Monthly Archives: August 2016

Genealogy, Genealogy societies, Quebec

The Beautiful Montreal Metro System

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By Sandra McHugh

Genealogy is much more than filling in names and dates on a family tree.  It is also about the social history and context in which our ancestors lived.  It is about technological, economic, and social advances and how they affected our ancestors and changed their lives. This is why I love local historical societies and what they bring to local and personal histories.

The Montreal metro system changed everything about Montreal.  It improved the public transportation system and allowed people to go back and forth from work comfortably and quickly.  It also enhanced neighbourhoods and created synergies between different areas of Montreal.

The metro system was inaugurated on October 14, 1966 during the tenure of Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau.1 Montreal City council voted to build the metro system in 1961, and a year later, in 1962, Montreal’s bid for the world fair was granted and therefore the push was on to have the system completed in time for Expo 67.2 Expo 67, a celebration of Canada’s centennial, was held from April 1967 to October 1967.3

Montreal’s metro system is renowned for its architecture and public art.  Each station is unique.  Today, more than fifty stations are decorated with over one hundred works of art. Some of the more noteworthy pieces of art include the stained glass window at the Champs de Mars Station by Quebec artist Marcelle Ferron and the Guimard entrance to the Square Victoria Station. This is the only authentic Guimard entrance outside of Paris, although there are other subway systems around the world that have reproductions of Guimard entrances. 4

Guimard entrance

Guimard entrance to Square Victoria Station

In celebration of Montreal metro’s system and its fifty years, Heritage Montreal is offering architectural walking tours of the Montreal metro system that include information on how the metro stations transformed the surrounding neighbourhoods.  These tours are open to all for a modest fee and will run every weekend until September 25.  Heritage Montreal is a non-profit organization that “promotes and protects the architectural, historic, natural and cultural heritage of Greater Montreal.”5 You can find information on these walking tours here:

http://www.heritagemontreal.org/en/activite/architectours/

In 2017, Montreal will be celebrating its 375th anniversary.  Over the centuries, the building of bridges, roads, the railroad, trams, and bus and metro systems have shaped and transformed the economic, social, and cultural aspects of Montreal.  The Montreal metro system is a beautiful and integral part of Montreal’s heritage.  Let’s appreciate it.

 

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Line_(Montreal_Metro)

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_67

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro

5 http://www.heritagemontreal.org/en/about-us/our-mission/

 

Genealogy, United States

Destination: Amerikka

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by

Claire Lindell

Amidst the many tombstones in a shady corner of Edgewood Cemetery in Ashtabula, Ohio is a very simple thick slab of granite, about the size of one of those washboards our mothers and grandmothers used to hand wash items before washing machines were invented. Inscribed on this granite in very large letters, as simple as the stone itself is the word  “AITI”. which means mother in Finnish. It is the resting place of my great grandmother1, Susanna Karhu (Klemola) who had immigrated to the United States in 1896.

_IGP6183_edited-1

Susanna was born in Waara, Finland in 1854. In their home country in 1876 at the age of  twenty-two Sanna married Johan Karhu. Over time they raised a family of eight children.

In 1893 Johan seized the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. He left his family in Finland and made his way to Ashtabula, Ohio, a port city on Lake Erie, where he worked on the docks and lived in the area of Ashtabula Harbor. At that time the port was thriving with constant activity. Large flat boats and barges loaded with coal and iron ore were sailing up and down the Great Lakes. These were prosperous times. New immigrants were eager to earn a decent wage.

Once settled, Johan sent for his family. In 1896 Susanna ( Sanna), at the age of forty-two along with her three youngest children, Ida, Jaako, and Lisa set sail by way of Hanko, Finland.2. They boarded the S.S. Cunard ship ‘Lucania’ in Liverpool, England en route to America. Ellis Island was their port of destination in America arriving  there on the 30th of May 1896,  and continuing on  to Ohio.

Very little is known about Sanna. We do know that her two oldest children chose to remain  in Finland. It must have been heart wrenching to know that she would be leaving behind these children and  two of her babies’ graves.

She was a housewife and at the time of her death August 18th 1929. She was 75 years old and among the oldest of the Finnish residents of Ashtabula Harbor having lived there over 30 years. Johan died in 1948. Where he is buried is still a mystery?

GGR-Gram-GGR-Jake-Vic Karhu

Sanna, Ida Susanna, Johan, Jaako and Lisa. Photograph taken several years

after arriving in the United States. Ida, my grandmother appears to be about fifteen or sixteen.

GGR-GR Karhu 50thAn@ Laine Farm

In a photograph taken during a family gathering in 1919 Sanna and Johan

are surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grand children.

 

Sources:

  1. 1. “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images,FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8PB-TC9 : 8 December 2014), Sanna Karhu, 18 Aug 1929; citing Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Ohio, reference fn 50528; FHL microfilm 1,991,908.
  2. 2. Finnish Institute of Migration
Genealogy, Quebec, Resources Outside of Montreal

The Channel Islanders of Eastern Quebec

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Société de généalogie et d’histoire de Rimouski

http://www.sghr.ca/en/publications

418-724-3242

sghr@globetrotter.net

The shores of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, the Magdalen Islands, the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River and an area of New Brunswick were settled by newcomers from the Channel Islands as early as the 1700s. The Channel Islands include Jersey and Guernsey and lie between Normandy in France and the southern coast of England. The immigrants to Canada were mainly men who came to work in the cod fishery and in shipbuilding enterprises run by entrepreneurs such as Jersey-born Charles Robin and the Janvrin brothers. They married local girls and started families.

Between 1998 and 2005, genealogist Marcel R. Garnier studied these families extensively and published a series of articles about them in the periodical l’Estuaire Généalogique, published by the Société de généalogie et d’histoire de Rimouski.

Garnier died in 2006 and his sister, Claudette Garnier (www.gogaspe.com/gcis/board.html) is the administrator of her late brother’s research material.

The Gaspé Jersey Guernsey Association (http://www.gogaspe.com/gcis/index.html) will conduct family lineage searches for a fee. Contact Suzanne Mauger, president, 418-752-6110. Copies of these magazines are also kept in the library of the Quebec Family History Society in Pointe Claire, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, http://www.qfhs.ca/index.php.

Here are Jersey and Guernsey family names mentioned in Garnier’s articles:

Item # Estuaire 64 – 1997 – Les Jersiais et les Guernesiais de Gaspésie et des Iles-de-la-Madeleine – Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled in the regions of Gaspé & the Magdalen Islands – Pages 82 to 88 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Ahier, Alexandre, Ascah, Bailey, Bannier, Bartlert, Bechervaise, Becquet, Bichard, Binet, Bisson, Blackler, Bourgaize, Brehault, Briard, Brien, Brideaux,, Brouard, Cabot, Carrell, Cawley, Clough, Collas, Corbet, Coutanches, Delisle, Dennys, Dolbel, Domaille, Dorey, Du Haume, Dumaresq, Dupreuil, Eden, Ellis, Esnouf, Fairchild, Falle, Fruing, Galliard, Gallichan, Garris (de), Gaudin, Gavey, Godfrey, Gruchy (de), Guignon, Hamon, Handy, Horner, Hotton, Hounsell, Hué, Ingrouville, Janvrin, Jean, Jersey (de), La Marre (de), Langlois, La Perelle (de), Le Four, Le Huray, Le Mesurier, Le Montais Gruchy, Sainte-Croix (de) – Spouses : Alexander, Annett, Ascah, Baker, Baldwin, Bartlett, Bechervaise, Bichard, Blackhall, Boulay, Bray, Carcaud, Clarke, Côté, Coutanches, Couvert, de Gruchy, de Moulpied, Denis, Dion, Eden, Ellis, Flocchart, Fournier, Gasnier, Gaumont, Gavey, Giffard, Gruchy, Haley, Hamilton, Hennessy, Henry-Blampied, Jacques, Janvrin, Jouan, Lacques, Langlois, Le Cornu, Le Four, Lemesurier, Lenfesty. Le Feuvre, Le Grand, Le Huguet, Le Huquet, Le Huray, Le Mesurier, Lemesurier, Lerhe, Létourneau, Le Touzel, Luce, Marion, McCall, McGrath, Morin, Nixon, Ouellet, Pelletier, Priaux, Price, Pruing, Ramsden, Rideout, Roberts, Rose, Salter, Sarre, Savidant, Suddard-Davis, Tapp, Todvin (Tostevin), Tourgis, Touzel, Weary, West, White – 88 male immigrants from Jersey & Guernsey in addition to 92 spouses

Item # Estuaire 65 – 1998 – Les Jersiais et les Guernesiais de Gaspésie et des Iles-de-la-Madeleine – Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled in the regions of Gaspé & the Magdalen Islands – Pages 4 to 9 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Journeau, Laffoley, Lamprière-Marett, Langford, Langlois, Le Bail, Le Bas, Leboutillier, Lebrun, Lechasseur, Lecornu, LeDain, LeDuc, Lee, Le Four, Le Garignon, Leggo, Legros, Le Guédard, Le Houillier, Le Huquet, Le Huray, Le Lacheur, Lelièvre, Le Maistre, Le Marquand, Le Masurier, Le Messurier, Le Mesurier, Le Mottée, Lenfesty, Le Prévost, Le Sauteur, Le Seeleur (Lescelleur), Le Templier, Le Touzel, Luce, Machon, Marett, Mauger, Minchinton, Mollet, Moulin (Mullin), Noel, Ozanne, Perchard, Pike, Pinel, Pipon, Piton, Priaux, Price, Queripel, Rabey, Robert, Roberts, Ropert, Rose, Roy, Salmon (Salomon), Salter, Sauvage (Savage), Savidant, Shaw, Simon, Slous, Skroeder, Snowman, Thelland, Tourgis, Tupper, Vautier, Vibert, Vigot, Wilson – Spouses : Arthur, Ascah, Averty, Bartlett, Beattie, Bellerive (Couture), Bichard, Bisson, Boone, Bourgaize, Bower, Boyle, Brouard, Burt, Cabot, Caron, Carter, Chevalier, Chiasson, Clark, Coffin, Collas, Coulombe, Couture (Bellerive) Cramahé, de Gaspé, de Gruchy, de La Perelle, Des Garris, Driscoll, Esnouf, Fitzpatrick, Fougère, Gallichan, Gauvreau, Gibbins, Glover, Halley, Hamon, Handy, Henley, Hoyles, Hyman, Kennedy, Killam, Laffoley, Lambert, Le Boutiller, Le Four, Le François, Legros, Le Lacheur, Leggo, Lemarquand, Le Mesurier, Lenfesty, Lepelly, Leruez, Le Touzel, Lockhard, Locket, Machon, Mauger, Mc Callum, Mc Kenzie, Minchinton, Nesbitt, Nicolle, Ozanne, Pendergast, Perry, Pirouet, Poingdestre, Poirier, Priaux, Rabey, Rail, Robert, Roberts, Robin, Rose, Russell, Salter, Simon de Gaspé, Stanley, Stuart, Sweeney, Synnott, Syvret, Taylor, Thompson, Tourgis, Trudel, Vincent, White, Williamson – 111 male immigrants from Jersey & Guernsey in addition to 112 spouses.

 

Item # Estuaire 70 – 1999 – Les Anglo-Normands de la région de La Malbaie en Gaspésie – The Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled in the region of Malbaie in Gaspé County – Pages 41 to 46 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Agnes, Alexander, Alexandre, Amy, Barette, Becquet, Binet, Bertram, Boucher, Bower, Briard, Burman, Cabot, Cadoret, Carrel, Collas, Coombs, Couls, Creighton, Dallain, de Carteret, de Garris, de La Haye, de La Perelle, de Mouilpied, Devouges, Dorviss (Gossett), Dufeu, Esnouf, Fauvel, Gasnier, Girard, (Gérard), Gossett (Dorviss), Guillaume, Hacquoil, Hammon, Hamon, Hocquard, Hotton, Hubert, Ingrouville, Johnston, Kinsella, Langlais, Laurens, Le Bail, Leblancq, Le Boutillier, Lebrun, Le Coq, Le Couteur, Le Dain, Le Gresley, Le Gros, Lehre, Le Lacheur, Lelièvre, Lemaistre, Le Marquand, Le Masurier dit Mellon, Le Mesurier, LeMontais, Le Mottée, Lepage, Le Patourel, Lequesne, Le Roy, Letouzel, Levesconte, Mabille (Mabe), Machon, Marion, Mauger, Misson, Morrisson, Nicolle, Olivier, Pabasse, Parrée, Payne, Piton, Prével, Powell, Price, Raddley-Walters, Rebindaine, Richardson, Robin, Savage, Ste-Croix, Syborn, Syvret, Touzel, Tupper, Vardon, Vautier, Vibert, Wales, Walters – Spouses : Alexandre, Athot-Forsyth, Beck, Bond, Boyle, Briand, Bunton-Cass, Cabot, Carter, Cassivi, Chicoine, Clark, Cunning, Cyr, David, De Moulpied, Donahue, Doody, Doucet, Dumaresq, Element, Etesse, Francis, Gauthier, Girard, Hamon-Dumaresq, Hardy, Hayden, Hayden-Vardon, Hazelton, Henley, Hotton, Howell, Ingrouville, Johnston, Kennedy, Laffoley, Lamb, Lamy, Lebel, Le Boutillier, Lebrun, Le Cocq, Le Couvet, Legrand, Le Gresley, Le Maistre, Le Marquand, Le Mottée, Lenfesty, Le Page, Lucas, Mc Leay, Mc Carthy, Mc Kenzie, Mc Pherson-Buckley, Miller, Misson, Nicolle, Ogier, Packwood, Perrée, Poingdestre, Priaux, Pruing, Radley-Walters, Rail, Sainte-Croix, Samson, Simard, Suddard, Tapp, Tapp-Lucas, Touzel, Trudel, Vardon, Vautier, Vicaire, Withers, Wright – 131 male immigrants from Jersey & Guernsey in addition to 122 spouses

 

Item # Estuaire 72 – 1999 – Les Anglo-Normands en Gaspésie dans la région de Percé – The Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled in the region of Percé in Gaspé County – Pages 103 to 110 & 115 to 116 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Agnes, Ahier, Alexandre, Amy, Annet, Arnold, Aubert, Aubin, Baker, Balleine, Baptiste, Bauche, Baudains, Becquet, Bennett, Bertram, Biard, Bisson, Bossy, Bourgaize, Bower, Brideaux, Brochet, Le Brun, Bunton, Burman, Butlin, Cabot, Camiot, Carcaud, Caudey (Cody), Couilliard, Robin-Dane, De Caen, De Carteret, De Gruchy, De La Cour, De La Perelle, De Moulpied, De Quetteville, Des Reaux, De Veuille, Dufeu, Dumaresq, Duval, Fainton, Fauvel, Filleul (Fyall), Fiott, Fowler, Fruing, Fyott, Gale, Gallichan, Gaudin, Gibaut, Giffard, Godfrey, Gossett, Grindin, Gregory, Gruchy, Gunhall, Hamon, Hardeley, Hacquoil, Henry, Héraux, Hubert, Hué, Huelin, Hughes, Janvrin, Jean, Journeau, Laffoley, Langlois, Laurens, L’Aventure, Le Bas, Leblancq, Lebouthillier, Le Breton, Le Brocq, Le Brun, Le Cocq, Le Cornu, Le Couteur, Le Crinnier, Le Dain, Le Feuvre, Leggo, Le Grand, Le Gresley, Le Gros, Le Gruiek, Le Huray, Lelièvre (Lever), Lenfesty, Le Rossignol, Le Roux, Le Ruez, Le Sueur, Lever, Luce, Manning, Martel, Matthew, Mauger, Mercier, Mourant, Newberry, Nicolle, Noel, Olivier, Ollivier, Orange, Parrée (Perry), Payne, Perrée, Picot, Pinel (Picknell), Powell, Ramier, Remon, Renouf, Richardson, Robin, Robin-Daine, Romeril, Savage, Skelton, De Gruchy-Sutton, Sutton, Tardif, Tostevin, Trachy, Valpy, Vautier, Viel, Vibert, Weary, Wilson – Spouses : Arbour, Baker, Balleine, Barnes, Beaker, Beck, Bélanger, Biard, Bisson, Blackhall, Blake, Bond, Bourget, Boutin, Bower, Bree, Bunton, Butlin, Cass, Chouinard, Clark, Cloutier, Collin, Collins, Cooke, Cronier, de Carteret, de La Perelle, Desreaux, Dobson, Donahue, Dove, Driscoll, Dumaresq, Duthie, Duval, Enricht, Fauvel, Flowers, Flynn, Forsyth, Gallie, Gatain, Gaulin, Gibault, Giffard, Grenier, Hamon, Henley, Henry, Higginson, Horan, Hoyles, Hubert, Jacques, Janvrin, Jeune, Jewell, Kempfer, Laflamme, Laflamme-Chrétien, Lamb, Lambert, Langlois, Lawrence, Le Bailly, Le Bas, Leboutiller, Lebreton, Le Brocq, Le Cocq, Le Couvet, Leduc, Lee, Le Grand, Le Gresley, Lehmann, Le Huquet, Lemprière, Lenfesty, Le Touzel, Lindsay, Loisel, Lord, Lucas, Luce, Mahan, Mailloux, Mallett, Maloney, Maloney-Girard, Marett, Mauger, Mauger-Dobson, Mc Call, Mc Ginnis, Mc Neil, Mercier, Miller, Molloy, Morissey, Nicolle, Ogier, Ouellet, Packwood, Pallot, Phillippe, Pirouet, Piton, Remon, Richard, Robin, Sampson, Savage, Sheenan, Studdard, Sweeney, Ternett, Tostevin, Touzel, Travers, Trudel, Tuzo, Vardon, Vibert-Tuzo, Vickery, Williams – 216 male immigrants from Jersey & Guernsey in addition to 163 spouses.

 

Item # Estuaire 75 – 2000 – Des Jersiais et des Guernesiais de la Baie-des-Chaleurs – The Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled in Chaleur Bay in the Gaspé Peninsula –  Pages 84 to 93 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Agnès, Ahier, Alexandre, Amy, Anez, Arnold, Arthur, Aubin, Aubin (Hoben), Baker, Balleine, Baptiste, Barette, Bauche, Baudains, Bean, Beaucamp, Bechervaise, Becquet, Bertram, Biard, Bisson, Blackmore, Blampied, Boizard, Bossy, Bott, Bouillon, Bourgaise, Bower, Bréhaut, Briard, Brideaux, Brochet, Brun (Le), Bunton, Cabot, Camiot, Carcaud, Carey, Carrel, Champion, Chantes, Chedore, Clark, Clarke, Clement, Caudey (Le) (Cody), Collas, Conway, Corbet, Corbin, Couillard, Coutanges, Dallain, Davey, De Caen, De Caux, De Faye, De Forest, Desgarris (Degarie), De Gruchy, De La Cour, De la Haye, De La Mare, De La Perelle, De Ste-Croix, Deslandes, De Veuille, Dolbel, Dubois, Du Feu, Du Haume, Dumaresq, Duval, Egré (Grey), Ennis, Esnouf, Fainton, Falle, Fallu, Fauvel, Filleul, (Fyall), Fiott (Fyott), Flannegon, Fleury, Fowler, Fruing, Gale, Gallichan, Gallie, Garnier, Gaudin, Gavey, Gibaut, Giffard, Godfrey, Gosset, Grandin, Gregory, Grenier (Garnier), Gruchy, Hacquoil – Spouses : Ahier, Alexandre, Almond, Annett, Aston, Athot, Aubin, Baker, Beaudin, Bean, Beebe, Bergeron-d’Amboise, Bertrand, Bisson, Blackhall, Boudreau, Bray, Brotherton, Butlin, Cass, Chedore, Collin, Collins, Cormier, Cyr, Day, Decaen, Deck, de Larosbil, Duguay, Duthie, Forest, Gallichan, Gallie, Gasnier, Gaudin, Gauthier, Gibeaut, Giffard, Guillot, Henley, Hocquard, Holmes, Horan, Janvrin, Journeau, Kempffer, Lambert, Landry, Laurent, Lebel, Leblanc, Leboutillier, Le Breton, Le Brocq, Le Gallais, Legrand, Le Gresley, Lemprière, Lenfesty, Le Touzel, Loisel, Lucas, Main, Mallett, Maloney, Malzard, Mauviel, Mc Grath, Mc Intyre, Mc Kenzie, Michel, Morissey, Munroe, Painchaud, Pallot, Paquette, Philippe, Picot, Poirier, Poulin, Priaux, Remon, Rochon, Rouet, Russell, Scott, Sheehan, Smith, Ste-Croix, Tostevin, Touzel, Trachy, Travers, Turnbull, Tuzo, Watt, Whittorn – 170 male immigrants from Jersey & Guernsey in addition to 126 spouses

 

Item – Estuaire 76 – 2000 – Des Jersiais et des Guernesiais de la Baie-des-Chaleurs – The Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled in Chaleur Bay in the Gaspé Peninsula – Pages 100 to 110 & 115 to 116 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Hacquoi (Acou), Hacquoi (Acou & Harquail), Hamon, Hardeley, Hardy, Henry, Héraut, Hewittson, Hocquard, Holms (Holmes), Hotton, Hubert, Hué, Huelin, Jandron, Jarnet, Jean, Jenne, Jeune, Journeaux, Labey, Lamy, Langlois (Langlais), L’Arbelestier, Laurens, Laurent, L’Aventure, Lebas, Le Bas, Le Bellier, Leblancq, Le Bœuf, Le Boutillier, Le Breton, Le Brocq, Lebrun (Brown), Lebrun, Le Caux, Le Cocq, Le Cornu, Le Couillard, Le Couteur, Lecras, Le Dain, Le Feuvre, Lefevre, Le Floch, Le Galet, Le Gallais, Le Geyt, Le Grand, Le Gresley, Legros, Le Lièvre, Le Maistre, Le Marquand, Le Martree, Le Masurier, Le Moignan, Le Moignard, Le Mottee, Le Poidvin, Lequesne, Le Rossignol, Lesbirel (Lesbril), Lesbirel (Sperrell), Le Seeleur, Le Sueur, Le Templier, Le Vesconte, Lloyd, Lucas, Luce, Mallet, Malzard, Manning, Mansell, Marett, Martel, Martin, Mauger, Merry, Michel, Morin, Mourant, Mourant (Sutton), Neel, Nicolle, Normand, Norman, Olivier, Orange, Pallot, Park, Paten, Perchard, Picot, Pipon, Pirouet, Piton, Poingdestre, Powell, Prévost, Querrée, Rabasse, Rebindaine, Rimmeur (Ramier), Remon, Renault, Renouf, Riou, Rive, Robin, Romeril, Ropert, Roussel (Roussell), Roy, Sansans (Sauson), Savage, Seale, Sheppard, Skelton, Sious, Sohier, Spratt, Strong, Sutton, Syvret, Syvret (Sivrais), Tardif, Touzel, Trachy, Valpy, Vardon, Vautier, Venemont, Vibert, Vicq, Viel, Vincent, Wales, Weary, Westbrook, Wetherall, Wheaton – Spouses : Acteson, Adams, Allen, Ames, Anglehart, Arbour, Assels, Baker, Balfour, Balleine, Basset, Batson, Beaudin, Bechervaise, Beebe, Bellett, Bisson, Blais, Blampied, Blondel, Bouillon, Bossy, Boucher, Bourget, Boutin, Boyle, Caldwell, Carrel, Carter, Castilloux, Chambers, Chedore, Chiasson, Christie, Clement-Watt, Cocke, Collin, Cooke, Cormier, Couture (Bellerive), Cronier, Cyr, Day, De La Cour, de La Perelle, Doodridge, Dorey, Douglass, Dove, Dufeu, Duguay, Dumaresq, Dupuis, Duval, Element, English, Fiott, Fitzpatrick, Flowers, Foley, Forest, Gallie, Garrett, Gatain, Gaudin, Gaudreau, Gauthier, Girard, Glennan, Glover, Grenier, Hamon, Hellyer, Higginson, Hocquard, Holmes, Holms, Horth, Hotton, Huard, Huntingdon, Jenne, Jewell, Johnson, Kruze, La Brecque, Landry, Larocque, Laurent, LeBailly, Lebas, Lebrun, Le Cornu, Le Couteur, Le Gallais, Legallais, Le Grand, Lehmann, Le Huquet, Le Marchand, Le Marquand, Lemesurier, Lemoignan, Leriche, Le Touzel, Lindsay, Loisel, Mahan, Maher, Mann, Mauger, Mc Ginnis, Mc Rea, Meagher, Michel, Miller, Montgomery, Morissey, Morrissette, Munroe, Nelson, Newman, Payne, Pirouet, Piton, Pluma, Querrée, Rabasse, Robichaud. Robin, Roussy, Scott, Scott-Lindsay, Simon, Smith, Starnes, Ste-Croix, Sullivan, Sweeney, Tostevin, Tourgis, Travers, Tremblay, Trépanier, Tuzo, Valpy, Vardon, Vautier, Vicaire, Vicq, Vigneault, Ward, Weary, Whitton, Williston, Young – 296 male immigrants from Jersey & Guernsey and 195 spouses

 

Item # Estuaire 85 – 2003 – Des Jersiais et des Guernesiais sur la Côte-Nord du fleuve Saint-Laurent – Channel Islanders from Jersey & Guernsey who settled the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River – Pages 4 to 12 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Agnès, Ahier, Ayerst, Bailhache, Barette, Bartram, Bechelet, Becquet, Binet, Bisson, Blampied, Bodman, Bray, Briard, Brown, Cabot, Camiot, Carcaud, Carrel (Carroll), Chevalier, Clarke, Clement, Cody (Caudy), Collas, Corbet, Corbey, Coutanches, Darby, de Caen, Degruchy, de La Haye, de la Perelle, de Quetteville, Des Champs, Devouges, Dimmick, Dorey, Duguay, Duhaume, Dumaresq, Durant, Durell, Falle, Fauvel, Fequet, Filleul, Fruing, Gallichan (Gallichon), Gallienne, Garnier, Gaudier, Gaudin, Gauthier, Girard, Godfrey, Grenier (Garnier), Grandin, Hamon (Homan), Hacquoil, Hawco, Hawkins, Hockey (Le Huquet), Hogan, Hounsell, Ingrouville, Jandron, Jarnet, Jennis, Labey, Le Blancq, Leboutillier, Le Brocq, Lebrun, Le Cocq, Le Cornu, Le Couteur, Le Dain, Lefeuvre, Lefloch, Le Gallais, Legeyt, Legrand, Legresley, Legros, Le Huquet, Le Maistre, Lemarquand, Le Marquand, Lemoignan, Lemonnier, Lemottée, Lenfesty, Lehre, Le Rossignol, Leroux, Leruez, Le Sauteur, Le Templier, Letemplier, Luce, Manning, Mansel, Martel, Mauger, Mauger (Monger), Mauger (Munger), Michel, Misson, Morel, Mourant, Newberry, Nicolle (Nichol), Noel, Olivier, Patriarche, Payne, Perrée, Perrée (Perry), Perchard, Perry, Petherick (Patriarche), Picot, Poingdestre, Pope, Prévost, Ramier, Renouf, Robert, Robin, Romeril, Salmon, Salomon, Savage, Skelton, Sutton (de Gruchy), Syvret, Syvret (Sivrais), Touzel, Trachy, Vardon, Vatcher, Vautier, Viel, Vibert, Vincent, Wheaton (Whitton) – Spouses : Anglehart, Athot, Baker, Ballam, Beaudin, Beaudoin, Beck, Beebe, Bernier, Bisson, Blais, Blampied, Bonenfant, Boulet, Boyle, Bréhaut, Buffet, Cabeldu, Cahill, Chambers, Chevalier, Chinic, Coffin, Collin, Cook, Cormier, Couture-Lamonde, Craib, Cummings, Cunning, de La Perelle, Doody, Doucet, Douglass, Duguay, Dulong, Dumaresq, Durvay, Duthie, Element, Fafard, Fixott, Flowers, Foley, Foreman, Gallichan, Gallienne, Gaudin, Gaudion, Gaumont, Gauthier, Gauvreau, Gibaut, Girard, Glenn, Gooseney, Grant, Guillemette, Hallahan, Hamilton, Hayward, Henley, Hocquard, Holms, Horan, Huard, Janvrin, Jean, Jones, Journeau, Keates, Kennedy, Landry, Langlish, Langlois, Larocque, Laurent, Lebouthillier, Leboutillier, Lebreton, Le Breton, Lebrun, Le Gallais, Legrand, Le Gresley, Lemarquand, Lemottée, Lenfesty, Letto, Levallée, Levasseur, Lilly, Loftus, Loisel, Lucas, Mailloux, Major, Mc Sweeney, Menicoll, Mercier, Michaud, Miller, Montgomery, Morency, Morrissette, Mullins, Nérée, Nickerson, Noel, O’Brien, O’Dell, Ouellet, Pagé, Paradis, Parent, Pelletier, Phillips, Piersay, Pike, Poirier, Rail, Robin, Roussy, Samson, Scott, Selesse, Sergent, Simard, Suddard-Davis, Tapp, Taylor, Thelland, Thériault, Touzel, Vallée, Vardon, Vignault, Vinacott, Walker, Whealan, Whittom, Wright – 178 male immigrants from Jersey and Guernsey and 162 spouses

 

Item # Estuaire 94 – 2005 – Des Jersiais et des Guernesiais au Nouveau-Brunswick – Channel Islanders from Jersy & Guernsey who settled in New Brunswick – Pages 50 to 56 & 60 to 61 – Author : Marcel R. Garnier – Families : Ahier, Alexandre, Amy, Amiraux, Blackler, Bosdet, Brien, Brouard, Butler (Le Bouthillier), Cabot, Chedore, Coutanges, Dayne, Desgarris (Degarie), de Gruchy, De Gruchy (De Gruchie), de La Garde, de La Perelle, de Quetteville, de Ste-Croix, Diney, Dolbel, du Fleur, Dufour, Duhamel, Dumaresq, Duval, Egré (Grey), Edwards, Ereault (Hereault), Falle, Foudrup, Fruing, Gibaut, Godfrey, Gravey, Hamon, Hamon (Hammond), Hacquail, Hacquoil, Harquail (Macquoil), Henry, Hocquard, Hubert, Huelin, Hughes, Knight, Laffoley, Laffoly, Le Bas, Le Bouthillier (Lebouthillier), Le Boutillier, Lebrocq, Le Caux, Le Couteur, Lecouteur, Lefloch, Le Furgey, Lefurgey, Le Gallais (Du Galet). Le Grand, Legresley, Legros, Le Lacheur, Le Maistre, Lemarquind, Le Marquand, Le Mesurier, Le Poidvin, Leriche, Lesueur, Letemplier, Leventure, Lie, Lloyd, Locke, Luce, Mahy, Mauger (Majer), Michel, Monet, Morel, Morris, Mourant, Nichols, Oliver, Orange, Painter, Pallot, Picot, Pirouet, Piton, Powell, Quennault (Canot), Querrée (Kerry – Carey – Querry), Rabasse, Ramier (Rimeur), Renouf, Rive, Robert, Robin, Sarre, Sheppard, Sommany, Stavidant,, Strong, Studely, Syvret (Sivret), Tardif, Thomas, Tourgis, Vaudin, Vautier, Veal (Viel), Vibert, Vicq, Vigot, Vincent, Warne, Weary, Williams, Young – Spouses : Ahier, Albert, Alexandre, Arsenault, Beebe, Bisson, Ballam, Blackhall, Blondel, Borey, Boudreau, Boutin, Boyle, Brien, Brotherton, Brown, Carter, Charleston, Chedore, Chiasson, Christie, Comeau-Baldwin), Daiguillot (Guilot), Day, de La Parelle, Duclos, Duguay, Dumaresq, Duval, Edwards, Fauvel, Fitzpatrick, Forest, Gallie, Gaudreau, Giraud, Glover, Godin, Guillot, Haché, Hains, Hamilton, Hayden, Hellyer, Higginson, Hollands, Holms, Hotton, Hubert, Huelin, Jennie, Johnson, Kruse, Landry, Langlois, Lateigne, Lawlor-Dwyer, Leblanc, Lebreton, Lebrocq, Le Gallais, Maillet, Mailloux, Mallet, Mann, Many, Mc Carthy, Mc Kay-Hubon, Mc Kenzie, Mousse, Mowatt, Newman, Newton, Nixon, O’Connor, Poulin, Prévost, Quennault (Canot), Querrée, Radley (Walters), Robichaud, Stewart, Sutherland, Thériault, Thomas, Tourgis, Vautier, Vibert (Tuzo), Vincent, Walker, Ward, Warnes, Williston, Winterflood,, Yvonne – 168 male immigrants from Jersey and Guernsey and 120 spouses 

 

The above research guide was researched and compiled by Jacques Gagné

gagne.jacques@sympatico.ca

2016-03-05

 

Genealogy, United States

Samuel William OBray, Mormon, Pioneer Polygamist

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Panting with the effort the young man hurried through the night. Under one arm he carried his bundle of belongings and in his other arm, his three year old son Thomas. Samuel OBray  had left Bootle, Liverpool in great haste and was headed to the Liverpool Docks with his precious bundles to board the Ellen Maria (1) sailing soon for New Orleans USA for a new life in America.

Samuel was a shipwright. He joined the Church of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons) on the 6th February, 1846, before his first marriage to Margret Harris in November 1846 in Pembroke Dock, Wales. Samuel and Margret had two sons, Thomas and John. Margret had never agreed with his religious beliefs so unbeknownst to her, Samuel had booked passage for himself and his eldest son, Thomas to New Orleans Louisiana later, to join the rest of the ‘Mormon Saints’ in Utah or Zion as they called it. Samuel left behind him, his wife Margret and their youngest son John.

The ship was due to leave port on 29th January 1851 but had been anchored in the River Mersey for two days due to storms until it was deemed safe enough to set sail. Whilst on board, Samuel had befriended other Mormon Saints on the ship, particularly a family named Bainbridge. They were a family of six. Three sons and three daughters. Eleanor was the second daughter and she and Samuel struck up a friendship.

According to the ‘Biography of Samuel William OBray and Eleanor Bainbridge OBray’ (2) there are two versions of what happened  when Margret realised what Samuel had done.

In the first family legend, she reported it to the authorities who headed to the Docks and searched the ship but could not discover Thomas. During the search of the ship Samuel had persuaded the Bainbridge family to claim Thomas as their own. Whilst the authorities were looking for a small boy Thomas had been dressed as a little girl and integrated into the Bainbridge family.

In the second version Samuel was able to steal the oldest boy from his mother and took him on board the ship Ellen Maria just prior to its departure. The boy had red hair and Samuel was able to place him with a family of red-headed children so that when the police came aboard they could not find him. The boys name was Thomas William, age three.

Poor Margret never did find her son. Was she on the dock when the ship sailed from Liverpool on the 2nd February 1851? If so, how must she have felt as she watched the ship sail away? It can only be imagined.

Upon arrival in New Orleans, The OBray and Bainbridge families were not able financially to continue their journey to Utah so they stayed and worked until they were able to continue. Whilst in New Orleans Samuel and Eleanor married and their first child, Ellen Jane was born. (3) They went on to have eight more children and Samuel took a third plural wife, but there were no children from this union. However, according to his obituary  (4) as it appeared in “The Journal” 11 June 1910:

 “His descendants number about 176, as follows: 10 children 87 grandchildren 75 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren”

Samuel William OBray was my second great grand uncle.

The ship Ellen Maria prepares to sail from Liverpool, England, for America on February 1, 1851. At the time, over 50,000 Latter-day Saints lived in the British Isles. Emigration was possible as the result of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, which loaned money to impoverished Latter-day Saints on the promise they would repay the loan so others could emigrate. Thousands of converts emigrated to join the Saints in America.
The ship Ellen Maria prepares to sail from Liverpool, England, for America on February 1, 1851. At the time, over 50,000 Latter-day Saints lived in the British Isles. Emigration was possible as the result of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, which loaned money to impoverished Latter-day Saints on the promise they would repay the loan so others could emigrate. Thousands of converts emigrated to join the Saints in America.

samuel William O'Bray and Eleanor Bainbridge

Samuel OBray and Eleanor Bainbridge OBray

Sources

1 https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/mii/passenger/44709

2 http://welshmormon.byu.edu/Resource_Info.aspx?id=2592

3  ‘The New World having Become Attractive To Thomas Sharratt, he came to America and Settled” Andrew Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia Vol. 3 p 514

4 http://welshmormon.byu.edu/Resource_Info.aspx?id=789

http://www.lagunaniguelfhc.org/embarkation-of-the-saints-liverpool-1851/

Genealogy, Genealogy societies, Quebec, Resources Outside of Montreal

Société d’histoire et de généalogie de Rivière-du-Loup

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http://www.shgrdl.org/

418-867-6604

info@shgrdl.org

The small city of Rivière-du-Loup, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, dates back to 1673, when the region was given to prosperous merchant Lord Charles-Aubert de la Chesnaye. The town began to expand in the early 19th century and the population increased with the arrival of the Grand Trunk railway in 1859.

Between 1850 and 1919, the town was called Fraserville. Malcolm Fraser had been an officer in the British army that defeated the French troops at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City in 1759. Fraser stayed in Quebec following the conquest and he was put in charge of the seigneury at Rivière-du-Loup in recognition of his service on the battlefield. (See http://www.manoirfraser.com/page/historique.php for a brief history of the Fraser family and their home.) In 1919, the town changed its name to Rivière-du-Loup.

Rivière-du-Loup’s economic base has always been agriculture and forestry, but many area residents have also worked in the transportation industry on the St. Lawrence River. The river is salty and tidal at Rivière-du-Loup and it is 24 kilometers (15 miles) wide. The city also serves as a service centre for the surrounding area. Rivière-du-Loup is in a beautiful location and its summers are cool, so it has attracted summer residents to nearby towns such as Cacouna since the mid-19th century.

The local history and genealogy society (www.shgrdl.org) has produced a number of French-language brochures and books, including family histories and several publications about the railway. See http://www.shgrdl.org/shgrdla.htm#items.

Three publications, researched and prepared by society members, provide genealogical information that may not be available elsewhere. They are:

 Des Écossais à la Rivière-du-Loup et leurs descendants – The Scots of Rivière-du-Loup and their descendants (1763-2004) – Marriages, baptisms, deaths – A book of 594 pages in the French language addressing more than 400 different family names among the churches of Rivière-du-Loup, the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River, Charlevoix, Saguenay, Lac-St-Jean Counties north of the St. Lawrence River plus the Gaspé Peninsula. The genealogist who researched this book transcribed records from the area’s Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalists churches. $50 + $10 shipping.

St-Patrice de Rivière-du-Loup – St. Patrick Catholic – Baptisms(1813-1992)  $50 + $12 shipping.

St-Patrice de Rivière-du-Loup – St. Patrick Catholic – Deaths (1813-1992) $40 + $10 shipping.

Today, the people of Rivière-du-Loup are primarily French-speaking, but many English-speaking families lived in the area in the past.Following is a list of Scottish, British and Irish families that lived in the Lower St. Lawrence region after 1763, including the present-day districts of Bellechasse, Charlevoix, Dorchester, Kamouraska, L’Islet, Matane, Montmagny, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup and Témiscouata:

Scottish, British, Irish Families of the region from 1763 onward

Adams, Achison, Alexander, Allan, Allen, Allison, Amsden, Anderson, Arbour, Archibald, Armstrong, Arthur, Atkinson, Austin, Ayton, Bagley, Bagnall, Baikie, Balfour, Ballantyne, Barr, Baron, Barron, Barry, Bartholomew, Bartley, Baxter, Beatty, Beck, Bell, Bennet (t), Berger, Bett, Birrell, Bissett, Black, Blackadder, Blackburn, Blain, Blair, Bolton, Bond, Booth, Boswell, Bower, Boyd, Boyle, Bradley, Briggs, Brogan, Brown, Bryson, Buchanan, Buck, Buist, Burgess, Burns Butchart, Butler, Caddel, Cahill, Caissy, Calway, Cameron, Campbell, Canady, Carmichael, Carr, Carroll, Carson, Carter, Cassels, Cassidy, Cavanagh, Clark, Clarke, Clement, Clerk, Clouston, Coleman, Collin, Collins, Colman, Connell, Cook, Cooke, Cooper, Cowan, Cowen, Cowie, Craib, Craig, Crawford, Critchton, Crockett, Croft, Crook, Cullen, Cummings, Dalton, Davidson, Davis, Davison, Dawson, Day, Dewar, Dick, Dickie, Dickner, Dickson, Dillon, Dobson, Dodbridge, Doherty, Donaldson, Dougherty, Douglass, Downes, Downing, Doyle, Drisdell, Drummond, Duncan, Dunn, Easton, Edgar, Ellement, Elliott, Ellis(s), Ewen, Ferguson, Fergusson, Findlay, Ficher, Fisher, Fitzsimmons, Flack, Fletcher, Flowers, Floyd, Foote, Forbes, Forest, Forrest, Forsyth, Foster, Fox, Francis, Fraser, French, Furlong, Gallagher, Gardner, Garvie, Gathwaite (Garwiitts), Gibson, Gifford, Gilchrist, Giles, Gilklet, Gillies, Gleeson, Glenny, Godcharles, Gold, Gordon, Grant, Gray, Green, Greer, Gregory, Geig, Grey, Griffin, Hackett, Hall, Halle, Hally, Hamilton, Hammond, Handfield, Hannay, Harbour, Harcourt, Harding, Hardy, Haresson, Harkness, Harper, Harrison, Harrower, Hart, Harton, Harvey, Harvie, Haslett, Hay, Hayward, Healey, Heaslet, Henderson, Henley, Henry, Heppel, Heppell, Herdman, Hibbard, Hill, Hins, Hodgson, Hogg, Holdron, Hoff, Holt, Holmes, Hope, Horner, Hould, Hovington, Howden, Howe, Hudson, Hume, Hunter, Hurley, Hutchison, Irvine, Irving, Jackson, Jacob, Jamieson, Jarvis, Jeffery, Jenkins, Jennis, Johnson, Johnston, Jones, Jopsing, Kack, Keighan, Kelly, Kennedy, Kenney, Kerr, Kidd, King, Kirby, Knox, Krieber, Lamb, Lane, Lang, Langis, Laurenson, Law, Lawrence, Lawson, Leach, Lee, Leggatt, Leitch, Leith, Lemesurier, Lever, Lewis, Lindsay, Lister, Litch, Lock, Lockhead, Long, Loof, Lord, Lucas, MacAllum, McBean, MacCarron, McCleary, McClintock, MacClure, McClure, MacConnell, McConnell, MacCourt, McCourt, McCraw, MacCutcheon, McCutcheon, MacDermott, McDermott, MacDonald, McDonald, MacDonell, McDonell, MacDougall, McDougall, MacEwen, McEwen, McEwing, MacFadden, McFadden, MacFarlane, MacFarquhar, MacGee, McGee, MacGowan, McGowan, MacGrath, McGrath, MacGregor, McGregor, MacGuire, McGuire, MacHenry, McHenry, MacHugh, McHugh, MacIntosh, McIntosh, MacIntyre, McIntyre, MacKay, McKay, MacKel, MacKelly, McKelly, MacKenna, McKenna, MacKenney, McKenney, MacKenzie, McKenzie, MacKey, McKey, MacKillop, McKillop, MacKim, McKim, MacKinley, McKinley, MacKinnon, McKinnon, MacLaren, McLaren, MacLaughlin, McLaughlin, MacLean, McLean, MacLellan, McLellan, MacLeod, McLeod, McLure, MacMahon, McMahon, MacMillan, McMillan, McMullen, MacNab, McNab, McNeely, MacNeill, McNeill, MacNess, McNess, MacNichol, McNichol, McNicoll, McNider, McNie, McSwanny, MacVey, McVey, MacWhinnie, McWhinnie, MacWhirter, McWhirter, MacWilliams, McWilliams, Malloy, Mann, Mansfield, Marshall, Marugg, Mason, Mathers, Matheson, Mathews, Mathieson, Matthews, Maxwell, May, Meaney, Meehan, Mellis, Mercer, Middlemist, Milburn, Miles, Miller, Mills, Milne, Mitchell, Moffat, Moffett, Molloy, Montgomery, Moore, Moran, Morgan, Morrin, Morris, Morrissey, Morrisson, Morrow, Mudge, Muir, Murdoch, Murphy, Murray, Nawling, Neil, Nelson, Nepton, Newberry, Nicholson, Nichols, Nicol, Nickols, Nixon, O’Conner, O’Connor, O’Connors, Orkney, Ogilvie, Otis, Page, Pard, Parker, Parkes, Paterson, Patterson, Patton, Peacock, Pearson, Pentiga, Perry, Peters, Pettigrew, Phillips, Pickford, Pollock, Pope, Porter, Power, Pratt, Preston, Price, Prior, Purcell, Quimper, Quinn, Rae, Ramming, Ramsay, Ramsey, Randall, Rankin, Rattray, Reader, Reed, Reid, Richard, Richardson, Riopel, Ritchie, Robbins, Roberts, Robertson, Robin, Robinson, Rodger, Rodgers, Roger, Rose, Ross, Rudiack, Rutherford, Ruthven, Ryan, Sample, Samson, Sargeant, Scherrer, Scott, Seaton, Seton, Shannon, Sharp, Sharpe, Shaw, Sheehy, Shields, Short, Simson, Sinclair, Skelling, Skene, Sladek, Slater, Smith, Smyth, Speers, Speirs, Standford, Stanley, Stein, Stephenson, Stevens, Stevenson, Stewart, Storrie, Stuart, Suck, Sutherland, Swan, Swinford, Synnett, Synnoth, Synnott, Tapp, Taylor, Temple, Thom, Thoms, Thomas, Thompson, Tolerton, Towers, Townsley, Trickey, Turner, Urquhart, Veitch, Vivian, Walker, Wallace, Wallis, Walsh, Walter, Walton, Ward, Wardrop, Ware, Warren, Watson, Watt, Watters, Wayne, Webster, Wells, Welsh, Whellan, White, Whyte, Wickens, Wilkens, Williams, Willis, Wilson, Winichuk, Winters, Wintle, Wiseman, Wood, Woods, Woodland, Wren, Wright, Yates, Young

Sources of the above listing of family names: Jeannine Ouellet, Dennis McLane, Université Laval, La Corporation culturelle de Frampton, Société de généalogie de Rimouski.

Genealogy, Quebec

An Ill-fated Social Experiment

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Royal Arthur School

80 Canning Street

September 30, 1912

Dear Mother,

I am writing this in school to tell at last taken that long talked of flat and while I think (of it) will tell you the address; it is 2401 Hutchison St. and is almost next door to the McCoy’s which makes it fine for us. We moved in on Sat last (Sept 28) and they have been in cooking and doing all sorts of things for us. Mr. McCoy gave us a basket of peaches to start on.

The flat is completely furnished and is lighted by electricity and we do all our cooking by gas. There are four girls in the scheme, Flora, May, Lena Bullock who is a school teacher, too, and yours truly. We are planning to pay 20 dollars each per month and hope to be able to make ends meet but if we cannot then we will get another girl to come in with us.

The flat itself costs us $40.00 then we will have the rest for running expenses. When you come take an Amherst car up Bleury and get off at St. Viateur. And we will let you see what sort of housekeepers we are.

This is the first part of a missive written by Marion Nicholson, school teacher at Royal Arthur School in the Little Burgundy district of Montreal, to her mother, Margaret, back home in Richmond, Quebec.

By today’s standards, the letter contains nothing earth-shattering: a young working woman has taken an apartment with three other girls and is anxious to tell Mom all about it.

But, it is,indeed, an extraordinary letter.  In 1912, when the correspondence was penned, it was unacceptable, borderline illegal even, for women in the big cities of Canada to move in together to share expenses.

First, there was the problem of prostitution, so any such arrangement was highly suspect.  And then there was the problem of, well, personhood, that is no one would rent to a woman, even a woman with a steady salary, because these women couldn’t sign a lease.

Most women didn’t have a bank account, and those wealthy women who did couldn’t keep more than $2,000. in it.

Marion cashed her paycheque of 60 dollars a month at Renouf’s, a store that sold textbooks to the Montreal Board.

Official records reveal that between September 1912 and May 1913, 2401 Hutchison, in the Mile End district of Montreal, was occupied by another family that had been living there for years.  So, Marion and her friends did not sign any official lease.

Their unusual sublet was no doubt enabled by the McCoys mentioned in the letter.  The McCoys were family friends from a pioneering  Richmond  family.

marion margaret

Margaret Nicholson and daughter Marion in Richmond in 1912. Letters reveal that her family was afraid for Marion, she had become so thin.

The earlier letters in ‘the Nicholson collection’ explain why Marion was so excited about getting her own apartment. For a few years, she had boarded at a rooming house on Tower, in Westmount, run by a widow named Mrs. Ellis.  As was likely the custom, this Mrs. Ellis “lorded it over” her female charges, (Marion’s words) making sure they towed the line, especially when it came to male visitors and curfews.

In 1910, in the big bad city, even a well-connected 27 year old women like Marion Nicholson was considered in need of protection.  Besides, no respectable widow wanted to be accused of running a bawdy house.

In late 1911, Marion began seeing a certain Mr. Blair, a very eligible lumber merchant, which made her especially hate her curfew.  In 1912, already bone-tired from managing her class of 50 “very bad” second graders, she ran herself ragged in her spare time looking for a flat to live in.

Then, in late September she found that flat. And it even had electricity, a luxury her lovely family home in the fancy section of Richmond, Quebec wouldn’t have until the next year.

Family letters reveal that Mr. Blair or “Romeo” was a regular visitor at 2401 Hutchison during the fall and winter of 1912/13, not that Marion talked about his visits in her letters home. Flora, her younger sister, was the one who spilled the beans.

Oh, my!

Still, in the end, this bold feminist experiment didn’t work out, but not because of any sex scandal.

Running a home back then was just too labour intensive for women who worked during the day, even a home with a newfangled gas stove.

That’s why, during the winter of 1913, Marion and her flat mates relied on a series of older female relations, including mother Margaret, to keep house for them on a rotating basis.

In May 1913, the girls abandoned their flat on Hutchison and moved into a hotel room downtown at the Mansions on Guy Street.  Supposedly, they left behind a big fat mess.

Flora Mae Watters.PNG

Flora (front) and Mae Watters, around 1908 in Richmond, Quebec. Mae would get married in 1914 but Flora only much later, when in her forties.

Marion Nicholson soon became engaged to Mr. Blair.  She was disillusioned at work because a “mere boy out of school” had been hired over her head and given the much coveted  7th form, a position second only to the (male) principal, is how she described it to her father.

Sister Flora and Mae, a first cousin, returned to Mrs. Ellis’ much despised rooming house on Tower because they simply had no other place to go.

In the 1910 era, there was a dire shortage of accommodation for working women in Montreal.  In fact, Montreal’s leading citizens, including Mssrs. Birks and Reford, Mrs. Molson, Reverend Symonds of Christ Church Cathedral and Miss Carrie Derick of  the Montreal Local Council of Women, were holding public meetings to organize a hotel downtown just for women,  ‘respectable’ women (sic) where the girls could spend their evenings engaged in wholesome activities and presumably not cavorting around town at Vaudeville theatres, motion picture palaces, or at Dominion Park, the enormous thrill park on Notre Dame East.*1

Marion, who enjoyed all of the above activities, didn’t write anything in her letters about this critical community project, but I can guess what she thought about it.

In 1906, while attending McGill Normal School near what is now Place Bonaventure, she roomed at  the YWCA on Dorchester and simply hated it. “Too many rules,” she wrote home to Mom.2

  1. Montreal Gazette. Definite Start to Women’s Hotel. November 18, 1910.
  2. Marion Nicholson would marry, have four children and be widowed in 1927. She would go back to teaching and rise to be President of the Montreal Protestant Teacher’s Union during the WWII years. She fought for higher salaries and pensions for teachers, but died before she could earn one herself.  She was honored with an editorial in the February 16, 1947 Montreal Gazette that began: With the death of Marion A.N. Blair the teaching profession in the province, indeed, the whole Dominion, has suffered a serious loss.