#27 - Relatives in the Old Country

 Relatives in the "Old Country"

Nothing is more exciting than a DNA discovery--except for finding new relatives and them sharing photos. We live for this. The most recent discovery is one I'm still working on as I don't know all the naming traditions of Finland, nor their history. 

This most recent discovery has to do with my husband's mother's father's roots (his maternal grandfather). His mother's father Andrew Antilla was the son of Finnish immigrants: Henry or Heikki Antilla and his wife Ida Paavola.
 

The connection came through a Facebook Group: in the group ′Reisjärvi families'  the great grandfather Heikki Anttila Juho's son was born in Reisjärvi on 1856 and moved to USA on 1892. The Finnish relative wrote: "My grandfather Juho Juho's son Heikki Anttila (b. 1863) was the oldest brother."
He added, "I've been curious to read [the US cousin's] stories about the lives of American relatives.  It reminds me that my family [in Finland] was in correspondence with Heikki's son Tauno Anttila [my husband's great uncle] family in the early 1960's. "

He adds, "[But] for some reason we lost contact and America's relatives were forgotten. As best I can, I've tried to tell Rebecca about Heikki's birthplace and relatives here in Finland. Thanks for contacting me! This is a wonderful thing for all of us."

In the picture below is Heikki's brother Juho Anttila (1863-1942)

Juho Anttila (Uncle of Andrew Antilla, bro. Heikki Anttila) 1863-1942

Another another descendant wrote in this:
"Aili Anttila, (Juho and Heikki  sister) always got an American package with such nice clothes that you couldn't wear them here in the country.
She always liked to show them out (off) though. As I recall, the packages came from the American side of their husband's family."

Aili Anttila

References:
Living people shared the photos. I'm keeping them private for now.

#26 - Large Losses of Ida Paavola (Antilla)

Large Losses

Nothing is worse than losing a child. In the not-so-distant past, my husband's gr-grandmother suffered the pain of her children's death.
Ida Paavola's Losses
Ida Maria Paavola, my husband’s mother’s paternal grandmother was a Finnish immigrant who married another Finnish. 

Several of her children died--and like many immigrants, she had no support other than her husband and her immigrant community. She didn't learn the language right away for she got married "off the boat." Only 4 children survived survived to adulthood.

Ida Maria Paavola was born in 1875 in Reisjärvi, Oulun Laani, Finland to Veino Maria Wilhelmina, age 20, and Andrew Paavola, age 25.
She was christened 19 Jul 1875
She took either her communion or communion or confirmation in 1880 in the parish of Sippolo, Viipurin (county: lääni), Finland
I found no school records.
She lived there until her departure for the USA about 1893.

Ida Paavola arrives Boston May 1893

  ** A UK Departure record has her leaving Liverpool for Boston on 5 May 1893**
I also found her arrival in Boston for later that month--as well as an arrival for Antilla.
Shortly after arriving in Boston, she got married.
On 22 May 1893 when she was 17  years old (though she says she was 18), she married Heikki (Henry) Anttila in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Their Children:
1 Her son Johan was born on August 23, 1895 and passed away that same day. Fitchburg, MA
2 Son Vaino Ilmair was born on October 3, 1896, in Fitchburg, MA (1896–1969)
3 Daughter Jennie was born in December 1898 in Massachusetts
4 Her daughter Veino - (later she went by "Vienna") was born on March 15, 1900 (1900–1973) in Minnesota.

In Minnesota they lived in Eveleth & Sparta Villages, St. Louis County.

5 - 1903 Her 5th recorded birth, was Andrew Robert was born on July 11, 1903, in Sparta, Minnesota. (1903–1949)  Sparta, Chippewa, Minnesota, United States

In 1905 they are in St. Louis, Minnesota, in June.

But by 1908, she had her 6th child back east:
6 - Roy Benjamin was born on November 24, 1908, in Troy, NH (1908-1975)

Then, at some point their child, Jennie who was 1 in Minnesota in 1900, (born 1898 in Mass) died before the 1910 Census.

Here is data from the 1910 Census:
They live in Troy, Cheshire Co, New Hampshire
By 1910 Ida was speaking English (the 1900 census said she did not, but Henry could).
In 1910, Ida was 34 and he was 51.
Their children appear in the 1910 Census:
~Vaini was 13 born in Mass.(boy)
~Veino or Vaino was 9 she was born in Minnesota.
~Andrew was 6 yrs, born in Minnesota.
~Roy was 1 year old, born in New Hampshire.

7 - In 1911 Ida was 35 when she had her 7th child.
Etheli Mirjami was born on December 16, 1911. She died on March 1, 1912, when she was less than a year old. (1911–1912)

8 - 1913 Her 8th child, son Tauno, was born on August 11, 1913, in Troy, New Hampshire. (1913–1990)
After 1910 it doesn't appear that they moved back to Minnesota. But lived either in Keene or in Troy New Hampshire.
1919 Keene, New Hampshire
1920 Troy, New Hampshire

Henry (Heikki's) Death: Her husband Heikki died in Troy, New Hampshire on October 5, 1926, at the age of 70. She was 51 years old and they had been married 33 years.

She stayed in Troy until we find her again in Keene, New Hampshire, in 1935.  (She always stayed with her children on West Hill Rd in Keene).

In the 1940 census, she was living in Troy NH in April.

Ida Paavola (Antilla) died 2 June 1940, in Troy, New Hampshire, when she was 64 years old.

#25 - Samantha Allard Gets a Job which Leads to A Family

Samantha Allard, my husband’s great-great grandmother, was born 10 Apr 1840 in West Ely, Shefford, Quebec, Canada. According to local families, the Allard family is of French-Canadian origin. Samantha apparently spoke English as well for she married an Anglo-Canadian.

Samantha was the schoolteacher to the Kendall children (and others) in a rural one-room schoolhouse. Little did she know at the start of her teaching job, that she’d end up married to a father of some of her students.

I don’t know how much they earned, but based on my understanding of the area and the era, she may have been paid in produce and the like. It was a small country school, much like many others that dotted the Eastern Townships of Quebec at that time. It probably resembled schools in this website: Eastern Townships Schools [this site has other info on the Eastern Townships].
I am guessing it was small then (Lawrenceville has a population of 662, Stukely and West Ely are tiny crossroads). 

When she was 20 she married the widower, Joseph Ward Kendall, on 30 May 1860 in Lawrenceville, Shefford Methodist Church in Quebec, Canada. 

Her husband Joseph Ward Kendall was 20 years older than his new wife. (My husband is descended thru their son Luke Kendall).
Joseph Kendall, born in 1820, was the son of Henry Kendall and Dorothy Thankful Parker.

The much younger Samantha Allard and her husband Joseph Ward Kendall

 

1862 Gazeeter. Ely Twnship is circled

 

 

 

Their Family: 

Their first surviving child together was Isaiah Johnston Kendall born on 4 Sep 1863 in Lawrenceville, Shefford County, Quebec, Canada. 

Their second son was my husband’s great grandfather Luke Hale Kendall, was born 27 Dec 1866 in Lawrenceville, Shefford County, Quebec, Canada (died 1948).

Luke Hale Kendall prob 1882

The rest of the children Samantha had were:
3 Gardner Ward Kendall (1871-1935)
4 Dorothy Vermilia Kendall (1874–1941)
5 A son Alpheus Gordon Kendall (1876-1956)
6 Florence Marion Amanda Kendall (1878-1935)
7 Jennie Grace Kendall (1886-1908)

Prior to the birth of her last child, in 1881, Samantha Allard Kendall's father, Stephen Allard died.
By the time little Jennie Grace was 4 or 5, by 1891, the family had moved and were living in Waterloo, Quebec, a city of some size.
Within 7 years her husband died, on August 5 1898 in Waterloo. Joseph Kendall was 78 years old at the time of his death. Ten years later, her daughter Jennie also died at the age of 22 in Massachusetts.
Samantha lived on for a while in Waterloo.
Death:
Samantha Allard died in 1913.
I found her death recorded in Folio 3 of the registers for Masonville Methodist Church, Quebec says 

“Samantha Elizabeth Allard, age 73 years, 6 days, relict [widow] of Joseph Kendall died on this date” it was April 16, 1913.
The Waterloo Advertiser Apr 25 1913 reported she died "after many years of suffering from rheumatism." 

Samantha Allard, 2nd wife of Jos Kendall and their children

Above Photo:
Seated, middle: Joseph Ward Kendall with  Samantha Elizabeth (Allard) and their 7 children.
In the back: Luke Hale, Isaiah Johnston, and Dorothy Vermilia.
Seated in the front : Gardner Ward, Alpheus Gordon, Florence, and on Samantha's lap is Jenny Grace.

Burial:
Joseph Kendall and Samantha Allard, as well as many other Kendalls and relations are buried in the Waterloo (Quebec) Graveyard (Protestant). 

A great-great grandson at the Waterloo Cemetery in 2018

---------------------
Joseph had several children with his first wife Emily Hunt. As they are half-relations, and I have their names, I list them below.

Joseph's first wife:
Emily Hunt (not a direct ancestor) -
B 8 Sep 1819 , Quebec, Canada
D 21 Aug 1858 Shefford, , Quebec, Canada
The children of Emily Hunt & Joseph W Kendall
1 Henry Peter Kendall 1842–1920
2 Rachel Kendall 1844–1917
3 Vining Paul Kendall 1846–1927
4 James W Kendall 1848–1868
5 Elizabeth Kendall 1850–1871
6 John Frederick Kendall 1854–?
7 Adelbert Kendall 1856–1927
8 Baby Kendall 1858–1858 

#24 - Where There’s a Will - David Petts leaves Widow Phoebe in the Lurch

Widow Phoebe (Stevens) Petts was left a widow without a will 

and with little money. 

*Phoebe Stevens (my husband's 3rd gr grandmother)

Daughter of John Stevens (1779-1840) and Azubah Procter (1776-1840)

B 3 May 1812 Stoddard, New Hampshire

D 3 Apr 1902 Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire

Her siblings

~~John Stevens (1807–1865)

~~Henry Stevens (1808–?)

~~Azubah Stevens (1808–1852)

~~Ephraim Stevens (1814–1895)

Married *David Towne Petts (his 3rd gr grandfather)

B 25 Nov 1810, Weston, Windsor, VT

D 3 Dec 1856 in Marlow, Cheshire, New Hampshire

Their children:

~Ferdinand Petts (1834–1933)

~Rosina Petts (1835–1861)

~Lyman Gustavus Petts (1836–1927)

~George A Petts (1842–?)

~Myranda Anette Petts (1843–1917)

~*Christiane L Petts (1845–1871) (his 2nd gr grandmother)

Phoebe outlived her husband by 46 years, falling short of living to 90 years old by one month.

A wife in this period was not the automatic heir to her husband's property. The husband owned everything, including his debt.

David T. Petts died intestate (without a will). Consequently, there are a lot of records (from 1856 for at least 2 years) in New Hampshire.

Still, as the widow, Phoebe was entitled to a “dower”-the state gave widows that much. Typically, it was 1/3 of the entire value of the estate (it was handled by the probate judge). Phoebe got slightly-very slightly-more the 1/3.

Phoebe also asked to be  the administratrix—something she had to petition the court to be. Amos Fiske was ‘commissioned’ by the court to appraise and list all belongings of David T Petts.

To settle the estate, Phoebe (as administratrix—or as widow, depending on the document) had to fill out a court document and have it approved.

She got ‘reimbursed’ for travel, but it was out of the estate.

David Petts died in 1856—the estate got bogged down by people wanting their money--and then it seems that the court suspected the family was hiding property. It finally was settled in 1858.

Phoebe auctioned the estate (apart from the ‘dower’ which was hers) and then paid back her husband’s creditors

There are two sets of inventories. One looks like the final ‘official’ inventory (has a seal on it), the other is in long hand. The inventory in long hand lists the value of each item and next to each is also has a list of names. Perhaps the longhand sheet was the worksheet for the public auction.  Several of the bidders were related to her (sons).

No other records indicate that they ran a tavern/inn.

But when you see the inventory you realize they must have. The quantity of food and alcohol, along with bedding for that time period indicates an inn. The unofficial inventory is 9 pages long. The inventory is very large for the time. (If you read on, you’ll see verification.)

I don’t know anything about antebellum New Hampshire estates, but I am guessing Amos Fiske who was commissioned by the court, may have made a profit on reselling the articles he bought at auction.

Inventory:                                                                  - $642.98

S. for Wid. Allow.

[ie the widow’s dower, or 1/3 of David’s property)   $200

          ________

                                             $442.98   

Sold for                $360.08

                                            $82.98 L of S  

If David Towne Petts owed his creditors more than $443.06, then the creditors could not be repaid in full. When you adjust this for inflation, $443=$14,560.

I looked at his creditors (from those who came forward after notices were posted and published), you find he owed more than $2,240.

This, adjusted for inflation, is equivalent to $74,000--when he had the equivalent of $14,560.

Ooops!
His creditors had to accept what the court allowed.  If they were owed $5.24, they were allowed about .59 cents. Most of his creditors were “promissory notes” or IOUs.  But there were about 6 or 7  judgements on David Petts, and some of them very large. 

This tells me that he had borrowed money on time and had not fulfilled his obligation of repayment in a timely manner---and the creditor had to file a judgement in court against him.

 

David Towne Petts died intestate. His estate was INSOLVENT.

16 Dec 1856
(His widow) Phoebe Petts petitioned court to be the administratrix of her husband's estate.
16 Dec 1856
A bond for: Phebe Petts, Amos Pike, and Samuel Buss amount of $1200 to execute estate accdng to the laws of New Hampshire.
6 Jan 1857
Phebe Petts, of estate of David T Petts of Marlow deceased intestate, says she is unwilling to be charged with the goods and chattles belonging to the said estate as appraised. Wherefore she prays that she may have license to sell the same at public auction. "foregoing petition is decreed granted and the license is issued accordingly"
6 Jan 1857
The estate of David Petts was published for 3 consecutive weeks in the Cheshire Republican (newspaper) printed in Keene, Cheshire County (NH) with additional notifications at some publick house in each of the towns of Marlow and Stoddard (for at least 40 days). - Judge of Probate 6 Jan 1857
Jan 1857
Phebe Petts, widow and relict of David T Petts of Marlow. "Prays your honor to make her such an allowance out of the Personal Estate of said deceased, for her present support and comfort, as may be suitable to her condition and degree, and consistent with the situation of the Estate." "Phebe Petts" (response): “January 1857  Upon the above petition, it is...decreed that the said widow be allowed in such article as she may choose, out of the Inventory of the Personal Estate of said deceased, suitable to her condition, at their appraised value, the sum of two hundred dollars, for her present support and comfort. (Judge)
 Jan 1857
Several Pages of the Official Inventory & appraisal Jan 6 1857 done by 3 men
Jan 1857
New Hampshire, Cheshire County, the Judge of Probate for County; To Phebe Petts, Administratrix of the Estate of David T Petts late of Marlow in said county, deceased intestate: You are hereby licensed and ordered to sell at public auction, all the goods and chattels of said deceased, except such part thereof as has been ordered to you for your present support (see petition).
And you are directed to give notice of such sale by posting up advertisements thereof in two or more public places in said Marlow at least 10 days before said sale. If you comply with this order, and act with fidelity and impartiality in said sale, you will be credited with loss, or charged with the gain upon such sale. 6 January 1857 - Judge of Probate 

Jan 1857
Amount of Sales at Auction of the Estate of David T Petts Late of Marlow; Deceased; by Phebe Petts Adminstratrix - Jan 29 1857

 

Auction - inventory

  

Inventory (partial)

Inventory--more!

Appraisal less widow's dower

Sept 1857 Creditors & Heirs at Law of the Estate of David T Petts of Marlow in Cheshire County. ... 1st Tuesday of September [1857]...and ordered that Phebe Petts give notice causing the Citation to be published 3 weeks successively in the Cheshire Republican printed at Keene in said county.

Creditors

 

Judgments

 

Sept 1857 Amos Fiske of Marlow, the commissioner of the Estate of David Petts of Marlow was given a year from 1 Dec 1857, a list of all the claimes which have been received against David Petts' estate. (Signed by the judge on 1 Sept 1857) - fig 1 

Accounting: 1856 

Expense of Administration 

First, Cash paid Out Fees: 

Kimball for Advertising .75 

1857 L. Tenny for services at auction $4

Samul Bress for services as appraiser and clerk $4 

Elisha Bress for services as appraiser $2 

Amos Pike for services as appraiser $2 

1858 

AS Fiske Commissioner for services as a commissioner $8 Kimball for Advertising $4.75 

1857 Paper 2 - Funeral Charges of the deceased 

Dec 5 Paid Daniel Mack for coffin & box / recipt No 1 $8.00 

Dec 5 Paid John Mellen for digging grave & box recipt No 2 $4.00 

  $12.00

Phebe Petts, Administratrix

Second Personal Services of Administratrix

1856 [Date] For attending Probate Court expenses, to take letter      $3.50

     [Date] Expenses with appraisers                                        $2.00

1857 [Date] Attending probate court, expenses, to take license $3.50

     [Date]  Service at the sale                          $2.00

     [Date]Attending Probate Court and expenses                   $3.50

     [Date]Attending Probate Court and expenses                   $3.50

1858 [Date] Attending probate Court and expenses $3.50

     [Date] Attending probate Court and expenses      $3.50

     [Date]  Making administrative account                    .75

      --    Attending Probate Court and expenses          $3.50

1858 ?? attending count from New Ipswich to settlement  $3.50

                                                                                    ----

                                                                                    $61.25

                                                                                    Phebe Petts

Account Papers

Paper A

In trust on personal property

In trust on cash taken at sale

Collected of Amos Pike on note for property $3.64

                                    bought at sale

Collected of Ferdinand Petts on note for property bought at sale $21.52

Collected of Samuel Buss on note for property bought at sale $1.55

Collected of Elisha Buss on note for property bought at sale $1.16

                                                                                                __

                                                                                                $27.87

 

1 March 1858-Estate was discharged...and report made by the Commissioner is accepted. - Judge

 June 15 1858

Their eldest son (who was an adult), Ferdinand Petts, was summoned to appear in court to be examined regarding his father’s estate.

I cannot figure out what the larger point was but assume that the probate court was not satisfied that the discharging the amount owed by David Petts’ estate had been handled legally. 

A horse was quite valuable at that time and the court questioned Ferdinand Petts regarding his possessions in 1856. He was also asked about this stallion.  (Interestingly he brings up the name Amos Fiske, who is the same man who was commissioned by court to do the appraisal on the estate).

Ferdinand’s testimony includes this:

“In May 1856 my father was in need of a horse to use in connection with the tavern & informed me of it & wanted I should help him to one. ?? at the same time the said stallion was a pace horse & one he should like and I told him if he could buy it. So as I --- would? be sure to not lose by it he might buy him for me. He made the trade, took & kept him until Dec 1856. Q Did you experience the horse during the negotiation for the purchase, or have anything to say as to the price or qualities of the horse?”[etc].  

The testimony goes on on property and notes.

Ferdinand is questioned about a "tavern stand" which apparently he bought. The court wishes to know where he got the money from. At this point there is some involvement-or suspected involvement-of Fiske (Amos Fiske who was also the Commissioner for the estate). 

At one point in time, the deceased, David Petts, needed money and so borrowed it from his son. And so on.

There many questions, all about money and property which go on for pages, and some of which are hard to understand due to the handwriting of the note-taker. 

There are 35 questions, but many of them are compound questions, requiring more than one answer.

Ferdinand was finally done with his testimony on July 20, 1858. 

 

page 1 of Ferdinand's court testimony

 21 September 1858

Whereas the Commissioner presented all claims allowed the sum is $2539 dollars and 39 cents; and whereas the settlement of your account, except the widow's dower, having been sold and the proceeds accounted for. There appears to be a balance of $312.96.

The creditors were notified accordingly, and you are directed to distribute the balance of 312.96 to aforesaid creditors by paying to each of them the proportion to each of their claim respectively annexed. --Judge

 

#23- Multiple Names - Learning about "dit" names (for the French-Canadians I thought didn't exist)

 Never underestimate the value of visiting a place.

I tend to revisit the same types of places: gravesites, conferences, libraries.
But when I branch out to court houses and to historical societies,  I’m usually pleasantly surprised: I’m illuminated, I’ve got added information, and often the ‘why’s and wherefores’ are explained, mysteries are solved.

Several years ago my husband and I spent a few days in Quebec's Eastern Townships before our ultimate destination of Montreal.

My husband is a very social person and that's handy when traveling to unknown parts. In the Eastern Townships of Quebec we had spent a day in Bromont and Waterloo and then spent some time poking through Lawrenceville, Ely, Shefford, S. Stukey and other little towns.
 

My husband was seeking his grandmother’s family, the Kendalls from this area of Quebec. His father’s mother was born in Quebec. But we didn’t find the Kendalls (for a while). He was getting tired and bored with driving around. 

When we passed a building with a  sign that read: “GENERAL STORE and POST OFFICE” he stopped the car. He went inside to ask about the Kendalls.  He returned a minute later asking for more names. I gave him 2 family names of women who were likely from old families in the area. This time he popped back out to call me inside. 

To abbreviate the ensuing conversation I'll tell you the gist.  I mentioned Joseph Ward Kendall married Samantha Allard as his 2nd wife. The storeowner (who was a genealogist and married to my husband's 2nd cousin) knew the family name.
She said, “Oh! yes, the Allards!” Her  husband Rob said, “They’re an old French-Canadian family.” 

She added, “Right over there is Allard Road.
I was stunned.

This information did not fit with what I believed my husband's family would be. I knew they were Scottish immigrants or English to Canada, a few were disaffected Americans or Americans looking for more land (as in the Kendalls).

 

 Multiple Names and "DIT"

French-Canadian:
I know no French and I dreaded the thought of researching ‘dit’ names, because I was ignorant.
Yet, Samantha Allard’s father’s lineage and her grandmothers, have the typical French-Canadian “dit" names.

Logically if this lineage (the Allard family) had "dit" names, there would be a lot more going back. There was no avoiding "dit" names.

  

For the Allard line alone we need to go back to France--and the first Allard or Alard who arrived in Canada:

My husband's 8th gr grandfather
Pierre Alard II
B Abt 1600 Sainte-Hermine, Vendée, Pays de la Loire, France
D 18 Sep 1703 Beaupré, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada
Married 1665 Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, Canada
Marie-Marthe De Lugré
B Nov 1667 Chateau Richer, Quebec, Canada
D 19 Jun 1699 Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada

7th gr grandfather
Joseph Allard (Alard)
B 28 Nov 1694 Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada
D 9 Dec 1767 St. Henri, Mascouche, Les Moulins, Quebec, Canada
à1723 November, a Marriage Contract made with "Cecile Berloin" (Canadian Notarial Record)
Note her 'dit' name:
Cecile Berloin dit Nantel
B 17 Jun 1706 St-Francois-de-Sales, Le Domaine-du-Roy, Quebec, Canada
D 4 Aug 1783 Mascouche, Les Moulins, Quebec, Canada

6th gr-grandfather
Joseph Allard
B 17 Aug 1724 Paroisse St-Charles de Lachenaie, Lachenaie, Québec, Canada
D 20 Apr 1800 Mascouche, L’Assomption-Montcalm, Quebec, Canada
Married 18 Oct 1745 in Lachenaie, Quebec
Marie Anne Chalifoux
B 4 Mar 1728 Lachiene, Quebec, Canada
D 28 Mar 1800 Lachiene, Quebec, Canada

5th great-grandfather
Françoise Allard
B 12 Oct 1769 Paroisse St Henri de Mascouche, Quebec, Canada
D Abt 1807  Quebec, Canada
Married 1789
Magdaleine Tellier [Lafortune]
B 1769 L’Asumption, Quebec, Canada
D 1833 St Roch Le Achigan, Quebec, Canada

4th great-grandfather
Francois Joseph Allard (Alard)
B 31 Mar 1790 Mascouche, L'Assomption, Quebec, Canada
D 1854 St. David d'Yamaska, Québec, Canada
Married- another "dit" name
Suzanne Mercier dit Lajoie
B 2 Sep 1798 Repentigny, L'Assomption, Québec, Canada
D 28 Jun 1877 Quebec, Canada

3rd great-grandfather
Stephen Allard  
B 1815 Quebec, Canada
D After 1881 Quebec, Canada
Married
Sarah (Marston?)
B 1810 Shefford, Quebec, Canada
D Before 1880, Quebec, Canada

Their daughter: 2nd great-grandmother of husband
Samantha Elizabeth Allard
Born 10 Apr 1840 West Ely, Shefford, Quebec, Canada
Died 16 Apr 1913 Waterloo, Shefford, Quebec, Canada
Married 30 May 1860 Lawrenceville (Shefford Methodist Church), Quebec, Canada
Joseph Ward Kendall (B 1820 D 1898) 

Joseph Ward Kendall and 2nd wife Samantha Allard (Luke Hale K is back, left)

 

 

Their children: 

Isaiah Johnston Kendall 1863–1921 

**Luke Hale Kendall 1866–1948 - my husband’s great grandfather 

Gardner Ward Kendall 1871–1935 

Dorothy Vermilia Kendall 1874–1941 

Alpheus Gordon Kendall 1876–1956 

Florence Marion Amanda 1878–1935 

Jennie Grace Kendall 1886–1908 

About those predecessors 

There are at least 2 “dit” names in the family. What is a dit name? I found an easy summary from a source:

 

What Is a Dit Name?

A dit name is essentially an alias, or alternate name, tacked on to a family name or surname. 

Dit (pronounced "dee") is a French form of the word dire, which means "to say," and in the case of dit names is translated loosely as "that is to say," or "called." 

Therefore, the first name is the family's original surname, passed down to them by an ancestor, while the "dit" name is the name the person/family is actually "called" or known as.

Dit names are found primarily in New France (French-Canada, Louisiana, etc.), France, and sometimes Scotland. They are used by families, not specific individuals, and are usually passed down to future generations, either in place of the original surname, or in addition to it. 

After several generations, many families eventually settled on one surname or the other, although it isn't uncommon to see some siblings within the same family using the original surname, while others carried on the dit name. 

The use of dit names slowed dramatically during the mid- to late-1800s, although they could still be found used by some families into the early twentieth century.

Dit names were often adopted by families to distinguish them from another branch of the same family. 

The specific dit name may also have been chosen for many of the same reasons as the original surname - as a nickname based on trade or physical characteristics, or to identify the ancestral place of origin (e.g. Andre Jarret de Beauregard, where Beauregard refers to the ancestral home in the French province of Dauphine). 

The mother's surname, or even the father's first name, may also have been adopted as a dit name.

Interestingly, many dit names derived from military service, where early French military rules required a nom de guerre, or war name, for all regular soldiers. 

This practice was a precursor to identification numbers, allowing soldiers to be identified collectively by their given name, their family name, and their nom de guerre.

 

Example of a Dit Name

Gustave Eiffel, architect of the Eiffel Tower, was born Alexandre Gustave Bonickhausen dit Eiffel in Dijon, France, on 15 December 1832. 

He was a descendant of Jean-René Bönickhausen, who emigrated to France from the German town of Marmagen in the early 18th century. The dit name Eiffel was adopted by descendants of Jean-René for the Eifel mountain region of Germany from which he had come. Gustave formally changed his name to Eiffel in 1880.

 

How You Might See Dit Names Recorded

A dit name can be legally used to replace the family's original surname.  

Sometimes the two surnames may be linked as one family name, or you may find families who use the two surnames interchangeably.

Thus, you may find an individual's name recorded with a dit name, or under either just the original surname or just the dit name.

Dit names may also be found reversed with the original surname, or as hyphenated surnames. 

  

How to Record a Dit Name in Your Family Tree 

When recording a dit name in your family tree, it is generally standard practice to record it in its most common form - e.g. Hudon dit Beaulieu. A standardized list of dit names with their common variants can be found in "Rene Jette's Répertoire des Noms de Famille du Québec" des Origines à 1825, and Msgr Cyprien Tanguay's "Dictionnaire genealogique des familles canadiennes (Volume 7)." Another extensive source is The dit Name: French Canadian Surnames, Aliases, Adulterations, and Anglicizations by Robert J. Quentin. The American-French Genealogical Society also has an extensive online list of French-Canadian surnames, including variants, dit names, and Anglicizations. 

When the name is not found in one of the above sources, you can use a phone book (Québec City or Montréal) to find the most common form or, even better, just record it in the form most often used by your ancestors.

SOURCE: Powell, Kimberly. "What Is a Dit Name?" ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-is-a-dit-name-3972358. [Accessed 12 July 2020]

#22 - When Obituaries are Newsworthy - Henry J Kendall and Dorothy Parker

Newsworthy Obituaries

Obituaries fall into three categories: good, bad and indifferent. Every family historian loves an obituary (not a recent one, of course). We want the obituary to be full, complete and, most of all, accurate. 

An obituary I held on to for years helped verify my husband's 3rd great-grandparents: Henry J Kendall & Dorothy Parker, and their location.

Searching for this Henry James Kendall, first I combed through Ancestry's records first. Then, I went to Family Search to  search their collections. But Family Search's data on Henry James Kendall was inconclusive. Most of my records were from Ancestry.

Facts: Henry James Kendall was born in the US, but he died in Canada (where he owned property).

Records said he died in Quebec, Canada. And also that his son (Joseph Ward Kendall) was born in Quebec, Canada.

Fact: Henry Kendall's wife's first name was Dorothy. I had reason to believe her last name was Parker. I didn't know where Dorothy was born.

Obstacle: I could not find records of their marriage in Canada.  

I looked for border crossing records but they, or he, or she had immigrated there in the early 1800s.

Of course, this was before border crossing records were kept. It was in the 20th century that the US-Canadian border was continuously manned.

In earlier days, New Englanders shuttled back and forth between their homes in Quebec and Vermont, New Hampshire or Massachusetts (this, I know from my husband's other family members' records). I wondered if perhaps they wed in New England then moved to Quebec.

Additional obstacle: Getting the Right Man/Woman

I need to find Henry James Kendall married to Dorothy (Parker?) and to look either in New England or in Quebec, Canada.  Church records have that information, but volumes of information doesn't mean I have the right man.

 

I found a lot of Kendalls and Parkers in New England at the time. But I didn't find my Henry Kendall. Actually, I did, but I wasn't sure it was the right man. 

And, the Kendalls went in for large families. This meant I found plenty of Henry Kendalls, Dorothy Kendalls, James Kendalls....you get the idea.

I considered looking at the Quebec records once more, but they had been inconclusive.

I found an Obit: But not Online

I found an obituary, but it wasn't "out there" on the internet, or in an institution. I found it here at home, offline.

In search of concrete information on my Henry Kendall, I felt frustrated with information overload. In a fit of pique, I searched (that means I dug through) my resident computer files with one word: "Kendall"

There it was. Buried in my computer, I stumbled on two obituaries I had downloaded years ago and had saved. One was more recent and then there was one the other one which "opened up the door."

I had forgotten that I had saved this obituary to my computer 6 ½ years ago. (Tip: keep your computer indexed!)

No, it wasn't Henry James Kendall's obituary, nor his wife's, but someone else's.  But that was all I needed. So yah, it was a good obituary (even though it wasn't his). 

Here is the information from the obituary:

Obituary Data

The obituary was for Mariah (also spelled Maria) Kendall, their daughter, who was sister to my husband’s ancestor Henry James Kendall.

Daughter of Henry J Kendall & Dorothy Thankful Parker

>>Mariah was the daughter of Henry James Kendall and Dorothy Thankful Parker. On March 17, 1841 in Lawrenceville, Canada she married Lyman Knowlton Phillips, son of Oliver and Hannah W. Phillips, and widower of Florina (Lawrence) Phillips. They had 11 children. At some point she and her son Lafayette moved to the US (he was born in 1862).<<

I knew Joseph Kendall (son of Henry and Dorothy) had a sister Maria(h). This obituary made me guess Mariah was born ca 1820 and likely in Quebec, Canada.

If Mariah was in Canada in 1820, likely her mother was, and perhaps her brother Henry James Kendall.

Next mission: to find out where Henry J Kendall and Dorothy Parker were wed.

Since I had some traction I decided to circumvent the US databases and dig in to the Canadian database.

I "Traveled" To Canada via Ancestry.CA

My husband has deep Canadian roots, so I usually get a Global Ancestry subscription for my birthday gift. This way I can search N. American (Canada) records.

I logged into Ancestry.ca -- the Canadian Ancestry site. Doing this I have found makes searches in Canada more targeted. I get quicker results.

HUZZAH!

It brought me immediately to a: “Henry Rindall” who married a Dorothy Parker in Canada in 1818.

I looked at the image (one always should). 

Signed Henry Kendall Dorothy Parker - Cropped version 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full page with date of register

Henry James Kendall & Dorothy Thankful Parker and family: 

Henry James Kendall (His parents: Nathaniel Kendall who was born 12 Sep 1759 Lancaster, Mass and died aft. 1796 in Troy, Cheshire, New Hampshire and Rebecca Bodge, born 15 Mar 1751 Charlestown, Mass. Died ?) 

Henry J Kendall B. Apr 1794, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA D. 26 Jun 1874 Lawrenceville, Quebec, Canada M. 

Dorothy Thankful Parker (Her parents: Caleb Parker of Massachusetts, and later Quebec and her mother,Thankful Pratt also of New England.) Dorothy T. Parker was born Apr 1800 in the US and died 30 Jul 1870 in Lawrenceville, Quebec, Canada 

Their children: 

Any information that was not from the Kendall family was from public records, specifically from: Ancestry.com or Ancestry.ca

#21 - Immigrants of Early Maritime Provinces

  ONE

One--that's all you need sometimes to send one hint to set you one a genealogical discovery path. It was one middle name "McGee" that got me searching for my husband's ancestors. That one name, McGee was an inheritance of sorts from the Canadian settlers of Nova Scotia and it set me on this path to discovering their genealogy, along with a visit to the town of Pictou.
In another post I wrote of my husband's 5th great grandparents: Barnabas McGee, an Irish (Ballycastle, N. Ireland) immigrant to Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada. He settled Merigomish, "Barney’s River," Nova Scotia, with his wife Nancy Carroll.
And their son Charles McGee [b 1778] married into the Blackie family.
Charles McGee of Merigomish, NS married Charles Blackie & Jannet (Herries)'s daughter named Margaret Blackie. Charles McGee M. Margaret Blackie, they are my husband's 4th gr-grandparents.

What do I know nothing about most of the immigrants? Not much, but there is much out there about immigration woes.

Part of Pictou, NS, Canada  June 2015 -my photo

Here’s a bit of the story of Pictou's settlement by white Europeans. 

• 1767 - 1st permanent white settlers in Pictou County arrived in the ship Betsy on June 10, 1767, making a tiny settlement out of the forest about two miles from the present town of Pictou.  
• 1773 – 2nd The ship Hector arrived with 189 Scottish Highland immigrants on board.  
• The 3rd group of white Scottish settlers had not intended to settle in Pictou. 

“It’s all quite lovely -apart from the mice:” How families were driven out of Prince Edward Island and fled to Pictou, Nova Scotia 

Charles Blackie and Jannet Herries immigrated to Prince Edward Island on the ship the Lovely Nellie in 1773, sailing from Galloway and arriving 23 August 1773. They and their fellow settlers were from the south of Scotland. 

 

They planned to settle on Prince Edward Island. They had chartered their own vessel; sailed from the port of Annan, in Dumfriesshire, and arrived at Georgetown (on Prince Edward Island, Canada) in the spring of 1773. 

Although they arrived well-prepared, a plague of mice destroyed their first season's crop! 

They forged ahead, got see for the spring planting (1774) from Nova Scotia, and re-planted. But this time the mice ate the seed in the ground. 

Then, in the fall of 1774 compounding their problems, the supplies (from Scotland) were stored in the Georgetown Harbor, Prince Edward Island. 

One night, the precious stores were plundered by riotous sailors and fishermen from New England in a drunken orgy on the eve of their departure back to New England. 

Now the newly arrived settlers were almost without food and consequently suffered severely throughout that winter (1774-75). 

 

Prince Edward Island in summer--wasn't kind then either

They suffered so much that they gave up on Prince Edward Island all together. And in the spring of 1775 moved as a group to Pictou, Nova Scotia. 

Canadian Arrival records: Charles Blackie, Janet Herries (Blackie)wife; Sons & daughters: John, James, William, Ann (Margaret was born in Nova Scotia) 

There were thirteen families and a single man in the party, and with one exception, they settled permanently in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

My husband's ancestors, Charles Blaikie (Blackie) and his wife Jannet, settled with six others families at West River (now Durham.

Durham (West River) in relation to Pictou

Remarks 

The settlers brought a valuable element to the early Pictou settlement: since they had come from one of the best agricultural districts in Scotland and had worked the land all their lives. Several of them were sons of landowners while others had been tenant farmers. As a result, most of them prospered from the beginning. This group seemed satisfied with their new home. 

Apparently from their letters back to Scotland, they boasted of their new properties. And, consequently, their relatives and acquaintances in the South of Scotland were began to arrive in Pictou; and continued coming for many years. These settlers imported valuable livestock, seeds and fruit trees from Scotland. 

 

Still at West River are found black cattle of Galloway (Scotland), and there is a breed of horse called Galloway, which is in the vicinity. 

 

[The story of the settlement is from: Pictonians at Home and Abroad, by John Peter MacPhie; Immigration records, Records: Government of Canada; Maps: Google Maps; Photos: ACJohnson collection]