Tuesday, November 29, 2011

L'Etoile Tuesday: L'avis Deces Mon Arriere Grand-Mere Mme. Philomene Robillard nee Foucher

Publie dans L'Etoile, Lowell, MA, 4 mars, 1941
DECES
ROBILLARD-- Mme. Philomene Robillard, nee Foucher, citoyenne de cette ville depuis cinquante ans. est decedee hier apres-midi au domicile de sa fille Mme. Fabiola Fournier, 547, rue Moody, a l'age de 71 ans et deux mois, a la suite d'une maladie de plusieurs mois de duree.
Feu Mme. Robillard etait paroissienne de St-Jean Baptiste et etait bien connu dans la paroisse. Elle etait membre de la fraternite du Tiers-Ordre de saint Francois et la congregation des Dames de Ste-Anne. Elle etait aussi membre fondateur de l'Auxilliaire de la Legion franco-americaine.
La defuncte laisse pour pleurer deux filles, Mme Fabiola Fournier et Mme Anita Patenaude, toutes deux de Lowell; trois fils, Rosario Robillard, de North Grosvenordale, Conn; Joseph H. Robillard de Manchester, N. H., et Antonio Robillard de Lowell; un soeur, Mme Rose Robillard de Grosvenordale, Conn. et un frere Theophile Foucher de Fort Benton, et trois arriere-petits-enfants, ansi que plusieurs nieces et neveux.
La depouille mortelle repose en chapelle ardente a la maison funeraire 744, rue Merrimack. C'est de cet endroit que les funerailles auront lieu samedi matin a 9 heures. Un service solennel sera celebre a 10 heures en l'eglise St-Jean Baptiste. Parents et amis sont pries d'y assister. L'inhumation se fera dans le lopin de terre de la famille au cimetiere St-Joseph. Les arrangements funeraires ont ete confies aux ordonnateurs d'enterrement Joseph E. Tremblay.
My translation:
DEATHS
Mrs Philomene Robillard nee Foucher, a citizen of this city for fifty years, died yesterday after noon at the home of her daughter Mrs. Fabiola Fournier, 547, Moody st., at the age of 71 years and two months, following an illness of several months duration.
The late Mrs. Robillard was a parishioner of St-Jean Baptiste and was well known in the parish. She was a member of the fraternity of the Third Order of St. Francis and the congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne. She was also a founding member of the Auxiliary of the La Legion Franco-Americaine.
The deceased leaves to mourn two daughters, Mrs. Fabiola Fournier and Mrs. Anita Patenaude, both of Lowell; three son, Rosario Robillard of North Grosvenordale, Conn., Joseph H. Robillard of Manchester, N. H., and Antonio Robillard of Lowell; a sister, Mrs. Rose Robillard Grosvenordale, Conn.. and a brother Theophile Foucher of Fort Benton, and three great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.
The mortal remains are lying in repose at the funeral home 744, Merrimack Street. It is here that the funeral will be held Saturday morning at 9 o'clock. A solemn service will be celebrated at 10 o'clock in the St-Jean Baptiste church.. Family and friends are requested to attend. Interment will be in the family plot at Cimetiere St-Joseph. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to undertakers Joseph E. Tremblay.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Wednesday's Walk: Where Am I?

Do you know?

Obviously, I'm in a cemetery, but which one and where? The flat stones, which were at one time erect, should be a dead giveaway (no pun intended).





In memory of
JOHN BORK,
Son of John & 
Catharine Bork,
who died 
March 9, 1832,
Aged 2 years 
& 11 months.
The cherub hastened to its native home
All wasting death hath tri-
umph'd oer this child.
B . DAY . LOWELL .


Has David been here?




 ¿ɹǝʍsuɐ ǝɥʇ ʍouʞ oʇ ʇuɐM

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tombstone Tuesday: Cyprien Chrisman & Theodule Chouinard - Cimetiere St-Joseph, East Chelmsford, MA


Ci GiT
Cyprien Chrisman
decede le 18. Aout.
1901. age de 66 ans.
Epoux de
Malvina St Pierre
---
Theodule Chouinard
decede le 18. Aout.
1901. age de 21 ans.
Epoux de 
Odinas Chrisman
R.I.P
Buried in Section H, lot 545; both Cyprien and his son in law, Theodule, drowned in the Oyster River at Durham Point, N.H. Also, according to the burial records of Cimetiere St-Joseph, buried in this plot are Esther Parent and Odinas Morin nee Chrisman. I know who Odinas is, but I can't seem to figure out who Esther is.

Baptized as Marie Odinas Christman on 3 April, 1882 at St-Jean-Port-Joli, L'Islet, Odinas (Cyprien & Malvina St-Pierre) married Theodule Chouinard (Joseph, Clementine Thibault) on 25 February, 1900 at St-Aubert de L'Islet. Sadly, she and Theodule had only been married a little over a year when he died. Remarried in Nashua, NH on 29 May, 1905 to Napoleon Morin, Odinas, who I believe had no children, lived to be 92, as she died on 8 Sept., 1974 and was interred here on 10 Sept., 1974.


Marriage Source: [Gabriel Drouin, Institut Généalogique Drouin, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Le Fonds Drouin 1621-1967, Quebec vital records, 1900, St-Aubert0 Co. L'Islet, P.Q., pg. 5, M.3, Theodule Chouinard + Marie Adina Chrisman, register photocopy of the Greffe of Montmagny]

For the rest of my sources please contact me, cause I'm just too lazy to add them right now.


L'Etoile Tuesday: Dans le New Hampshire - Deux Lowellois se noient dans riviere Oyster

L'Etoile, once a very popular Franco-American newspaper, was published in Lowell, MA from 1886 up until 1957, it's available for viewing on microfilm at several repositories in the area, including the Pollard Memorial Library in downtown Lowell. And, as you may very well know, back in May I started my own lil blogging meme, entitled L'Etoile Tuesday. The plan was to pick one article of interest each week from L'Etoile and from there I would transcribe, translate, and then publish it here at my blog. So far I've only managed to publish three articles... Anyway, the article below was not just some randomly picked article. After having found the grave of both the men mentioned in it, I went searching for death notices and this is what I found.

Cyprian Chrisman et Theodule Chouinard, son gendre, tous deux de Lowell se sont noyes dimanche, dans la riviere Oyster, pres de la briqueterie de King, a Durham Point, N. H. On a reconnu les cadavres de suite. Ils etaient a bord d'une barge remplie de briques qui s'est mise a couler.
Les deux noyes on saute a l'eau et ont peri dans les flots La femme de Couinard qui etait dans la barge voulut persuader son mari et son pere de ne pas sauter dans la riviere. Elle avait raison, car au dernier moment elle s'est sauvee elle, en sautan dans une petite embarcation.
Chrisman et Couinard allaient travailler aux briqueteries tous les etes. L'hiver ils revenant a Lowrll et travaillaient dans les filatures.
Pendant leur sejour en cette ville, ils demeuraient au No 9 Bay State Court.
Les depouilles mortelles de ces infortunes sont arrivees en ville a 11 h. 30. M. Joseph Albert, entrepreneur de pompes funebres, a de charge des funerailles.Chrisman avait 65 ans. Son gendre, Couinard, n'etait age que de 21 ans. Il s'est marie a Lowell, il v. un an environ.
Les corps sont expose a la residence des defuncts, 9 Bay State Court.
Les funerailles auront lieu demain a l'eglise St. Joseph.
Published on pg. 1 in L'Etoile, Lowell, MA, 20 Aout, 1901
Cyprian Chrisman and Theodule Chouinard, his son in law, both of Lowell drowned Sunday in the Oyster River, near the King brickyard, in Durham Point, N. H. Where the corpses were identified. They were aboard a barge full of bricks when it began to sink. Both men jumped into the water and perished in the waves.
Chouinard's wife, who was on the barge, tried to persuade her husband and her father not to jump into the river. She was right, because at the last moment she saved herself by jumping into a small boat.
Chrisman and Chouinard would work in the brickyards every summer. In winter they returned to Lowell and worked in the mills.
While in this city, they lived at No. 9 Bay State Court.
The remains of these unfortunates arrived in town at 11:30. Joseph Albert, funeral director, is in charge of the funeral.
Chrisman was 65. His son in law, Chouinard, he was only 21. He married in Lowell, about a year ago.
The bodies are laid out at the residence of the deceased, 9 Bay State Court.
The funeral will take place tomorrow morning at St. Joseph church.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Those Places Thursday: St. Raphael's, Manchester, NH


 Located in Manchester's West Side on Walker St., St Raphael's Church was where, on January 24, 1943, my father was baptized. His sister Rose, who was almost 23 years his senior, and her husband, Leonce Chandonnet, were his godparents.

[Baptisms of Hillsboro County, St Raphael, Manchester, NH, 1888 - 2001, v.2, p. ; Manchester, NH : American-Canadian Genealogical Society, [2008]]

In 1943 , my grandfather,  Joseph Robillard, lived at 28 Second Street, which is located in the same West Side neighborhood as St. Raphael's. Employed by the Stephen Spinning Co. as a foreman, which I believe was located at 186 Granite (also in the same neighborhood), he lived there with his wife, my grandmother, Louise Wright, and I can only surmise, their younger children as well. Also, listed in the directory at this same address, is my uncle Joe who was 25 years my father's senior, and in the Navy at the time.


The pictures above are of a newly constructed church. Well, newly constructed in 1964, that is. The original church, in which my father was baptized, is located on the corner of 3rd and Ferry Streets, behind this "new" church.

According to the parish website, St Raphael's was founded in 1888, with the first public Mass being said on Easter Sunday at the Harrington Hose Co. building, which was also located in Manchester's West Side.

From Wikipedia :
In 1889, Denis M. Bradley, the first bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire, requested that Abbot Boniface Wimmer send monks to his diocese to create a school for French and Irish immigrants. The bishop thought that in order to create harmony among the people of his diocese the best educators for them should be German.[2] Monks from Saint Mary's Abbey in Morristown, New Jersey, were sent to found Saint Anselm Abbey in 1889.[3] When they arrived they founded St. Raphael's Parish in Manchester, and they founded Saint Anselm Preparatory School, which would later become Saint Anselm College.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Anselm_Abbey

When I was at St. Raphael's, some time ago, I must have been in the right place at the right time, because while I was taking photos of the church and it's grounds, I met a woman who works in the administrative offices at the school there. She invited me into the old building in which the original church was housed and shared a bit it's history with me. She told me that my father would have been baptized in the basement, as that was where the masses were held at the time. I thought it odd, but then she explained to me that the original building, which you can see above, was not only a church, but held inside it was also a school, rectory, convent, and an auditorium. I was told that the outside of the original building has changed a bit since it was first built in 1891, the top two floors were taken off sometime in 1964 and an entrance to the building was dug out and added at the basement level as well. She then gave me a print (8/125) of a drawing, dated 2006, of the original building, pre 1964, which was sketched in pencil by her brother.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

He was a very prominent man

After finding out my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Jerome Robillard, died in Lowell during 1884 a few weeks back, I ran straight out the door down to the library that same day to search some microfilm in hope of finding a death notice published in any of the local newspapers. Unfortunately, L'Etoile was not yet being published at the time (because you know I would have found one there if it had been), so I seearched the Courier and the Lowell Weekly Sun and this is what I found:


Jerome Robillard, who died in "Little
Canada, " Sunday morning, was to have
been taken to Montreal on the express
train Monday evening; but an unforeseen
incident delayed the departure of the re-
mains until Tuesday morning.  Mr. Robil-
lard died of dropsy, his weight from that
cause reaching an enormous figure of 328
pounds.  The box which contained the
coffin was in consequence of unusual di-
mensions and when it was attempted to
put the box into the baggage car of the ex-
press train, Monday evening, it was found
to be over two inches wider than the door.
The door of the baggage care on Tuesday's
morning's train was wide enough to admit
the box, and it was taken on it northern
journey.  The deceased measured over 30
inches about the shoulders, the box con-
taining his remains being three feet wide,
two feet deep and seven feet long.
Published on pg. 8 in the Saturday Evening Lowell Weekly Sun, Lowell, MA, on 22 Nov., 1884