Monday, May 16, 2011

Amanuensis Monday: Petition for Naturalization - Francois-Xavier Savard

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme from GeneaBloggers, originating at John Newmark's Transylvania Dutch, the theme encourages the transcription of family letters, journals, and other historical artifacts.

Francois-Xavier Savard is my youngest daughter's 3rd great-grandfather, and according to the research of Jean-Guy Savard of Quebec, and myself, it is believed Francois was a son of Jean-Baptiste Savard and Elise Beland. Born and baptized on 11 March, 1855 in Neuville, Portneuf County, Quebec, he married Anselmie Picard (Norbert, Henriette Blanchette) on 15 Sept, 1878 at Saint Anne's Church in Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts.

According to this Petition for Naturalization, I can only surmise he emigrated from Quebec to Fall River, Massachusetts at the age of 16 in 1871. And, that he was in Fall River for about 10 years before moving on to Lowell.
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Believed to have been employed by Felix Albert of Lowell for a short time as a clerk, Francois was also an insurance agent, and worked out of an office at 13 Merrimack Square. Francois and Anselmie had five known children:

Clarida, believed to have been the couple's first born in Fall River, married Joseph Tremblay on 28 October, 1907 in Lowell; Corrine, also born in Fall River, married Abraham Grondin on 2 June, 1901, in Lowell;  Alcidas, my daughter's ancestor, also known as Arthur, was the couple's first child to be born in Lowell.. Born on 28 Oct., 1881, he married Eveline Champagne on 17 Aug., 1903. Edouard, he married Malvina Otis on 20 Oct., 1907, again in Lowell; and Olivier, he married Lydia Grenier in Lowell on 8 Nov., 1915.

Francois-Xavier died on 26 Oct., 1916 in Lowell, and is buried in family plot; section F, lot 27 at St-Joseph Cemetery in Chelmsford, MA. His death notice, which was published in the Lowell Sun on 26 Oct 1916, pg. 8, reads:
SAVARD---Frank Savard, aged 61 years, died this morning at his home , 711 Lakeview avenue. He leaves three sons, Arthur, Oliver and Edouard and two daughters, Mrs. Corinne Grondin and Mrs. Florida Tremblay.
And his funeral notice, published in The Sun October 28th 1916, pg. 7.
SAVARD--The funeral of Frank X. Savard took place this morning from the home, 711 Lakeview avenue. Solemn high mass of the requiem was celebrated at St. Louis church at 8 o'clock by Rev. J. B. Labossiere, assisted by L. C. Bedard as deacon and Rev. E. J. Vincent as sub-deacon. The bearers were D. Belleville, J. Daneau, T. Savard., U. Larue, P. Fortin and G. Deziel. Burial was in St. Joseph's Cemetery, where the committal prayers were read by Rev. Fr. Vincent. Funeral arrangements were in charge of Undertakers Joseph Albert & Son.

[Superior Court Middlesex County, Cambridge Mass.; Minor Series, Vol # 3-1, pg. 565]

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts District, SS. _____________
                         To the Honorable the Justices of the Superior Court, holden

at            Lowell      within and for said County of Middlesex, on the      third   
Monday of     October     A.D. 188 3 .
RESPECTFULLY REPRESETS                Francois X. Savard                    of
       Lowell      in said County,  an alien and free white person, that he was born

at        Quebec        in               Canada               within the dominions of Victoria,
Queen of the United Kingdon of Great Britain and Ireland, on or about the   15  
day of    March    A.D. 18  55  , and is now              2 8                   years of age;
that he emigrated from        Canada        and arrived at            Fall River      in the 
United States of America, on the          12        day of                  June         , A.D.
1871, being then a minor under the age of twenty -one years, to wit, of the age of
      16             years; that he has ever since resided within the said United States;
that he now resides at             Lowell                  and he desires and it has been, for three years past, his bona-fide intention to become a citizen of said United States,
and to renounce all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, potentate , state and sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly to Victoria, Queen as aforesaid.  Wherefore he prays to be admitted by this Honorable Court to become a citizen of the said United States, according to the laws in such cases made and provided.

                                                                              /s/    Francois X Savard     

MIDDLESEX, SS.    Oct. 29    1883 . Signed and sworn to.
                                                                              /s/      Theo (illegible)         
                                                                                                               Clerk.
WE,                               Joseph H (illegible)                                             and
                                      Charles Beaulieu                                            both of 
        Lowell     in said County, and both citizens of the United States of America, 
on oath, severally depose and say, that we have known    Francois X. Savard    the foregoing petitioner, for more than five years, last past, during all which time he has resided within the United States of America, and at least one year thereof in said Commonwealth;  that  he has  during  that  time  behaved  as  a  man  of  good  moral  character, attached to the priciple of the Constituttion of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same; that he arrived in the said United States while a minor aforesaid, and resided in the United States _____________years before he arrived at the age of of twenty-one years, and we verily believe it has been, for three years past, his bona-fide intention to become a citizen United States.                                                                                         
                                                                         /s/   Joseph H (illegible)       
                                                                         /s/   Charles Beaulieu          
MIDDLESEX SS. OCT. 29   188 3 . Signed and sworn to.
                                                          
                                                                            /s/     Theo (illegible)
                                                                                               Clerk.

I         Francois X Savard                 do solemnly swear that I do absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, potentate, state, and sovereignty whatsoever, and of Great Britain and Ireland, whose subject I have heretofore been;   that I have never been of any of the orders of nobility, not borne any herediatry title, and that I will support the Constitution of the United States of America. So help me God.
                                                                           /s/  Francois X. Savard     
MIDDLESEX SS. Superior Court,                   Oct.                         TERM. A.D. 188 3,

viz.:   Oct. 29    188 3 . Sworn and admitted a citizen.
                                                                          /s/ Theo  (illegible)
                                                                                               Clerk.

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