Clement John Peltier and Vivian Harriet Hansen (Part 1 of 2)

Celestine gave birth to her 13^th child, my granduncle, Clement John (Clem), on Friday, November 22, 1912 at the family home in White Bear Township.¹  At the time of his birth, Celestine was 44 years old and Albert was 52 years old. 

When Clem was born, Alice, the oldest of the siblings, was 27 years old, married and had 2 children.  His sister Ellen (my grandmother) was 23 years old, married with 2 children, and his 22 year old sister Vina was married and had 1 child.  Clem was an “instant” uncle to 5 children, all of whom were older.

His other siblings included: Albert Noah (25 years old), Edmund (19 years old), Cleveland (17 years old), Norma (14 years old), Frances (9 years old), Roy (4 years old) and Avis (2 years old).  Two siblings, Eveline and Edgar (Benjamin) had already passed away.^{2, 3}

There’s a good chance that all but the married children were living on the farm when Clem joined the family.

Clem’s birth certificate is the only record I’ve found that shows Celestine as having a total of 14 children.  I only know of 13 children.  I’ve not found any information for another child’s birth or death.  It is possible that the information on the record should read 13 children.

Like all of his other siblings Clement was baptized at St. John’s Church in Little Canada.  The original record shows his name as Clement J. B. Peltier.  I assume the J. B. stands for Jean Baptiste.  Father Jule Perigord performed the baptism which would have been held in the 2^nd church built in 1891.  Clem was baptized on December 1, 1912.  His godparents are listed as his oldest brother Albert Noah Peltier and Vina Maranda; the only information I found on Vina Maranda was that she taught at the 6A School from 1911 to 1912.⁵

The 1920 U.S. census enumerates 7 year old Clem with his family in White Bear Township.  Those living at home included his parents, brothers Bert, Cleve and Roy and his sisters Francis and Avis.⁷

Clem was 17 years old when the 1930 U.S. census was taken.  Clems’s 67 year old Uncle Leon is enumerated.  He lives in the original home on the Peltier property (the current address for the original home is 441 Koehler Road).  The rest of the family lives in the 2^nd home built on the property (the current address for the 2^nd home is 421 Koehler Road).  Neither of these homes exist today.  The only children left at home are Clem, 20 year old Avis, 26 year old Francis and 22 year old Roy.  The men are all shown as farming, including Leon.  No school information is shown on this census, but I was told by his daughter that Clem was schooled through the 8^th grade.⁸

Clem’s future wife, Vivian Harriet Hansen, was a first generation American.  Her parents were Carl Arthur Hansen and Emma Bangfeldt.  Carl’s family had immigrated to the United States from Norway in 1888 when Carl was several months old and Emma’s family had immigrated to the United States from Sweden when she was about 11 years old.^{10, 11}

Vivian’s parents, Carl and Emma, were married on April 26, 1911, in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota.¹²

Vivian was born on October 2, 1916 in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota.^{13, 14}  Her mother Emma was 26 years old and her father Carl was 28 years old.  Vivian was welcomed by her 4 year old sister Evelyn and her 16 month old brother Earl.^{15, 16}  Two more siblings, Lloyd and Donald, were born after Vivian.^{17, 18}  Over the years, as the children grew up, the family lived in several different homes on the east side (Payne Phalen area) of St. Paul.

The 1937 St. Paul Directory shows Vivian working in downtown St. Paul at an apothecary shop as a soda clerk.  It’s the only documentation I have of her employment previous to her being married.  The same directory shows the family living at 852 Johnson Parkway in St. Paul.²⁰

Both Clem and Vivian enjoyed dancing.  There were dances every week in the cities and elsewhere, including Wildwood Amusement Park.  It’s likely that Clem, while out chumming around with his friend Al Jensen, met Vivian at such a dance.

On November 6, 1937, Clem and Vivian were married at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on the eastside of St. Paul.^{21, 22}  A reception was held for the couple on the Peltier family farm on Koehler Road in White Bear Township.

On November 6, 1937, Clem and Vivian were married at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on the eastside of St. Paul.^{21, 22}  A reception was held for the couple on the Peltier family farm on Koehler Road in White Bear Township.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cynthia

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Footnotes Clement John Peltier and Vivian Harriet Hansen (part 1 of 2) post