Taking Up the Canada's 150th Genealogy Challenge

Yesterday was Canada Day, and a very special Canada Day at that – the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the creation of the Dominion of Canada from the former British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada (comprising Quebec and Ontario). Patricia Greber of the My Genealogy Life blog celebrated with a Canada's 150th Genealogy Challenge, asking bloggers to "List all your ancestors that were living in Canada in 1867, the dates they arrived (can be approximate) and where they first settled."

So, albeit a day late, I'm going to answer this challenge for the three-quarters of my maternal lines that are Canadian. (My paternal lines are solidly English, Scots, and German.) My maternal grandmother's father descended from French-Canadian stock who first arrived in Quebec in the late 17th century, while my maternal grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Prince Edward Island; his PEI forbears came from Scotland (Outer Hebrides) and Ireland.¹

All except my 3x great-grandfather Michael Murphy were born in Quebec or Prince Edward Island, so for them there are no "arrival dates" or locations "where first settled". Instead I have listed their probable locations in 1867. (Michael Murphy arrived from Ireland ca 1820 and first settled in Georgetown, PEI.)

Ancestor	Relationship	Probable residence in 1867
*Louis Rabideau (1850-aft 1913)	2x great-grandfather	Saint-Paul-de-Chester, PQ
*Celina Cloutier (ca 1850-1881)	2x great-grandmother	unknown
Louis Robidas (1832-1921)	3x great-grandfather	Saint-Paul-de-Chester, PQ
Marie Deshaies-St. Cyr (1829-1895)	3x great-grandmother	Saint-Paul-de-Chester, PQ
Divine Louise Girardeau( 1790-1875)	4x great-grandmother	prob Stoke or St. Camille, PQ
**Jean-Baptiste Deshaies-St. Cyr (1806-unk)	4x great-grandfather	possibly Nicolet, PQ
**Victoire Lemire (1811-unk)	4x great-grandmother	possibly Nicolet, PQ
Dominic Murphy (1854-1914)	great-grandfather	Georgetown, PEI
Rose Ann McIntyre (1862-1937)	great-grandmother	Lot 19, PEI
William Murphy (1830-1909)	2x great-grandfather	Georgetown, PEI
Flora Ann McDonald (1832-1911)	2x great-grandmother	Georgetown, PEI
Neil McIntyre (1814-aft 1881)	2x great-grandfather	Lot 19, PEI
Mary Ann McLellan (1817-1896)	2x great-grandmother	Lot 19, PEI
**Michael Murphy (ca 1800-aft 1861)	3x great-grandfather	Lot 41, PEI
**Magdelen Morison (ca 1800-aft 1861)	3x great-grandmother	Lot 41, PEI

* Louis and Celina married in 1869, probably in New Hampshire, but I believe they were still in Quebec in 1867.
** These ancestors may well have been alive in 1867, but so far I haven't located any death records for them.

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SOURCES

1. PEI didn't actually join the Dominion until 1873, but since it is informally known as the "Cradle of Confederation" for hosting the 1864 Charlottetown Conference where the initial steps toward Confederation were taken, I'm going to stretch the bounds of the challenge a bit to include my PEI lines.

52 Ancestors: #48, Marie Pauline (St. Cyr) Robidas

My 3x great-grandmother, Marie Pauline St. Cyr, was born 24 October 1829 in Nicolet, Quebec, Canada, and baptized the following day at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Catholic Church in Nicolet. She was the oldest of five children of Jean-Baptiste Deshaies dit St. Cyr and Victoire Lemire. Although she shared her first name with her two sisters (Marie Henriette and Marie Philomene – Marie was a very common first name for French-Canadian Roman Catholic girls), as an adult she was called simply Marie. (I haven't yet tracked down her sisters to see what names they used.)

On 4 June 1849, Marie married Louis Robidas at Saint-Norbert d'Arthabaska, Quebec. The marriage was witnessed by her father and by his, Jean-Baptiste Robidas.

Over the next 23 years, Marie and Louis had at least 11 children (a suspiciously large time gap between Jean and Georges suggests there may be at least a couple of missing offspring there):

1. Louis Robidas (AKA Louis Rabideau) (1850-1921), married 1) Marie Celina Cloutier, 2) Marie-Beatrice Croteau
2. Joseph Robidas, b. 1852
3. Jean-Baptiste Robidas, b. 1853
4. Marie-Marguerite Robidas, b. 1855
5. Alfred Robidas (1856-1920), married Olive Breton
6. Louise Robidas, b. 1858
7. Marcelin Sinaie Robidas (AKA Samuel Rabideau) (1861-1904), married Alvina Doyon dit Moreau
8. Jean Robidas (AKA James Rabideau) (1863-1939), married Vitaline Mary Lemay
9. Georges Robidas (AKA George Rabideau) (ca 1870-1901), married Domithilde Samson
10. Anastasie Robidas, b. 1870
11. Alred-Dominique Robidas (1872-1873)

Marie and Louis appeared in the 1861 census in Chester West, Quebec, but so far have eluded discovery in the 1871, 1881, or 1891 censuses. Judging from the locations of their children's baptisms, they moved from Arthabaska to Wotton in Wolfe County about 1851; to Saint-Paul-de-Chester in Arthabaska County around 1860; and to Sherbrooke sometime between 1863 and 1870.

A number of their children emigrated to Maine and New Hampshire, altering their surname to Rabideau. On 11 July 1870, Marie and Louis Robidas stood as baptismal sponsors for their oldest son's first child, Peter Louis Rabideau, born three months earlier in Milan, New Hampshire, and brought by his parents to Sherbrooke to be baptized at Saint-Michel-de-Sherbrooke.

Marie died 10 May 1895 in Bromptonville, Quebec, and was buried the next day at Sainte-Praxède-de-Brompton-Falls Roman Catholic Church in Bromptonville. Louis outlived her by 26 years, dying in 1921 in Sherbrooke.

My descent from Marie St. Cyr:

• Marie Pauline St. Cyr + Louis Robidas
• Louis Rabideau + Marie Célina Cloutier
• Peter Louis Rabideau + Eva May Woodward
• Glenna Marie Rabideau + William George Murphy (my maternal grandparents)

(Note: This post is in response to Amy Johnson Crow's "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge at No Story Too Small.)

Ahnentafel of Glenna M. (Rabideau) Murphy

Finishing up with my grandparents' Ahnentafels and pedigree charts, this week I have my maternal grandmother, Glenna Marie (Rabideau) Murphy.

Pedigree of Glenna Marie (Rabideau) Murphy (click image for a larger view)

1 Glenna Marie RABIDEAU. She was born in Milan, Coos, NH, on 22 May 1899. Died on 27 Apr 1968 in Dorchester, MA; she was 68. She was buried in Pine Hill Cemetery, Tewksbury, MA, on 21 Jun 1969. Cause of death: Heart attack.

She married William George MURPHY on 21 Oct 1922 in Littleton, NH.

2 Peter Louis RABIDEAU. He was born in Milan, Coos, NH, on 15 Apr 1870. Died on 15 Dec 1946 in Norway, ME; he was 76. He was buried in Milan, Coos, NH.

He married Eva May WOODWARD on 3 Nov 1894 in Berlin, Coos, NH.

3 Eva “Evie” May WOODWARD. She was born in Holland, VT, on 27 Jan 1871. Died on 24 Aug 1953 in Cumberland Center, ME; she was 82. She was buried in Milan, Coos, NH.

4 Louis RABIDEAU. He was born in Arthabaska, QC, on 23 Apr 1850. Died aft 1913; he was 62.

He married Marie Célina CLOUTIER aft 25 Sep 1869.

5 Marie Célina CLOUTIER. She was born in poss St. Christophe, QC, ca 1849-52. Died on 24 Jan 1881 in Berlin, Coos, NH; she was 32.

6 Uriah Sawyer WOODWARD. He was born in Danville, VT, on 10 Mar 1847. Died on 7 Mar 1881 in Holland, VT; he was 33. He was buried in Dummer, Coos, NH, in Mar 1881. He was buried in Milan, Coos, NH, in 1908.

He married Mary A. WASHBURN on 12 Apr 1867 in Morgan, VT.

7 Mary A. WASHBURN. She was born in Milton, Shefford, QC, on 27 Feb 1831. Died on 19 May 1917 in Dummer, Coos, NH; she was 86.

8 Louis ROBIDAS. He was born in Trois-Rivieres or Pointe-du-Lac, QC, ca Oct 1832. Died on 27 Nov 1921 in Sherbrooke, QC; he was 89. He was buried in St-Michel, Sherbrooke, QC, on 29 Nov 1921. Occupation: cultivateur.

He married Marie Pauline DESHAIES-ST CYR on 4 Jun 1849 in St. Norbert d’Arthabaska, QC.

9 Marie Pauline DESHAIES-ST CYR. She was born in Nicolet, Nicolet, QC, on 24 Oct 1829. Died on 10 May 1895 in Bromptonville, QC; she was 65. She was buried in Sainte-Praxède-de-Brompton-Falls, Bromptonville, QC, on 11 May 1895.

12 Royal WOODWARD. He was born in VT ca 1802-1808. Died in Oct 1879 in Phillipsburg, KS. Cause of death: Renal dropsy.

He married Mary Hawley SAWYER on 28 Sep 1831 in Danville, VT.

13 Mary Hawley SAWYER. She was born in Danville, VT, on 30 May 1815. Died aft 1870 in poss VT or KS; she was 54.

14 Samuel Orcutt WASHBURN. He was born in Sutton, VT, on 5 May 1798. Died 22 Jan 1855 in Holland, VT; he was 56.

He married Mary PALMATEER ca 1830 in poss NY or Canada.

15 Mary PALMATEER. She was born in Salisbury, VT, on 19 Jan 1812. Died on 3 Apr 1879 in Holland, VT or Dummer, NH; she was 67.

16 Jean-Baptiste ROBIDAS. He was born in Baie-du-Febvre, Yamaska, QC, on 16 Dec 1787. Died 14 Jun 1854 in Stanfold (Princeville), Arthabaska, QC; he was 66. He was buried in Saint-Eusèbe-de-Stanfold, Arthabaska, QC, on 17 Jun 1854.

He married Divine Louise “Ludivine” GIRARDEAU on 21 Nov 1814 in Pointe-du-Lac, Mauricie, QC.

17 Divine Louise “Ludivine” GIRARDEAU. She was born in Pointe-du-Lac, Mauricie, QC, on 13 Oct 1790. Died ca May 1875 in QC; she was 84. She was buried on 9 May 1875.

18 Jean-Baptiste DESHAIES-ST CYR.

He married Victoire LEMIRE on 5 Feb 1828 in St-Jean-Baptiste, Nicolet, Nicolet, QC.

19 Victoire LEMIRE.

26 Benjamin SAWYER. He was born ca 1780.

He married Elizabeth “Betsy” TAYLOR.

27 Elizabeth “Betsy” TAYLOR.

28 Jeremiah WASHBURN. He was born ca 1770.

He married Hannah ORCUTT in 1794 in Billymead (later Sutton), VT.

29 Hannah ORCUTT. She was born in Billymead (later Sutton), VT, in 1775.

30 John PALMATEER.

He married Mary CONNOR.

31 Mary CONNOR.

Index

CLOUTIER
    Marie Célina (ca1849 - 1881)    5
CONNOR
    Mary    31
DESHAIES-ST CYR
    Jean-Baptiste    18
    Marie Pauline (1829 - 1895)    9
GIRARDEAU
    Divine Louise “Ludivine” (1790 - ca1875)    17
LEMIRE
    Victoire    19
MURPHY
    William George (1886 - 1946)    spouse of 1
ORCUTT
    Hannah (1775 - )    29
PALMATEER
    John    30
    Mary (1812 - 1879)    15
RABIDEAU
    Glenna Marie (1899 - 1968)    1
    Louis (1850 - >1913)    4
    Peter Louis (1870 - 1946)    2
ROBIDAS
    Jean-Baptiste (1787 - ?1854)    16
    Louis (ca1832 - 1921)    8
SAWYER
    Benjamin (ca1780 - )    26
    Mary Hawley (1815 - >1870)    13
TAYLOR
    Elizabeth “Betsy”    27
WASHBURN
    Jeremiah (ca1770 - )    28
    Mary A. (1831 - 1917)    7
    Samuel Orcutt (1798 - ?1855)    14
WOODWARD
    Eva “Evie” May (1871 - 1953)    3
    Royal (ca1802 - 1879)    12
    Uriah Sawyer (1847 - 1881)    6