The following pictures are from one of Adlore and Ellen Vadnais’ trips out west in the late 1940s or early 1950s when they visited Adlore’s Uncle Leon William “Willie” and Aunt Marie Rose (Delonais) Baillargeon. Willie was 1 of 4 brothers of Adlore’s mother Jennie (Baillargeon) Vadnais.
Willie, my great-granduncle, was born in Quebec, Canada on August 6, 1860 and immigrated to the Minnesota, at 2 years old, with his parents. He married Marie Rose Delonais in Centerville, Anoka County, Minnesota on June 17, 1903 when she was 26 years old and he was 42 years old. Over the next 16 years, the couple had 10 children (Adlore’s first cousins). I believe Willie was retired by the time they moved to Kelso, Washington, a town about 50 miles to the north of Portland, Oregon along the Columbia River. The move occurred sometime before 1935.
![](https://wblvadnais.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-Friday-19th-Baillargeon-Leon-Wm-Adlore-Vadnais-1024x725.jpg)
![](https://wblvadnais.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-Friday-19th-Vadnais-Adlore-Marie-Mary-Rose-Delonais-Baillargeon-Ellen-Vadnais-1024x718.jpg)
![](https://wblvadnais.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-Friday-19th-Baillargeon-Uncle-Willie-playing-accordian-Leon-Wm-1860-1958-701x1024.jpg)
![](https://wblvadnais.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-Friday-19th-Baillargeon-Leon-Marie-Rose-Delonais-Kelso-Newspaper-1955-827x1024.jpg)
![](https://wblvadnais.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Photo-Friday-19th-Baillargeon-Leon-1955-Kelso-newspaper-article-305x1024.jpg)
(The 88 year old sister in the article is Jennie (Baillargeon) Vadnais)
Willie died in Kelso on March 12, 1958 at 97 years old and his wife Marie Rose died in Longview, Washington (on the other side of the Cowlitz River from Kelso) on January 8, 1955 at 77 years old.
Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cindy
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