Marie Josephte Hélène (Chaput) Baxter (abt. 1860 - 1923)

Born about 12 Apr 1860 in Joliette, Bas-Canada

Ancestors

Wife of James T Baxter — married 7 Jun 1882 in Montréal, Québec, Canada

Died 19 Jun 1923 at about age 63 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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Biography

Birth

Marie Josephte Hélène Chaput, daughter of Zaïl Chaput, bourgeois and Angélique de Lanaudière, was born on 12 April 1860 and baptised the following day in Saint-Charles-Borromée parish of Joliette.^[1] Her birth date is often given as March 29, 1862 but there is no corresponding baptism in the registers of Joliette around this date, and the 1881 and 1901 census returns, giving her age as 20 and 40, respectively, support the earlier birth date. On her marriage act she signed her name "Marie Josette Helene Chaput".

Marriage

She married James ("Diamond Jim") Baxter, broker of the city of Montreal, on 7 June 1882 in the Congregational Zion Church of Montreal.^[2] Her husband was a diamond broker and banker. They had three children, Anthony William, (1883), Mary (Zette) Hélène (4th April, 1885) and Quigg Edmond (13th July, 1887). The children were raised to speak French to her, and English to her husband. The family moved into a huge mansion at 1201 Sherbrooke St. W., which later became the head offices of The Corby Distilling Company.

In 1892, James Baxter built what might be described as Canada's first shopping mall, putting 28 stores under a single roof in the Baxter Block on St. Lawrence Blvd. He opened his own Ville Marie Bank, and by 1898, Men in Canada described him as the country's largest private banker "a philanthropist who devoted a large share of his accumulated wealth to improving the outlying districts of Montreal."

The family's reputation fell apart in 1900 when her husband was arrested, charged and convicted of embezzling $40,000 from his bank - a fortune at the time. He was jailed for five years, and died in 1905 shortly before his 66th birthday. Mrs Baxter was well provided for. Her husband had investments in France, Switzerland and Belgium. She sold the mansion and moved into a comfortable brownstone at a still respectable address, 33 St. Famille St., near the McGill University Campus.

In 1911 she sold the Baxter Block and took her son and her married daughter 'Zette Douglas with her on another of her frequent excursions to Europe. They booked passage home on one of Titanic's most expensive suites, B 58/60, which cost £247 10s 5d. Before boarding Titanic they stayed at the Elysee Palace Hotel; Paris. They boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg (ticket number PC 17558).

Mrs Baxter was ill with nausea during most of the voyage, and found the throb of the engines relaxing. When the ship stopped in mid-ocean, she had an anxiety attack. Her son, Quigg, carried her up the Grand Staircase and put her and his sister into lifeboat 6. As he kissed them goodbye he gave his mother a sterling silver brandy flask so she might keep warm on the open ocean, and she berated him for his drinking.

After the disaster, she returned to Montreal and never recovered from the effects. She died in her apartment on 19th June, 1923 and is buried in the Baxter family plot in Notre Dame de Neiges cemetery.^[3]

Census

"Canada Census, 1881,"^[4]

Angélique Chaput Female 64 Quebec

Azélir Chaput Female 24 Quebec

Hélena Chaput Female 20 Quebec

Amanda Voyer Female 36 Quebec

Parmilia Guilbault Female 38 Quebec

Alfrid Guilbault Male 14 Quebec

Lilia Guilbault Female 13 Quebec

Avila Voyer Male 8 USA

"Canada Census, 1901," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KH52-91N : 16 December 2019), H Elem C Baxter in household of Jas T Baxter, Montréal (city/cité), Quebec, Canada; citing p. 10, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.

Jas T Baxter Head Male 60 Ontario

H Elem C Baxter Wife Female 40 Qc

Jas Baxter Son Male 26 Qc

Helene J Baxter Daughter Female 16 Qc

Quigg Baxter Daughter Female 13 Qc

Sources

1. ↑ "Québec, registres paroissiaux catholiques, 1621-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L99Q-SWSX?cc=1321742&wc=HCL2-T38%3A14340901%2C13626702%2C14340902 : 16 July 2014), Joliette > Saint-Charles-Borromée > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1856-1870 > image 172 of 675; Archives Nationales du Quebec (National Archives of Quebec), Montreal.
2. ↑ "Québec, registres des églises protestantes, 1763-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSVB-424?cc=1929561&wc=M6XD-YZS%3A224595301%2C224844001%2C224826201 : 21 May 2014), Montréal > Congregational Zion Church > Baptisms, marriages, burials 1876-1882 > image 85 of 88; Archives Nationales du Québec-Montréal, Sainte-Foy (Quebec National Library and Archives, Sainte-Foy).
3. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #12527, database and images (accessed 16 February 2020), memorial page for Helene de Lanaudiere-Chaput Baxter (29 Mar 1862–19 Jun 1923), citing Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, Montreal, Montreal Region, Quebec, Canada ; Maintained by Trevor Baxter (contributor 48403329) .
4. ↑ "Canada Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVJV-2FR : 20 May 2019), Hélena Chaput in household of Angélique Chaput, Joliette, Joliette, Quebec, Canada; from "1881 Canadian Census." Database with images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing Angélique Chaput, citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

• "New York, Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JJRT-JZQ : accessed 02 Jul 2014), Helen Cha... Baxter, arrived at New York, 18 Jun 1912, on the Carpathia and Titanic; citing National Archives, Washington D.C.

• (2020) Hélène Baxter Encyclopedia Titanica (ref: #17, updated 16th February 2020 14:53:16 PM) URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/helene-baxter.html