White Bear Lake Vadnais Genealogy & Family History Blog

Edgar Joseph (Benjamin Jean Joseph) Peltier (1906-1907)

Leave a Comment / Cynthia Vadnais / August 30, 2024

My granduncle was born with one name and buried with another. From what I can tell, his parents, Celestine (Derosier) and Albert Peltier changed his name when he was baptized. However, doing so did not cause his original birth record to change, something they probably didn’t consider.

Edgar Joseph was born on Wednesday, February 7, 1906. His birth was recorded in the “Register of Births for 1906,” town of White Bear.

**Edgar Joseph Peltier birth record, February 7, 1906, Town of White Bear**¹

On February 18^th Edgar Joseph was baptized by Father L. Nicolas, the parish priest at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Little Canada. As you can see in the record below, Edgar became Benjamin when he was baptized.

**Edgar Joseph (Benjamin Jean Joseph) baptism record**²
It reads:*In the year 1906 on February 18, Benjamin Jean Joseph Pelletier* [Peltier] *was baptized, son of Albert Pelletier* [Peltier] *and Celeste Desrosiers* [Celestine Derosier]*, the godfathers* [godparents] *were Ben Labarre* [LaBore] *and Alice Pelletier* [Peltier].

Ben and Alice, husband and wife, were not only Edgar’s (Benjamin’s) godparents, but Ben was his brother-in-law and Alice his sister.

**Late 1906 – Norma and Edgar (Benjamin)**
I had originally been told that this was Avis and Clem, but I don’t think so, since their ages differed by less than 3 years; I think there is more than a 3 year age difference between these 2 children. I then considered the photographer, N. A. Forseen, who started his business in the early 1900s which means that the children shown aren’t any of the older children in the family: Alice, Bert, Ellen, Vina, Edmund or Cleve, who where all born in the early 1890s or before. That leaves Norma, Frances and Edgar to consider (Eveline didn’t live long enough). Having seen pictures of Frances, I know it is not her, so I believe the young girl is Norma who was born in January 1898 and the baby is Edgar, who was born in February 1906; Norma is about 8 years old.

Edgar (Benjamin) passed away on April 5, 1907 at 14 months old. Albert and Celestine had now lost 2 of their children in just over 6 years. I have searched for his death record, but have yet to locate it, so I’m unsure of why he died.

Edgar (Benjamin) was buried at St. John’s Cemetery in Little Canada next to his sister Eveline (Evelyn).³