A Canadian Family

Studio Arthur Gendreau: Historic Photographs of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere (Charlevoix, Quebec)

evelynyvonnetheriault — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:00:11 +0000

Photograph by courtesy of Brian O'Hara.

A few months ago reader Brian O’Hara left a comment on one of my Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere, Quebec postcards saying:

I can see my great uncle Arthur’s house on the left side of the street (the one with the dormer windows). This photo was probably taken by him. He ran his business out of this house – “Arthur Gendreau Photography”. Comparing it to some photos that I have, I would say this picture was taken about 1920.
Brian O’Hara

Our correspondance continued privately and I can’t tell you how delighted I was when Brian offered to let me publish some of his uncle’s photographs. I was delighted because there are many descendants of the Ste-Anne-de-la Pocatiere area living all over North America, and there is a great hunger from those descendants to see what it looked like in “the olden days”.

Photograph of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere and surrounding area. These hillocks impressed me when I visited the area a few years ago. ( see Riviere Ouelle, Quebec Virtual Field Trip: Pt.2/5).

Photograph by courtesy of Brian O'Hara.

I find it interesting that there were fences everywhere. I haven’t seen this as much in other regions of Quebec. I would love to have lived somewhere along this winding road.
And take a look at these cozy little homes – and the horse-drawn carts towards the right hand.

A big thank you once again to Brian O’Hara!

Related Posts:

Colour photographs of modern-day Riviere-Ouelle which lies just down the road from Ste-Anne.

Riviere-Ouelle Virtual Field Trip: Pt.1/5
Riviere Ouelle Virtual Field Trip: Pt.2/5
Riviere-Ouelle Virtual Field Trip: Pt.3/5
Riviere-Ouelle Virtual Field Trip: Pt.4/5
Riviere-Ouelle Virtual Field Trip: Pt.5/5

Vintage postcards from every corner of Quebec!

Vintage Postcards of Quebec

Evelyn In Montreal: Owen McOmber

evelynyvonnetheriault — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:30:48 +0000

A query from an American, Owen McOmber

I have been researching the relationship between the McOmber (mine) family and the Caughnawagas Indians. I found reference to George McOmber had a brother who moved to Canada and married a daughter of a chief and he also becoming a Caughnawagas chief. Can you validate this story? My Grandfatther Owen McOmber and father, Owen McOmber are from Canada.

Possibly Related Information

The McCombers are of course an important family of Kahnawake (aka Caughnawaga). I wonder whether you have evidence connecting you to the Kahnawake McCombers or whether you are just guessing? I say this because I have not found any Owen MCombers though they might have been known under other names.

I did find these McCombers in the Alberta area in 1916. I am calling your attention to this family because the Owen name is uncommon AND they are listed as immigrating to the U.S. in 1912.

Chas Orange McOmber - Est. Birth Year: 1869

Birthplace: Utah USA Year of Immigration: 1912

Home in 1916: 18, Lethbridge, Alberta Address: Tabor

racial_or_tribal_origin: Scotch (Scotish)

Name Age

Chas Orange McOmber 47 & Josephine McOmber 42

Lee McOmber 20, Clarence Fredrick McOmber 16, Beatrice McOmber 14, Owen McOmber 12, Bernice McOmber

Related Posts:

The Iroquois of Kahnawake

Evelyn in Montreal

To Weltschmerz or not to weltschmerz

evelynyvonnetheriault — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:57:52 +0000

All this week I’ve watched in awe as Karen Resta of Postcards From The Dinner Table wrestled with the notion of Weltschmerz and its application to the serious (?) study of postcards. Karen seems to have invented a new field of study and in her post – The Finer Points of Creative Weltschmerz-ing - she’s even set down four principles to guide us in our selection of Weltschmerz-ly postcards. Here’s an excerpt: “1 Find the highest level of acceptable vulgarity possible. 2. Aim for cute-ness. 3. The tonality of the finished piece should ooze cold, not warm – but the external surface must make pretense at warmth. 4. The final concept must scream ‘trite’.”

And so without further ado, here is my first candidate for Welstchmerz-ly Vintage Postcard.

A place where you can brush up against cow hide as you order your milkshake!

At first glance this is would seem to be a hunting store or meat counter – but what you’re actually looking at is a 1960s image of the dairy counter at the Caillette Restaurant and Dairy Bar in Maskingonge (Mauricie) Quebec. I think that in some cases, a picture is worth a thousand words, so ….

Giant creamer & spoon. Warmth? Mais oui!

Name tags under cow heads - it doesn't get any cuter than this!

Cow tails? Your guess is as good as mine!

If you’re planning a visit to Quebec, you’ll be happy to know that this establishment is still there – although Caillette (like so many other Quebec milk producers) has been taken over by the Italo-Canadian cheese maker Saputo.

A last word. In all seriousness. I am really grateful to Saputo and the people of the Mauricie region who are preserving this heritage property. All across Quebec diners, taverns and other unique local landmarks are disappearing and being replaced by cookie-cutter, anonymous businesses.

I say let’s keep these heritage properties going and – Vive la difference!

* * * * *

comment from Karen, the Queen of Weltschmerz

Love the postcard! Is it weltschmerz? I’m not sure. Now if the cow’s tails were braided . . . .

Related Posts:

Vintage Postcards of Quebec

Further Reading:

Produits Caillette Inc is a companion postcard from the collection of the Quebec Bibliotheque et Archives Nationales.

Laiteries du Québec is J.G. Comtois’s terrific site “Quebec Dairies” which includes photos and historical tidbits about Quebec’s dairy industry as well as information for those who collect dairy artefacts such as milk bottles, bottle caps and advertising ephemera.

Photos Historiques Mauricie is a French language site with many fine photos. Click on the Mauricie tab and choose Maskinonge from the drop down menu.

Restaurant Caillette - up-t0-date location and contact information.

Maskinongé Regional County Municipality, Quebec

No Trespassing | A Reflection by Peter Lagasse

evelynyvonnetheriault — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:36:51 +0000

Regular readers will know Peter Lagasse as the writer of a series of family history articles on some American Lagasses (see link below) but today Peter is giving us something a little different. He’s sharing his take on a delicate situation that many of us have faced.

Guest Post: Peter Lagasse

Research Can Lead You to Some Signs of “NO TRESPASSING”

Being an “Ancestor Detector” can bring many hours of enjoyment. Even when you hit those brick walls that don’t want to come down, there is a feeling of being a Scotland Yard detective determined to find the lose brick that will bring the wall tumbling down. What a thrill of victory comes over you as the wall falls. It is as if you have just won a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

However, researching your family can also lead you down paths that are not so endearing. It can lead you to a person that you were not expecting or had forgotten. And I’m not talking about the deceased ancestor that has a skeleton in his or her closet. Though, I’m sure, we have all run into some of those too. I’m speaking about a living member of the family. Maybe it is an unknown sibling or someone the family has rarely mentioned. This brings us to a different place in our detective work.

What do I do with the new found information? How can I verify this find without upsetting the “apple cart”? Should I make contact with this person? And what do I do if there is a “NO TRESPASSING” sign placed in my path?

Questions that cannot be answered by one simple answer. Questions that may need to be asked to another family member that you feel can be trusted and would give sound advice.

I had one of these situations a few months ago. The person was someone I had known about most of my life but had never met or had any other form of contact. My research, however, had led me to those who had met and knew this person. I was encouraged to give the person a call. A call that could lead to a wonderful new relationship or one that could cause a polite but cool reception. I called.

A previous call, in a somewhat similar situation, ten years ago brought a wonderful relationship with a brother I never knew existed. This new call was different. There was a polite but very cool reception. I knew I had come to a “NO TRESPASSING” sign in my family research.

What do I do?

First, respect the person’s desire to be left alone.
Second, never place information on a public family tree of a living relative without their permission.
Third, do not judge. We don’t know the circumstances that caused this cool reception.
Fourth, keep the information of the person where it can be found for when this individual and any others that may have been upset if the information had been revealed has passed away. It then can be added to the family tree at the appropriate time.

Our tree must be genuine, but it may require patience before all the leaves can be placed on that tree.

Whether they be brick walls or “No Trespassing” signs you run into as you research your family roots, never let go of the desire to learn about those who have gone on before you. You have their blood running through your veins. Without those direct ancestors you would not be here. Find out who you are by discovering your roots as Alex Haley did over 30 years ago. A discovery that has led thousands to start their own path of discovery for their roots, or may we say the leaves of the branches of their family tree.

Other posts by the same author (scroll down to American Lagasses)

Index: Mignier dit Lagaces – French Canadians

Chicoutimi’s Rue Racine – A Historic View In Black And White

evelynyvonnetheriault — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:00:41 +0000

Further Reading:

Chicoutimi – Quebec History

La Pulperie de Chicoutimi

St. Fulgence Ice Fishing Village near Chicoutimi (Personal Blog)