FAMILLE NOEL PAQUIN (26 ENG -- 10 fran)

Noel Paquin and Emérence and family arrived in Sask. in April 1884  ( 26)

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Somewhere in a suburb of Ottawa,ON  Noel Paquin and his wife Emerence are thinking of joining some friends in the West. We are now in the Spring of 1884, after having mulled the idea for a few months, the Paquins are ready, They have sold their property, and decided what they are taking with them. On or about April lst they will be boarding the train where the family of five will be in a immigrant-designed car. Noel, his wife Emerence and their children, Amanda 10 years old, and two younger boys 8 and 5. are off to Regina, SK

The trip to Regina, seemed normal as normal can be. Once in the area they decided to go some 65 miles East, in the Qu'Appelle Valley, SK area looking over the available homesteads and for their friends and aquaintances, Here around Kaposvar they decided to take a homestead which is in the Qu'Appelle Valley. They settled as well as possible with the help of neighbors, In a short time these neighbors became friends. The Paquins were satisfied with the move. They now expect a fourth baby for April 1886. It was then than tragedy struck. Emerence delivered a baby girl but died in childbirth.

The neighbors came, notified Father Pagé, a catholic priest who was overlooking the entire area the best he could (I travelled in winter with a sled and dogs; in the summer it is horse and buggy days.) When Father Pagé came, he greeted everyone and went to view Mrs. Page and immediatly blessed the body, after some time he came and sat with the family and asked. "Would you like me to baptized the baby"?  Everyone nodded. "How would you like to call her?" No one had any suggestion, so he waited and said how about giving her her mother's name. To this everyone agreed. Mr. Paquin asked a very good friend and his wife if their would be god-parents... and that worked, so it was Marie Emérence... the new baby!

After the baptism, and after exchanging with the family, Father Pagé asked if they were ready to talk about the funeral...He has a choice of Thursday if possible, the women in attendance said they would look after the choir and other details... we presume everything went on normally.

 Father Pagé asked discretly Mr. Paquin, to "borrow" his baby for a month. I know of a good parishener, a young woman who has a very young baby, Judging by her size, she could certainly nurse two babies...  M. Pâquin agreed, so Father Pagé has the reins of his horse in the right hand and took the newborn which Mr. Paquin handle him in his left arm. Father Pagé went to "good parishioner" who was more than happy to nurse and look after this new baby. He mentioned the baby's mother died that morning in childbirth.

    In the meantime, the friends and neighbors did not neglect the Paquin family. Father Pagé also came to visit occasionally.

     A month after Father Pagé, went to see the nursing mother and saw a healthy baby, with rosy cheeks and already trying to smile....The woman had definitly taken good care of this baby and dressed her with nice clothes as she was leaving, The woman said "I would adopt her anytime..." Father Pagé said "I understand, but I must return this child to her father, but I will tell him of your offer"...

Needless to say the family was elated to see Emérence, neighbors came over to assist Amanda etc.

A niece who wrote the story (which I read some 20 years ago) said the Indian woman who nurse my aunt certainly gave her a good start in life. . Emérence, grew up to be a tall girl. married, had 11 children and lived to the age of 92.

ref:  mcb - from a book of  Kaposvar, SK

 Dictionnaire biographique des Oblats - Gaston Carrière

Jul 31, 2014  - sorry no pictures

  - Kaposvar, SK did not exist in 1886, and neither does it to-day, the name was changed to Esterhazy

 - Kaposvar was started by a Hungarian group who came to Saskatchewan at the turn of the century