Jean Baptiste Desrosiers and Marie Luce Cournoyer are my 3rd great-grandparents and my grandmother Ellen (Peltier) Vadnais’ maternal great-grandparents. They, like so many of our ancestors, were born, got married, raised a family, and died in the same area as previous generations. In the case of Jean Baptiste and Luce the area was Yamaska, a small municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Monteregie region of Quebec, Canada. It is a small farm community northeast of Montreal on the south side of the Saint-Lawrence River. I’ve mentioned it in quite a few of my previous posts.
Jean Baptiste Desrosiers was born on June 20, 1817 and he was baptized the same day at Saint-Michel d’Yamaska.1
Translation:
B (Baptism)
Jean Bapt Deguire
The year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen on the twenty seventh of June was baptized by us the undersigned priest Jean Baptiste Deguire, born today of the legitimate marriage of Baptiste Deguire dit Derosiers, farmer of this parish, and Marie Pepin. The godfather was Baptiste Allard and the godmother Genevieve La Vallee who declared that they did not know how to sign.
(signature of priest) P Gibert
End of Translation.
Jean was the 3rd of 6 children born to Jean Baptiste Antoine Deguire dit Desrosiers and Marie Charlotte Pepin. At the time of his birth his father Jean was 30 years old and his mother Marie Charlotte was 24 years old. Both of Jean’s parents were also born and raised in the Yamaska area.
Jean’s future wife Marie Luce Cournoyer was born on November 25, 1821 and the following day she was baptized at Saint-Michel d’Yamaska.2 Luce was the oldest of 14 children born to Jean Baptiste Cournoyer and Marie Luce Schmid. Her mother was 20 years old and her father was 37 years old. Luce’s parents had also spent their entire lives in the Yamaska area.
Translation:
B (Baptism)
Marie Luce Cournoyer
The year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one on the twenty-sixth of November was baptized by the undersigned priest Marie Luce Cournoyer, born yesterday of the legitimate marriage of Baptiste Cournoyer, farmer of this parish, and Luce Schmid. The godfather was Antoine Cournoyer, the godmother Marguerite Labbe who declared that they did not know how to sign.
(signature of priest) P Gibert
End of translation.
I believe that her godparents Antoine Cournoyer and Marguerite Labbe are her paternal grandfather and her maternal grandmother.
Jean and Luce married on August 31, 1841 at Saint-Michel d’Yamaska.3 He was 24 years old and she was 19 years old.
I’m not going to translate this record. However, I’ve highlighted the groom’s name followed by his parents’ names and the bride’s name followed by her parents’ names. These are the key pieces of information needed in order to claim that the correct record was chosen.
The couple’s first child Jean Baptiste Derosier, my 2nd great-grandfather, was born on December 14, 1842 and baptized the same day at Saint-Michel d’Yamaska.4 Over the next 16 years 6 more children would be added to the family.
Marie Luce was only 36 years old when she passed away on June 13, 1858.11 Judging from the birth date of her last child, Marcel, I imagine there was some sort of post-birth complication that resulted in her death. Sadly, Marcel would also pass away about 8 months later.12
Translation:
S27 (27th sepulture at Saint-Michel d’Yamaska in 1858)
Luce Cournoyer
On the fourteenth of June, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, we, the undersigned parish priest, buried in the cemetery of this parish the body of Luce Cournoyer, wife of Jean Baptiste Deguire of this parish, who died the day before in this parish, aged thirty-eight. year. Presents Louis Cartier, and Joseph Lizotte who declares that he does not know how to sign.
(signature of the parish priest)
End of translation.
After her death, Luce’s husband Jean Baptiste not only had his farm to tend to, but he also had 7 children to raise: 15 year old Jean Baptiste, 13 year old Marie Lucie, 11 year old Marie Mathilde, 9 year old Joseph, 7 year old Marguerite, 2 year old Marie Delia and 18 day old Marcel. If they were not already, I’m sure that the 2 oldest children became adults very quickly.
About 7 years later on March 28, 1865 Jean Baptiste passed away at 47 years old.13 The 6 remaining children were now orphans. The oldest child, my 2nd great-grandfather Jean Baptiste was 23 years old and had married the previous year.14 His sister Marie Mathilde was 18 years old and had married in February of 1865.15 Marie Luce was 20 years old, Joseph was 15 years old, Marguerite was 13 years old, and the youngest of the children, Marie Delia, was just 9 years old. My 2nd great-grandfather Jean Baptiste would eventually immigrate to Minnesota and his sister Marie Mathilde to Wisconsin. I don’t know what became of the other 4 children. I’ve looked through many years of records and have not found any for them. It’s possible that some of them were placed with relatives outside the Yamaska area.
Translation:
S14 (14th sepulture at Saint-Michel d’Yamaska in 1865)
Jean Baptiste Desrosiers
On the twenty-ninth of March, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, we, the undersigned vicar of this parish, buried in the cemetery of this parish the body of Jean-Baptiste Desrosiers, engineer, who died the day before in this parish. He was forty six years old and married to the late Luce Cournoyer. Presents Joseph Lizotte and Honore Beauchene who did not know how to sign.
Octave Lepine priest
End of translation.
Jean Baptiste Desrosiers and Marie Luce Cournoyer did not get to grow old together. However, in their 16 years of marriage they did have 7 children; 6 survived them.
My 2nd great-grandfather Jean Baptiste Derosier and his wife Rose Delima Peltier would eventually have 13 children, all of whom lived long lives. Having gone through the loss of his parents at such a young age, he must have cherished his wife and family all that much more. It makes me wish that it were possible to know more about the person he became.
Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cindy
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Footnotes for Jean Baptiste Desrosiers and Marie Luce Cournoyer post