Peltier Avis Celestine

My grandaunt, Avis Celestine Peltier, was born on Sunday, January 23, 1910 in White Bear Township, Ramsey County, Minnesota.^{1, 2}  At the time of her birth, her mother Celestine was 42 years old and her father Albert had just turned 50 years old 5 days before Avis was born.  Avis was the 12^th child born to the couple.  She joined her 5 sisters: Alice, Ellen, Vina, Norma and Frances and her 4 brothers: Bert, Edmund, Cleveland and Roy.  Two of her siblings, Eveline (Evelyn) and Edgar (Benjamin) had previously passed away.^{3, 4}

On January 10, 1910, about 2 weeks before Avis was born, my grandmother Ellen, one of Avis’ older sisters, was married.⁵

Avis was baptized “Avis Rose Delima Celestine Pelletier” by Father Lambert M. Nicolas on January 30, 1910 at St. John’s Church in Little Canada.⁶  Her godparents are shown as Howard Bloom and one of Avis’ sisters, Vina Peltier.  Howard and Vina would marry the following year.⁷

Three-month old Avis is enumerated in the 1910 U.S. census with her parents and 6 of her siblings.⁸  Not shown are her sisters: Alice, Ellen and Vina who have either married (Alice and Ellen) or reside in the home where they are employed (Vina).

At the time of the 1920 U.S. census Avis is 10 years old.  She is living on the family farm with her parents, Albert and Celestine, her brothers Bert, Cleveland, Roy and Clem, and her sister Frances.⁹

In March of 1925 Avis passed the Minnesota State Board of Education exams covering Arithmetic, Grammar and Composition and History.  On May 30, 1925, at 15-years-old, Avis was awarded her high school graduation diploma.

About 1928, Avis won a drawing for a 1928 Chevrolet.  I believe she won it at the Fire Carnival in White Bear Lake.  I doubt she would have had a car at that young of an age if she had not won it.

The 1930 U.S. census shows 20 year old Avis living on the family farm.¹⁰  No job description is given; I assume she is helping her mother with household and farm chores as well as tending to the special needs of her 28 year old sister, Frances.

In August of 1933 Avis lost her oldest sibling Alice LaBore and 2 years later on September 26, 1935 her father Albert Joseph passed away.^{11, 12}  The remaining family members, including Avis, were left to continue on with the business of running a farm during the ups and downs of the Great Depression. 

By the time the 1940 U.S. census was taken, multiple generations were living on the farm.  The household included Celestine (71 years old), her daughters Avis (3o years old) and Frances (37 years old), son Clem (27 years old), his wife Vivian (23 years old) and their son Ronald (1 month old) as well as one of Celestine’s brothers Joseph Derosier (70 years old).  Celestine’s brother-in-law Leon Peltier (78 years old) was also on the farm in the original house.  Celestine, Avis and Vivian are all shown as housekeepers on the farm and Clem is employed at a tool shack as a part of the WPA (Works Project Administration).¹³  No one is shown as farming which makes me think that the greater part of the property had gone fallow.

Frances, Avis’ special needs sister, passed away in May of 1948.¹⁴  I think that for many years Avis had helped her mother take care of Frances. 

The 1948 St. Paul phone directory shows Avis working outside the home, probably for the first time, as a floor worker for Charles Weinhagen and Company.¹⁵  Her residence is given as 595 Sims in St. Paul, the same address as her brother Roy and his family.  Roy’s wife Alice is also working for Charles Weinhagen and Company.¹⁶

On November 10, 1950 Celestine sold the Kohler Road property.¹⁷  She purchased a home at 499 W. Lawson, St. Paul on December 1, 1950.¹⁸  She, Avis and Albert Noah are shown on the quit claim as co-owners of the property.¹⁹    Both Celestine and Avis would live out their remaining years at the Lawson property.

Avis suffered the loss of 5 family members during the 1950s.  Her sister Norma passed away on April 27, 1950, her brother Edmund Joseph passed away on March 13, 1952, followed by 2 more of her brothers, Bert (Albert Noah) on November 23, 1954 and Roy (Royal) Henry on April 2, 1957.^{20, 21, 22, 23}  On August 30, 1959 Avis’ mother, Celestine, passed away.²⁴

Having a home to care for, Avis continued working and by 1960 she was employed as a machine operator at Mullery Paper Box Company.

As the family continued to age, 3 more family members were lost in the 1960s: Clem would die on October 15, 1965, Vina would pass away on April 3, 1967 and Ellen, my grandmother, passed away on June 10, 1969.^{25, 26, 27}  The family that once counted 13 children was now down to 2 children: Avis and her brother Cleve.

I believe Avis was still gainfully employed making paper boxes when she passed away on Wednesday, September 29, 1976 at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.  She was 66 years, 8 months and 6 days old.  According to her death certificate, she died from an acute myocardial infarction, a heart attack.²⁸

Services were held for Avis on Saturday, October 2.  A Mass of Christian burial was held at St John’s Church in Little Canada followed by interment in the church’s cemetery where she joined many of her family members.²⁹  Avis was laid to rest in section 6, lot 46, grave 5.³⁰

Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cynthia

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Footnotes for Avis Celestine Peltier (1910-1976) post