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Last
change date is at the bottom of each page. |
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Gilberte
Desrochers Beaule, a cousin I never knew, except through
my grandmother, Valdora Desjardins Lachance Mckenna. After
my grandmother passed away, I found Gilberte. We corresponded
via email a number of times, collaborating on family before
my trip to Lewiston. When we finally met, it was as if she
had always been a part of this family...and little did I
know...she always was.
Gilberte has offered me many stories and help attempting
to "figure out" how the people in my life fit
together, like so many pieces of a puzzle. We met at the
Father Begin center in Auburn and managed to spend a, very
short, couple of hours together...talking, looking at pictures,
and getting to know one another.
Some of what Gilberte has share with me, I am sharing here.
I hope some of this information may someday help another
one of us to find out...
"from whence
we came".
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Antoine Desjardins
(Gil's Grandfather) married four times once to a Lachance.
Here is Antoine's history of marriage. He married: |
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(1) Anais Caronm. February 12, 1876 in (Sts.
Peter and Paul), Lewiston, ME - daughter of Michel
Caron and Monique Dessaint.
(2) Marie Phébée Lachance m. January 24,
1881 in (Sts. Peter and Paul), Lewiston,ME -
daughter of Gabriel Pépin dit Lachance and Marie-Edesse
Boule. Marie was born October 02, 1853 in L'Isle-aux-Grues,
Québec, Canada, and died December12, 1891 in Lewiston,
ME.
(3) Marie Drouin, m. February 29, 1892 in
Lewiston, ME, - daughter of Isidore Drouin and
Denyse Provencal. She died February 01, 1895 in
Lewiston, ME.
(4) Marie-Louise Desrochers, m. May 09,
1899 in Lewiston, ME - daughter of Fabien Desrochers
and Cephise Mayrand. She was born in Sainte-Croix,
Québec,Canada, and died May 10, 1944 in Lewiston, ME. |
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Jean-Baptiste
Roy dit Desjardins descended from Olivier Roy, was born
sometime after 1801 someplace in Canada, most likely Kamouraska.
He died December 11, 1889 in Lewiston, ME and is buried
at St. Peter's Cemetery. He married Marie-Hélene
Levasseur November 24, 1846 in St. Louis, Kamouraska,
Québec. She was the daughter of Alexandre Levasseur
and Angelique Roy dit Desjardins. and was born June
21, 1825 in St. Louis, Kamouraska, Québec. Marie-Hélene
died January 06, 1888.
From this couple came a number of children, two of which
got us to where we are today. Antoine Desjardins (grandfather
to Gilberte Beaule) and Etienne Desjardins. (grandfather
of Valdora Desjardins - my grandmother). |
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Gilberte (she has
always been Gil) and my grandmother Val were close and kept
in touch with each other on a very regular basis. Gil enjoyed
writing to Val and; she wished they had had many more years
to do so. Gil felt as though my grandmother had so many
things she wanted to tell her but didn't quite get around
to it.
The relationship between my grandmother (Valdora Desjardins)
and Gilberte's mother (Regina Desjardins) went like
this. Antoine, Gil's grandfather, and Etienne, my great-great
grandfather were brothers. In order there's Etienne, Wilfrid,
Valdora, Bill (my dad), then me.
Gil's mother and Wilfrid (father of my Grandmother Val)
were first cousins. Gil's mother and Val were second cousins
but age wise, were only 2 years apart. Most importantly,
they loved one another. So when "cousin" Val came
to Maine, she visited the Suttons and the Dufours, and she
spent a great deal of time with Gil and her mother.There
was also some relationship between my grandmother Val and
Gil's uncle Oscar (Desrochers) throughout the years before
Larry McKenna (whom she would marry in August of 1941),"and
for that reason also she would be at our house often"
says Gil. Some summers, Gil remembers when Uncle Charley
(Desrochers), Tante Jeanne (Comptois) Desrochers, Tante
Juliette (Comptois) Bagley and Uncle Frank Bagley would
stop in Lewiston on their way to Canada, and stop back on
their way to N.Y. How they would look forward to those visits.
Lots of fond memories! |
(Left to Right)
Jeanne (nee Comptois) Desrochers, Charles Desrochers,
Regina (nee Desjardins) Desrochers (Gil's Mother),
Juilette (nee Comptois) Bagley, Amedee Dutil,
Antoinette (nee Desjardins) Dutil, Adalbert Desrochers
(Gil's Father)
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| Many years later
(This Picture at Christmas 1955...not that I remember) the
Comptois sisters that I knew as Tante Jeanne and Tante Juilette,
are still having fun with Val. Juilette on the left, Val
at the head of the table, Larry McKenna and Tante Jeanne
on the right. I don't know who the girl is between Larry
and Jeanne. |
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The photo on the left is the last of those I received
from Gilberte. Here are the names of those in the picture
(date unknown):
(Front Row): Wilfrid Robichaud
& Omer Begin
(Middle Row): Cecile (nee Desrochers) Larose, Valdora
Desjardins, Marie-Anna (nee Desrochers) Robichaud
(Wilfrid's wife)
(Back Row): Oscar Desrochers, Julie (nee Desrochers)
Desrochers, Paul Desrochers
Someday I would like to add other photos
of Gilberte and her husband as well as a wedding photo
of her parents ... if I ever find one. Thanks Gil, for
the memories and all the help...it is truly appreciated.
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