Can anyone help connect Exilda Cady b. 1869 CT?

Question

My second Great Grandmother Exilda (Ildas) Rose (Cady) Lacroix has been a challenge for me since I began doing genealogy many years ago. I would love to connect her to the New England Cadys but I just can't find her parents. I have assigned parents to her but I now think they are wrong as they were very speculative to begin with.

One recent clue came from my Mom's DNA test. One of her closest matches (106.6 cM, 3rd cousin FTDNA) is a grandson of Wilfred Cady of Rhode Island and none of his other ancestors make very much sense as  CAs. Unfortunately, I'm not certain about the tree I created for Wilfred either as there may be a gap between his father and grandfather. If Harvey Cady is the father of Exilda that would make his second great grandson (my Mom's DNA match) third cousin to my Mom but I can't make the connection.

There's also a very strange twist to the plot. My family had a Native American legend which I am now almost certain was not true. My great grandmother had a photo on the wall in her house of a Native American in full headdress and all in front of a tepee who was supposed to be our fourth great grandfather. My mother's DNA test shows no signs of Native American ancestry though. There are two strange items though. First he was supposed to have died in a logging accident from a falling tree. Interestingly enough it turns out that Harvey Cady died in a logging accident from a falling tree. Second his name was supposed to have been Biscunah (though I never saw it spelled out) and we could never pronounce it properly as kids no matter how we said it. Well the only reference I'd ever heard to it was from my grandmother and her mother until a couple of years ago I found this question on the Ancestry.com forum:

"Bisquknais(Cady) Posted on: 08 Jun 2003, by Andie
Surnames > Cady
Looking for any info on Exilda(Xilda) Bisquknais(Biscorvais), also found as Exilda (Xilda, Rose)Cady. Married to Napoleon LaCroix. Born @ 1865, died @ 1940, in Connecticut. May have been Native American. Thanks."

I have no idea who posted the question and as far as I can tell their account is no longer active. Quite the mystery.

Any help or guidance would of course be greatly appreciated.

Comments

I can't help, but that's a fascinating story! Best of luck in unraveling the mystery!

Answer 1

Interesting,Napolean Lacroix age 51 in 1940 Census is a prisoner in

Windham Conn.County jail.born abt 1888.Likely JR.

Still looking for Rose.Probably only part of her name.

Comments

Thanks Wayne,

Yep, I'm pretty sure that was Jr. Got a bunch of sources on him. No idea how he ended up in prison. My GGM (Jr's sister Celia) died when I was 11 so I have pretty vague memories but my Mom knew her very well and she remembers her great Aunt Jennie (GGM and Jr's sister) but no recollection of any Napoleons, either Jr or her GGF.

I should have added that there is what I'm pretty sure is a different married couple Naploeon and Exilda Lacroix on Ancestry that is based on a Canadian marriage record. That Exilda's maiden name was Huot however. It's still not exactly clear to me what that's all about but I suppose my Naploeon and Exilda may have gone to Canada from CT to get married and maybe she used another name for some reason. Exilda claims to have been born in CT (to French Canadian parents) and Napoleon seems to have come to CT from Canada between 1871 and 1880 (when he shows up on the census in Putnum, CT with his parents). Napoleon Jr was their eldest and was born in 1889. I just realized that I still have their marriage info based on that record so i changed it to uncertain. I no longer have access to the actual record as it's on Ancestry and I only have a free account now.

I think the Cady surname for Exilda is pretty solid based on her Daughter Jennie's obit and the application for my GGM's SS number (also on Ancestry) and the name on her gravestone looks suspiciously more like Cady than Lacroix but I won't know for certain until I go to CT next month and scrape the lichen off of it.

The parents I currently have assigned to her, Dennis and Exelia, are pretty speculative but reasonable I think. Both were born in Canada (which is somewhat unique for the Cady surname, most of whom seem to come from MA or RI). Of course the name Exelia (or Exilda) was fairly popular at the time (quite the surprise to me!) but I think it still provides some level of support. they were in the right place, which wasn't very big at the time. And according to the 1900 census Exelia was the mother of 17 (yikes!) children, 11 of whom were alive and only 8 are listed in the household. Exilda would have almost certainly been Exelia's firstborn as she was likely only 15 or 16 at the time of Exilda's birth, a bit more support for the family name.

I now see that there is a new 1870 census record in Dennis' bio (Thanks Doug!). Looks as though it may tie together the RI and CT Cadys! I'm off to take a better look.

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Napolean Joseph Lacroix

 in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

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Text-only collection

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• Report issue

Name:	Napolean Joseph Lacroix
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birth Date:	20 May 1888
Birth Place:	E Killingly, Connecticut
Father:	Napolean Lacroix
Mother:	Rose Cady
Type of Claim:	Original SSN.
Notes:	Jun 1938: Name listed as NAPOLEAN JOSEPH LACROIX

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Thanks Betty, Have a new look at the profiles, I'm updating at a pretty feverish pace. Lots of new sources and I just connected the my family with my DNA match through a marriage record for Dennis Cady's sister and a WWI draft registration wherein Dennis lists his sister as his closest relation! I never expected so much help, thanks so much!

Answer 2

Was Napolean and Exilda,Presbyterian ??

Comments

My guess would be Catholic based on my GGM, their daughter Celia, who was a fairly devout Catholic, that and they were both French Canadian, but I'm not certain to be honest and not sure if I could find out now as my Mom never knew them.

Answer 3

Paul: I am suspicious of some of these records,Anything light blue,can

be records someone has added later.Cecelia H.Lacroix born Nov 3 1894.

Social Secuity # 047 50 6011,Write Social Security and see what they

actually have on her record.There is another Cecelia born July 1881 and

one born July 1893.

Comments

I think Celia's pretty certain since she was my GGM and lived across the street from us until her death when I was 11. Her daughter and son-in-law, my GM and GF, lived next door so we knew them all very well.

Answer 4

Napolean Social Security,also says report any issues.Someone has added

too his info.It may or may not be true.I have seen this before,makes

geneology tough.Even his death record Obit is in question.someone has

added it.

Comments

I think Napoleon himself is pretty solid as well since I just DNA confirmed him a little while ago with my match, Randy Maynard whose GGF, Archille Lacroix is Napoleon's brother making him my Mom's 3rd cousin with a match of 51 cM. There's definitely some strangeness with the documentation for him especially on Ancestry. There were major issues with the spelling of his last name which make him a bit difficult to follow.

I think I got Exilda figured out though now. Turns out she had a brother Dennis who is the GGF of another match making him the 3rd cousin of my Mom with a match of 107 cM. Dennis had listed his sister Louise as his closest relation on his WWI draft registration and I already had Louise as Exilda's sister. That one key piece of evidence was enough to make the bricks start tumbling. It all makes so much more sense now.

I am overwhelmed with all the help everyone is providing on these two and can't thank you all enough!