When Roy Henry Peltier was born at the family farm in White Bear Township on Sunday, January 12, 1908, his father, Albert, was 47 and his mother, Celestine, was 39. Midwife Mrs. Bertha Priebe attended Roy’s birth. Roy’s birth marked the beginning of a more joyful time because just 10 months earlier the family had buried Roy’s next oldest brother, 1 year old Benjamin (Edgar).1
The record was amended March 25, 1942 adding first name Roy to what had originally been recorded as just Henry Peltier.
Albert’s age is incorrect; he would celebrate his 48th birthday 6 days later on January 18. Also, the record shows that there were 10 living children of this mother, but there were only 8 living children at the time of Roy’s birth.
Roy was baptized on January 19, 1908 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Little Canada. Father Lambert Nicolas performed the baptism with Leo Pelletier (Leon Peltier), Albert’s brother, and Helena Pelletier (Ellen Peltier), Roy’s sister, named as the godparents.4
Two year old Roy is enumerated in the 1910 U.S. census at Roy J. (I assume Roy Joseph). He is no longer the youngest in the family as his sister Avis was born just 3 months earlier. Six of his siblings are still at home: Albert Noah (Bert), Edmund Joseph, Peter C. (Cleve), Norma, Francis and Avis.5
I’m quite sure that the young boy is Roy. I’ve also seen the same picture with the young boy labeled as Clem (Clement), but Clem was the youngest of all the children so that does not make any sense. The child in the wagon is either Avis, which is what I think, or it is Clem. If it’s Avis, she would be around 3 years old and Roy would be about 5 years old. If the child in the wagon is Clem, then he would be about 2 years old and Roy would be around 6 years old.
Their mother Celestine can be seen peeking out around the door. This is another picture that I believe had been mislabeled as the boy being Clem.
At the time of the 1920 U.S. Census, Roy is shown as living on the family farm. His brother Edmund no longer lives with them and Roy, at 12 years old, has no job. I assume he is attending school.6
The 1930 U.S. census shows the aging family. Roy’s father, Albert, is 70 years old, his mother, Celestine, is 61 years old and the 3 other siblings, Francis, Avis and Clem are, respectively, 26 years old, 20 years old and 17 years old. Roy is 22 years old and he and his brother Clem ares listed as farm laborers. More than likely they are working the farm with their father.7
Roy’s future wife, Alice Ruth Flom was born on June 11, 1911 in Central Township, Nelson County, North Dakota. Alice was the 4th out of 10 children, 4 boys and 6 girls, born to Nels and Carrie (Wold) Flom.
Alice was baptized on August 13, 1911 at Center Lutheran Church in Mapes, North Dakota.8
The church records are in Danish.
Alice was raised on a farm, much like her future husband Roy. The area where the family lived in North Dakota, about halfway between Grand Forks and Devil’s Lake, was located on the line of the Northern Pacific Railroad which would have given farmers the opportunity to sell the crops they grew, probably wheat.
The 1920 U.S. census enumerates 10 year old (Alice) Ruth in Williams Township in North Dakota.9 It is the last census showing her living with her family in North Dakota.
By 1930, 18 year old Alice ventured to St. Paul. The 1930 U.S. census shows her working as a servant in the Henry Le Roy Brink household located at 2257 Sergeant Avenue in St. Paul.10 Brink is the manager of American Hoist and Derrick Company.11
TO BE CONTINUED…
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Cynthia
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Footnotes for Roy Henry Peltier and Alice Ruth Flom (Part 1 of 2) post
Very interesting!!!! Happy Halloween oxoxo