anything about his Dad or his
family. He smiled and said he remembered some relatives from Canada
smuggled down some moonshine once. That didn’t give me an exact
place to pinpoint where they were.
My
Dad died a couple months later at the age of 82. My Dad’s Wake was
really nice. I was able to meet cousins I’ve never met before, as
well as those who have kept in touch with over the years. Cousins
from every side of the family helped me put the pieces together over
the coming years.
I was
stuck on my LEMIRE side of the family, so I decided to start on my
Mom’s side. Her maiden name was JOINT, which wasn’t a common
French surname. It was also a name she would have rather not had, as
she use to be called Mary JOINT. Later, she took on her middle name
of Lucille. Mom was able to give me each of her Grandparents first
names and maiden names. Mom was the only living child of Adrien JOINT
and Alma DUFORD. They had two children before her, but they passed as
infants. One was a boy named Milton. My Grandmother Alma went in to a
Hospital in Madison Wisconsin to have a goiter operation, and passed
before the operation was even performed. She died in 1942 at the age
of 37 years. My Mom was only 14 years at the time. My Mom was sent to
live with different relatives. One was her Uncle Louis DUFORD and
Aunt Virginia GAUTHIER-DUFORD who lived in the Iron Mountain area.
They had a large family consisting of Ruby, Stafford, Chester, Viola,
and the twins Tommy and Woody. She only stayed a couple of days. Then
she stayed with a friend of her Mother’s named Mary
SULLIVAN-BUCHOLTZ of Rudyard Michigan. She ended up living with her
Grandparents Flavien JOINT & Mathilde BEAUCHAMP-JOINT. Mom said
her room was all pink. Her Grandmother had nicknames for all her
Grandchildren except Mom. She looked at Mom and said “pouvre
Lucille.” This was French for “Poor Lucille.” Later, my
Grandfather Adrien JOINT remarried a Cecile SORENSEN.
My
Grandfather Adrien JOINT was the son of Flavien JOINT & Mathilde
BEAUCHAMP. Flavien and Mathilde came from the area of Soulanges,
Quebec and settled in the farming community of Flat Rock, just
outside of Escanaba. BEAUCHAMP was a very common French-Canadian
surname in Quebec as well as in this area. All the Flat Rock
BEAUCHAMPs were relatives. Mathilde's sister Martine married a
Ambroise THEORET, and all the THEORETs from marriage are related to
me. Their son Mose (Leah) ran a store. Mathilde's father was Gatien
Beauchamp, who's younger brother Arsene also settled in the Flat Rock
area and had several descendants.
My
Grandmother Alma DUFORD-JOINT was the daughter of Theophile DUFORD
and Marie MARIEN. They came from L'Assomption county, Quebec. They
settled in the farming community of Schaffer, which is also just
outside of Escanaba.
Alma
and her younger sister Edna were young when they learned to play the
piano and violin. They would play at THE STRAND (which later
would become the Delft theatre) during the silent film days. They
were known in this area as the DUFORD SISTERS. Later in years, my
Grandmother would play at several of the restaurants around Escanaba.
I was
glad out of all my Grandparents, I was able to meet one of them.
Grandpa JOINT lived with us for a couple of years before he passed in
1972. I never met my Grandmother Alma DUFORD-JOINT, but I know I
would’ve loved her a lot. Her love for music, family, and people
was a trait I inherited. Although I don’t play an instrument, I
love all kinds of music.
Many
questions were going through my mind as to the history of all sides
of the family. I found myself being pulled in all directions.
As in
all genealogical searches, there are many times when people are hard
to track down. You find yourself asking the questions “where did
they come from?” and “who are their parents?” These were common
questions that kept going through my head. There was one time when I
felt I had come to a block, stopping me from getting any further on
my research. Until the night I had a dream. Not just any dream! This
dream touched me in a very special way. It would be the start of
something that would change my life forever.
“I
was walking in the snow following some footprints. I must have been
following them for quite awhile, because I was getting tired. And I
wasn’t getting any closer to who those tracks belonged to. I
noticed a log on the side of the trail I was walking down, and
decided to sit down for a rest. I was feeling frustrated at not
making any progress as to who those tracks belonged to. I threw my
hands up in disgust. Letting my thoughts drift away, I found myself
looking skyward. And there among the clouds was a woman’s face. She
smiled and it warmed my heart. I had a good feeling inside. She was
smiling. I’m not sure if she spoke out, or if the words just came
into my mind, but she said “Don’t give up.” Followed by “You’re
on the right track.” I looked up at her and asked if she was a
relative of mine. She smiled and nodded yes. I wanted to ask more
questions, but I was caught up in the good feeling of being in her
presence. When I looked up to ask her another question, she started
to fade away. I saw that she was still smiling as she faded. Then I
look around at my surroundings and saw those tracks again. I stood
up, feeling like I was totally refreshed and rested. As I looked at
those tracks in the snow, they didn’t seem to bother me quite so
much as before. And I started on my way down the path following
them.”
I
believe that woman in the sky who smiled down at me was my
Grandmother Alma DUFORD-JOINT, who passed away back in 1937, several
years before I was born. She resembled the photos that we had of her.
Some people believe a dream is just a dream, I believe it was my
Grandmother guiding me in my research. It also tells me there’s
much more about death and the spirit of life that needs to be
learned. The dream changed my life forever. Because of this dream,
I’m deeply involved with genealogy, mind as well as soul.
This
dream was also in the book “More Psychic Roots” by Henry Z. Jones Jr.
After
I was able to find many of my own lineages, I began to share what I
had with others whom I had gotten in touch with. I also find that I
get a reward out of helping others who are researching and having
difficulty. Especially if it’s an area that I know about, such as
French-Canadian. Since I’ve started researching my ancestry, I’ve
met so many friends, several who turned out to be distant relatives.
I’ve gotten in touch with fellows researchers from afar who are
distant cousins. And I’ve become closer to many of my closer
cousins also. It seems that my research has brought me all kinds of
rewards.
CHAPTER 1
LEMIRE
When
I first started researching my LEMIRE ancestors, I didn’t know
exactly where they came from. I enlisted the help of my First Cousins
Marie LAWRY (GOUDREAU- STICKNEY) and her brother Don LAWRY of
Marquette. They were real helpful, sending me several names and dates
of as many relatives as they knew. Their Mom was Aurora LEMIRE, my
Dad’s sister and my Aunt.. Over the years they’ve kept in close
contact with our family, stopping by to visit whenever they came to
Escanaba. The information they gave me, filled in many places on the
family that settled in the Marquette area. Another First Cousin, Liz
BUREAU, also helped by filling in her side of the family. Her Mom was
Mabel LEMIRE, another of my Dad’s sisters and also my Aunt.
My
Dad came from the Marquette area to the Escanaba area around 1959. In
Escanaba there had already been a LEMIRE family settled in the area
for several generations. The first being Doctor William LeMire. This
family were always listed with a capital M in the middle of their
name. Sons and grandsons carried on the profession in the area, as
well as some becoming lawyers. William LEMIRE 1 died from an
electrocution from an X-Ray machine. I went to school with one of his
granddaughters, Mary LEMIRE. In later years, we became acquainted
enough to talk whenever we’d see other. In one conversation she
told of our very first meeting, which I thought started in the
seventh grade, being as she’s from the south side and I was from
the north side. But it happened when we were about five years old,
where we first met at Ludington Park. We were on the swings and when
it came time to leave, we gave each other our names. We were each
surprised to have the same last name. Later, she asked her Mother
which cousin I was, being as all other LEMIREs were related. But her
Mother couldn’t place me in any family. When I told my Mother this,
she remembered that day also. She said I had asked her if I was
related to Mary LEMIRE. Putting this all together, maybe my interest
in genealogy started when I was five years old, but my actual
participation didn’t start until 1990 when that phone call and
letter from Dave LeMire of Texas got me wondering.
I
wrote a letter to Ruth FASCHING of Portland Oregon. I was told she
had researched the LEMIRE name. Her husband was the Grandson of
Arthur PARENT, whose Mother was Sarah LEMIRE. These were the
LEMIRE/LAMERE family that settled around the Minnesota/Wisconsin
boarder (which were in Linda TURNER’s book THE LEMIRE/LAMERE
FAMILY). One of these LEMIREs had even lived in the Escanaba area
before moving on to Wisconsin. I wasn’t able to find my LEMIREs in
this branch.
In
1990 I had written a letter to a Mrs. Beatrice LEMIRE-WOODFORD, and
got a reply from a Charlotte EASTER of Salt Lake City. She said
Beatrice had passed. Her Father was Zacharie of Nicolet, Nicolet,
Quebec.
The
Doctors and Lawyers of Escanaba descend from Dr. William LEMIRE I.
Their ancestor was Eugene LEMIRE & Denise PINARD. My
Grandparents were Camille LEMIRE & Delia PINARD.
I
still had no clue as to where my LEMIREs came from. It seemed like
most LEMIREs I came across came from the St.Lawrence areas of
Nicolet, Baie Du Febvre, and St.Francois Du Lac.
There
was also an area called Ste.Clothilde, located in Arthabaska county.
I decided it was as good as any area to start. Before starting my
research, I had never read French before. The handwriting wasn't the
easiest to read. I recall I had just been in touch with a cousin of
mine from California, Leo PINARD, and he asked me how my French was,
as I will be doing a lot of reading of that language. I had to start
somewhere, and sometime. I looked at the French-Canadian handwriting,
and tried to duplicate it the best I could from the way it looked on
the film. At that time I thought I had copied it down pretty good.
But years later, after I had gotten much better at reading the French
Canadian handwriting, I couldn’t read what I had copied on that
day.
It
turned out that my line wasn’t to be found in the Ste.Clothilde
area of Arthabaska. So I began looking over the LOISELLE MARRIAGE
RECORDS. I found that the LEMIRE surname seemed to be everywhere in
Quebec.
LOISELLE
MARRIAGE RECORDS are little typed out cards, with typed out cards
with dates and places of most Quebec and some Ontario marriages. It
also had an occasional USA record on them as well. They’ve been
real helpful with my family research. Following that, they came out
with the LOISELLE MARRIAGE SUPPLEMENT, which were many more marriages
that weren’t in the first series. These have been real helpful as
well. The dates range from the early 1700’s all the way to the
1900’s. Other sources that have been helpful are TANGUAY, which
lists French-Canadian families from the early 1700’s to the late
1700’s. These are a series of books, that can also be found on
fische. Another source is JETTE. This is a large book, listing
French-Canadian families, from the time they arrived in Quebec, to
about 1730.
Getting
back to my research. After looking over the LOISELLE MARRIAGE
RECORDS, I noticed there were several LEMIREs in an area called
Maskinonge. I do all my research at the LATTER DAY SAINTS Family
Library, which was open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When I first
started, they were located in the basement at 1500 North 19th Street
(now they are located at the old St.Francis Hospital site 1021 South
14th Street (Escanaba). They happened to have had some films
from the Maskinonge area, which is the area just below
Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
There
were many LEMIREs there. I wasn’t sure if these were my LEMIREs or
not, but I decided it would be nice to have anything on LEMIREs at
this time. So I wrote down all the baptemes(baptisms),
mariages(marriages), & sepultures(burials) from these films. It
felt so good to have information on some LEMIREs until I could find
my own.
None
of these sources helped me at the beginning. So I did several things.
Looking at IGI (International Genealogical Index) records on fische,
I wrote to Salt Lake City through the LATTER DAY SAINTS Family
Library to find out who sent in the name of the LEMIREs that was
listed on the IGI fische. I wrote to several people who have
researched either LEMIREs or French-Canadians.
I got
in touch with a Lester BAZINET of Marquette, who sent me information
on some LEMIREs who had lived and died there. He also sent me records
on LEMIREs being married, baptized, or buried in Ontario. He had
taken these from his large French-Canadian Library (which he later
donated to The Delta County Genealogical Society upon his passing).
Alfred
LEMIRE’s first wife was my First Cousin Frances LAWRY. She was the
sister of Don, Marie, and Lucille LAWRY and also another daughter of
my Aunt Aurora LEMIRE. She had passed back in 1970. Alfred had since
remarried a Bernice PACQUET (who had been married to a PALMETEER).
They lived in Lansing Michigan. My LAWRY cousins told me that Bernice
had been working on Genealogy, and she might be able to help me. So I
wrote her a letter. She sent me many pages of Alfred’s side of the
family. She had Alfred’s Grandparents listed as Pierre LEMIRE and
Julia MASSE (these were the ancestors of the Dave LEMIRE of Irving
Texas who called us in January of 1990). I found this information to
be wrong as my research continued.
Alfred’s
parents were Henry LEMIRE and Barbara KRUMMEL. And Henry’s parents
were Pierre LEMIRE and Olive(Rosanna) RACINE. Alfred and Bernice
would visit the Marquette relatives every year, and two years in a
row they had made a visit to Escanaba to see me. I had never met them
before, but had heard my Dad refer to Alfred by his nickname “Pussy.”
I’m not sure what it meant, but think maybe it was French for pushy
(Poussee). I know Bernice didn’t care for it due to other reasons.
Me & Alfred LEMIRE
Bernice & Alfred LEMIRE
Me & Alfred LEMIRE
Bernice & Alfred LEMIRE
On
one of those visits, Alfred told me about the time he was trying to
get a job on the Railroad. The foreman who was hiring, had all the
people standing in a row, and he looked them over. He asked each of
them their name, and when he got to Alfred, he told him to go stand
in another line. Next he came over to the other line and asked
everyone their name as he went down the line. When he got to Alfred,
he told him to go to the next line. Now Alfred was getting tired of
being pushed off onto the next line, so he asked the foreman what was
going on. The foreman looked at him and asked his name, and he said
it was Alfred LEMIRE. The foreman told him he couldn’t hire him
because he had enough LEMIREs already working there. The way Alfred
told it was much funnier. It was true, there were several LEMIREs
working at the railroad. My Grandfather Camille LEMIRE worked there,
my Uncle Camille LEMIRE worked there, Alfred’s Dad Henry LEMIRE
worked there, as well as several others. Alfred passed away after his
last visit. He had a heart attack while playing golf. Bernice and I
kept in touch for years after that, until she tragically passed in a
car accident.
I was
willing to try anything to get information that would lead to my
LEMIRE lineage.
I saw
an ad somewhere about a newsletter called LEMIRE FAMILY NEWS. So I
signed up to get it, only to be disappointed. It was generic and
whoever had this idea to start a newsletter on anybody's surname
randomly didn't have a clue of who the LEMIRE family was. I did
leave a querie, and my address as well. I got a response from a
Steven Lemire of Irvine, California. He is from Newaygo Lower
Michigan. It turns out his Grandfather Romeo LEMIRE is a brother to
Dr. William LEMIRE I of Escanaba. Steve and I got to be good friends
and corresponded often. Here is a picture of Steve and family.
I
heard from a Stephen (last name is omitted) of Towson, Maryland. His
Mother was Marie Louise LEMIRE. He had a couple generations back,
but was stuck. So I helped him, trying to find any clue that would
be his ancestor and get his LEMIRE line back. I did it! At first I
had grasped the wrong family. But then, I was looking and found a
clue that fit in perfectly. I was happy I was able to help him.
My Grandparents Camille Joseph LEMIRE & Delia Emily PINARD were married on July 3, 1893 in Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
My Grandparents Camille Joseph LEMIRE & Delia Emily PINARD were married on July 3, 1893 in Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
Below is the celebration
of their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
From left to right, in
front row sitting is: Aurora LEMIRE - LAWRY, Camille Joseph LEMIRE,
Delia Emily PINARD - LEMIRE, & John "Jack" LAWRY.
Standing in back row left
to right is: Alfred Joseph LEMIRE, Frances LAWRY - LEMIRE, Donald
LAWRY, Lucille LAWRY - CONNORS, & Edward CONNORS.
In a
letter to my Uncle Arthur LEMIRE of Marquette, I asked him to tell me
anything he could remember about my LEMIRE relatives. I received a
letter from him and he told me this: “When I was twelve years
old, I went with Mother and Dad by train. The LEMIREs lived on a farm
about five miles out of the city of Joliette. We had to travel by
horse and buggy to get there. On their farm they had a few cattle,
but their biggest thing was growing tobacco. While we were there,
they had many parties for my Dad. And attending were mostly sisters,
brothers, and other relatives.”
Since
Arthur was born in 1913, this trip must have taken place around 1925.
I have a picture of my Grandpa and Grandma LEMIRE sitting next to
another couple. They were sitting on a porch, while relatives were
gathered all around, sitting and standing. Arthur told me that Pierre
LEMIRE (Alfred’s Grandfather) was his Dad’s Uncle.
My
next step was to find out exactly where in Joliette county that my
Grandfather came from. So I ordered the 1871 CENSUS for Joliette
County. I knew my Grandfather Camille LEMIRE would be around three
years old on the census (depending on when it was taken). In a place
called St. Ambroise de Kildare, Joliette County, Quebec, was the
family of Pierre and Olive LEMIRE. Their youngest child was Camille
LEMIRE at the age of three years old. Now I knew where all the Olives
in our family got their names from. Cousin Alfred LEMIRE had a
sister named Olive, and I had an Aunt Olive.
I
ordered the film of baptemes(baptisms), mariages(marriages), &
sepultures(burials) for St.Ambroise de Kildare. I knew from
information given to me by my cousins, that Grandpa Camille was born
April 21, 1967. When the film arrived, I found the baptism of Camille
to be April 21, and he was actually born April 20. Many times people
would celebrate their birthday as the day they were baptized. His
parents listed as Pierre LEMIRE and Olive BEAUCHAMP. His godparents
listed as Elzear BASTIEN and Olive LEMIRE. There’s another Olive
LEMIRE! I did it! I found my LEMIRE family! Once you make a
breakthrough like this, you get a great feeling of overwhelming joy
that moves throughout your body. A great feeling of accomplishment
that most genealogists know about. My next questions going through my
mind were “where did Pierre and Olive come from?”
I
decided to try LOISELLE MARRIAGE RECORDS, now that I had a connection
in Quebec. It showed a Pierre Leandre LEMIRE, son of Antoine LEMIRE
and Esther PAILLE marrying an Olive BEAUCHAMP, daughter of David
BEAUCHAMP and Genevieve LORANGER on the 17th of August in 1843
at a place called Maskinonge. The very same place I had just been
researching before I knew where to look. I was surprised to find I
also had a BEAUCHAMP line on Dad’s side of the family. As I have
BEAUCHAMP on my Mom’s side. Further research showed me that this
Olive BEAUCHAMP’s family went by the name of HAMEL dit BEAUCHAMP.
It lead me to Antoine's Father being Antoine LEMIRE married to
Catherine LACERTE – VACHER. Antoine's Father was Alexis LEMIRE dit
GAUCHER. Alexis was the one who started the GAUCHER dit name for his
descendants.
Here
is how the LEMIRE family descends down to me.
Mathurin
LEMIRE & Jeanne VANNIER (of St.Vivien. Rouen (Normandy) France)
Jean LEMIRE &
Louise MARSOLET 20 Oct 1653
Quebec,
Quebec, Quebec
Jean-Francois
LEMIRE & Francoise FOUCAULT 5 Feb 1701
Trois-Rivieres,
St.Maurice, Quebec
Alexis LEMIRE
dit GAUCHER & Marie Anne DEZIEL dit LABRECHE
About 1737
(Settled in the Maskinongé area of Quebec
Antoine
LEMIRE-GAUCHER & Catherine LACERTE-VACHER
16 Aug 1773
Yamachiche, St.Maurice, Quebec
Antoine
LEMIRE-GAUCHER & Esther PAILLE
27 Aug 1810
Maskinongé, Maskinongé, Quebec
Pierre-Leandre
LEMIRE-GAUCHER & Olive BEAUCHAMP
7 Aug 1843
Maskinongé, Maskinongé, Quebec
Camille
LEMIRE & Delia PINARD
3 July 1893
Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
Clarence
LEMIRE & Lucille JOINT
17 Dec 1959
Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Clarence
“Bud” LEMIRE born 21 January 1960 Escanaba, Michigan
My
friend David VARINO had met a guy named Joe LEMIRE from Menominee,
Michigan. His Grandfather was a Louis LEMIRE who had a brother named
Clarence. I got their address and wrote to Clarence & Doris
LEMIRE of Menominee. They wrote back and would say that Louis and
Clarence had nicknames for each other. One was called “Smiley”and
the other was called “Grouchy.” They told me they had planned a
trip to Escanaba to see a play. They wanted to stop and meet me.
Although we were starngers that carried the same name. I looked
forward to meeting them. I got another letter from them, saying they
didn't plan on coming or stopping. I would have liked to have met
them. Clarence and Doris LEMIRE are both passed away.
Most
French-Canadians surnames have dits, which are surnames added to
their original surnames to identify which side of the family they
descend from. As I began my research, I was to learn quite a lot
about dit names. In order to get everything on a certain family, you
need to look up all the dit names as well. I was to find that LEMIRE
had several dit names. GAUCHER, GONNEVILLE (GUNVILLE), MARSOLET or
MARSOLAIS, and FOUCAULT. My lineage comes down from the LEMIRE dit
GAUCHER branch.
I
continued collecting all the LEMIREs from the St. Ambroise de Kildare
area. Of the Pierre Leandre LEMIRE dit GAUCHER and Olive BEAUCHAMP
dit HAMEL family. There was Olive (1844), Pierre (1845), Hercule
(1847), Anonyme(unnamed 1849) born and died the same day, Marie
Janviere (1850), Julie(1852), Gaspard (1854), Joseph Hormisdas
(1856), Didace (born and died 1857), Joseph Hormisdas (1858), Joseph
(1860), Leocadie (1864), and Camille (1867). The age difference
between my Grandfather and his older brother Pierre, made it easy for
my Uncle to mistake him for being my Grandfather’s Uncle.
My
Great Grandfather Pierre Leandre LEMIRE had two brothers who also
started their families in St.Ambroise de Kildare, Felix and Calixte.
But they later moved to St.Gabriel de Brandon, where their children
grew and married. Another brother Pierre Emile LEMIRE stayed and
raised his family in the Maskinonge area. I started Collecting
LEMIREs from St.Ambroise de Kildare, as well as Maskinongé.
I
also wandered off to Rouen France (on film) in search of finding Jean
LEMIRE's birth there and finding out more about our LEMIRE Ancestry.
I did find Jean's birth, and also some VANNIER twins being born.
In
my correspondence with Steve LEMIRE of Irvine, California. He gave
me the ancestral chart of an Eric LEMIRE, who was now living in
Charbuy, France. On the chart was Eric's address, so I wrote to him.
And soon we were corresponding back and forth. He explained his
family to me.
“I
was born May 7, 1949 in a small village about one mile outside of
Blois, France. In the same house my brother and two sisters were
also born. My Dad, Gilbert James LEMIRE and my Mom, Marie Louise
MICHEL, had gotten married a year before, in the same house. She was
born in Chateaubriant (Dept. of Loire Atlantique), city located north
of Nantes. After living in different towns with her parents and
brother, she met my Dad in Paris. They fell in love, married, and
had four children. I'm the eldest. My brother is the second, and
then came my sisters.
My
Grandmothers were sisters. My Grandfather,Dad's Father, Gilbert
LEMIRE, came from the U.S. During World War I to fight against the
German invaders. I suppose he was in the area when he met my
Grandmother (Dad's Mother), Carmen DUCLOS (I mean near Fougeres, a
small town a few kilometers from Blois). My randmothers were born
from a Father named DUCLOS, who was from Cour Cheverny(near Blois),
and from Mother Julie PINEAU. This couple had thirteen children. My
Grandmother (Mom's Mother) married a man named Auguste MICHEL, and
had two children, my Mom, and a boy named Auguste MICHEL also. My
Grandfather Michel died in 1943 of poison gas he had inhaled during
World War I. My Uncle died in June of 1944, victim of a German
patrol. Therefore I never knew them. All I know is that my Mom's
family had been living in St. Gervais (the name of this small village
near Blois) for at least 2 decades when she married Dad. Dad and Mom
had first met in Paris in 1928 (she was 5 and Dad was 7) where Mom
was living with her family. When Dad's Father got married, he and
his spouse went back to the U.S., where they lived in Providence,
Rhode Island. Dad was brought up in Providence, and was a Merchant
Marine Engineer. That's why he enrolled as a sailor during World War
II. He participated in the allied landing on Normandy Coast in June
of 1944. After the war, he came to France to study music and vocals.
He also was a great singer. Quoted as the best young male voice in
the whole USA by some critics in 1955! Since my Mom was his cousin,
I suppose he visited his family in Blois, when they fell in love. In
1954 We all went to the States. We arrived in New York, where my Dad
was to meet with someone for a job. Then we all drove down south.
Down to Miami Florida. We lived there a whole year (in 1955). There,
Dad worked days and sang in the evenings. Still for his job, we
moved to Decatur (a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia) and stayed there for
another year. I was to school that year. I was a First Grader.
That's where I started learning and speaking English (I mean American
English!). Dad quit singing cause it didn't pay enough, and had a
job opportunity in Milan, Italy. So we all left the US for Blois
again. Dad saw the birth of my younger sister Marie France (my
parents named her France because she was almost born in the place
that brought us back to France). He went to Milan to take his new
job, and to find a dwelling place for his family. Then we all left
for Italy. That was back in 1956. We lived in Italy for Almost
seven years, and came back to France in 1962. Before I go any
further, I must tell you what became of my Father's Dad, Mom, and
sister. I'm not sure, but I think they arrived in France in 1950.
They settled in Chateauroux, where Grandpa (and Dad for awhile)
worked on the U.S. Air Base. Grandpa lived in France ever since,
with his wife and daughter, and died in St. Gervais in 1965 of a
Heart Attack. His wife (Grandma Carmen) died in 1991. Mom's Mother,
Grandma Marie Louise, died in 1986. After returning from Italy, we
settled in Paris, where I grew up, until 1976. I then left home for
Auxerre, where I had found a job. There I met Dany. Except for
short trips, we never went back to the States or Canada. I settled
in Charbuy, a small village near Auxerre.
What's
most interesting and peculiar about this story is the total
coincidence that made me meet a LEMIRE family in Newaygo, Michigan.
Here's how it occurred. Because of my childhood, I was always
interested in the USA and the American language. Since I am fluent
in English, I want my children to be bilingual. I'll try my best to
enable them to be so. So my wife and I thought about sending Anne
Sophie to a Camp Session in the US. So I started looking for a Camp
that would meet our conditions, and we finally found YMCA Camp
Newaygo. Since my wife was working, and Anne Sophie and Jonatham
were on Summer Vacation, my wife talked me into taking my son also
with me. Since I was going to accompany Anne Sophie and staying in
the Camp Surroundings for the time the Camp Session would last.
While Anne Sophie was at Camp, Jonathan and I visited the area, and
met John GRAVE, at his Sports Shop in White Cloud, When I introduced
myself to that man, he told me he knew some LEMIRE family in Newaygo.
He immediately gave them a call, and that is how I met that “Cousin”
in Newaygo, Auburn LEMIRE. We discussed quite awhile about our
origins. Later on, before I was to leave Michigan, he gave me a copy
of the records they had gathered concerning their LEMIRE branch.
That information made me wonder about my origins. All I knew about
my family's ancestors, was not going going farther back than my
Grandpa Gilbert. Dad didn't know much about his family. He told me
he knew his Dad came from Canada, and was the first of his family to
be born in the US, and that he had something like six brothers and
sisters. Dad told me also that he had heard his Father talk about
relatives in Michigan. Where my Grandfather had stayed for a short
while. That was about all we knew. Because he and Mom did some
research, he thought that a LEMIRE must have emigrated from Normandy
to Canada during the 17th century. Since I had met a
LEMIRE in Michigan, I wanted to know more. So I contacted some
Genealogical societies around Quebec, and had a few answers. The
first society to answer my letter, gave me the best information I
wanted. Since it gave me all the names of my LEMIRE branch, from the
first Jean-Francois LEMIRE, down to me. So, that's the whole story.
Now, what my parents and I want to do is get some information about
the ancestors of Mathurin LEMIRE, father of Jean LEMIRE, and
Grandfather of Jean-Francois LEMIRE (husband of Francoise FOUCAULT).
We know he's from St. Vivien, a suburb of Rouen, in Normandy (on the
Seine River). Of course I enjoy keeping in touch with you, and other
LEMIREs in Michigan, and elsewhere. My Mother told me there's
suppose to be some LEMIRE in Haiti. It's quite interesting, and by
some ways, exciting to get to know the people who compose this great
family, and to know how they lived. What jobs they had across the
centuries. Maybe we can even meet some day. We're planning to go
back to Michigan, maybe next year.
Here is Eric LEMIRE and his Family from around 1995.
This letter from Eric was written in February of 1993.
We didn't meet the following year, but in 2001 when I took a trip to
a LEMIRE Gathering in Quebec, we met.
In this letter from Eric Lemire of Brecy, France on
December 19, 1996, he tells me what a person in Rouen told him.
“You
must know that, whatever religion was his, catholic or protestant,
the royal will was to evangelize the natives of the NEW FRANCE.
With fathers Récollets and others necessarily embarked some
confirmed and newly converted catholics. Inside the ships that left
DIEPPE for Canada, some priests were embarked to straighten out
ambiguous situations. But on the other hand, the big commercial
companies created in the beginning of the XVIIth century were
established by protestant merchants in France.
This
person told me, Jeanne VANNIER's date of birth was July 2, 1600 in
St. Vivien de Rouen. Catherine LEMIRE's Godmother's name is Claude
ROCHEFOR. Catherine's Father's name is Jacques VAUQUELIN and her
Mother's name is Thoinette LE MIRE.
Further
on, this woman tells me that she has found only one deed drawn up by
a notary concerning Mathurin LEMIRE. It concerns the wedding of
Mathurin LEMIRE, but is dated 1586. She says it can not be the
Father of Jehan LEMIRE, but either a Father or a close relative of
“Our” Mathurin LEMIRE. She explains that this first name can't
be found in any of the LEMYRE branches of Rouen. She continues to
sum up, it probably is the brother of the very probable Father of
Mathurin LEMIRE, “Our” Mathurin, whose name was Jehan.
I
think this brother Jehan, born after Mathurin, and a witness to his
brother's marriage, has given to his own son, the first name of his
brother. As it was use at the time, and that he gave his own first
name to his Grandson, the one who migrated to Canada. That is quite
a classical situation. Clearly, we get the following scheme:
Before 1586
Robert LEMIRE & Catherine LETELLIER
/ \
Mathurin LEMIRE & Marye HENNIN (1586) Jehan
LEMIRE
/
Mathurin
LEMIRE & Jeanne VANNIER
/
Jehan LEMIRE (the
Migrator)
The
nice surprise is, that the family originates from a town called LE
TRONQUAY EN LYON, or from a nearby village. Jehan, brother of
Mathurin, calls himself a Plowman. Our hero Mathurin, might have
been born in LE TRONQUAY before coming to Rouen to marry Jehanne
VANNIER. The village LE TRONQUAY is situated in the EURE department.
I think you should investigate in that direction for the birth of
Mathurin, since it was not found in ST. VIVIEN before 1599, or in ST.
MACLOU, since his Uncle Mathurin was living in ST MACLOU parish in
Rouen in 1586.
This
person ends her letter by giving me a peculiar information: on a bill
of sale of a house in Rouen dating 1577, a certain Jehan VANNIER, a
mason, lives in that house as a tennant. This house was situated in
Rue Du Pigeon, ST. MACLOU parish. She finally ends up her letter by
suggesting that this parish might have been a place of many
interesting encounters. A VANNIER is a person who makes baskets.
Interesting, isn't it?
Yes
it sure is interesting to find out more about our Lemire Ancestry.
Over the years that lead up to that Gathering in 2001, Eric and I
corresponded. And several years later, he passed away.
I was
also in touch with a Denise GOLDBERG of New York state, who later
moved to California. She descends from Alexis LEMIRE-GAUCHER's
daughter Francoise, who married Jean-Baptiste BRUNEAU. We
corresponded briefly.
I was
also in touch with a Joseph P. LEMERE of Martinsburg, West Virginia.
He was in the process of tracking down the ancestry of some LEMIRE
orphans who had ended up in Little Canada, Minnesota. We kept in
touch, and when I asked him what got him started, here is what he
said.
“On
the subject of what got me started in genealogy. I would have to say
hunger. The need to want to know more about myself and the history
of the people. I have always wondered about what part of France our
ancestors had came, and always thought that it would be enjoyable to
pay a visit to the area one of these days. God willing, I hope to be
able to accomplish this one day.”
Looking
for death dates and marriage dates, I wrote a letter to the Societé
de Genealogie de Lanaudiere Inc. of Joliette. They sent me my Great
Grandfather Pierre-Leandré's death date, my Great Grandmother
Olive's death date, and the marriage of my Great Grandfather
Theophile DUFORT to Marie MARIEN. All for the fee of $25.
In
the years ahead, I was able to do my own research, and find out much
more at the Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints Family History Library.
By ordering films there, it has helped me many times.
Early
1996 I had gotten in touch with Joseph E. LEMIRE of Auburn
Massachussetts. He seemed to be very interested in his LEMIRE
ancestry as well. He told me “Our Cousins in Quebec really miss
us. While at one time they considered all Quebecois who emigrated to
the U.S.(and their descendants) as “les enfants en exile” or “les
enfants de l'exode.” In recent years, they have come to realize
that the Quebecois who emigrated, did so in their own best interest,
and survival. Today they feel great kinship with their U.S.
Brethren, and new bonds of friendship and “rapprochement” are
being forged. Especially in New England, where more than half of all
Quebecois who emigrated eventually settled. And in this difficult
moment in the history of Quebec, “les Quebecois” are look for us
to support them in their movement for freedom and their overwhelming
desire to maintain their race, their language, and their culture.”
It
was about 1996 that I was directed by Joseph E. LEMIRE of Auburn,
Massachusetts to join l'Association des familles Lemire d'Amerique
inc. By joining, I got a
newsletter magazine called POINT DE MIRE, which had all
information on LEMIRE families all over. It was in French at the
time, and I was able to to translate some of it. Later they had
someone translate and put out an English version for the English
speaking relatives.
From
this, I was in touch with the genealogist of The Lemire Families,
Michel LEMIRE of Montreal. Over the years, Michel and I got to be
great friends. We shared much information on LEMIRE families in the
US and Canada. I got to meet him and spend a day with him in
Montreal when I went there in 2001. We had a wonderful day together.
He also put out the LEMIRE DICTIONNAIRE, which has many LEMIRE Families across the USA & Canada and other places. He sent me a copy of them, and writes in an e-mail.
I'm so happy to see that the DICTIONNAIRE will make a difference and be used as a new step in the knowledge of our great family."
I
heard from a Raymond E, Lemeir of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He was
searching for the ancestry of a Moise LEMIRE married to a Ellen
PAQUETTE. Their son William, was brn in Derby, Vermont. Raymond was
active in a Retired Senior Volunteer Program and didn't have time for
genealogy. Raymond and I kept in touch, but unfortunately, I was
able to find his ancestry at that time. He ended his first letter
with “I will be glad to communicate with you, and I know that we
will be enriched by the information we furnish each other.”
About
this time as well, I was in touch with a Lorraine LEMIRE-MIVILLE of
Manchester, New Hampshire. Lorraine and I would correspond
regularly, and whenever I was stuck, she would find something that
would help. She was a dear woman, and a great friend. I also got to
meet her in 2001 at the Lemire Gathering in Quebec.
Here is a picture of Lorraine LEMIRE - MIVILLE, Joseph E. LEMIRE, and Stephen of Maryland.
Here
is a poem I wrote for Lorraine
Sweet
Lorraine
©2001 by Bud Lemire
You're my
cousin, you're my friend, and sometimes you're my Mother
And through
this journey of life, we have helped one another
You felt my
weary traveler's heart, when we met earlier this year
And through
my words in poetry, you even felt my fear
You've been
there for me, with the changes I've been through
You are a
special person, just for being you
You didn't
always agree, with my point of view
You held back
your advice, so I could do what I should do
You were
there in life, to always cheer for me
And you
accepted me, just for who I could be
We climbed
our tree together, and it was a lot of fun
You shared a
lot of family information, with all that you had done
You told me
of your fears, and you heard all about mine
\Ye both got
through then and now we're doing just fine
We shared a
lot, about each others life
You told me
how it was, to be a Mother and a wife
We learned
about each other, as we went along
And corrected
one another when one of us was wrong
We shared our
views, on everything that we knew
And from it
all, we helped each other through
I would like
to take the time, to thank you very much
For being a
special friend, and always keeping in touch
Your
friendship was the sunshine, when I was feeling rain
You
understood my life in many ways, my sweet, sweet, Lorraine
~
Around
1997 I was also getting in touch with First Cousins for whatever
information they could give me on their families. Some of them that
I hadn't been in touch with up to this point, was my Uncle Camille's
(Uncle Mun) children. I had met George and Skip (aka Camille) at my
Dad's Funeral in 1990. I asked them a lot of questions. In 1997 I
wrote to Lucille LEMIRE-ROWLAND of Greenfield, Indiana. She
responded with information on her family. I was also in touch with
her sister, Rosemary “Nin” LEMIRE – MARTIN of Dolton, Illinois
(after first contacting a son and then a daughter of hers). I called
her up and she was so surprised. She didn't know my Dad had
remarried and had two more children. Over the years, Rosemary and I
would stay in touch by mail and phone calls and we became great
friends as well.
In
January of 1998 I heard from a Laura GAY of San Diego, California.
She writes “The old speaking code word”Joe sent me!” This
Joe is the one who lives in West Virginia – a LEMIRE relative. He
has been in touch by e-mail with a Second Cousin of mine, Norma
WASMER, who lives in Kiel, Wisconsin, and gave her your address, and
she sent it on to me. She is researching her roots, and I'm trying
to do a little bit, Obviously one can do a lot more with a computer.
I don't have one, and wouldn't even know how to turn one on, so have
to do it the old fashion way.
About
this time, I didn't have a computer either. She went on to say.
My
Grandmother on my Mother's side was Roseanna LEMIER (Joe says the
spelling should be LEMIRE, but we grew up spelling it LEMIER),
married to Frederick CARTER of Bathgate, North Dakota. She came to
North Dakota with her family and they settled in near Neche. She was
born in Detroit January 5, 1878, and died in North Dakota July 3,
1931. One of her brothers, Simon, lived near Neche. They had five
children. Cecile, Marguerite, Agnes, Louis, & Joe. Another
brother, Henry, and his wife Elizabeth lived in Breckenridge,
Minnesota, and had a son named Manuel. There was a sister Lucy (a
Nurse) and there may have been another sister. Does any of this ring
a bell with you, or is there no family connection at all?
The
only other information I have is a book with short family histories
from Bathgate and Neche areas. There is a picture of Gaspard LEMIER,
born in 1852, born in Quebec,
married to Delima MORGAN of Neche in 1879.
They had six children: Delima, Deleis, Amelia, Leah, Louise, and Napoleon. Gaspard died in 1909, Delima in 1891. After Gaspard's death, Napoleon took over the farm. In 1911 he married Armine MARTEL of Pembina, North Dakota. They had five children: Eva, Bernice, Eleanor, Elaine, and Lionel. Napoleon died in 1957. Lionel has been farming the land. He and his wife Joyce, had a son, Lionel Patrick. And that's the extent of my knowledge. I'm not even sure how Roseanna was related to Gaspard. . I've written to one of Napoleon's daughters in hopes of getting some information.
married to Delima MORGAN of Neche in 1879.
They had six children: Delima, Deleis, Amelia, Leah, Louise, and Napoleon. Gaspard died in 1909, Delima in 1891. After Gaspard's death, Napoleon took over the farm. In 1911 he married Armine MARTEL of Pembina, North Dakota. They had five children: Eva, Bernice, Eleanor, Elaine, and Lionel. Napoleon died in 1957. Lionel has been farming the land. He and his wife Joyce, had a son, Lionel Patrick. And that's the extent of my knowledge. I'm not even sure how Roseanna was related to Gaspard. . I've written to one of Napoleon's daughters in hopes of getting some information.
My
Mother was Alice CARTER, and one of her sisters was Irene – Norma's
Grandmother. I'd never met Norma until this Fall when we took a trip
to Wisconsin. I moved to California in 1945. If you think our
families are related, I would love to have any information you have,
and will gladly reimburse you for any expense you might have in
copying etc. We've had pretty good luck in tracing the CARTER
(CARTIER) line, but not so the LEMIERS. I do hope you'll have the
time, and will feel like writing. Thanks in advance.
The Fredrick CARTIER &
Rosanna LEMIER family
Laura
and I did correspond, and a month later I received a phone call from
Norma WASMER. Who also descends from Roseanna. A month following
that, I heard from Brenda LEMIER-COOPER of Welcome, Minnesota, who
descends from Roseanna's brother Henry. All three were stuck on
their LEMIRE ancestry.
Here is Cousin Laura GAY and her husband Noble
Here is Cousin Laura GAY and her husband Noble
Laura
said Roseanna was born in Detroit. In my LEMIRE research, I hadn't
found hardly any LEMIRES in the Detroit area in that time period.
Many people go with facts. But inside, I was being pulled to
Marquette, here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That is where my
Dad was born and raised. There were many French Canadians that came
through and traveled to other ares of the Upper Peninsula and even
Wisconsin. Everything was pointing to Marquette. Luckily we had the
Marquette Vital records at our Latter Day Saints Family History
Library. I looked and found both Roseanna and Henry LEMIER being
born there, with the parents being Hercule LEMIER and Mary Ann
GREGOIRE. Hercule was my Grandpa Camille LEMIRE's older brother, as
was Gaspard. Which meant both his older brothers settled in the
Neche, Pembina area of North Dakota. This also meant that Laura,
Norma, and Brenda were my Cousins.
Brenda
and I became close when I got a computer that hooked me up to the
Internet. Which happened not long after our correspondence began.
Here is a poem I wrote for Brenda.
*
Birth
Of An Angel
© 1999 by Bud Lemire
On October
4th 1956, there was born a baby girl
Brenda's
parents were happy, she was brought into this world
She had the
gift, inside a heart of gold
With love to
share, as the future would unfold
Brenda had
her share of problems, just like any other
She overcame
them all, with the love of her Mother
Many years
unravel, and she met that special man
She moved
away from Minnesota, and then moved back again
They had been
blessed, with a special little girl
Filling that
void in their lives, she was as precious as a pearl
They named
her Crystal, because she was shining like a gem
And she had
lots of love, which she shared with them
She grew into
a woman, a beauty like no other
They were
also, watching over Brenda's younger brother
Moving ahead
into the future, while working on her genealogy
She was stuck
on one part of her family tree
This was the
same place, where my grandparents were
These are my
relatives, I was absolutely sure!
It had
started with Norma Wasmer, searching on the Net
Joe Lemere
told her I could help, and it was a safe bet
Norma passed
this onto Laura, and then she wrote to me
And the cry
for my assistance, soon turned into a plea
Laura, &
Norma descend from Hercules, my grandfather's brother
Laura was in
touch with Eleanor, a descendant of another
A Gaspard
Lemier, another brother settling the North Dakota land
Brenda was
writing her, and so our contact began
Brenda wrote
me a letter, she had E-Mail and was online
From a
friend's house, I E-Mailed her with a sign
A month
later, E-Mail was hooked up for me
Cousins from
all over, sent messages to see
Brenda
became, a part of each and every day
I looked
forward, to everything she had to say
And as the
year passed on by, and came to an end
I felt very
much closer, to this special cousin and friend
This one
is about Brenda LEMIER - COOPER of Welcome, Minnesota.
And the
story told here is true, I am her cousin, my name is Bud Lemire.
Brenda has
since passed, but I shall always cherish the memories of
a very
special cousin who kept in touch with me and was a wonderful friend
as
well. Thank you Brenda!
This
is Brenda with her brother Curtis and her husband James
*
I
also got to meet Cousin Norma, who came up to visit me.
Before
I got hooked up to the Internet, around 1998, my Brother-In-Law
Harold set me up with this box that could send and receive e-mail,
yet had no internet. I was in touch with many Cousins through E-Mail
at this time. It was our way of communicating. I even had sort of a
“LEMIRE Role Call” where I would give an introduction to all the
LEMIRE related people who how they connected to the family. I called
myself Professor LEMIRE. It was fun, and kept us all informed.
Some
of the other LEMIRE descendants not listed in my story, but were in
the
LEMIRE
ROLE CALL.
The
LEMIRE ROLE CALL
Ellen
ALLEN lives at Phoenix Arizona. Her Great Grandparents were Zacharie
LEMIRE and Marie Louise PEPIN. They were married at Nicolet. They
were also in the Baie Du Febvre area. Ellen descends from
Jean-Francois LEMIRE & Francoise MONTY-NIQUET. Zacharie's family
scattered into the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchawan. In 1998
Ellen was the director of the Phoenix Arizona West Stake Family
History Center. She's been researching her family for 25 years. She
enjoys sewing, quilt, & cross stitch.
Maureen
ANDERSON of Amherstburg, Ontario. Her Great Great Grandmother was
Eloise LEMIRE, daughter of Hyacinthe LEMIRE and Sophie GOUIN, and
they came from the Baie Du Febvre area of Quebec.
Katia
BRETON lives at Cap Rouge, Quebec. She descends from Joseph LEMIRE
dit MARSOLET and Madeline GAUDRY. In 1998 she was 24 years old, and
a student studying to be a ER Nurse. She has been practicing English
and knows it very well. She has been researching her ancestry for
about a year now. She loves music, history, and enjoys studying
Human Behavior. I've had some wonderful conversations with her
online.
Pauline
COURCHESNE lives at Worcester, Massachusetts. She descends from
Jean-Baptiste LEMIRE & Catherine PINARD. Her COURCHESNE line
descends from a brother of our ancestor Francoise FOUCAULT, who took
on the “dit” name of COURCHESNE. She teaches French and Spanish.
She likes traveling, and has been to Quebec and France. She enjoys
genealogy and her heritage.
Carlene
DAY of York Harbor, Maine. Her Mother was Emilianne LEMIRE. Her
LEMIRE family were in the New Hampshire area. Her Grandfather was
Alfred Bruno LEMIRE and was born at Hooksett, New Hampshire, and
married at Rochester, New Hampshire.
Kateri
“Teri” DUPUIS lives at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She descends from
two different LEMIRE lines. Alexis LEMIRE dit GAUCHER & Marie
Anne DEZIEL dit LABRECHE. As well as Joseph LEMIRE dit MARSOLET &
Madeleine GAUDRY. She teaches school in Cudahy, Wisconsin. She grew
up in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. In 1998 she was a member of the French
Canadian/Acadian Genealogist located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Crystal
SUTTON-FOLEY lives at El Paso, Texas. Her second Great Grandfather
George WASHINGTON-SUTTON was married to Clara Jane LAMERE. Clara was
born 10 April 1853 at Steven's Point, Wisconsin. She was the
daughter of Francis and Marie LAMERE. She believes Francis was born
Francis LEMIRE on the 11 October 1814 at Baie Du Febvre, the son of
Francois LEMIRE and Genevieve HOULE. If this is correct, she
descends from Jean-Francois LEMIRE & Francoise MONTY - NIQUET.
Mel
GUNVILLE lives at Storm Lake, Iowa. He descends from Rene LEMIRE –
GONNEVILLE & Madeleine GELINA-LACOURSE. As of now, we haven't
found his ancestry. His ancestor was Louis GUNVILLE married to
Salome,,,? Surname unknown. Before coming to Iowa, they came from
Wisconsin. So the answers might be there. Louis was born about
1830. Louis came to the US around 1840.. Mel enjoys fishing, and
restoring old cars and trucks. He answers to the name Zeke also.
Gayl
HILL lives at Harbor Beach, Michigan. She descends from Rene LEMIRE
dit GONNEVILLE & Madeleine GELINAS dit LACOURSE. Her ancestors
Olivier LEMIRE dit GONNEVILLE & Esther DEZIEL dit LABRECHE
settled in the area just 25 to 30 miles from Escanaba, called
Spalding. She enjoys genealogy.
Etta
LAMERES – HOWARD lives at Eugene, Oregon. She retired in 1997.
Widowed in 1989. She loves sewing, walking, and genealogy. Her
Father was Jay Ellsworth LAMERES, born in New London, Wisconsin. Her
Grandfather was William O. LAMERES, born in Joliet, Illinois. Her
Great Grandfather William A. LAMERES was born in Nicolet, Quebec.
Her ancestry goes back to Jean-Baptiste LEMIRE and Catherine PINARD.
Linda
JANILLA of West Lakeland township, Minnesota. Her earliest LEMIRE
ancestord are Isaac LEMIRE & Helene DAMOURS, who settled in
Batiscan. Isaac also came from Rouen France. She descends from
Catherine LEMIRE and Joseph ROBIDOUX of the Laprairie area of Quebec.
She enjoys genealogy. (JANILLA
was her married name back then. She now goes by Linda K. PETERSON).
Robert
“Bob” LAMERE lives at San José, California. He descends from
Jean-Francois LEMIRE and Francoise MONTY dit NIQUET of the Baie Du
Febvre and Nicolet area. He grew up in Mosinee, Wisconsin. He
and his sister started researching their ancestry in the early 70's.
Between them, they enjoy traveling, sewing, symphonies, fishing,
reading, cooking, and sports (Green bay Packers) and Jazz.
Guy
LEMIRE lives at Deep River, Ontario, Canada. He is a 10th
Generation descendant of Jean LEMIRE & Louise MARSOLET. He
descends from the LEMIRE-MARSOLET branch of the family. He always
had an interest in genealogy. He enjoys computers, the ham radio,
traveling, and outdoor sports.
Jim
LEMIRE lives at Lebanon, New Hampshire. He grew up at Salem,
Massachusetts. His Grandparents were John LEMIRE & Grace
HARKINS. At the time of this ROLE CALL, we were trying to figure out
his ancestry. He enjoys camping, hiking, and backpacking.
Robert
MAGNAN descends from Joseph LEMIRE (son of Jean LEMIRE & Louise
MARSOLET) who married Jeanne LENORMAND. He descends from their
daughter Marguerite Louise LEMIRE who married Francois
BRIEN-DESROCHER.
Jenn
MARCELAIS lives at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. She desvends twice
from Joseph LEMIRE dit MARSOLET and Madeline GAUDRY. Joachim
LEMIRE-MARSOLET & Marie Anne RITCHOT, and Joseph LEMIRE-MARSOLET
& Claire RITCHOT. She grew up in Amesbury, and Newburyport,
Massachusetts. She's been researching her family for over two
years. She enjoys singing, history, painting, drawing, the internet,
and genealogy.
Claire
MARSOLAIS lives at St. Charles Borromé, Joliette, Quebec. She
descends from the MARSOLET side of the LEMIRE family (Joseph LEMIRE &
Madeleine GAUDRY). Her husband Seige is a photographer for the school. She enjoys
gardening, genealogy, and the internet. She has a special little friend, a shitzu named Sooshi.
Pat
MCARTHUR lives at Port Elgin, Ontario. She descends from Rene LEMIRE
dit GONNEVILLE & Madeleine GELINAS dit LACOURSE of the Maskinongé
area of Quebec. Her hobbies include genealogy. She was the
newsletter editor of the Bruce County Genalogical Society. She
enjoys gardening, and in the past, was involved in flying. Her
ancestor Augustin GONNEVILLE was a Voyager who came to Michigan.
Some of Rene's descendants have taken on the name of GRANVILLE.
Karen
MILES – MITCHUM of Radford, Virginia. Her Great Grandmother was
Lucy LEMIRE. Lucy's parents were Isaac LEMIRE and Melvina BROUSSEAU
(according to Lucy's death certificate). Lucy married John BRISSETTE
and lived in West Stewartstown, New Hampshire. She loves animals. especially cats, antiques, Celtic music, gardening, and espcially genealogy.
Deborah
& Kevin NENES live in Massachusetts. They are researching both
their families. At the momentm on both sides. Which amounts to
French Canadians, Nova Scotians, Portuguese (Madeira and Azores), and
English. They keep expecting the two sides to connect somehow,
somewhere.
Sharon
SINCLAIR lives at Ellington, Connecticutt. She was born in Germany,
and lived at various times in Germany, USA (Connecticutt), &
Italy. She descends from Jean-Baptiste LEMIRE & Catherine PINARD
as well as his brother and her sister Pierre LEMIRE & Jeanne
PINARD. She has been keeping busy researching her Quebec roots. She
enjoys Mythology, Archeology, History, Astrology, & Historical
Romances, and of course genealogy. She likes Sci-Fi TV. She loves
animals! She has a cat named Dit-Dit, & Kenny. Also she has 4
dogs (Labradours). She has a wonderful personality.
That's
just some of the many people who I've come across doing their LEMIRE
genealogy. Back in 1998 before I had the internet, the LEMIRE ROLE
CALL made it fun to send and receive e-mail from my LEMIRE Cousins.
Sandy
LAMERE-SOLARI lives at Warner Robins, Georgia. She was born in North
Hampton, Massachusetts, and grew up in East Hampton, Massachusetts.
Her ancestry comes down from New York, and ends up in Massachusetts.
She loves poetry, softball, crocheting, playing the guitar, and
genealogy. Her Grandparents were Henry or Samuel LEMERE married to
Delia LEVESQUE at East Hampton, Massachusetts. His parents were John
LEMERE and Delia/Odelia LUCIA or LUSSIER.
That's
just some of the many people who I've come across doing their LEMIRE
genealogy. Back in 1998 before I had the internet, the LEMIRE ROLE
CALL made it fun to send and receive e-mail from my LEMIRE Cousins.
I was
also in touch with a William A. LEMIRE of Clayton, Missouri in 1998.
I
have been interested in the LEMIRE Family history for about 10 years.
I was born in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1942. As you can see, we
share the same forebearers through the 2nd generation in
New France, Jean-Francois. I have been in the St. Louis area since
1971, and have developed an interest in French historyin the
Mississippi Valley. I am Vice President of The Center For French
Colonial Studies.
I was
directed by some Cousins to website by a Paul LEMIRE of Hinton,
Alberta, Canada. I checked it out and it had his address on it. I
wrote him a letter. His son Wayne wrote back saying he was in the
Hospital, and couldn't respond right now. Following that Wayne sent
me a letter from someone who needed help on their LEMIRE ancestry.
Here's how it went.
“Hello,
please be patient with me. I'm new to the computer, and to looking
for lost relatives. My Grandfather was Avila Amos LEMIRE born June
13, 1893 and died January 19, 1974? I think he was born in New
Brunswick. He married Lea LAVOIE and they had 6 children. My
Grandfather was one of twelve children, and I only have names of six
of them. They are Archie, Pam, Avila, Earl, Rose, & Alice,
I've
been told we still have lots of relatives living in Canada. We are
having a Family Reunion the first week in August 1998 in Bow, New
Hampshire. I would love to find lost relatives. Can you help? Any
information or search tips you could give me, would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance.
About
me: I'm Karen Lea LEMIRE-HUDSON, daughter of Donald Arthur LEMIRE. I
was born January 9, 1965 in Nashua, New Hampshire. I married Mark
Alan HUDSON on November 30, 1985, and we have two children. Mark is
a Chief Sonar Technician with the U.S. Submarine Force (18 years).
We are stationed in Groton, Connecticutt. We look forward to seeing
Aunts, Uncles, and lots of Cousins at the upcoming family Reunion.
In
order to tell the whole story, I must backtrack to July 25, 1990. I
wrote a letter to Jeannette Lea LEMIRE of Vancouver, Washington. I
was hoping to have some help at that time in trying to find my own
LEMIRE lineage. But 8 years later, still no response from Jeannette.
I had her lineage in front of me. I had one generation that wasn't
filled in, so I filled that in. As I looked at it, I found Karen
LEMIRE-HUDSON's family there. I sent it to her and she was so happy.
Her
E-mail response was this: THANK YOU A THOUSAND AND ONE TIMES! I
will never be able to pull myself off the computer. You added two
more children for me.
In
two more letters that follow she explains what happened to my letter
I sent to her Cousin Jeannette Lea LEMIRE of Vancouver, Washington.
Okay,
get this. I went up to New Hampshire this weekend to work with my
Aunt and Cousin Patsy, on this family research stuff. And my Aunt
gives me a box of stuff my Uncle sent to her. In it is a hand
written letter from you to my Cousin Jeannette from Vancouver,
Washington. You had written to her back in July of 1992. From the
contents of that letter, you sure have been busy putting everything
together since then. You are truly amazing! Then I get back to
Connecticutt on Monday and there is a letter from yet another Cousin,
Brenda LEMIER-COOPER. I was so excited, I could hardly contain
myself. This is just so great!
Jeannette
is my first Cousin, and was stricken ill about 2 years ago. It has
been a long recovery period for her and she is almost back to 100%.
During this time she couldn't even remember her own name, never mind
anyone elses. I'm hoping she will pick it back up again. Although I
am so involved in this, I will probably never rest until it is
completed. Then she won't have to work on it any more.
Karen
and I became close friends and she would call me on my Birthday,
which was 12 days after hers. Between her, Brenda, & I, they
would call themselves my Guardian Angels and they would send me
flowers and stuffed animals. Brenda sent me a bear in a tub taking a
bath. Karen sent me a dog with Angel wings. Karen also sent me Scuttle from "The Little Mermaid."
She said she always thought of me as Eeyore (donkey from Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh). Karen went to visit Brenda in Minnesota. Here they are together.
Here is a poem I wrote for Brenda called “An Angel Is Born.”
She said she always thought of me as Eeyore (donkey from Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh). Karen went to visit Brenda in Minnesota. Here they are together.
Here is a poem I wrote for Brenda called “An Angel Is Born.”
An
Angel Is Born
©
1998 by Bud Lemire
On January
9th 1965, Momma Rose gave birth
To a special
little girl, who began life on earth
She was
destined to be, a treasure to hold dear
With her
Grandmother's song, playing in her ear
It wasn't
always easy for her, traveling down life's road
She worked
very hard, and carried a heavy load
Parents Don
and Rose, were happy she was in their life
And thought
some day, she'd make someone a wonderful wife
She had her
share of loves, trials she'd endure
Until that
special man came, then she was sure
Mark Hudson
was a Navy man, but there was love
And a family
was started, with blessings from above
They both
worked hard, to support the family they started
And the love
they shared, never strayed and never parted
I entered her
life, in the year of 1998
She needed
help with her ancestry, and would appreciate
Any help that
could be given
To connect
the dead to the living
I'm Bud
Lemire, and have researched our name
I had
gathered families, who carried the same
I looked and
I found, her ancestry real fast
By traveling
through records, and into the past
She was so
happy, having been bitten by the bug
Working on
her ancestry, she wanted to give me a hug
There's more
to the story, this much is fact
In 1992 I
wrote to her cousin, but she didn't write back
While looking
through her Aunt's box, they found that very same letter
That was sent
there, and this made Karen feel very much better
It was like
finding a gold mine, she wanted to jump and shout
This generous
cousin, who knew what genealogy was all about
Through
letters and phone calls, we shared stories of our life
We had so
much in common, our happy times, our strife
We became
much closer in spirit, much closer in heart
She became my
Soul-Sister, though we were miles apart
This Angel
who guides me, of this I must say
I'm so happy
that she, sent her love my way
I've Earned
my Wings, Ancestral spirits help from above
But she made
it much easier, she sent me her love
So as I think
back, to the day of her birth
I appreciate
her presence, on this great planet Earth
For I know
I've been blessed, with a special friend who is true
I
know I can overcome anything, because Karen...I have you
~
Let
me backtrack a bit. Paul Lemire (of Hinton, Alberta, Canada) was in
the Hospital at the time Karen asked for help. Paul's son Wayne sent
Karen to me. Paul had found out he had Leukemia. I remember he had
gone in to have his spleen taken out. He writes this May 8, 1998.
“Mine was not working properly anymore, caused by my Leukemia
over 13 years. So the specialist decided it should go. Now a lot of
people do without a spleen. Usually people lose their spleen through
accidents. The one thing is, I will not be able to fight infections
as good as before. If I get a cold, I'll have to watch closely, so
it doesn't get me too far down.”
When
we first started writing e-mails to each other, he sent me a little
biography of himself. This is what he sent.
I
came to Hinton to stay in December 1965. I was born in McLennan
hospital in McLennan, Alberta on August 27 1936 and raised in Falher,
Alberta. I took all my schooling there. Even lived in the convent
there for over three years. In May 1953, I left a great French
community with a Calgary based seismec company. W worked in many
towns in Alberta, Saskatchawan, and in British Columbia in bush
camps. Some towns I worked out of in Alberta were Edson, Falher,
High Prairie, Hinton, Innisfall, Magrath, Peace River, and Rocky
Mountain House. In Saskatchawan, Bengough, Carnduff, Carlyle, Climax
Estevan, Eston, Fort Qu'Appelle, Kelvington, Kerrobert, Rosetown,
Stoughton, Watrous, Weyburn, Windthorst. In British Columbia, Dawson
Creek, Fort St. John, and mostly in bush camps in the north east, by
the Beaton River, Fontas & Kahntah rivers and mile 235 Alaska
Highway.
On
October 10, 1959 I married Leona FISCHER at Eston Saskatchawan, her
home town, at the time of her life. We started our married life in
Edmonton, where I just started working for Sturdiegas. We were
transferred to Edson a month after we were married. We stayed there
six and a half years and our two sons were born there. Patrick on
September 3, 1960, and Wayne on July 5, 1962. The company was bought
by Canadian Propane during that time, not it's ICG.
In
December 1965, I started at North West Pulp & Power in Hinton as
a Pulpwood Scaler. I worked in the woodlands department all the
time, until I was given a golden parachute on February 12, 1991. The
last eighteen years at the Mill, I was a Log Truck Dispatcher,
becoming Senior Dispatcher in 1977. I saw many changes, both at the
mill, and in town, during my years here.
When
we came here, Hinton was a population of 4,000, and we knew
everybody. W didn't have to lock our doors, house, or car. I saw
the Mill change name four times while there. From Northwest Pulp &
Power (which was like a big family) to St. Regis, then to Champion,
and at the timeof the big expansion in 1990, to Weldwood. This is
where there was a big change of the whole operation. It changed so
fast, and a lot of people were hired, and at the end of the
expansion, a lot of people got hurt by the changes. They called it
team work and modernization. Twenty Seven years there saw many
different people too. I took my pension in September 1991 as I
turned 55.
After
awhile I got bored, so I went driving buses for something to do, and
a bit more income. With the school buses and mine buses, I worked as
much as I want. It kept me in the work force awhile longer. At 60,
I took my Canada pension, and now I hardly work at all. Life was
good to us here in Hinton, and we love the country, so we will likely
stay here now. My best job was Dispatcher.
Before
I got my own computer, Paul and I would stay in touch by e-mail, by
me using Bob Miller's computer (Bob is the Quadriplegic man I helped
from 1988 until 2012). When I got my very first computer and several
that came after, Paul and I have written e-mail letters back and
forth for years, up until his death on June 20, 2017.
Here are a few pictures of my dear friend and Cousin Paul LEMIRE of Hinton, Alberta, Canada.
Paul & his wife Leona
Here are a few pictures of my dear friend and Cousin Paul LEMIRE of Hinton, Alberta, Canada.
Here
is a poem I wrote for Paul.
Paul,
A Special Cousin
©2001 by Bud Lemire
A special
cousin, a special friend, a special person I can say
And to keep
in touch, makes life special every day
The daily
letters, they keep us in touch
Times we
shared, were very much
From season
to season, and all through the year
From happiest
moments, to those with a tear
We shared
much, between my family and yours
And you told
me about, all of your chores
You shared
your weather report, and I shared mine too
We helped
each other in life, all the way through
You've always
been there for me, and I've been there for you
I always
appreciate all that you say, and all that you do
I am like
your son, and you are like my Dad
We've each
been through the good times, also the bad
They say
blood is blood, we're related that's for sure
And for us
genealogists, it doesn't look like there's a cure
We both love
to meet new Lemire cousins, and staying in touch with each
We learn so
much from them, and for them we sometimes teach
The knowledge
of our family, and the history of our clan
And where
they had settled, throughout this American land
What more can
say, I will say it from my heart
In the life
I'm living, you play a special part
With a love
for you that's much deeper, than anything I ever had
I
send this poem of gratitude, for my cousin, my friend, and my Dad
~
The
next person I was in touch with was a Jean LEMIRE – PAYNE of
Lewiston, Maine. She had lost touch with her LEMIRE relatives and
hardly knew them. I guess our connection started with her son
finding me online somewhere. Here is her first E-Mail letter to me.
My
son Douglas PAYNE, sent me a copy of an e-mail address you had sent
to him regarding my Grandfather Louis Pierre LEMIRE Sr. My Father
was Louis Pierre LEMIRE Jr, and I am his only child, that I know of.
My name is Jean LEMIRE – PAYNE, although my birth certificate lists
me as Marie Jean LEMIRE from Quincy Massachusetts. I dropped the
Marie, but when in college, I thought Marie was my middle name, and
used my my name as Jean Marie LeMIre (my Mom and I always capitalized
the M in Lemire). I hope to hear more about my Father's family. I
always thought of him with love in my heart, even though I barely
knew him. I do remember the last time I saw him when I was two years
old. I'm 66 years young now. Thank you for your help. I feel so
happy to know that there's someone out there that is connected to the
descendants of Louis Pierre LEMIRE and Amanda ST. MARTIN, my Father's
parents. God bless you all! I'll be grateful to hear more. Have a
happy Memorial weekend. Mine is already starting out with hope.
How
kind and generous of you to send the “info” of my Father's
family. I have been “hurting inside” all my life for not having
been able to meet or see some of them. Thank you! I'll call Joseph
this weekend and tell him you were so nice to give me his phone
number.
Late
last night I hastily wrote him a note, that turned out to be a
disorderly letter. Now however, I'll phone and say “all I have
ever known” about my Dad's family. You see, I believe that my name
or my Mother's family were probably never discussed. I was Louis
Pierre LEMIRE's only child (or so I was told), and he and my Mother
Blanche split up when I was a young infant. Born in Quincy,
Massachusetts on January 13, 1932, I then came to Old Town Maine with
my Mother, and only remember seeing my Dad when I was two years old.
Yes, believe it or not, I remember! I also remember meeting a First
Cousin, Joe, who was a medical student when he visited me at about
age 2 to 5. I'm not sure. Could this be the Joseph in Auburn,
Massachusetts? I also exchanged letters with Joe's sister, Emma. A
wonderful friend, whose address in Chicopee, Massachusetts, I lost.
I'm
so grateful to the “Heaven-Sent” help agan. Last year, I did
“Heaven-Wise again” come in contact with a genealogy LEMIRE
person in Clayton Missouri. I found out that the man, Jean LEMIRE
from Rouen France in the 1600's, and fist mayor of Quebec, had the
same name as mine before marriage in 1954. But, I'm a woman! Guess
my Mom and Dad wanted a boy. I was looking for Dr. Joseph LEMIRE,
and Emma LEMIRE-LEBEL when I talked and wrote to the man in Missouri,
but to no avail.
I
thank you and my son, Douglas PAYNE, for being able to set my mind at
ease. By the way, I spoke French when young, and gave it up, in a
way. I'll let you know how my conversation with Joseph goes, but
then again, you may hear from him as well. Sincerely, your Cousin,
we think. Jean LEMIRE – PAYNE.
She
called Joseph E. LEMIRE of Auburn, Massachusetts. This is what she
wrote next.
Because
of your kindness, and Joe's phone number for me to call. I did phone
Joe LEMIRE. Yes, as usual, I may have talked too long. Yes, he's my
Cousin Joe's son (the one I had been trying to find along with his
sister, Emma). I am grateful to you, too, Cousin, as well. I sent
you a long e-mail awhile back, but was disconnected in part of it.
I'm sorry if you didn't get it all. I'm not as computer literate as
you are. My heartfelt thanks are sent to you, Norma, and Joe.
Sincerely, Jean LEMIRE – PAYNE, or “J'Amie” as my college
friends call me
J'Amie is in the middle, with the black dress. With friends from Old Town, Maine.
J'Amie is in the middle, with the black dress. With friends from Old Town, Maine.
Jean
“J'Amie” and I kept in touch by e-mail, normal mail, and phone
calls. J'Amie which is French for “I have a Friend” proved to
be exactly that. She was a dear friend, and a sweet soul, I was
happy to have been in touch with. She was also Miss Maine at one
time. As I type this, tears come to my eyes. So many wonderful
people have touched ny life through genealogy. She was one of them.
Here
is a poem I wrote for her in 1999.
Flowers
For Ja'Mie
© 1999 by Bud Lemire
It started in
1998, with a letter from her son
Searching for
their ancestry, with help from anyone
From another
cousin, the message passed to me
I looked
through my Lemire Index, to see what I could see
I found their
family, and responded right away
Then I heard
from Ja'Mie, I had made her day
I told her
about her cousin, a gentleman named Joe
And said that
she should call him, to put in her hello
Ja'Mie did
exactly what I said, so happy to be in touch
With another
cousin, she thanked me very much
Over the next
year, we've kept in touch with other
Exchanging
our life's story, she is such a caring Mother
Sharing our
worries, and problems that come from day to day
We became
much closer, in a spiritual way
She always
sends me flowers from the heart, to help me in my life
Giving me the
strength, to overcome the strife
She's a
special friend and cousin, always through and through
And I'm
writing her this poem, because I love her too
I'm sending
this message, filled with many hugs
I'm taking
out the errors, so there won't be any bugs
For a person
like you, that I'm happy to have known
For having
you in my life, my inner self has grown
As you read
this message, I hope you'll think of me
As your
friendship guides me, wherever you will be
In life, in
love, in Cousindry, and in friendship too
I
send these flowers from my heart, especially for you
~
J'Amie had been Miss Maine back in the 50's.
Not
long after that, one of my Cousins suggested I ask for donations so I
could afford a new computer. This was around 1999. To me, it didn't
seem right to ask. I put it out there to see what kind of a response
it would get anyway. The responses poured in and I got many
donations. From many Cousins, one a Pen Pal of mine, and my brother
Clyde as well. I was quite surprised to receive $500 from Jean
LEMIRE-PAYNE, and asked her if she made a mistake and meant $50
instead. Her response was something like this:
“Bud,
I didn't make a mistake. You have helped many people, including me,
and deserve it.”
With
my money and the donation money, I was able to get a new computer.
My very first computer was an Aspire by Acer. It wasn't the best of
the computers, but at least I had one, thanks to all my friends and
Cousins.
On
the Internet I was able to keep in touch with Cousins and friends
much easier and faster. And of course I enjoyed the Chat rooms, but
that's a different story. I was able to look up other relatives on
the Internet and believe me, there were many out there, And a lot of
information to browse on genealogy. Before long Cousins from all
over were e-mailing asking for help in finding their ancestry. I did
my best to help them, but even some of them I couldn't get beyond a
certain point.
I
also heard from Katia BRETON, who was looking to find her LEMIRE
ancestors. Here is a letter she writes to me after I helped her find
her ancestors.
“I
want to thank you for the incredible work you have done! My whole
family was happy! I will send you a copy of my genealogy tree when I
am finished. You asked Paul where I come from. I am from Cap Rouge,
near Quebec City. Same place of our ancestor. That's great, hey? I
called the Augustine sister of the Hotel Dieu of Quebec (where Jean
LEMIRE is dead), to ask them if they have a Death Certificate for
Jean. They didn't because a fire destroyed it in 1777! Anyway, I
will get a Birth Certificate, and Marriage and Death Certificate of
Louise MARSOLET. I will do my best to get you some interesting
things. I'm in the city, so it is easier for me. You have my e-mail
address, so you can write back. P.S. Sorry for my English, I am
French.
One
of my Cousins I heard from was a Marcelle BRISSETTE of Quebec. Her
LEMYRE family is from the Maskinongé are aof Quebec. I told her I
would love to have something from Maskinongé to hold onto and keep. So
she sent me this book about Maskinongé. Inside she wrote this.
“Bonjour Bud! Voici
Maskinongé, le coin de nos ancetres. J'ai pense que trouverais des
photos et des renseignements inseressants. Je l'offre avec plaisir,
Mon Cousin! - Marcelle “ (Hello Bud! Here is Maskinongé, the
place of our ancestors. I thought that you would find photos and
information of interest. I offer it with pleasure, My Cousin! -
Marcelle )
Who would of ever
thought I would be going on a trip to Quebec. Me, someone who has
never gone on a trip alone, someone who has been away from traveling
for so many years. Someone who really didn't feel comfortable
traveling lately either. But there was more at work here that brought
me to take this journey. I needed to prove to myself that I could do
it. I also wanted so much to see the places I've been researching and
see where my ancestors had lived. It was pulling at me. I'll admit I
was scared in one way to travel so far from home, and yet knew it was
something I needed to do. My sister Nancy volunteered to help watch
over Mom, and so did my brother John and his fiancee Terry. The trip
was arranged before, but some things went wrong, and I had to
rearrange some of the trip over again. Doing this a week before the
trip was not easy. But I had some help from a cousin who lives a half
hour away from Montreal. She found me the hotel I was going to be
staying at for my two days in Montreal after the Lemire gathering. My
journey started out at 2:15 AM June 28, 2001 from Escanaba. It was a
long tiring journey on the bus. To St. Ignace, to Detroit, and then
across the border to Windsor. Through the Windsor Tunnel. The
Canadian Customs boarded the bus and asked many questions. It wasn't
that bad at all. A long ride through the Ontario countryside, and it
was really nice.
Finally arrived in
Toronto. It was a very big city. Seems like it took forever to get to
the middle of it, where the bus depot was. I wanted something to eat,
but the food counter man wouldn't take Travelers Checks. They told me
to cross the street and get it changed at a Grocery store. So I did
that, and I was a bit afraid. I finally got to the store and the
woman at the counter was happy to take Travelers Checks. I picked up
some bottled water and apple juice and a sandwich. Returned to the
Bus Depot. I went to the basement to the bathroom to change over my
liquids into my little jugs that fit in my little portable cooler. I
returned back upstairs. I was to meet a friend I have been chatting
with on the computer, along with her fiancée. I saw two people
staring at me. I recognized Sandy from her pictures she sent me. The
guy said "Clarence?" They came over and we started chatting
after I hugged Sandy and shook hands with Neil. They thought they
missed me, as they were looking for me. They gave me a Beatles
Mirror, knowing I like the Beatles. So we found a place to put that
in my carrying case. They took me to a restaurant in the depot and
ordered me a Chicken sandwich and a juice. Then they took some
pictures of Sandy and me, and then I took some of them. Then my bus
was getting ready to leave. I said my good byes and got ready to
board the bus.
After more traveling
in the countryside of Ontario, we arrived in Montreal at 7:05 AM. I
bought my ticket to Trois-Rivieres. Chatted with a woman going to
Trois-Rivieres, and then we boarded the bus. I thought we'd be
traveling by the main road to Trois-Rivieres, but I was lucky, we
went through the little roads to pick up people. We went through
Maskinongé, Louiseville, & Yamachiche. These are especially
meaningful to me, because this is where my LEMIRE line lived for many
generations. I wanted to stand up and ask if anyone was a LEMIRE or
knew a LEMIRE from this area. But I kept quiet and watched as we rode
along on our way to Trois-Rivieres. Upon arrival in Trois-Rivieres, I
left the bus Depot to catch a Taxi. I wanted to get my money
exchanged into Canadian money, because I couldn't do it in Montreal
because they weren't open yet. So as I walked out, a taxi saw me
coming and pulled up for me. I hopped in and showed him where I was
going, and also asked if I could go to a bank. He didn't know
English, so he brought me to the Delta Inn, and they explained to him
what I wanted. So he took me to a bank and they exchanged my money
into Canadian money,and then he brought me to Ville-Joie (at
Pointe-Du-Lac). He was a really nice guy, and he waited until after
the bank business was done, and then started his meter running. I
arrived too early at the Ville-Joie site. The owner of the place told
me some Lemires should be coming soon to get things set up. I was
greeted by Levis Lemire first and he drove me over to where they were
setting up all the books and tables for the selling at the gathering.
Reine and Claude showed up shortly. And I got a tour of the place.
Christian Lemire, a young man with a lot of energy and talent,was
helping get everything set up. I decided to help also, since I was
there early. So I helped carry some tables in, and move chairs
around. They all had to leave to get more things, and left me to mind
the store. Yves Lemire entered and spoke something in French, and I
didn't know what he said. So I just responded with "sorry I
can't understand you." And he got mad and walked out the door. I
saw him sitting in his truck for a long time. I do wish I knew enough
French to at least get by. But I didn't practice enough before I
came. The others knew enough English to talk with me. I was to find
out later that Yves is known to have a temper, and loses it quite
often. Sounds like my family! My brother John and my Dad were known
for their short tempers.
More people came and
were getting more set up. It was getting closer to 4 PM, the time of
the opening. I was feeling so dirty, having not shaved or showered
since I arrived. Reine brought me over to the main building and I
had to wait awhile for the cleaning crew to clean the rooms. So, I
greeted people as they came in. There were many Lemires I got to meet
and shake hands with as we looked at each others name tags and where
we each came from. I was the only one from Michigan. I was finally
able to go shave and shower and change clothes and then return. Met
Robert LaMere (of California). Hey, he's got red hair, a Lemire with
red hair, and he comes all the way from California; His wife Sally;
Anita LaMere-Olds, Christine Lemire-Theoharis & her Mother Marie
Simon-Lemire, Paul Lemire (Christine's brother), & Judith
LaMere-Janz, Emmet Engstrom & his wife Jean LaMere (of Rice lake
Wisconsin). Met Lorraine Lemire-Miville, (Manchester NH) & her
cousin Larry Attoke, Michael Lemire(of Waltham, Massachusetts),
Stephen & Mary Louise Schwab(Richmond, Virginia) Rene &
Angele Lemire(of HintonAlberta), Claire Mire-Bettag (of Washington
DC), she's from Louisiana and is descended from the Acadian Lemire
line; William Lemire and his wife (of Missouri); Then the Lemire
siblings, Levis(I met earlier), Bertin, Gerard, Marthe, & Nicole
(all who knew some English and all unique in their own way and
special also). Then there were the New Hampshire Lemire sisters of
Belmont, Lillian, Lucille, & Janet Lemire-Leroux. Eric Lemire and
family of France. Rodrigue & Therese Lemire of St.Laurent Quebec,
Anita Lemire of Ottawa, Ontario, David Lemire, his wife Gloria, &
his daughter Shelly Ann of Hinckly Ohio, Michel Lemire & his
wife Claudette and their little black dog Mister Yes of St.Hyppolite
Quebec, François Lemire and his wife Lise, and son Dominique
(Dominique was taking many of the pictures) of St.Hubert, Quebec,
Sylvio Lemire of Ottawa, Ontario (Edith LePage's Uncle,if I have it
right); André Lemire (not Carmen's brother. This one is from Dorval
Quebec), Andrée Lemire & her boyfriend Lucien Louvion of
Trois-Rivieres Quebec; Sister Rita Lemire of Montreal Quebec; Gerald
LeMire of Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Helene DeSerres-Lemyre & her
sister Cynthia(who descend from the Maskinongé Lemires). Met a nice
little man of age 93 who has written many books. His name is Armand
Manseau and his Mother was a Lemire. He was a smiling little guy.
Rene Lemire was there and he translated what he said. Armand's words
touched me, he said "I am so happy to be here, is this heaven
and I must be dead." Armand comes from the Baie Du Febvre area
of Quebec.
Then I met Paul
Fleurent (dit Pinard), Jacques Jutras, & Luc Lemire of Baie Du
Febvre and Nicolet areas of Quebec. Jacques' wife was there and tried
to get me to pronounce JUTRAS the French way. I kept trying to
pronounce my O's the right way in the first part of the name, and
they thought I was close, but still couldn't get it. They laughed at
me for the sound I did make, and whenever I saw Mrs.Lemire-Jutras
throughout the day, she'd laugh when she saw me. Met Reverend
Jonathon Lemire of Ste.Monique Nicolet. His first words were, "I
need to talk to you about something" and his final words were
"meet me after dinner and we will look over some books." He
was working on the Eugene Lemire & Denise Pinard line, who happen
to come down to the local LeMire Doctors and Lawyers of Escanaba. I
met Rachel Lemire-Bellemare of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec and her
boyfriend Gilbert Thiffault, and her daughter Mary-Helene and
granddaughter Talya. They descend from the Maskinongé Lemires and
she was so happy to meet me. We had several pictures taken together.
I met Rene Dubuc and Francine Lemire, Jacques Lemire of Yamachiche
Quebec(Rachel's brother), Normand Landry & Andrée Lemire of
Laval, Quebec, Professeur Michel Lemire of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. I
met so many new relatives. The day went fast, and before I knew it, I
was back in my room sleeping.
Saturday June 30,
2001, this was to be the big day. A day I would never forget. After
breakfast,the afternoon came and this day went fast. I went over to
the building where they were selling the Lemire Clothing and books,
and met many people there(see yesterday, in the above paragraph).
Then when I returned out in back of the Ville-Joie building, I met so
many cousins (see listing above also). I took many pictures, and
wrote down many names. Inside we sat and held a mass celebrating the
300th anniversary of the marriage of Jean-François Lemire &
Françoise Foucault. A man dressed like Jean-François, & a woman
dressed as Françoise stood up in front. Many songs were sung in
French. I was sitting next to Michel Lemire, and he looked at me and
laughed as he asked if I was singing along and following the words
okay. I smiled and pretended I was.
Many priests were up
front, one was a John Lemire who was 83 years old and he looked alot
like Santa Claus. He shook my hand and laughed and said to me,
"you're the Michigan Lemire." After the mass, everyone
turned around and shook hands with everyone within reaching distance.
And one of the priests came around and we shook his hand also. I
found out later that Françoise Foucault was portrayed by Reine
Lemire's daughter. Outside we met more cousins. And then they set up
for the dinner. At dinner, we were first served Cream soup with
salad. And then a big plate of meat and rice. The meat tasted like
either Chicken (Poulet) or Lobster. I like both, so it didn't matter
to me. Stephen thought it was Lobster, but Claire Mire-Bettag thought
it was Chicken. She asked a waitress-host and it was Chicken. It was
very good,and I think I ate more food this night than I had any other
night while I was there. Then awhile following cake was served. Then
the Association gave out awards to those members deserving one. It
was a big poster of the Lemire Coat Of Arms. Singing a song was next,
an old Quebec ballad set to words of Jean-François & Françoise.
People would clang their glasses together and each time that was
done, Jean-François & Françoise would get up and give each
other a long passionate kiss in a dipping style. It was done
throughout the dinner. The dinner lasted about 3 hours as we chatted
and ate and took our time.
After the dinner,
Michel Lemire gave a presentation on Lemires. I sat way in back and
looked at a photobook that Sylvio Lemire was showing me, as well as
some genealogical information on his Lemire family. I followed that
up with sharing information with Reverend Jonathon Lemire also. It
was dark now, and they were having a campfire outside, so I went to
find that. In the hallway, I asked someone where it might be. The
woman sitting there spoke to me..."Bud Bud Bud, talk a little
slower please, so I can understand you." I think it was Nicole
Lemire. So I spoke slower, and was on my way to the campfire. The
campfire was set down the hill on the beach near the Lemire store at
Ville-Joie...set on the beach of Lac St.Pierre (part of the
St.Lawrence Seaway). many were singing songs and drinking wine. they
were singing the "oui oui oui" song of the wine drinkers of
Burgundy France. Michel Lemire was standing next to me, and explained
it to me. It was a catchy song, and I enjoyed it. I joked around with
the guy who played Jean-François saying I didn't think Jean-François
had such a big belly like he had. Everyone was laughing and enjoyed
the feeling of being there. I chatted with Eric Lemire(of France)
there also. That night I was exhausted. Claude Rousseau's two
daughters(very beautiful women) & son were helping out with
translating for those who only basically knew one language. They
helped me out quite a bit. Other times, I used my French knowledge in
writing them down and got the message across to some. One of his
daughters looked so much like my sister Cheryl when she was younger
with brown hair, and the other had beautiful dark hair. I found
myself staring at them often throughout my stay there. I woke up on
the final day and wondered where everyone was. I was lead to the
kitchen cafeteria and there was a meeting going on. They picked a new
president. I believe the choice was Yolande (wife of Yves with the
bad temper). We had brunch. I found myself chatting with several
people at the table as I ate. I referred to Paul & Rene Lemire as
brothers, and Rene's wife Angele corrected me. They live right down
the road from each other and are close as friends, I forgot they were
First Cousins in reality. Easy mistake to make. I had to catch my bus
in Trois-Rivieres at 12:30PM to bring me to Montreal. Claire
Mire-Bettag volunteered earlier, and later Reine said she would.
Stephen said he would drive me, and he found out directions to the
bus terminal from Claude Rousseau & Levis Lemire. I shook hands
with many of the relatives I met there, as I said my farewell.
Stephen found the bus
terminal and I was off, on my way to Montreal. Upon arriving in
Montreal I phoned my cousin Suzanne DeCoste of Varennes, and her
husband took a message. I took a Taxi to Lord Berri Hotel. It was a
black man who spoke very poor English (and it wasn't French either).
He tried explaining something about where he was going to drop me
off. he knew I didn't understand him, and I got a bit upset at his
reaction to me not understanding. I told him to just drop me off near
my hotel as I raised my voice. I was on the sixth floor. Upon my
arrival a message came for me after I checked in. Suzanne said she
would meet me in the lobby at 5 PM. I was met in the lobby by Suzanne
who gave me the traditional kiss on both cheeks upon greeting. And we
walked down to Old Montreal. This wasn't far from where I was staying
at. We walked for quite awhile around old Montreal. And later the
wind got colder and I had forgotten my warmer shirt. Just me and
short sleeves. We sat in old Montreal in an outside restaurant and
ordered a chicken sandwich, as we watched performers performing on
the street and a horse and buggy going by. It was a very big
sandwich. I could only eat half. I saved the other half to bring back
to my hotel room. then we walked to the Montreal jazz festival and
listened to a few songs there. I'll admit our time together was cut
short because I was getting cold and uncomfortable. So we headed back
to the hotel. She kissed me on both sides of my cheek and said
goodbye. I was told Michel Lemire had called me and I called him
back. We arranged to meet tomorrow morning at 10AM for a day
together.
The next day I met him
in the lobby and we walked to a restaurant and planned the day
together. Our first visit was to old Montreal and then to
Pointe-a-calliere, a museum that took you on a tour under the city to
explore the history of Montreal from the beginning. We took time out
to go to another restaurant and then returned to finish the tour.
Then we walked to old Montreal and Michel paid my way to the Mosaic
exhibition. It was many shapes that were covered in floral. It was
very beautiful all of them,to see the shapes and know that plants are
growing on them and need to be trimmed and watered daily. Then Michel
brought me on the subway to another restaurant where we each had a
paté. It was very good, but once again, I
could only eat half. The people who work there are bilingual and knew
both languages really well. Michel trying to increase his English
vocabulary, kept bringing out his French-English dictionary for words
he was stuck on in our conversations. Sometimes I was able to find
the words for him as we chatted. Then we took a subway to another
part of town. We walked about 6 blocks on what Michel referred to as
the poor side of town. It was to a French Canadian genealogical
Library. It cost $10 to use, and I was greeted by a Monsieur
Letourneaux, who shook my hand. They had every book in any part of
Quebec there. I was overwhelmed while looking, and wrote down some
information, but not as much as I should have. After 2 hours there,
Michel brought me back near my hotel by subway. We shook hands and he
said, "next time you come here, plan to stay 5 days." He
later told me by E-mail that he never would have gone alone to the
places he did, but he was glad I was there to accompany him to both,
as he wanted to see both of them for a long time (Museum &
Mosaic).
The long journey home
started on Tuesday July 3 at11:AM. I met two black women who were
going back to New York City after a shopping spree. They helped me
catch the right bus when our paths went different ways. At Syracuse
New York, my bus was the same one all the way to Chicago. But when I
reached Chicago,my Tote bag was not there. I went into the baggage
room and looked, and it wasn't there. I went to the Service desk and
they couldn't help me either. They said it was probably enroute to
where I was going ahead of time. I knew there wasn't anything I could
do at this time. I went to grab something to eat and drink at the
lunch corner. A little black woman with a mop was staring at me. I
noticed she was saying OH OH. And as I looked, I found my little
portable cooler was leaking. It was all over the floor, and she came
along and mopped it all up. The journey home was long and tiring and
took a lot out of me. Seemed like forever to get home. And the
baggage wasn't there when I arrived. My brother John and his fiancée
Terry were waiting and they drove me to the hospital to see my
Mother. She was taken there on her Birthday, while I was away(July
1st). Doctors say there were problems with her kidney not functioning
well. And they found a growth on one. To this day not sure if it is
Cancerous or just a infection. She also had a hernia. They want to do
more tests. They can't do a biopsy because she is a high-risk
patient, with her diabetes and pacemaker and overweight and age.
Monday July 9th 2001, down
at the bus terminal, the manager said it would be hard to find my
baggage, because Montreal is such a big place. I should have had more
tags on my baggage, but someone messed up along the way. Not sure
where it will go or be, but he will keep checking for me. The 15 days
ahead will be important in the search. I have the film with all the
pictures I took in Quebec inside, as well as the Lemire Association
Cup I picked up for Cousin Karen Lemire-Hudson, and pins for Cousins
Brenda and Karen. Also a Lemire Association shirt for me. I can
replace everything except the pictures. I know there were many things
I should have done differently. But with this being my first trip,
and it being such a rush and confusion and more, I messed up. I
thought for sure from New York state to Chicago my baggage would be
there, because I never changed buses. But somewhere along the way, my
baggage got off without me. I did have a receipt inside that read
Clarence Lemire of Escanaba, Michigan on the receipt from the French
Canadian Library of Montreal. It's among all my dirty clothes. I hope
someone did open up the baggage because my dirty underwear was right
on top. I still have my memories of the wonderful time I had there,
and an experience I'll never forget. While I was in Quebec, I did
call and talk to Mom. She did receive the Birthday Flowers I sent her
while I was in Quebec (artificial).
I arrived back in Escanaba
on July 4th 2001 and my brother John and his wife Terry picked me up
and drove to the hospital here in Escanaba where Mom was. Nancy told
me Mom had fallen out of bed, and she wasn’t feeling quite right.
They gave her something to help, but in the end they thought it best
to bring her to the hospital. There they found something growing on
one of her kidneys. When I saw Mom, she gave me a big hug and said
she was glad I had gone on the trip and enjoyed myself. Our family
decided we were getting the run around on what was wrong with Mom. So
we had her transferred up to Marquette hospital, which is about an
hour north of Escanaba. Nancy stayed there to be close by when Mom
needed her.
Nancy told me one day
when she went in to check on Mom, a Nurse stopped her and asked her
who Bud was. She told the Nurse it was her brother. The Nurse said
she was up all night talking to Bud like he was in the next bed. Yet
the bed was empty.
On July 20th 2001,
with a final tear in her eye, she left her troubles behind and passed
away into spirit. To rejoin the family and friends there. Nancy was
so emotional and went out of the room and down the hallway. The rest
of us who were there, waited for the priest to say some words.
At home, I had trouble
sleeping. I was restless and worried about my future. I had been
sleeping on the couch, afraid to sleep in Mom's bedroom. John
offered to bring my bed down from upstairs, and I finally agreed. I
slept in Mom's bedroom.
Mom passed on July 20,
2001 and Jeannie said “She's left me again.” I stayed alone in
the house until May 2002. Just trying to get by on what I could.
Family members would help out. Many of my siblings wondered why I
wasn't out looking for another place to live, or a better job to
afford another place to live. They wanted to get things ready for an
Estate Sale and put the house on the market to sell. My brother John
and his wife Terry came by often and they always asked “Is there
anything we can do or get for you.”
I spent the next
several months packing up stuff and cleaning the house, and saying
goodbye to the place I called home for thirty nine years. I realized
right then and there, that the people who who made this place a home,
weren't there any more. So it didn't feel like home any more. I
realized that old saying was true “Home is where the heart is.”
Since my heart was no longer here, I was ready to move on.
I moved out of the old
family house and into an apartment. I didn't stay long, maybe about
three months. Met a woman from Washington state and moved out to Gig
Harbor, and got married. From there to Montesano. I didn't do much
genealogy there, but eventually would go to the Jesus Christ Of
Latter Day Saints Family History Library in Elma to do some. I also
were in touch with some PINARD cousins (you'll find that story in MY
LIFE'S STORY, as well as the chapter titled PINARD here). Married
life didn't last long, and I was back in Escanaba again.
Late December of
2004 I received a Christmas card from Pauline of Portage, Michigan.
Her daughter Cherie was doing some genealogy, and they wrote to my
Cousin Camille “Skip” LEMIRE of Marquette, Michigan.
Cherie sent some
information to Camille LEMIRE in Marquette, Michigan. He was very
kind and helped all he could in filling details, and assuring us that
we had, in fact, found my Great Grandmother's family. We were
surprised to see that there were descendants still here in Michigan.
“Skip” did say that you were the family genealogist, and had done
extensive research. I wonder if you and I could communicate via
e-mail and share our knowledge of the LEMIRE family.
Pauline's
Great Grandmother was Marie Janviere LEMIRE (my Grandfather
Camille's sister) who married Regis BELANGER on the 29 of August in
1902 in Marquette, Michigan. They raised their family in Lowell,
Massachusetts. We kept in touch and shared pictures and information.
I even had a chance to talk with her Mother before she passed away.
Pauline told me her Mom was so happy to hear from me. Pauline and I
have kept in touch by e-mail ever since.
In
genealogy, surprises never stop. You just never know who you are
going to hear from, or how they will fit into the family. For a
genealogist, it is one of the most rewarding things to happen.
On
April 25, 2005 I heard from a Alain CHARETTE of Quebec, who sent me
copies of some relatives I was looking for on the LEMIRE side as well
as other information. He sent me information on the descendants of
Pierre Leandré LEMIRE & Olive BEAUCHAMP. It was wonderful to
hear from him, and to know there are Cousins who still live in
Quebec.
Jumping
several years ahead, in 2017 when I joined the Senior Companion
Program, I met a Betty PEACOCK. Her maiden name was LEMERE, and her
family is from Wisconsin. I did find some of her family when I
looked. I haven't been able to find it all the way back though.
When
it comes to Michel LEMIRE's “DICTIONAIRE,” it is never complete.
We have so many unsolved mysteries when it comes to the LEMIRE
family and it's many spellings and dit names. Hopefully as we go
along, we will figure them out one day.
Here is my LEMIRE PHOTO GALLERY
**********************************
The Camille LEMIRE family. From left to right, back row: Camille LEMIRE, Aurora LEMIRE, Unknown girl, Delia Emily PINARD-LEMIRE. Sitting down in front from left to right: Clarence LEMIRE (my Dad), Mabel LEMIRE, Arthur LEMIRE, and Olive LEMIRE.
Here is my LEMIRE PHOTO GALLERY
**********************************
The Camille LEMIRE family. From left to right, back row: Camille LEMIRE, Aurora LEMIRE, Unknown girl, Delia Emily PINARD-LEMIRE. Sitting down in front from left to right: Clarence LEMIRE (my Dad), Mabel LEMIRE, Arthur LEMIRE, and Olive LEMIRE.
The Camille LEMIRE family. From left to right: Aurora, unknown, Mabel, Camille, Delia holding Arthur, Clarence, and Olive.
The Camille LEMIRE family. A gathering.
Camille LEMIRE & Delia Emily PINARD - LEMIRE
Camille LEMIRE & Delia Emily PINARD - LEMIRE
Art & Camille LEMIRE
Aurora LEMIRE - LAWRY and John "Jack" LAWRY
Bill ANTTILA & Olive LEMIRE - ANTTILA during Ishpeming's Centennial Celebration
The LAWRY Family. From Left to right in back: Alfred GOODREAU, Marie LAWRY-GOODREAU, Aurora LEMIRE - LAWRY, John LAWRY, Frances LAWRY - LEMIRE, & Alfred LEMIRE.
In Front row from left to right: Ronald GOODREAU, Jim GOODREAU, Judy GOODREAU, Bonnie CONNORS, Edward CONNORS, Lucille LAWRY - CONNORS, & Jill CONNORS
In Front row from left to right: Ronald GOODREAU, Jim GOODREAU, Judy GOODREAU, Bonnie CONNORS, Edward CONNORS, Lucille LAWRY - CONNORS, & Jill CONNORS
Clarence LEMIRE and his brother Arthur LEMIRE
Liz BUREAU (Mabel LEMIRE's daughter), Clarence LEMIRE, Arthur LEMIRE and Irene BOLDUC - LEMIRE
Frank STICKNEY & Marie LAWRY - GOODREAU - STICKNEY, and Clarence LEMIRE
Sylvia BARCLAY, Don LAWRY, & Clarence "Bud" LEMIRE Jr.
Dorothy "Dottie" LEMIRE- QUINN- BRADY (my half sister)
& John "Jake" BRADY
Dad and his two daughters,
Dorothy "Dottie" LEMIRE - QUINN- BRADY on left and Nancy LEMIRE-ELLIS on the right.
Art LEMIRE with Baby, Irene BOLDUC - LEMIRE, and my Dad, Clarence LEMIRE
*********************************************************************************
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Chapter 2 JOINT
Flavien JOINT and
Mathilde BEAUCHAMP were married 27 September 1892 at St. Polycarpe,
Soulanges, Quebec by Reverend Pepin.
Notice next after Flavien & Mathilde's marriage is the baptism of Marie Reine Germaine LECLAIR, daughter of Joseph Hector Lambert LECLAIR and Germaine JOINT. Germaine is Flavien's sister.
They had seven children.
Damase Flavien Adrien JOINT, my Grandfather, who went by the name of Adrien.
He was the oldest in the family, and he was born in St. Telesphore,
Soulanges, Quebec on the 10th of December 1893. Next in
the family was Marie Mathilde Evelyn, who went by Mathilde, but they
called her Tillie. She was born 7 September 1895 at St. Polycarpe,
Soulanges, Quebec. The third child born was Marie Aurelia
Bernadette, born on 28 July 1897. She went by Bernadette. In 1898
Flavien and Mathilde immigrated to Flat Rock, a little farming
village just outside of Escanaba, Michigan. The next child born was
Joseph Antoine Eugene, on 5 March 1900 in Escanaba. He went by the
name Joseph. Next in the family was Marie Martine Agnes on 3 May
1904 here in Escanaba. She went by the name of Agnes. The next
child born was Marie Aurelie Marguerite, on 25 August 1906 in
Escanaba. She went by Aurelia. The seventh and final child born was
Louis Raphael Laurent, on 20 October 1908. He went by the name
Lawrence.
This family was raised
in the Flat Rock area, with all their BEAUCHAMP and THEORET Cousins.
They would have family gatherings at BEAUCHAMP's GROVE. Often times
pictures were taken. Flavien JOINT was a Harness Maker, like his
Brother-In-Law, Joseph BEAUCHAMP.
My Grandfather Adrien
JOINT married Alma DUFORD on the 30 October 1916 in Schaffer.
Another little farming community just outside of Escanaba. They had
two children, and the first one Milton, born on 25 August 1919 and
died right at birth, in Escanaba. The next one was my Mother, Mary
Lucille JOINT, born on July 1, 1922 in Escanaba. Alma passed on 6
March 1937 in Madison Wisconsin. She went in for a Goiter operation.
Adrien married a Cecile SORENSEN.
Tillie JOINT married
Sylvester SCHRAM on 21 August 1920, and they had three children.
Doris, Ethel, & James.
Bernadette JOINT
married Lawrence Richard BOURDELAIS on the 4th od Narch
1919 in Escanaba. They had three children. Cecile, Merie, and
Arthur.
Joseph JOINT married
Sophie FUDALA on 15 October 1923 in Escanaba. They had four
daughters. Alice, Audrey, Frances, & Barbara. This family later
moved to Wisconsin.
Agnes JOINT married
Lency CLAIRMONT on the 11th of November 1925 in Escanaba.
Lency ran Clairmont Trucking, which my Grandfather Adrien also worked
for as well. Some years later, Agnes married Neely Pride SHOTTS.
Neely and Agnes married in Wisconsin, and later moved out to
California. This is where they both passed away.
Aurelia JOINT
married Harold PIRLOT on the 16th of February 1928 in
Escanaba. They had five children. Arleen, Harold, Patricia Jean,
Ann, & Billy. This family moved to Lower Michigan around the
Wyandotte area.
Lawrence JOINT
married Olive BEAUCHAMP, and they didn't have any children.
Flavien JOINT's parents
were Toussaint Flavien Michel JOINT and Henriette GLAUDE (which is
originally CLAUDE). When Henriette GLAUDE passed away, he married
Anna GIROUX . Toussaint JOINT later on in his life went by the name
of Michel JOINT, like his Father. Michel (aka Toussaint Flavien) was
a Bedeau of the Church in St. Polycarpe. In English it would be a
Church Warden, someone who helps out the priest with different things
going on at the church. Michel would attend Baptisms, Marriages, and
burials, and sign his name. I would see his name on many of them and
wondered if they were relatives.
Getting back to Flavien
JOINT married to Mathilde BEAUCHAMP. He had a sister named Germaine
JOINT who married Hector LECLERC on the 14 of October 1890 at St.
Polycarpe, Soulanges, Quebec. Flavien & Germaine also had a
brother named Eugene JOINT, who married Josephine PRIEUR on 19 April
1898 at St. Cunegonde, Montreal. After their families were born,
Germaine and Eugene both raised their families in the Montreal area.
While Flavien and his wife Mathilde BEAUCHAMP, moved to Flat Rock,
just outside of Escanaba. Standing from left to right is: Flavien, Germaine, & Eugene JOINT. Sitting from left to right is: Toussaint Flavien Michel JOINT & his second wife Anna GIROUX holding one of Germaine's daughters. Possibly either Bernadette or Marie Reine.
Here is the card they have made when someone dies.
Toussaint Flavien Michel
JOINT had a brother named Alphonse JOINT who married Victoria ROBERT
on 30 September 1867 at St. Andre Argenteuil. Two of their daughters
would grow up and marry. Constance JOINT married Alex Alfred PILON.
And the other daughter Eulalie married Henri LALIBERTE.
Toussaint Flavien Michel
JOINT and Alphonse JOINT were the children of Michel JOINT. Michel
JOINT was married to Louise DECOSTE on the 7th of August
1838 at Rigaud, Vaudreuil. Louise DECOSTE's parents were Pierre
DECOSTE and Suzannne ROCHBRUNE.
Here is Michel JOINT's baptism
Michel JOINT's parents were Jean-Baptiste JOINT and Louise LEMIRE who married at Vaudreuil, Vaudreuil on the 12 of November 1798. It lists Jean-Baptiste JOINT's parents as Jean-Baptiste JOINT and Angelique PRUDHOMME. But I have not found them anywhere so far.
Michel JOINT's parents were Jean-Baptiste JOINT and Louise LEMIRE who married at Vaudreuil, Vaudreuil on the 12 of November 1798. It lists Jean-Baptiste JOINT's parents as Jean-Baptiste JOINT and Angelique PRUDHOMME. But I have not found them anywhere so far.
Here is Jean Baptiste JOINT's burial
So many possibilities.
JOINT has been JOIN, JOUIN, JOING, JUIN. I have not been able to
make any connections on when and where Jean-Baptiste JOINT &
Angelique PRUDHOMME married and who their families are. I hope
someday I will find the answer, but at least I was fortunate to get
this far.
Here are some pictures of the JOINT Family taken here in Escanaba.
1932: In
front from left to right the three little girls are: Lucille JOINT
(my Mom), Doris SCHRAM, and possbly Ethel SCHRAM
In
middle row left to right. Flavien, Mathilda, Sylvester & Tillie
SCHRAM Alice, Aurelia, & Mrs Green
Back
row of men to the right. Mr Green, Lency CLAIRMONT, Adrien JOINT
My Grandfather Adrien with light shirt and Tie, Flavien JOINT with light hat, and my Mom Lucille JOINT (little girl)
Here is Alma (DUFORD) JOINT, Mathilda & Flavien JOINT, Alma is holding my Mother Lucille JOINT, and I believe that is Cousin Arthur BOURDELAIS next to her
Here
is The Flavien & Mathilda (BEAUCHAMP) JOINT Family.
Back
row from left to right is: Lawrence and Joseph
Middle
row from left to right is: Alice, Aurelia, & Bernadette
Front
Row sitting from left to right: Tillie, Flavien, Mathilda, &
Adrien
Here
is The Flavien & Mathilda (BEAUCHAMP) JOINT Family.
Back
row left to right: Adrien & Joseph
Middle
row left to right: Bernadette, Tillie, & Alice
Front
Row sitting from left to right: Flavien, Aurelie, Lawrence, &
Mathilda
Here
is my Grandfather Adrien JOINT's First Communion
Grandpa Adrien JOINT, when he lived with us, and my brother Jim.
Aurelia was Grandpa JOINT's younger sister.
Chapter 3 Pinard
When I started my PINARD line, my Dad knew his Mom was Delia (Emily) PINARD, who grew up in Champion, Michigan. He knew his Grandfather was Louis PINARD. When I began my genealogy research, Dad was taken to the Hospital and not long following passed away. I once again enlisted the help my my LAWRY cousins (my Aunt Aurora LEMIRE's children). Don LAWRY told me that we had a Cousin Leo PINARD who had worked on the PINARD genealogy and might be able to help me. Don said Leo comes back to Marquette every so often and stops in to see him now and again. So I was given Leo's address, and I wrote to him. He was living in Santa Maria, California. He stopped by to visit me on his way to Marquette in 1994.
He wrote me back and said since I am just starting, I would have to brush up on my French to be able to read the French records. Over the years I did get to understand the French-Canadian church records better. Even though I couldn't read them fluently, I was able to pick out the main information I needed for my research. I was able to help other French Canadian researchers over the years.
My PINARD lineage is as follows:
~
Jean PINARD & Marguerite GAIGNEUR (of France)
Louis PINARD & Marie Ursule PEPIN
30 Nov 1680 Champlain, Champlain, Quebec
Antoine PINARD & Marie JUTRAS
10 Jan 1708 Cap De la Madeleine
Jean- Baptiste PINARD & Antoinette PROU/PROULX
27 Sept 1747 Nicolet, Nicolet, Quebec
Ignace PINARD & Claire REICHE or RAICHE/BEAUCHEMIN/PINARD
2 March 1783 Nicolet, Nicolet, Nicolet
Joseph PINARD & Genevieve SIMONEAU
24 Jan 1820 Baie Du Febvre, Yamaska
Louis PINARD & Catherine WEBBER
6 Oct 1846 Drummondville, Drummond, Quebec
Louis PINARD & 1. Emilie “Lea” CYR 24 Oct 1871 Plessisville, Megantic, Quebec
2. Melina/Emilia BRISSON 18 April 1891 Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
Delia Emily PINARD & Camille LEMIRE
3 July 1893 Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
Clarence Leo LEMIRE & Lucille JOINT
Clarence “Bud” Leo LEMIRE
~
My Grandmother Delia PINARD married Camille LEMIRE on July 3, 1893 in Marquette, Marquette, Michigan. Delia's parents were Louis PINARD and Emily “Lea” CYR.
Delia had two brothers Oscar, & Louis. Oscar was older, and Louis was younger. Here is Louis PINARD with his two sons Oscar and Louis.
In this picture is Delia and her older brother Oscar PINORD, the spelling that that family took as their last name.
This first picture is a picture my Dad had of his Grandfather with his cane walking in Champion, Michigan. The second picture with Louis sitting, I might have gotten from Leo PINARD.
My Great Grandfather Louis PINARD married Emilie “Lea” CYR October 24, 1871 in Plessisville, Megantic County, Quebec. Oscar was the only one of the children born in Quebec. They moved to Champion, and Delia and Louis were born. Sometime after, Emilie “Lea” CYR passed away. Louis then married Emilia BRISSON, who had been married to Eusebe BELANGER. Eusebe had passed away also. She had three children with Eusebe. Tom, Exilia, and George BELANGER.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
PINARD, Louis (son of Louis PINARD & Catherine WEBBER)
b. 24 June 1847 Drummondville, Drummond, Quebec, Canada
d. 17 Jan 1934 Champion, Marquette, Michigan, USA
Married 24 October 1871 Plessisville, Megantic, Quebec, Canada
CYR, Emilie “Lea” (daughter of Jean-Baptiste CYR & Marie LAFOND)
b. 16 March 1849 Plessisville, Megantic, Quebec, Canada
d.
Children:
1. Oscar Joseph Jean-Baptiste b. 9 March 1873 St.Georges de Windsor, Richmond, Quebec
M. 13 Nov 1896 Zelpha FONTAINE at Lake Linden, Houghton, MI
d. 16 July 1943 Duluth, St. Louis, Minnesota
2. Delia Emily b. 18 Aug 1874 Champion, Marquette, Michigan
M. 3 July 1893 Camille LEMIRE at Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
d. 17 Sept 1949 Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
3. Louis b. 5 March 1876 Champion, Marquette, Michigan
M. 28 Dec 1902 Mary Louise ST.JEAN at Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
d. 12 Aug 1954 Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
PINARD, Louis (son of Louis PINARD & Catherine WEBBER)
b. 24 June 1847 Drummondville, Drummond, Quebec, Canada
d. 17 Jan 1934 Champion, Marquette, Michigan, USA
Married 18 April 1891 Champion, Marquette, Michigan, USA
**
BRISSON, Emilia (daughter of Uldoric BRISSON & Leocadie ROY) Widow of Eusebe BELANGER
b. 15 July 1853 St. Pierre Les Becquets, Nicolet, Quebec
d. 7 April 1911 Champion, Marquette, Michigan, USA
1. Cordelia (Katherine) b. 2 March 1892 Champion, Marquette, Michigan
M. 6 Nov 1909 Alphonse J. FORGETTE at Champion, Marquette, MI
d. 18 June 1916 Champion, Marquette, Michigan
2. Flora b. 26 Sept 1893 Champion, Marquette, Michigan
M. 20 Oct 1915 Thomas MAGER Champion, Marquette, Michigan
d. 4 Jan 1971 Champion, Marquette, Michigan
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
In our ancestry Cousin Leo PINARD told me that our PINARD ancestry doesn't go back as far as the PINARDs who came over to Quebec in the 1600's. He told me why. He said stories in the family were: Our PINARDs snuck over in barrels aboard ships and came over.
Since Louis PINARD's parents were Louis PINARD and Catherine WEBBER, and Leo didn't find any marriage records of theirs in Quebec, he probably figured they got married in Europe before sneaking aboard the ships into the barrels.
Being new to genealogy, I believed it could be true, and so I started looking at all the PINARD marriages in France. Only to find nothing that would help. It wasn't until I started looking over some marriages in Quebec, that I found the marriage of Louis PINARD (son of Joseph PINARD & Genevieve SIMONEAU) and Catherine WEBBER (daughter of Nicolas WEBBER & Marie Anne MACLURE) being married on October 6, 1846 at Drummondville, Drummond, Quebec, Canada. This line went all the way back to the Louis PINARD who was the surgeon, as well as the one who came over to Quebec from France. Not only that but the line had a marriage where the spouse also went back to that same PINARD. It was when Ignace PINARD and Claire BEAUCHEMIN/RAICHE?PINARD married.
Louis PINARD married to Emilie “Lea” CYR, came down to Champion Michigan (I still haven't found her death date and place). Louis' siblings and parents moved to Biddeford, York, Maine. After their children were grown up, Louis PINARD & Catherine WEBBER settled in Biddeford, where most of their children raised their families. Their family consisted of: Louis (& Emilie CYR) who settled in Champion Michigan. Julie-Helene (& Ulcisse DION), Agnes (& Celestin ROUILLARD), Joseph (& 1. Lucienne BOURBEAU, 2.Mary BLEAU, & 3. Amanda L.), Desneiges (& Dorique LABRANCHE), Catherine (& Joseph POISSON), Eliza “Lizzie” ( & Remi GAGNON), Cesarine (she passed away at a young age), & Delia ( & Aurel DUBE). Louis PINARD and Catherine WEBBER both passed away in Biddeford, Maine.
The next person I was in touch with was Janice BEREZAY. I believe Cousin Leo PINARD directed me to her. She was living in Montana at the time, and later moved to Utah. Currently, I believe she is back in Montana. Janice is a descendant of my Grandmother's older brother Oscar. This family also too the spelling of PINORD for some of their families. Relatives in Oscar's family ranged from Houghton, Minnesota, Saskatchawan, Washington state, and many other places.
We shared a lot of family information with each other. And we kept in touch over the years.
In my life in 2001 my Mom passed, and I moved into an apartment across from the Lakeview Cemetery. Later in 2002 I moved away to the state of Washington. I wasn't too far away from some PINARD descendants from Oscar's side of the family. While in Washington, I was in touch with some PINARD descendants who shared their family information with me. Bev, Elaine, and Nancy BELL. Bev lived in Ontario, but would visit her daughter Kim in British Colombia (Richmond). Their sister Nancy lived in Ontario, and Elaine lived in British Colombia (Whiterock). In 2003 my wife at the time, Wanda, and my Step-Daughter Aunja, took a trip up to British Colombia to meet Bev, Elaine, Dot, and Kim. Kim let us stay at her place. Wanda didn't bring any papers, and I brought my birth certificate. We had to wait at the border, and finally they let us pass.
We were riding along and spotted some people holding signs. It was Elaine, and their friend Dot, & Bev We then went to Kim's house, which is where we stayed.
Moving ahead to 2020, the year of the Covid virus. I believe Cousin Bev passed away earlier this year. She didn't pass from Covid, I don't think.
When I returned to the Escanaba area in 2004. Not long after I heard Mary Ann Belanger, wife of Gary Belanger. MaryAnn has been working on Gary's BELANGER ancestry. One of Gary's ancestors was a brother to Exilia BELANGER-FISH (we called her Auntie Fish, and she use to come over on Sundays to spend the time with us and to share in our supper meal.
Their Mother, Emilia BRISSON-BELANGER, married my Great Grandfather Louis PINARD. As seen in the Family Grouping below this.
MaryAnn was trying to collect information on the BELANGER & BRISSON ancestry. She got in touch with me and sent me an e-mail. I wrote back to her letting her know I could help her. I am not sure she got the e-mail right away.
I didn't quite have my mind on genealogy yet, having just moved back and trying to get my feet firmly on the ground. One day, something was beckoning to me to go the the Family History Library at the Latter Day Saints. Normally I am prepared with notes and everything I am going to do when I get there. On this one day, I was being pulled there. I am not sure why. All I brought with me was a pen. Terry Hampton was surprised to see me at that time as well. I had to ask for some paper, and felt uncomfortable having not prepared for the visit there. Yet, I had that feeling I was there for a reason. I was working on a film, and some records, when I heard someone come in. After signing in, I heard Terry ask her how he could help her. I heard a woman's voice say Exilia Fish. I turned around and smiled. Now, I never met MaryAnn before, nor did I know she was in the Escanaba area. I said “Auntie Fish, Hello MaryAnn, I can help you.”
In the years ahead I helped her on the BELANGER & BRISSON family lineage. We kept in touch over the years. She would send me Winter Care Packages filled with an assortment of items. Once when they came through Escanaba, they took me out to eat at Herefords & Hops. Sadly, MaryAnn passed away. I shall not forget the wonderful woman she was and how kind she was to me.
While I lived in Montesano, Washington, Leo Pinard II stopped by on his way through, and shared supper with us (me, Aunja my wife, and her parents)
Leo Pinard II & Bud Lemire
Several years later, Leo Pinard II and his sister Marianne (Pinard) Blake, made a trip this way, and stopped by to see me.
Marianne & Leo Pinard II
Marianne & Leo Pinard II
Leo Pinard II, Marianne, & Bud
It was around 2018, if I have my year right, that a Jeanette (Mager) Harmon was posting a picture of Champion Michigan. I believe it was on Michigan Nature Lovers page. I responded with “My Grandmother was born in Champion.” She asked who my Grandmother was. I told her Delia PINARD. She said her Grandmother was Flora PINARD.
We became friends on Facebook.
She got me in touch with her siblings, her children, and her cousins, and they all helped me with family information. Jeanette passed away November 19, 2020. Not long after her husband, and following her, were two of her sons. Jeanette and her sister Marie were really good at taken pictures, like I am, and I enjoyed the pictures they took.
Not long following, I decided to open a group page for the descendants Louis PINARD (the one who married Lea CYR. & Emelina BRISSON. I got in touch with many of Oscar PINARD's descendants, and it was a great way for us to share family information and pictures.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Chapter 4 Duford, Dufort, Bougret
Thank goodness for my Mother's knowledge and memory of her relatives. She was able to share many names and fill in the gaps on her side of the family. Her Mom was Alma DUFORD, daughter of Theophile DUFORD and Marie MARIEN.
Theophile was first married to Osine GIGNAC and they had three children together they lived to adults. Albina, Adelard (Edward), & Rudolph (all born in Quebec).
Osine passed away at Nahma. Theophile married Marie MARIEN at St. Paul L'Ermite, L'Assomption, Quebec.
Theophile & Marie then came to Nahma, where Theophile must have had been living before. They had a daughter that was born and died not long after. Not long following, we find Theophile and Marie having their family in Schaffer, a farming community just outside of Escanaba. They had these children: Louis, Alma, Edna, & William.
Alma was my Grandmother, my Mom's Mom. She married my Grandfather Adrien JOINT.
My Mom was born here in Escanaba, but they also lived in Racine,Wisconsin as well.
Theophile and Marie had a farm, and I know they had many cows.
Theophile also had a General Store. I remember having a neighbor who had a boyfriend who said He remembers Theophile's General Store, and he said he worked there, and grabbed an apple and took a bite and Theophile made him pay for it.
Louis, the oldest in Theophile & Marie's family, married Virginia GAUTHIER and they had several Children. Ruby, Stafford, Chester, Viola, and Woody and Tom. Woody and Tom were the twins, although as they got older they didn't look as much alike.
When I started my genealogy on the DUFORD ancestry, I got in touch with Ruby, the eldest in this branch of the family. She was so happy to hear from us. I talked with her and Mom talked with her Cousin, and it went really well. I remember Ruby saying to me, “relatives get in touch and then you never hear from them again.” I promised her, I would keep in touch, and it was a promise I kept.
Ruby came to visit us a couple times, and invited us to her brother Woody's and his wife Margy's 50th Wedding Anniversary at Cowboy Lake at Kingsford.
Nancy drove us to Cowboy Lake, and John came along to keep her company. We we arrived, Ruby, Viola, and Chester greeted us. This will be the first time Mom has been in touch with her DUFORD Cousins since she was a child.
Ruby was there with her boyfriend Et (Suardini).
Et, Ruby, and Ruby's daughter-in-law and son
Viola was there with her husband William.
Chester was there with his girlfriend Lillian (LaCrosse).
Tommy was there with his daughters.
At first we sat at the Pavillion as wasps and bees flew around us.
Woody & Margy's daughter Nancy, and her husband Tom Rocheleau were the hosts. They prepared for her parents arrival.
Woody and Margy arrived. Woody didn't recognize me at first. I told him Ruby invited us. After some explanations on who we were, he knew who we were.
Tommy and Woody were the twins. Born at same time.
(their brother Stafford had passed away)
Mom & I at Woody & Margy's 50th at Cowboy Lake, Kingsford
Here's Ruby & I taken by Linda
Mom, Gertie, & Roland in 1991
Me & Roland
And back then, here they are
Food was served and Mom & I enjoyed the company at the
picnic table we were sitting at
Then the Country Rebels played and the Dufords got up and danced at the Pavillion.
In 1992, Nancy & her Mom Margy, along with her Aunt and Cousin
stopped by to visit us
I wasn't to see another Duford Cousin until July 13, 2009, when my girfriend at the time,
Linda. & I took a trip to see my Cousin Ruby at Gwinn
Theophile had brothers and a sister as well. His parents were Theophile DUFORT dit BOUGRET and Olive LOTTINVILLE dit LEMAITRE.
My Grandmother Alma had a sister named Edna.
Alma and Edna use to perform at the Ford River Switch and were called The Duford Sisters.
Thursday Morning July 28, 1910
Edna knew how to play the violin, as well as the piano. Edna married Roland FRECHETTE in November of 1917 at Sault Ste Marie, Chippewa, Michigan.
Edna was killed in a tragic car accident down in Lower Michigan.
They had Willard, Vivian, and Margy. Vivian died several years back. But I kept in touch with Margy & Willard through the years, until they also passed.
Mom called up Roland, as we were told he was still alive. Mom thought she had his second wife Mary on the phone, when in fact it was his third wife Gertrude (Gertie). Mom and I planned a trip up to Rudyard to see them (Nancy drove us there). In the hallway, there was a picture of Roland and Edna. We have never seen Alma when she got older, because she passed so young. But now Edna, Mom looked so much like her. I'm sure Roland could see the resemblance as well, because he kept staring at Mom.
Francois Xavier(Frank) who married Anna ETHIER and lived in the Marinette, Wisconsin & Menominee, Michigan area (their children: Clarence who married Tillie GAUTHIER, Leo, Flora who married Charles GOLDSTONE, Irene who married Joseph KASMAREK, Albina who married Harry Charles ENSTROM, and Eva who married a LONGPRE, and then a Roy J. ALLARD, and Frank).
Other brothers include an Edward, who stayed in Quebec. Edmond, who lived in Tacoma Washington in 1910. In a Will of Henry DUFORD (also known as Emery) he lists a Mary Mattison as a Niece at age of 28 in 1910, living in Almada, California.
Exilda married Joseph CAMBRAY. Their children grew up in the Marinette and Menominee area as well.
As I researched, I started on Exilda's family. I wrote a letter to a Lloyd CAMBRAY of Marinette, Wisconsin. He came to Escanaba and left me some information on the CAMBRAY family. He also told me he had a sister named Millicent, who lived here in Escanaba. Millicent was married to an Ernest BERG. One day Millicent called me and we had a wonderful visit with her on the phone (in 1991). Sometime later, I met up with her and Lloyd at their house on South 16th Street. I was talking with them, when in walks Karen Pelky. I met Karen while taking care of a quadriplegic man named Bob Miller, as she was helping with some computer stuff. She was as surprised to see me there as I was to see her there. Her full name is Karen BERG PELKY. Millicent is her Mom, and Lloyd is her Uncle. She had just come from home and cutting her grass, and was checking to see if her Mom wanted her to cut her grass as well. Karen told me she heard my voice and wondered what I was doing there. As she came in, I looked at her and said “Hello Cuz.” I might have said “Hello Karen, I'm your Cousin.” Karen and I would pass each other and stop to chat a bit. It wasn't until several years later, on Facebook, we got to be closer as friends, and from that day on, we've been close friends as well as Cousins.
Here are a few Journal Notes from Monday June 10, 1991
Going back into our DUFORD ancestry. Our DUFORDS in Quebec had listed their names there as BOUGRET dit DUFORT. Many of my ancestors were in the L'Assomption area of Quebec. One of the places I find many is a place called Repentigny. On my trip to Quebec in 2001, I recall on the bus passing sign with the name Repentigny on it. I was quite happy to be near the place where many of my ancestors on this side of the family came from.
Here is my DUFORD DUFORT BOUGRET lineage starting in Quebec
Prudent DUFORT-BOUGRET & Marie Charlotte ETIENNE
Married 19 October 1673 Trois-Rivieres
Louis DUFORT-BOUGRET & Marie Anne BEAUDRY
Married 24 July 1719 Pointe Aux Trembles
Francois DUFORT-BOUGRET & Therese JETTE
Married 7 October 1755 Repentigny, L'Assomption
Joseph DUFORT-BOUGRET & Marie LANDRY
Married 27 Feb 1786 Repentigny, L'Assomption
Joseph DUFORT-BOUGRET & Marguerite NEUVILLON
Married 24 January 1814 Repentigny, L'Assomption
Theophile DUFORT-BOUGRET & Olive LOTTINVILLE
Married 12 February 1849 Repentigny, L'Assomption
Theophile DUFORT-BOUGRET & 1.Osine GIGNAC
Married 17 August 1875 L'Assomption, L'Assomption
2.Marie MARIEN
Married 18 August 1886 St.Paul L'Ermite, L'Assomption
Alma DUFORD & Adrien JOINT
Married 30 October 1916 Schaffer, Delta, Michigan
Lucille JOINT & Clarence LEMIRE
Married 17 December 1959 Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Clarence “Bud” LEMIRE
Born 21 January 1960 Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
*
Theophile passed away on 31 August 1930 at Sault Ste Marie, Chippewa, Michigan.
Marie (Marien) Duford Passed away 20 November 1928 Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
From Theophile's first family with Osine GIGNAC:
Albina passed away on 16 August 1955 in Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Adelard (Edward) passed away 18 April 1915 in Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Rudolph passed away 9 July 1932 in Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Theophile's brother Emery DUFORD passed in 1910. Here they listed him as T. DUFORD. They tend to call Theophile Theodore.
He left a Will. His heirs were: Edward DUFORD, brother, of Charlemagne, Quebec; Theophile DUFORD, brother, of Schaffer, Michigan; Frank DUFORD, brother, of Marinette, Wisconsin; Edmond DUFORD, brother, of Tacoma, Washington; Mary MATTISON, Niece, of 1507 Sherman Point, Almada, California; Anna CAMBRAY, Niece, of Marinette, Wisconsin; and Nephews, the CAMBRAYS, Edward, Frank, Will, George, and Chester.
To Edward, Theophile, Frank, and Edmond DUFORD, brothers of the deceased, each the sum of eighteen dollars and forty one cents; and to Mary MATTISON, and the CAMBRAYS – Anna, Edward, Frank, Will, George, and Chester, Nieces and Nephews of the deceased, each the sum of two dollars and sixty-three cents.
Also a Cousin of Theophile's, passed away at the county Poor Farm
Delia (MARIEN)TREPANIER was Marie MARIEN-DUFORD's sister, who lived on South Street in the area of where the old Red Owl, Wally's, and Bertrand's was). She was hit by a car and passed on 18 January 1928. Mom use to tell a story about her. She had a garden, and someone's cow got loose and would end up at her garden. She would tell the owner “You keep your Vache away from my bouquet!”
Chapter 5 MARIEN
Marie MARIEN was born on the 9th of October 1856 in a place called Mascouche (St. Henri), in the county of L'Assomption. Her parents listed Pierre MARIEN & Adelaide THERRIEN/TERRIEN.
Marie MARIEN married Theophile DUFORD/DUFORT/BOUGRET on the 18th of August 1886 at St.Paul L'Ermite, in the county of L'Assomption.
As I started collecting all I could on the MARIEN family, I realized that for some reason, there just wasn't enough people, like in most families. I felt like this name had to be part of a larger family. Possibly a “dit” name. “Dit” being the other last name that they added to their regular one, to recognize what branch of the Family they were in.
I started seeing MARIEN dit LEBEAU, and started collecting them. What a large family the LEBEAU is! A couple generations back I find that there is a Marien LEBEAU married to a Marie BAZINET. And also Marien's dad was Marien LEBEAU as well. In all my research, I have never seen anyone else using the ancestors first name as a “dit” name. I soon found myself collecting a lot of information. So they had dropped the LEBEAU and kept the MARIEN as their last name.
Chapter 6 BEAUCHAMP
The name BEAUCHAMP goes back into the early years in England. But these aren't the ones that I descend from. I descend from the BEAUCHAMP family that comes from Quebec Canada. Now, when Jean & Jacques BEAUCHAMP came over to Quebec, in France their surname was DESCHAMP.
Climbing down my BEAUCHAMP ladder of many named Jacques BEAUCHAMP. We stop at a Felix BEAUCHAMP (son of Jacques BEAUCHAMP & Theotiste PAIEMENT) who married a Josephte LALONDE at Les Cedres, Soulanges, Quebec on 1st of February 1831. They had a family of fifteen.
Three of them came down to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and settled in the Escanaba area of Delta County. They were Treffle BEAUCHAMP who married Salomée CHARLEBOIS; Regis BEAUCHAMP who married Julienne BEAUCHAMP (a very distant cousin), and he became Sheriff of Escanaba; Then there was Arsene BEAUCHAMP, who married Josephine DAUSY and settled in the farming community outside of Escanaba, called Flat Rock. Their brother Gatien BEAUCHAMP's children, , came down and settled in the Flat Rock and Escanaba area. Gatien's children were Antoine BEAUCHAMP, who married Agnes BEAUCHAMP(a very distant cousin); Martine BEAUCHAMP, who married Ambroise THEORET; Napoleon (aka Paul) BEAUCHAMP who first married Maggie DAUSY, and then married Isaline VIAU. Mathilda BEAUCHAMP who married Flavien JOINT. Joseph BEAUCHAMP who married Genevieve THEOBOLD, and he was also a popular saddle maker in the Escanaba area. And then there was Mose BEAUCHAMP, who married Rose MARTIN. I only mention three brothers that came down. Actually these three brothers raised their families in the Escanaba area. Gatien did come down, because he is buried in the Flat Rock Cemetery as Gasien Beauchamp.
There many gatherings of the BEAUCHAMP Family at a place in Flat Rock called BEAUCHAMP'S GROVE. They would gather, and many times pictures were taken as well. Many people showed up for the gathering, and my Mom was in the picture as well. Be nice if we could recognize all of them in the picture.
Gatien BEAUCHAMP was first married to Aurelie CAMPEAU on 5th of July 1864 at St. Polycarpe, Soulanges, Quebec. Aurelie passed away, and so Gatien married Henriette MAHEU using his second name Desiré. So he was listed as Desiré BEAUCHAMP in the marriage record.
Felix had several brothers that he named his children after. Treffle, Gatien, Moses, etc. They settled in the area of Lafontaine, Ontario (near Lake Erie).
