- Blog 94
- Charles - son of Alfred Potvin + Rose-Délima Deschenes
- - n. 1883-08-04, Ste-Anne la Pocatière, QC
- - m. 1910-07-19, Cranbrook, BC
- d. 1961-03-10 Elliot Lake, ON
- Amélie Montpetit - daughter of Joseph Montpetit + Emélie Trudeau
- - n. 1893-03-23 St-Albert, AB
- - m. 1910-07-19 Cranbrook, BC
- - d. 1954-06-05 Edmonton, AB
THIS IS THE STORY OF THE INTERESTING FAMILY OF 19 CHILDREN
Charles Potvin was only four when his mother passed away. She had spoken to him a few moments before and had asked him to be a good boy. After his mother's death, he was placed in a convent for orphaned boys. One of his aunts, his mother's sister, was the Mother Superior of the Grey Nuns of Quebec. Later, once his studies ended, he went on a trip with a friend, Risson through the Canadian West and into the United States. One day he arrived in Cranbrook, BC. Charles liked the climate there so he decided to look for work. Luck was on his side when he knocked on a tailor's door because it was a career which he thought he would like. One day when he was working as a tailor, he saw a good-looking girl pass in front of his window and he told himself, "That's the woman I will marry."
Amelie, born in St. Albert, AB went to the local school for her first school years. One day, her parents decided to move to St. Boniface, MN. Her father, Joseph, was a tailor by trade. After a few years in St. Boniface, the family returned to the West, to British Columbia. At this time, Amelie was 13 years old. At 17, she offered her services as a nurse's aide in the hospital run by the Sisters of Providence in Cranbrook.
Since each of us are the product of our parents and of our ancestors, the genes of our parents and of our grandparents have well determined who we are. Thinking about this, I decided to look further into who were the grandparents of this family. On the side of their paternal grandparents was Alfred Potvin, Charles' father, the captain of the militia against the invasion of the Fenians, a group of Irish warriors who fought against British rule in Ireland. When he returned home, he became the secretary of the Kamouraska County and he worked at this for forty years with great diligence and honesty. Furthermore, he was known as a good Christian and a model citizen who always looked to establish peace and tranquility.
Amelie's father was Joseph Montpetit. Apparently people said that he was an excellent tailor. One day a man arrived from Winnipeg asking Mr. Montpetit to make him a suit, a special suit_something nice! The client chose the material very carefully, and asked when he could come to get it. The client expected to return to be measured, but Joseph had examined him from head to toe and knew what to do. When the client returned two weeks later, he was very annoyed that the suit had been made without his measurements. While the client was arguing and disputing, he tried on the suit and he couldn't find one single fault with it. It fit him perfectly. He just could not believe how this Joseph Montpetit had worked. For that type of work, one certainly needed a "good eye"!
Of Emilie Trudeau, I know very little except that her name is Trudeau, and that she comes from the same region as that of the Trudeaux whom we know in politics. This is probably enough to know that she was probably intelligent.
In genealogical research, we know that a person inherits more from one's mother that from one's father. This knowledge is the result of a long research done in the province of Quebec about 25 years ago, and which has been filtered down in the school texts.. When one thinks that it is the blood of the mother which nourishes the fetus, the way the mother acts, her comportment, the food she eats,_all these are elements which influence a child. If we go back one generation, we talk about grandmothers whose genes truly influence the child rather than the genes from the grandfather. But one must admit that of all the good things one inherits from the mother, it happens that the mother can transmit one or even some sicknesses such as diabetes, etc. The first grandmother which I looked into in this story is Rose-Delima Miville-Deschenes; not only did she descend from nobility but she also had a nice face which to me said a lot about interior beauty, interior serenity, about understanding eyes_.Here I am borrowing some words from her obituary: "Noble heart, formed through a superior education; she was a virtuous wife and devoted mother, a woman according to the heart of God."
Although I'm telling you that I have the ancestral line of the four grand-parents of the numerous Potvin children, I will only give you the ancestral line of Rose-Delima Miville-Deschene:
35 Charlemagne (814) + St. Hildegarde
34 Louis 1, the Debonnaire (d. 840) + Judith de Baviere
33 Charles 11, the Bald (824-877)
32 Louis 11, the Stammerer, *846---
31 Charles 111 (879-929) + Ogine
30 Louis 1V, the Foreigner, (913-969) Gerberge
29 Renaud de Roucy + Alerade
28 Gislebert de Roucy + N. de Poitier
27 Letard de Roucy
26 Enguerrand de Roucy (m. 1035) Ade d Roucy (Cresy)
25 Thomas de Marle + Missende de Roucy
24 Robert ou Enguerrand de Marle (two brothers)
23 Dreux de Marle + Catherine d'Anvers
22 Jacques de Marles + Marie de St. Vincent Martois
21 Hector de Marle + Rose de Pontieu
20 Thibault de Marle + N. de Bergettes
19 Jean de Marle + N. de Brunembert
18 Jean de Marle + Robine de Fontaine
17 Guillaume de Marle + Alix de Mailli
16 Louis de Marle + Jeanne de Neuville
15 Thomas de Marle + Catherine d'Imbercourt
14 Jean de Marle + Gilette Tiembromme (in some books:Thiembronne)
13 Jean de Marle + Sybille Leblond
12 Waast de Marle + Jacqueline Dupuis
11 Claude de Marle +Antoinette L'Huillier (m. 1545)
10 Waste de Marle +Jacqueline Dupuis
9 Mathurin de Marle + Anne de Bizet
8 Alphonse de Baillon + Louise de Marle
A bit of explanation is needed here : Jacques Miville dit Dechenes was in Quebec with his parents, Pierre Miville dit Deschenes (of the Swiss nobility). The family came from Fribourg, Switzerland, and Charlotte Maugis (from Chartres, France). Catherine de Baillon was one of the group known as the "daughters of the king" (filles du roi) (that is, an immigrant bride which royal officials would send over to the colony to marry a settler). She who came here with many others had been educated in France by nuns to be good wives and industrious pioneers. They also brought a dowry from the king. Furthermore, Catherine de Baillon was of the royal line (of France) through her mother, Louise de Marle, and although Louise was a widow, she agreed to let Catherine come to Canada even though she'd never see her again.
7 Deschenes, Jacques et Catherine de Baillon m 1669-11-12, N.D. , Quebec
6 Deschenes, Charles + Marthe Lavallee m. 1702-08-28, Riviere Ouelle, QC
5 Deschenes, Francois + Catherine Sauvier m 1746-02-21, Ste-Anne Poc. QC
4 Deschenes, Benoit +Josette Pelletie, 1m 1782-02-11, Ste-Anne Poc, QC
3 Deschenes, Firmin + Theotiste Martin, m.1813-03-11, Ste-Anne Poc. QC
2 Deschenes, Andre + Lucie Dumais m 1842-11-15, Ste-Anne Poc. QC
1 Potvin, Alfred + Rose Delima Deschenes, m.1873-02-18, Ste-Anne Poc QC
If in this genealogical paper, I have gone back to Charlemagne, it is because many people can find Charlemagne in their ancestral tree. If someone descends from Jacques Deschenes, the rest is done.
A love tale: Charles Potvin often told his children the fact that a young 17 year-old girl passed in front of his window had "impressed" him to the point of telling himself that "this is the woman I will marry." Of course the children enjoyed hearing this story. Charles Potvin continued saying something like this: After having met your mother, I asked the important question to Mr. Montpetit, and he accepted me as his future son-in-law. He was 26 years old Amelie would add to make the children laugh. "It's not me that said "yes", but my father."
They were married on July 19, 1910 in the chapel of the hospital where Amelie worked. Then the newly-weds did not tarry long before moving to Edmonton since Armand was born on the 1st of July, 1911 in Edmonton on 90th Street.
Before going further, I'll mention all the children because most of them will be noted in the family history: there was Armand, Charles-Leo, Leo, Emile, Albert, Alfred, Cecile, Therese, Rose-Anne, Paul, Joseph, Maurice, Marie, Laurent, Adrien, Rita, Lorette, Antoine et Antoinette, a nice family of 12 boys and 7 girls.
Charles was only one month when three sons died young. It was said that they died of "crib death" which many babies died of, but no one knew the cause, which is not an illness, but a reason_It was even thought that the cause was the material used in the construction of the houses. I do know that in our small parish there was a family who lost three children whose names all began by a "C". Maurice died aged 16 months the result of an accident, and Emile caught meningitis at the age of 4 ½. During these years there was no vaccination nor inoculation, but of all the 19 children they were all born in good health, none had any infirmity; on the contrary, they were all good-looking children, in good health, of good character, very intelligent, even brilliant, close to geniuses_
One day the school principal phoned the `EDMONTON JOURNAL asking that a photographer come to photo the Potvin students. There were eight in grades 1 to 9, the biggest number of students in one family. "I'd like to see them and speak to them" said the principal speaking about the Potvin students and he added "Everyone is healthy and bright, and one must add that the children work hard at school." This is exactly what one said above. There is no discipline problem and when we offer a prize for good conduct, the teachers say as they laugh, "It's always a Potvin who wins."
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