LA PAROISSE DE DONNELLY (5) (164 ENGLISH --163 fran)

LA PAROISSE DE DONNELLY (5) (164 ENGLISH)


La paroisse de Donnelly, (5)  (164)

Thursday, May 30

After a restful day at what is now Kathleen and after having re-provisioned themselves at James Pruden’s rather big “stopping place”,  they continued their trip going around Stinking Lake (Winigami) following the west route towards Peavine Creek.  That night they arrived at the “Promised Land.”  The first stop was at what is now the Maisonneuve Park in Donnelly.

Friday,  May 31

Mr. Leblanc and Mr. Longtin ,as well as the priests, immediately   began to explore the surrounding land.  Mr. Leblanc also kept an eye open for his daughter, Marie-Anne who, as  a widow with children, was able to fill in the conditions needed to obtain land.  His son, Emile was sixteen years old and in two years he could also get a permit to obtain land.  A group headed west; they were young and adventurous.  Around them, there was enough land for three parishes (later Falher, Donnelly and Girouxville).  As soon as one decided on a parcel of land, he wrote the number on an iron stake on the south-western corner of the land and then they’d write this number on a map to register it in Grouard.

Monday, June 3

The group re-assembled and returned to Grouard; they were hopeful, some were fearful; they were very emotional because of important decisions to be made. Some were even discontented with the colonizers.  Once in Grouard that same night, the group stayed at the priests’ house where all conversations were about land.  Very early the next morning, the group re-assembled to present themselves  at the DOMINION LANDS’ OFFICE to register their homesteads and even those lands taken by proxy (Marie-Anne Leblanc was one.)

JULY 1912

                          THE FIRST WHITE WOMAN IN THE REGION  
                        

                              MARIE-ANNE LEBLANC
                               
                          n. 1880-07-26  Princeville, QC
                         m. 1906-05-    Lowell, Mass, + Noël Leblanc ( 2ième cousin)
                       2m. 1914-09-17  Edmonton, AB + Eugène Gravel
                          d. 1979-03-12   Edmonton, AB, inh. St-Albert, AB

                     

parents of Noëlla + Albert