Lachance | Beaule Family

Meet Gilberte Desrochers Beaule. Gilberte (Gil) is a cousin I never knew, except through my grandmother, Valdora Desjardins Lachance Mckenna. After my grandmother passed away, I found Gil because of letters my grandmother had kept. I made contact and we corresponded via email a number of times. Before one of my trips back to Lewiston, we collaborated on some of the family (I also never knew anything about). In fact, this part of the family puzzle was so confusing all I could think of was Abbott and Costello and "Who's on First"!

In case you've never seen it, don't know what it is, forgot about it, or just want to wax nostalgic, the YouTube video is here.

When we finally met, it seemed like she had always been a part of this family. Little did I know...she has always been! Gilberte has related a few stories and helped me in my attempts to figure out how these people in our lives fit together, like so many pieces of a puzzle. Of course she knew a lot more than I did because Gilberte was an integral part of the whole picture.

We met at the Father Begin (MFGS) center when it was located at the school in Auburn. We spent a very short couple of hours together...talking, looking at pictures, and getting to know a little more about each other. While we have not corresponded much since then (I feel guilty), I can tell you that I won't forget our time together. Gilberte gave me with a photo of my grandmother from a Mary Pickford look-a-like contest back in the 1918 - 1920 time frame. It has since been professionally framed and is hanging on my wall at home.

Some of what Gilberte had to share with me, I am sharing here. I hope some of this information may someday help other members of our family to find out...

"from whence we came"

First, this is how Gil fits into the Lachance family. Antoine Desjardins (1847-1916) who is Gil's Grandfather and my 2nd great-granduncle, married four times. Antoine's 2nd wife to whom he was married for 10 years before her death was actually Marie-Phébée Lachance, my 3rd cousin, 4 times removed (obviously very distant). It is through Antoine's 4th wife, Marie Louise Desrochers that Gilberte is related. Antoine is also my grandmother's grandfathers brother. (You begin to understand now... "Who's on first"?)

Antoine's Marriages

(1) Anais CARON, married February 12, 1876 at (Sts. Peter and Paul), Lewiston, ME. She was the daughter of Michel Caron and Monique Dessaint. I have not found much about her. I assume she died before he married his 2nd wife. While not proven, all indications are that they had, at least, one daughter, Marie.
(2) Marie Phébée LACHANCE, married January 24, 1881 at (Sts. Peter and Paul), Lewiston, ME. She was the daughter of Gabriel Pépin dit Lachance and Marie-Edesse Boule. Marie was born October 02, 1853 in L'Isle-aux-Grues, Québec, Canada, and died December12, 1891 in Lewiston, ME. They had 5 children.
(3) Marie Elmire DROUIN, married February 29, 1892 at (Sts. Peter and Paul), Lewiston, ME. She was the daughter of Isidore Drouin and Denyse Provencal. She died February 01, 1895 in Lewiston, ME. They had at least 2 children.
(4) Marie Louise DESROCHERS, married May 09, 1899 at (Sts. Peter and Paul), Lewiston, ME. She was the daughter of Fabien Desrochers and Cephise Mayrand. She was born in Sainte-Croix, Québec, Canada, and died May 10, 1944 in Lewiston, ME. They had 4 children, one of which was Gilberte's mother Regina Desjardins.

The path to Antoine and Etienne

Jean-Baptiste Roy dit Desjardins, was a descendant of Antoine Roy dit Desjardins (our Quebec ancestor) and Marie Major (Filles du Roi). He was born September 2, 1815 in Kamouraska, Québec, Canada and died December 11, 1889 in Lewiston, ME. He is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in Lewiston. He married Marie-Hélene Levasseur November 24, 1846 at St-Louis, Kamouraska, Québec. She was the daughter of Alexandre Levasseur and Angelique Roy dit Desjardins ("Who's on first"?). She was born June 21, 1825 in St-Louis, Kamouraska, Québec. Marie-Hélene died January 06, 1888. As an aside, Jean-Baptiste and I share the same birthday.

From this couple came a number of children, two of which are the subjects of this page. That brings us to where we are (at least on this page) today.
Antoine Desjardins (grandfather to Gilberte Beaule) and Etienne Desjardins, (2nd great grandfather of Larry Lachance and grandfather to Valdora Desjardins - my grandmother).

From here it is fairly easy to put 2 + 2 together and see that the two families remained close, particularly back in the early 1900's. Regina, Gil's mother and Val, my grandmother were born 2-years apart. Antoine and Etienne, being brothers certainly associated with each other as evidenced by the stories related by members of the family. And, since Etienne and Célanire raised Val, my grandmother, it is easy to see how Val and Regina would have been close. Etienne was a carpenter by trade. Antoine was a laborer, a produce peddler and also employed for a coal company delivering coal. Gilberte remembers her mother telling her that he was extremely strong and that he would carry large bags of coal on his back to the fourth floor apartments.

I suspect that after Antoine died in 1916 both Val and Regina, already cousins and friends, would become closer as time went on.

Gilberte (she has always been Gil) and my grandmother Val were close and kept in touch with each other on a very regular basis. Gil enjoyed writing to Val and she wished they would have had many more years to do so. Gil felt as though my grandmother had so many things she wanted to tell her but didn't quite get around to it.

Gil's mother and Wilfrid (father of my grandmother Val, aka my great-grandfather) were first cousins. Gil's mother and Val were second cousins BUT, age wise, they were only 2 years apart. Most importantly (as I have heard both Gil and my grandmother say), they loved each other.

So when "cousin Val came to Maine", she visited, not only the Suttons and the Dufours but she spent a great deal of time with Gil and her mother as well.

Gil tells me "how we would look forward to those visits. Lots of fond memories"!

2nd Base (WHAT?)

During my visit with Gil, I learned about "other things" that I never knew about and frankly, made me think..."huh?" Little bits and pieces of lives that impacted each other and confirms to me that throughout history, nothing ever really changes. People are people and chance meetings, introductions to others made by acquaintances, wandering eyes, fate and chaos all contribute to how WE ALL have arrived at this point in time. This poses the question, "What if"? What if my grandmother had taken another course in life... the simple answer is... I wouldn't be typing today!

When I first heard this, my immediate reaction was to say... WHAT?

Early on, my grandmother had a thing for Gil's uncle Oscar (Desrochers). And... this had apparently been going on for some years before my grandmother met Larry McKenna (whom she would marry in August of 1941 and from whom I would get my name.) Accord to Gil, and I quote, "and for that reason also she would be at our house often".

Uncle Oscar, born Joseph Oscar Gérard Héliodore Desrochers was born at Ste-Croix, (Lotbinière), Québec, Canada, on 01 APR 1906. He died in Palm Beach County, FL on 17 FEB 1996. At the moment (July 2018) I don't know much more about Oscar and I don't recall hearing a lot about him from my grandmother either. If there's anybody out there that can help, please contact me!

Some summers, Gil remembers when Uncle Charlie (Desrochers), Tante Jeanne (Comptois) Desrochers, Tante Juliette (Comptois) Bagley and Uncle Frank Bagley would stop in Lewiston on their way to Canada, and stop back on their way to N.Y.

(Front Row): Wilfrid Robichaud & Omer Begin
(Middle Row): Cecile (nee Desrochers) Larose, Valdora Desjardins, Marie-Anna (nee Desrochers) Robichaud (Wilfrid's wife)
(Back Row): Oscar Desrochers, Julie (nee Desrochers) Desrochers, Paul Desrochers

(Left to Right): Valdora Desjardins, Frank Bagley, Juliette Comptois, Charlie Desrochers, Jeanne Comptois

(Rear): Oscar Desrochers, Adalbert Desrochers
(Front): Valdora Desjardins, Paul Desrochers

Desrochers Desjardins Comptois and Dutil

(Left to Right)
Jeanne (nee Comptois) Desrochers, Charles Desrochers, Regina (nee Desjardins) Desrochers (Gil's Mother), Juilette (nee Comptois) Bagley, Amedee Dutil, Antoinette (nee Desjardins) Dutil, Adalbert Desrochers (Gil's Father)

Desjardins, Comptois, Desrochers, Mckenna

(Left to Right)
Juliette (nee Comptois) Bagley, Valdora (nee Desjardins) McKenna, Larry McKenna, June Ann Desjardins, Jeanne (nee Comptois) Desrochers … Uncle Charlie Desrochers took the photo.

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Larry Lachance

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