Émile Castagne (1888 - 1963)

Born 2 Dec 1888 in Hull, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Clara Laroche — married 23 May 1910 in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Hull, Quebec, Canada

Descendants

Died 1963 at about age 74 in Hull, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michael Castagne [send private message]

Biography

Émile was born in 1888. He was the son of Charles Castagne and Virginie Blackburn. In 1910, Emile marries Clara Laroche in Hull, Quebec, Canada.

They have at least 9 children together: Berthe Marie Castagne (1911–1996), Marie Isabelle Castagne (1913–1947), Theodora Marie Gertrude Castagne (1915–1921), Marcel Joseph Emile Rosario Castagne (1917–1995), Fernand Jean Louis Castagne (1919–2000), Colette Marie Jacqueline Castagne (1920–1923), Marie Alice Antoinette Castagne (1922–?), Suzanne Castagne, Carmen "Carmel" Castagne (1926–1999). Emile passes away in 1963.

Wrightville Beverages

Around 1910, Emile establishes Wrightville Beverages, a soft drink company based in Hull, Quebec crafting Colas and Ginger Ales. He names the company after Philemon Wright, the founder of Hull. It's rumoured that the Wright family were long-standing family friends of the Blackburns. Along with another Blackburn company "H. BLACKBURN & CIE", Emile's ginger ale company enjoys success especially during Ontario's Prohibition years (1916-1927). By 1917, Hull becomes a hotspot for nightlife, boozing, and bootlegging earning it the nickname of "le Petit Chicago". By the end of 1917, there's a definite spike in "Drunk and Disorderly Conduct" citations, and Hull's Chief of Police attributes the debauchery to the close proximity to the citizens of Ottawa, still under an alcohol ban. Ginger Ale profits soar as the public continues to require a suitable drink mix for the various Liquors that are present in Hull.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull,_Quebec

Later, Emile leaves the company to his son, Marcel, and eventually is swallowed by the corporation that is Coca-Cola. Coke later unifies all their existing Ginger Ale lines and creates a monopoly under the name of "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale".

Research Notes / Notes de recherche

• Destroyed Records: The Castagne's in Hull, Circa 1871-1885. The Castagne family had a notable presence in the Hull/Gatineau region during this time frame and were parishioners of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce . As a result, many clerical records were destroyed in the fires that ravaged Hull that decade. Both the main records of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Hull (destroyed June 1888) and the back-up Archives of the Palais de Justice (destroyed Apr 1900) were Incinerated by historic fires. Some of our crucial family documentation has been irrevocably lost. ^[1]

(MC Mar 2018)

Sources

Birth / Naissance

• Parish Registry 1888 ^[2]

Marriage / Mariage

• Parish Registry 1910 ^[3]
• http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogie=Castagnier_Carmen&pid=1504752

Death / Décès

http://www.lesjardinsdusouvenir.com/en/cemeteries/find-deceased-person-concession/

Other / Autre

• Census Canada 1881[1]
• Census Canada 1891[2]
• Census Canada 1901[3]
• Census Canada 1911 [4]
• Census Canada 1921 [5]
• Census Canada 1921 [6]

References

1. ↑ Multiple members of the Castagne family are referenced by Les Sinistres des Conflagrations de Gatineau - Le Centre régional d’archives de l’Outaouais.
2. ↑ Baptism Record from Ancestry.ca's Drouin Collection Ancestry.com. Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968 database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.
3. ↑ Marriage Record from Ancestry.ca's Drouin Collection Ancestry.com. Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968 database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.

• Source Citation

https://bouteillesduquebec.ca/breuvages.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Dry

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to cousin Mike Fournier for supplying the amazing picture of Emile. Special thanks to cousin Frederic Serge Castagne for finding Charles and Family's final resting place and providing the wonderful pic. (MC April2018) Special thanks to cousin Patrick Philion for the history lesson on Wrightville Beverages. (MCAug2018)