Who are the parents of Paul Napoleon Blais 1872-1926

Question

Hello Everyone! I am working on this family tree for a friend, who has been told she has Metis lineage. Could be Blais, maybe not.

Paul Napoleon Blais was supposedly born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1872 to Francois Israel Blais-1254 and Marcelline Daigneau dit Laparise-1 (these names are taken off an Ancestry tree). Francois appears to be born in 1815?? but Marcelline born 1837.

I think the Drouin Collection would be of great asset, but my French is non existant. If someone could have a look and give me a translation and more of a tree, I would be very grateful.

Thank you, Wendy  

Answer 1

Per Drouin- GenealogieQuebec/LAFRANCE/Quebec/Fonds Drouin/St-Francois-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud

1.(# 3896394)  Francois BLAIS m. 20 Jan 1845 Marceline Dagneau Laprise,

Grooms parents- Father- Michel Blais, (prdh/ resid of Berthier Sur Mer), Mother- Reine Corriveau(dec'd) -prdh/ (also of Berthier Sur Mer),

Brides- Parents- Father- Jean Baptiste Dagneau Laprise (prdh- resid of St Francois de la Riviere du Sud, Mother- Claire Lemieux (prdh - resid- St Francois de la Riviere du Sud)

Source- Drouin Institutie/GenealogieQuebec.com/ LAFRANCE/Quebec/ Fonds Drouin/ St-Francois-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud, orig. img. id- d1p_10320708.jpg, https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/img/acte/3896394, register.-1845/St.Francois Riviere du Sud, Co Montmagny

2. (# 4186152) Child- Marceline Rose Delima Blais (prdh)b. 6 Nov 1845, Bpt 6 Nov 1845, Parents- Francois Blais (prdh) m. Marceline Dagneau Laprise(prdh), Source- DIGQ/ LAFRANCE/ St-Francois-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud, orig doc img- d1p_10320723.jpg, https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/img/acte/4186152

3.(4186292) -Marie Anatolie(prdh)- b. 20 May 1847, bpt- 20 may 1847, St-Francois-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud, orig. doc id-10320765.jpg, Parents - Francois Blais(prdh), Marceline Dagneau Laprise (prdh), https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/img/acte/4186292

4. Francois Regis Blais, b. 13 Oct 1850, bpt 13 Oct 1850,(reg.bpt #69) St-Francois-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud, Parents- Francois Blais, Marceline Dagneau Laprise, orig. doc id-10320836, https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/img/acte/5661506 (godparents- gdf-Jerome Pane, and gdm-Euphemie Blais)

5. Calixte Blais (resid of St. Ulric)- son of Francois Blais and Marcelline Dagneault Laprise, married on - 5 Oct 1880- Marie Elzire Bonhomme (dau of Charles Bonhomme and Marie Zoe Giroux (parents-resid- of Quebec)- orig. doc. id- d1-_1602a1297.jpg, marg reg. 1880/Quebec, Basilique Notre Dame, PQ, mrg.reg.#39, https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/img/acte/4997420

not finding a Paul in this family yet, but there are quite a few Paul Blais and Napoleon Blais, so I'll keep looking

Comments

I just changed Daigneau to Daignau, and it just brought up more so give me a few mins, will see what else is actually connected to them, and see if your paul is in here.

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ok I just switched tactics.   from family Search-

Marriage

Kamloops 3, British Columbia, Canada

Paul Blais

Jeanne St Laurent

6

Oct

1904

source-

"British Columbia, Victoria Times Birth, Marriage and Death Notices, 1901-1939," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L99W-6ZVH?cc=2001136&wc=M61J-HWP%3A284757401 : 28 February 2017), 1901-1904 > image 5502 of 5840; from Victoria Daily Times news clippings, database and images, City of Victoria Archives (https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/archives.html : 1900); citing City of Victoria Archives, British Columbia, Canada.

Jeanne D'Arc St Laurent daughter of -Joseph ST Laurant m. Sarah Beaulieu, Spouse- Paul Napoleon Blais,

Jeannes death- age 84, date 1 May 1966 Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN, Birth date - 10 Jun 1881, Ottawa Ontario- image doc-http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/6bd315cf-194c-48e2-9743-9d8acfefebde

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Marraige of a daughter- Ruby Edna Blais, age 22 b.est-1906, @ Paxton Valley, British Columbia, Parents- Paul Blais and Jeanne St. Laurent, m. to Clement Bentley Welch, age 29 b.est-1899, married on 26 Sept 1928, @ Vernon British Columbia- https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DT47-GRR?i=1414&cc=1307718

heres a link to a couple more records,

Child -Lester Blais, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL1B-P2J

also Child- Elsie Grace Blais- https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL2F-YTT

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 Thanks Arora! The last bit is definitely the family, this is where Paul Napoleon Blais comes in. Unfortunately, the death reg for Paul Napoleon is not viewable at the BC Archives http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy but I can get it eventually (Covid and all).

I will enter the children's info on a personal database I am building here at home, to get everything into perspective.

When I looked at that tree on Ancestry, I felt there was a generation missing - possibly they thought Francois who married Marceline, was the father (unless there was another marriage to a much much younger woman) - could be. Maybe there is no Francois Israel Blais. Not a lot of second names early on.

Then Francois Regis Blais is born in 1850 - a much more likely suspect - LOL. 

Thank you so much, I look forward to more interesting tidbits.

Wendy 

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I got the same feeling as well about a missing generation, I'm searching LAC/BAC now, in BC, if I find anything i'll put it here or on Pauls page for you

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 Thank you for all your help Arora. If you could put it here or send me a message to Jones-21849, I only entered Paul Napoleon on WT for this conversation; until I have it all figured out. AND if you see a Metis connection that would be even better. 

Have found his children, births, marriages and deaths but the ancestors back to where I can link him in on Wikitree would be the most helpful.

Signing off for today, Wendy :)

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will do, if I find anything else

Answer 2

hmm, not likely.  François Blais married Marcelline Daigneau dite Laprise in January 1845, and their children are born starting in November 1845.  

Marcelline was actually born in 1823, so highly unlikely she would be having a son in 1872.  Possible, but this lady had a succession of children over the years of her marriage, 10 up to 1860, which the year of cut-off on indexing of baptisms in Drouin Institute's database right now.

Ottawa is also totally wrong for them, they are in what was then called Berthier-en-Bas (now called Berthier-sur-Mer) for the marriages of their children, they never went out of the general area except to Québec city.  Prior baptisms are all in St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud.  https://www.genealogiequebec.com/fr/LAFRANCE/carte/3704 map with free access shows where that is.

Comments

we both realize this Danielle, we were just talking about a missing generation, that info was based on what info Wendy had given (based on what was given to her), so I pulled those parents looking for a son with the name she had, but there isn't one- we both agreed if they were or are any  "relation" line then one of their kids, maybe ..but not this couple for- the Paul m. Jeanne D'Arc St. Laurent. But so far, all searchers have brought up him, his wife, a few kids, their marriage-but doesn't give his parents names, Searching BC for more info

*changed way written to correct its meaning, too jumbled

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too bad Robert Blais isn't on WikiTree any more, he made a study of the family.  Not formally like a name study though.

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looking at 1881 census summaries in Drouin institute, there are 8 Paul Blais in this province, 2 close to the right age, and 33 Napoléon Blais, again 2 in right age range.  

Find 2 Napoléon Blais in Ontario for same census, both listed as 6 years old, one of them in Carleton district, Nepean sub-district, the other in Prince Edward district, city of Picton.  No Pauls in Ontario.

That is a wide range to choose from.  Going to see what else I can find, IGD has some records from Ontario also.

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don't find any Blais child in the Ottawa parishes that were in existence in 1872.

Meanwhile, the marriage notice out of Victoria Times that Arora dug up shows the marriage as taking place in Kamloops, October 2nd (year between 1901 and 1904).  Kamloops is not a big place,  I presume they married in church, and with those names most likely Catholic church.

Kamloops shows 6 Catholic churches  https://www.rcdk.org/kamloops

Likely candidates:  St-Joseph & Sacred Heart Cathedral (maybe no date of opening provided on the site); the other churches are too new.

If they're not on the net, their addresses are provided on the above, you can use good old postal service to inquire if they have the marriage record.  Once you have that in hand, most likely will give parental names.

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Hi Danielle,

The date at the bottom of the image says: Victoria Times 1904-10-06 Page 8. I have been researching through the BC Archives Genealogy for the marriage using St Laurant (StLaurant), St Laurent (StLaurent), Laurent, and Laurant. I have found:

Groom: Emile StLaurent; Bride: Mary Carlson; Date: 1900-12-15 Registration #: 1900-09-145386 Vital Stat Images available. His parents: Pierre & Ursule St. Laurent

Groom: William StLaurent; Bride: Blanche Mary Dion; Date: 1908-10-21, Kamloops. No image to view.

Groom: Ulrich StLaurent; Bride: Annie Marshall; Date 1908-10-27, Kamloops. No image to view. 

Groom: Ambroise Laurent; Bride: Catherine Unknown; Date: 1908-01-07, Kamloops. No image to view.

On the Blais side I found:

Groom: Fred Blais; Bride: Libby Smith; Date: 1901-07-18, Rossland, Registration # 1901-09-165638 Vital Stat Images available. His parents: Ferdinand Blais & Catherine Vallillee. Fred states on registration that he was born in Pembroke, Ontario and he is 27 years old.

Makes me wonder if Paul Napoleon and Jeanne eloped and went to the United States or Alberta and got married.

Just my thoughts, Wendy 

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lol, not very likely in this era.  Particularly since there is a marriage notice published.    But not all parishes provide their records to archives quickly, and/or archives may have received the records but not gotten around to indexing them.  which is why I suggest writing to St-Joseph church and Sacred Heart cathedral to inquire if they have such a record.  They might ask for a fee to produce a photostat of the original record, which would be the best thing to have in hand.  Up to you whether or not you pay the fee of course.  But even if you just get an answer that they have such a record, you're actually closer to getting full data on them, knowing where the marriage took place.

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Thank you for the idea of contacting the RC church in Kamloops, Danielle. Of the six churches they seem to have one office, so sent what I knew along with the newspaper bit with the Reverend's name and hope they can come up with something. Could be interesting.

If something is found I will definitely let you and Arora know, as it might solve the linking up problem in WT.

Definitely some really messy Blais trees out there 

I've been doing genealogy for 30 years and this one is very confusing.

Wendy 

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Also, as an aside, my friend is a foot massage guy and he would probably cut me a break if I had to pay for the photostat and mailing costs. Would be worth a million bucks to his wife. LOL Wendy

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The Blais family is quite prolific, there are lots of them on WikiTree already.

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Yes, there are many, many Blais' on Wikitree. Just haven't found the one I'm looking for. Any help gratefully accepted.

Wendy 

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Hello! I have had a reply, completed a request document and sent it back, so that Linda (RC church clerk) could proceed with a search. She advises that it might take a bit as they are short staffed, due to Covid. But at least the request is in. We will keep our fingers crossed now and have faith that the information is there.

Wendy :)

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good show.  With Covid, their being short-staffed is understandable, although if they send it to the relevant parish, they might get a priest looking further into it.  Many of the early genealogists in this country, like Tanguay and Godbout, were priests.