Majorique Nolette and Delvina Levesque

The following story fills in the gap in my Nolette family history that I have always been searching for. After I put up a web site about my family history a few years ago, several relatives have contacted me. Pauline Nolette was one of these. Our common ancestors are Louis Francois Nolet and Madeleine Pelletier, who were married in 1744. This year after I posted another photo of Napoleon Nolette, Pauline revisited my web site and saw the photos. “I recognize that face,” she wrote. She was sure she had seen photos of this family in previous Nolet research at the National Library in Ottawa, Canada. She went back and found the story and then translated it out of the original French. I shortened it and edited it from the original, concentrating on Majorique and Delvina. Words in italics are words that I added for understanding or information.

Ann Marie Nolet, second oldest child of Francois Nolet and also a niece of my grandfather Napoleon, wrote this remarkable story in 1996. After I received the story I phoned Gaston Theriault, one of the children of Ann Marie and her husband Doan Theriault. It was the first time I had contact with a descendant of Majorique Nolet that was outside the family of Napoleon Nolette. In the year 2000 Anne Marie is 87 years old and living in Edmunston, New Brunswick.

David Nolette, August 26, 2000

MY FATHER'S FAMILY: THE NOLET FAMILY
by Ann Marie Nolet

MAJORIQUE NOLET

My grand-father Majorique Nolet was born in St-Luce de Rimouski, Quebec on Dec 05, 1847. His parents were farmers. When he married on Aug 05, 1879 to Delvina Victoria Levesque, they established themselves on a farm in St-Joseph de Lepage which is close to Rimouski. They had six boys and four girls: Elmire, Joseph, Napoleon, Francois (my father), Ernest, Alfred, Albert, Adele, Eva and Louise. Unnecessary to mention that they worked very hard to bring up their children. Money was scarce in those days, Farmers were lucky to live off the crops of their farm, but this took a lot of work, as we can imagine.

There was no electricity yet. Everything was done by hand. Let's begin with the light. In the homes we used oil lamps. We had to control everything even the lamps. If we lifted the wick too high, the smoke would blacken the glass globe and then we would be in the dark. Then we would have to wait for the globe to cool off before cleaning it.

It was the same problem with the animals in the stable. It was necessary to distribute the food to each one, clean them, milk the cows, pick-up the eggs that the chickens left in the nest. We had to make a garden for our winter food and grains for the animals. We also had the hay in the summer and that took lots of effort, but it was necessary for the horses and the other animals. The boys helped grand-father on the farm, but all of this did not give us enough money to cover for our clothes and outings.

With no electricity, there was a big wood stove to heat up the house and cook the food for the family and animals. We also needed hot water to clean the house, clothes and needs for the family. The water would be boiling in a big pot on the stove.

DELVINA LEVESQUE

Grand-mother who was very proud and ambitious would have liked to live in Fall River, Mass. Her family had been living there for a few years. Things were working very well for them and they were very happy there. She would receive news from them from time to time. The idea of going to see them tempted grand-mother a lot and she tried to get grand-father to go with her. Grand-father was not interested. He was happy on his land with this wife and kids. He could not decide because he had his animals to take care of. He also had his land to take care of. They would have to sell the house but it was not certain if the family would stay in Fall River.

Means of commuting worried grand-father. There were no cars and the railway was not handy. They ran on charcoal and many people could not tolerate the smell. Even motion sickness. This situation improved with electricity.

A few years later, in 1906, it was the big change. Grand-mother left for Fall River with the family. (By this time the oldest daughter, Elmire had married. The oldest son Napoleon had left and moved to Minnesota.) Albert followed with grand- mother. Grand-father stayed in St-Joseph de Lepage with two of his boys: Francois (my father) and Ernest. Ernest never saw his mother again.

Ernest has a girlfriend Anna Perreault. They planned to marry in the near future and establish themselves in St-Cleophas. Ernest was 20. Grand-father gave him a wooded lot and he started cutting trees down and making room for his house. It was still in the Rimouski region. They married the next year in 1907.

FRANCOIS

Francois my father was born July 18, 1885 in St-Joseph de Lepage. Dad worked a few years for an English business man in lumber. Dad was dating this girl. Everything was going well, the engagement ring was bought. He would tell us laughing that he did not see her often. The lumbermen would spend the whole winter in the woods.

They would go there when the snow started falling and came back when the snow started melting. In these woods, there were camps where the workers would go to eat, rest and sleep. For clothing, they would wear wool long johns, wool socks that women would knit by hand. Their pants were made of wool lining made by hand and sewed by hand. The women worked hard to make sure the men had everything they needed. The workers also ate very well. There was a cook and an assistant cook. They were not short of anything. They had good quality meat, bread, pies and all kinds of cakes. They had food but they didn't have the warmth of their homes. And when they came back in the spring, they were happy to sit in their rocking chair dressed in their Sunday clothes.

In the spring of 1907, dad came back with a firm decision of never returning because he had started to swear. The men in the field were prone to swearing when the horses gave them a hard time and did not obey. Without noticing, dad found himself talking like them. He went to see the priest and asked him for guidance for his future.

Back in those days, our priests where consultants, doctors and even lawyers when needed. The parishioners had lots of confidence in their priest, for everything even to buy some land. It the priest would say "YES, you should " then it got done.

Dad said, that day brightened him for the rest of his life. His priest told him go to St-Louis du Ha Ha. There is a blacksmith who needs an apprentice and at the same time you can learn the trade. So dad went to St-Louis du Ha Ha, four miles from Cabano to see Arsene Paradis and he hired him right away.

It is in St-Louis du Ha Ha at Arsene Paradis, that dad met mom Josephine Pelletier. The wife of Arsene Paradis was the sister of my mom. They would meet every Sunday at church. Dad and mom married Nov.23, 1909 in St-Louis du Ha Ha. Grand-Father Nolet helped dad to buy Arsene's house and boutique and this where they moved into. They had 16 children.

The Move (1916-1917)

My grand-father Majorique Nolet would come visit from time to time. Grand-mother Nolet was still in Fall River. The boys and girls were working and making money without too much trouble. They worked in manufacturing. The boys in aluminum and steel and the girls in sheets, tablecloths and pillow cases. But grand-mother was lonely and was often ill. The communication between them was difficult. There was no phone and the mail would arrive by train that we had to go get at the station.

Grand-father sold his land and came to stay with us for a while. Grand-father and father bought the house next to ours on the street that went to the train station. Today it is La Caisse Popu- laire de St-Louis du Ha Ha. Dad sold our house and let go the little store we had. We went to live upstairs of the new house and dad would work the horses downstairs.


Visit from Grand-father (1923)

I remember my grand-father Nolet very well. We loved him a lot. He often came to our house and would stay a while. It was such a treat when grand-father came to our place from St-Cleophas. We would hear the brakes of the bus and the bus would stop in front of our house. He was a small man always smiling. He was bald on the top of his head and his hair was white in the back and on the sides. He had blue eyes and a pink complexion. We wanted him to stay forever but after a few months it was hard to hold him back. He would say that it was time to go check out what was going on at home. What made us the most sad, was hearing dad and mom saying , he has to leave to go starve by himself in his house. He could get sick, all alone and no help.

Dad would talk about going to Fall River to see his mother, brothers and sisters who were working there and seemed to be doing very well for themselves. Again the communication was rare. We still had no phone. The cars started to be seen, but not often. Dad did not have enough education to write a letter. Mom did know how to write but she did not know them at all. As for grand-father, he would visit us often to forget his loneliness toward grand-mother. He also went to Ernest in St-Cleophas de Rimouski.

Father still followed his plan to go to Fall River. He often thought of Grand-mother, uncle Alfred that married there but had no children, my uncle Albert that lived in Waterbury, my aunt Adele. Eva and Louise also married there.

One night, after supper, there was knocking at the door. It was the priest of St-Ceophas, Charles Pelletier. So this good priest tell my father: Francois why don't you come to visit your brother in St-Cleophas. He would be so happy to see you. He does not know your wife and I think he won't even recognize you. When was the last time you saw him. Since 1906 my father answered. We didn't have time. They live far. My father looked at my mother and said: My good wife, we are going to buy a car and we are going for a ride. First we will go to St-Cleophas and we will pick up grand-father and he is coming to Fall River with us.

TRIP FOR EDMOND AND ME

Edmond my brother and me we very excited about meeting our Nolet cousins. Both of us wanted to go to St-Cleophas. But we were told only one of us can go. It was a very big trip back then and we still did not have our car.

In the following weeks, dad went to Riviere-du-Loup and he came back with a Chevrolet that he bought at TeTu's garage. It was brand new and it cost $2000.000. The car was green and convertible.

It was a beautiful car but mom did not like dad driving because he did not have much experience. She told him she would only go on the trip if they would have a chauffeur. Philippe Paradis the son of Arsene accepted to drive. My brother Edmond went on the trip to St-Cleophas and I would go to Fall River.

It was spring of 1923. The trip to St-Cleophas took them three days. They arrived at my uncle Ernest's place around 7pm. My aunt Anna was happy to see them and meet my mom. She recognized my dad right away and told him to go surprise his brother in the barn. They had a good time and got along well. He asked his brother Ernest if he could visit them in St-Louis sometime. And so he did the next year.

When my parents came back they had grand-father with them ready for the trip to Fall River. We left Sept.15, 1923. Philippe was still driving. We crossed the border at Lacolle. My eyes were wide open to see everything. I was ten years old. I was sitting in the back with mom and grand-father. Dad was sitting in the front with Philippe. Mom did not want dad to drive as there was lots of traffic.

I remember Burlington had lots of lights and four lane traffic. There were big buildings and we had to go across cities. It is not like today where we can take a highway.

MAJORIQUE AND DELVINA MEET

We finally arrived in Fall River, in the evening. We slept at my uncle Alfred's house. I remember sleeping on cushions on the floor beside my parents bed. I didn't think I would sleep but I did. My uncle Alfred would rock me often and said he would have liked to have a girl like me. He had no children.

Grand-mother lived with them. She would sit near grand-father and would cry. Grand-father would smile. I remember asking grand-mother to come back with us, but she answered that she was too ill for the trip. We then returned to Canada without her.

Grand-mother was beautiful. She had blue eyes and gray hair. I don't remember her age when we were there but I know she married in 1879 and died in 1932. She was around 70 when she died and grand-father was 87. He died a few years after her.