How an old car picture started all this?

This is how I was led to Alexander Benoit dit Livernois and his siblings Angélique, Amable (Amos), Charles, François (Francis), Béloni (Belonia). It was about a search for who was this young woman on the right fender.

She was unknown to me as well as all others although I had a hunch they were related to this man below.

The license plate was a clue. Connecticut 1917. The man was also unknown, and still is, but he had to be related somehow to my distant relatives in the United States in the early 1900s.

Everything started to make sense when Teresa Pease told me I had the wrong Bertha Lagasse. At first I thought she was Ida, then Odna, then Tony…

This is Bertha Lagasse again with her husband William Austin.

The man beside the 1917 Ford Model T can’t be William.

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Zéphirin Germain and Peter Zepherin Germain

I don’t have a photograph of Zéphirin Germain, but I have one of Peter Zepherin Germain.

I found this image, and many more of his descendants, on Ancestry last week, and the dopamine really started to kick in. If you have been reading my blog since 2009, you know all about the effect of dopamine, the pleasure hormone. We just need more and more dopamine to flow into our system to satisfy our compulsion for knowing more about Our Ancestors…

I am the living proof of the effect of dopamine since I have started searching for my ancestors back in July 2007 when my brother showed me some old pictures like this one.

The effect was immediate. I just had to find more about who were on old pictures, and in 2008 I felt the need to share what I would find on a blog, first in my mother tongue, and then in English.

Last week I had a rush of dopamine when I saw this picture, and became uncontrolable and I wanted to know more about them.

The more I found, the more I found. I just could not stop.

Why bother  writing about these young ladies and their grandfather Peter Zepherin Germain, a blacksmith who emigrated in the United States like 900,000 French Canadians did between 1840 and 1930?

I know you will be coming back next week and see what I have found.

 

Coming soon – The Two Zephirin Germains and How I Got Them Mixed Up

What your comments mean to Our Ancestors?

A lot!

This was Linda’s comment last week on Our Ancestors…

I have some additional information on the family of Amable Benoit dit Livernois and Elisabeth Vasseur dite Bellisle. In addition to Joseph Treffle and Alexander, they had five more children. After Amable’s death, Elisabeth with all of the children except Treffle moved to Hinesburg, Vermont. She married Joseph Gotier, but I don’t know if the marriage took place in Canada or in Vermont. Elisabeth died April 22, 1892 and is buried in Rhode Island Cemetery in Hinesburg. Joseph died in Jericho, Vermont, on January 24, 1895, and is buried with Elizabeth.

Other children of Amable and Elizabeth– Julie/Julia, was born in St. Charles sur Richelieu 7 March 1831. She married in Canada before 1850 Carlos Baisner, son of Peter and Margaret (Maynard) Baisner. Carlos had several land transactions with Julia’s brothers Belonia and Francis and with her mother. Julia died 29 October 1906 in Hinesburg.

Charles was born in St. Charles 1 June 1832. Charles enlisted in the army on 9 June 1862. He was captured on 2 February 1864 and sent to Andersonville Prison in Georgia where he died in December 1864. His name is on the same stone as his mother and step-father in Rhode Island Cemetery in Hinesburg.

Amable/Amos was born in St. Charles on 15 April 1834. Before 1859 he married Emily Shepard, daughter of William and Lucy (Little) Shepard. The couple eventually divorced. Amos moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, around 1890. About the turn of the century he moved to Marlboro, New Hampshire, where he died 28 October 1906.

Belonia (Belona, Balonia, etc.–many different spellings) was born in St. Charles 31 July 1838. About 1868 he married Rebecca Phillips, daughter of Solomon and Susan (Sherman) Phillips. In 1870 he and his wife and child were living with his mother and step-father. By 1880 the family had moved to Huntington, Vermont, where he lived the rest of his life. He died there 28 September 1916. He is the only child of Amable and Elizabeth for whom I could not find a baptismal record in the St. Charles-sur-Richelieu parish records. His Vermont death record lists his parents as Amos and Elizabeth (Belisle) Benoit.

Francois/Francis was born in St. Charles 2 October 1840. About 1866 he married Celinda Ash. The couple later broke up. He lived in Hinesburg and later in Jericho, where he lived with his daughters Irma, who owned a dairy farm, and Ida. Francis died 1 October 1923 in Jericho and is buried in Rhode Island Cemetery in Hinesburg. His name is on the same stone as his mother, step-father, and brother Charles.

All of these children, with the exception of Charles, had children.

Linda Mathew

As usual I have entered this information on my private family tree on Ancestry. Then I said to myself…

You know what? This whole idea of keeping my family tree set on private maybe is not such a good thing after 9 years, especially with close to 50,000 files and 10,000 images…

I think I could share it with the whole world like so many people did. 

This is why last week my family tree on Ancestry has been set on public.

Next time on Our Ancestors? 

What about learning more about Beloni Benoît dit Livernois who became… 

Belonia (Belona, Balonia, etc.–many different spellings) was born in St. Charles 31 July 1838. About 1868 he married Rebecca Phillips, daughter of Solomon and Susan (Sherman) Phillips. In 1870 he and his wife and child were living with his mother and step-father. By 1880 the family had moved to Huntington, Vermont, where he lived the rest of his life. He died there 28 September 1916. He is the only child of Amable and Elizabeth for whom I could not find a baptismal record in the St. Charles-sur-Richelieu parish records. His Vermont death record lists his parents as Amos and Elizabeth (Belisle) Benoit.

Stay tuned!

 

 

Update on Amable Benoît dit Livernois’ family

A comment just in from Linda Mathew…

I have some additional information on the family of Amable Benoit dit Livernois and Elisabeth Vasseur dite Bellisle. In addition to Joseph Treffle and Alexander, they had five more children. After Amable’s death, Elisabeth with all of the children except Treffle moved to Hinesburg, Vermont. She married Joseph Gotier, but I don’t know if the marriage took place in Canada or in Vermont. Elisabeth died April 22, 1892 and is buried in Rhode Island Cemetery in Hinesburg. Joseph died in Jericho, Vermont, on January 24, 1895, and is buried with Elizabeth.

Other children of Amable and Elizabeth– Julie/Julia, was born in St. Charles sur Richelieu 7 March 1831. She married in Canada before 1850 Carlos Baisner, son of Peter and Margaret (Maynard) Baisner. Carlos had several land transactions with Julia’s brothers Belonia and Francis and with her mother. Julia died 29 October 1906 in Hinesburg.

Charles was born in St. Charles 1 June 1832. Charles enlisted in the army on 9 June 1862. He was captured on 2 February 1864 and sent to Andersonville Prison in Georgia where he died in December 1864. His name is on the same stone as his mother and step-father in Rhode Island Cemetery in Hinesburg.

Amable/Amos was born in St. Charles on 15 April 1834. Before 1859 he married Emily Shepard, daughter of William and Lucy (Little) Shepard. The couple eventually divorced. Amos moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, around 1890. About the turn of the century he moved to Marlboro, New Hampshire, where he died 28 October 1906.

Belonia (Belona, Balonia, etc.–many different spellings) was born in St. Charles 31 July 1838. About 1868 he married Rebecca Phillips, daughter of Solomon and Susan (Sherman) Phillips. In 1870 he and his wife and child were living with his mother and step-father. By 1880 the family had moved to Huntington, Vermont, where he lived the rest of his life. He died there 28 September 1916. He is the only child of Amable and Elizabeth for whom I could not find a baptismal record in the St. Charles-sur-Richelieu parish records. His Vermont death record lists his parents as Amos and Elizabeth (Belisle) Benoit.

Francois/Francis was born in St. Charles 2 October 1840. About 1866 he married Celinda Ash. The couple later broke up. He lived in Hinesburg and later in Jericho, where he lived with his daughters Irma, who owned a dairy farm, and Ida. Francis died 1 October 1923 in Jericho and is buried in Rhode Island Cemetery in Hinesburg. His name is on the same stone as his mother, step-father, and brother Charles.

All of these children, with the exception of Charles, had children.

Linda Mathew

 

Alexander Bennett’s Brother Trefflé Benoît dit Livernois

Liza got me confused until she realized I had copied Alexandre’s grandparents instead of his parents.

Amable and Élisabeth had many more children. One son I found was Trefflé born in 1829. He would marry Philomène Bernard and fathered many children: Joseph, Philomène, Régina, Uldéric, Adélard, Phillias, Esdras, Arzélie.

Esdras Benoit emigrated to the United States. He married Sarah Allard. Adélard also emigrated to the U.S. He married Ellen Catherine McCarthy. All this information came either from the 1861 and 1871 Canadian censuses or from Ancestry’s hints that I was able to validate.

Trefflé Benoit dit Livernois died in 1889. Nothing more has been found about Philomène Bernard except for her potential ancestors. This finally closes this dossier of Alexander Bennett, aka Alexandre Benoît dit Livernois, a young French-Canadian who enlisted in the Union Army and deserted. The story is all here.

Next time Osias Sauvé and Liza’s old pictures…

Being Almost 100% Sure?

I had a feeling about my last post…

I saw your post below about a Benoit ancestor so I sent the link to a cousin of mine. She is a direct descendant of Paul Benoit dit Livernois (1623-1686) and is a genealogy fanatic also.

We saw that you believe Alexandre Bennett/Benoit is the son of Francois Benoit dit Livernois & Angelique Fontaine dite Bienvenu. However, according to PRDH, their son Amable died in 1841 in Ste-Charles-Sur-Richelieu. What is way more likely is that your Alexander Bennett was Alexandre Benoit (no Livernois) born 14 Oct and bap 15 Oct 1833 in Montreal. This Alexandre was the son of Jean Baptist Benoit & Emilie Migneault dite Labrie, and the grandson of Pierre Benoit (b abt 1744 in Acadia, d 1814 in St-Luc, Que) who was deported as part of the Acadian expulsion.

I hope this helps and does not confuse things even more.

Liza

Confused?

Alexander Bennett story might not be over after all, so stay tuned.

However a new chapter of Our Ancestors is coming soon. It’s about a comment made in 2012 and a little search for distant relatives in Ontario.

Keep those comments coming!

Potential Father and Potential Mother Have Some Potential

But be careful… It’s only a tool.

Ancestry generates Potential Father and Potential Mother like the generates hints. I had been using different sources to find William Austin’s ancestors, but I had hit a brick wall with Alexander Bennett. I am almost sure I have the right parents.

Alexandre Bennett was Alexandre Benoit dit Livernois. His father was Amable Benoît dit Livernois, son of François Benoît dit Livernois and Angélique Fontaine dit Bienvenu. His mother was Élisabeth Vasseur dit Bélisle, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Vasseur dit Bélisle and Marie-Geneviève Héli.

Having written so many articles about Alexander Bennett and his family, I will now close this chapter of Our Ancestors, and wait for other comments like this one which started all this research…

Good Evening,
  
My name is Teresa Brooks Pease.  I am a descendant of Bertha Lagasse Austin.  My Grandmother is Elizabeth (Betty) Austin DeWick.  I dont have very much information about the Austin/Lagasse and as my grandmother just passed December of 2012. I’m not sure I will be able to provide you with any futher information other than what my grandfather may have.  
Please feel free to contact me.  I would love to learn more about my family history.

Post 1351 – More on Alexander Bennett

UPDATE

Prepare to be confused because I was a bit confused when I got a potential father for Alexander Bennett.

However now I think I found who were Alexander Bennett’s parents after more than 5 years. I am almost 100% sure that I am almost 100% sure! Alexander Bennett was Alexandre Benoit dit Livernois, son of Amable Benoit dit Livernois and Élisabeth Vasseur dit Bélisle who were married in 1826. Amable would die in 1841.

Before I start to confuse you, please read this long post I wrote back in 2015.

---

This post was written in 2013. I finally got a comment today from a distant relative. The comment is after you read what I had posted in 2013.

***

Posted in 2013

Alexandre Benoit, Anna Bennett’s father, is the same man who enlisted on May 7th, 1861, in the 2nd Vermont Infantry.

This is the marriage certificate that links Alexander Benoit to Louise Janvier.

Lewisa Janviere, aka Louisa Janvier, aka Louisa Jonvier, aka Louise January, married Alexandre Benoit, aka Alexander Bennett, on November 16, 1857, in Vergennes, Vermont. Alexander Benoit’s residence was Hinesburg. We find this same couple on July 18th, 1860, in Hinseburg, the same place Alexander Bennett enlisted on May 7th, 1861.

Alex and Louisa have two children. Louisa 2 years-old and Fred is 5 months-old.

Louisa was born in Monkton, Vermont, in 1858. Her mother Louisa’s birthplace is Vergennes. Her father’s birthplace is Canada. Alexis (sic) is a farmer.

Fred is the other child, but I strongly believe he is Alexander seen in the 1880 U.S. Census.

The family has grown since 1860.

Little Louisa Bennett is not there anymore because she has married Antoine Tatro on September 28, 1875.

Antoine Tatro is in fact Antoine Tétreault and he was born in St-Pie-de-Bagot according to the marriage act. He is a blacksmith from Enosburg Falls.

Fred or Alexander (1860) is living with his parents in 1880 as well as Amos (1862), Rosa (1866), Mary (1870), Anna (1874), William’s mother, and Baby Bennett.

Alexander will marry Sarah Hamill in 1912.

It has to be little Fred from the 1860 census. His parents’ birthplace is Fraserville, Nova Scotia, but I totally disagree since Nova Scotia was not part of Canada in 1858 when Louisa was born.

I wonder who told that information to the clerk.

Rosa or Rosana Benoit will marry George Auger on October 24, 1887.

Mary Benoit or Bennett is Mary King who married three times. Again the father’s birthplace is wrong.

Anna is Anna Benoit who married Lawrence Austin (Laurent Ostiguy dit Domingue).

I have not found any information on Baby Bennett except that it was born on February 4, 1880, in Hinesburg. This fact is important because Alexander Bennett returned to Hinseburg after the Civil War. Here again we see that the father is said to be from Canada.

I lose track of this family in 1890, but Alexander Bennett and Louisa Janvier appear in the 1900 U.S. Census. They live in Vergennes. Alexander is a mason. Remember the death certificate where Alexander Bennett’s occupation was mason.

Well Alexander Bennett is a mason in 1900. He will die on October 10, 1908 from pneumonia.

In that document we see that someone told the clerk that Alexander Bennett was born in Canada and that his parents were also from Canada. Who were they? There is only one clue found here. His mother’s name… Sov!

Sov… Sovie… Sovey… Sauve… Sauvé? Could his parents be Pierre Benoit and Catherine Sauvé? I know you will come back for the epilog before we start following Alexander Bennett in 9 battles in the Civil War.

***

Now this is the comment I just got…

What a great biography. Alexandre was the great-great grandfather of my son-in-law. I can give you a little information about his son Amos George Bennett. He moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, and married Mary Monahan on 12 Jan. 1887. According to the Worcester City Directory of that year, he was working as a finisher at 19 Union Street and boarding at 15 Thomas Street. Alexander Bennett (his brother, I presume), a varnisher, was living and working with him. Amos stayed in Worcester and died in 1942. I have not been able to find anything more on Alexander.

END OF THE UPDATE

That three year-old comment got me going again with Ancestry’s new feature…

TO BE CONTINUED

Une petite bière avec ça… prise 3

This is the link to the drawings on Nos ancêtres.

https://wp.me/pCfR6-5TM