Joseph Giguere and Victoire Laferriere
Joseph Giguere and Victoire Laferriere are my great-grandmother Jennie Baillargeon’s maternal grandparents as well as my 3rd great-grandparents on the Vadnais side of the family.
Joseph was born to 24 year old Joseph Giguere and 19 year old Marie Josephe (Gagnon) on November 28, 1795 and baptized the following day at Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, a municipality in the Chaudiere-Appalaches region of Quebec.1 Joseph was the oldest of 12 children: 4 girls and 8 boys.2
Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, 78 miles northeast of Quebec City. Today it has 6 stores and boasts a population of 100.
Translation:
105 (The 105th baptism at St-Roch-des-Aulnaies in 1795)
Baptism
of Joseph Giguere
On the twenty-ninth of November one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five by us, the undersigned parish priest of St Roch, was baptized Joseph, born the day before the legitimate marriage of Joseph Giguere and Marie Josephte Gagnon. The godfather was Abraham Giguere, uncle and godmother Marie Marguerite Gagnon, aunt, who were absent, the father declared that he could not sign —.
Joseph Verreau parish priest of St. Roch
End of translation.
As you can see from the translation, neither of his parents was present at his baptism and an uncle and aunt of his were named as godparents.
On March 17, 1806 Victoire Laferriere, Joseph’s future second wife, was born to 33 year old Francois and 34 year old Marie Genevieve (Jacques) Laferriere. Victoire’s baptism took place the following day at Saint-Cuthbert.3 Victoire was the fifth of 18 children. Eventually Victoire would have 10 brothers and 7 sisters with only 9 of them living to adulthood.4
Translation:
B (Baptism)
Victorie Laferiere [Laferriere]
On the eighteenth of March, one thousand eight hundred and six by me, the undersigned priest, was baptized Victoire born yesterday from the legitimate marriage of Francois Laferriere, a farmer of this parish, and Genevieve Jacques. The Godfather was Louis Jacques, uncle of the child, and the godmother Marie Laferriere, wife of Joseph Antoine Jacques, aunt of the child, who only knew how to sign, anointed only the father present, of this requirement.
L. Lamotte, priest
End of translation.
Saint-Cuthbert is a municipality in the Lanaudiere region of Quebec. It is located on the north side of the Saint Lawrence River about 47 miles northeast of Montreal. Saint-Cuthbert, where Victoire was baptized, is about 193 miles from Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, where Joseph was baptized.
Joseph’s first marriage which was held at Saint-Cuthbert was to Marie Anne McKay on January 7, 1831.6 Marie Anne’s mother is unknown, but it is believed that she was First Nations. Right before they were married, Marie Anne was baptized.7 The record states that she was 19.
Joseph and Marie Anne had 2 children, both girls: Marie Suzanne who was born out of wedlock in 1828,8 and Marie Angele born about a month after their marriage.9 Marie Anne passed away 3 months after they married10 and Marie Angele died 2 months later.11 Joseph became a widower with a 2.5 year old toddler, Marie Suzanne.
Joseph and his second wife Victoire were married on February 28, 1832 at Saint-Cuthbert.12 He was 38 years old and she was 25 years old. I’m surprised that she had not married at a younger age.
Victoire gave birth to 7 children over the next 14 years: Genevieve (my 2nd great-grandmother), Marie Emilie, Joseph, Norbert Andre, Emilie Philomene, Pierre Norbert and Marie Josephine. All were baptized in the same general area, but at a few different churches.13
The 1861 Canada East census shows Joseph’s daughter from his first marriage, Susanne Giguere (line 2) along with her husband and family (lines 1 & 3-7), my 2nd great-grandparents, Norbert Baillargeon and Genevieve Giguere, along with their children (lines 26-32) and my 3rd great-grandparents, Joseph Giguere and Victoire Laferriere, (lines 33-34).14
The last record I found listing Joseph and Victoire was the marriage record for their daughter Marie Emilie’s marriage to Joseph Coutu on October 10, 1864 at Sainte-Genevieve-de-Berthier, Quebec, Canada. It states that Joseph and Victoire are her parents and that they are from Saint-Cuthbert.15
I’ve not found any other records for them. I know that their oldest daughter and her husband, my 2nd great-grandparents, Genevieve (Giguere) and Albert Norbert Baillargeon were living in Hancock, Michigan around 1865 into the early 1870s. It is possible that Joseph and Victoire were with them and they too eventually immigrated to Minnesota. I only suspect this because of the lack of any burial records for them in Canada. The end of their lives will remain a mystery unless more information is located.
Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cindy
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