Maine native translated article in UM’s Le Forum

It’s such a small world. Early last week, I corresponded by e-mail with Maine native Jim Belanger of New Hampshire about a query on the Dionne-Tilley line for this column.

Later that day, I turned to the fall-winter issue of Le Forum, the quarterly published by the Centre Franco-Americain at the University of Maine, and there was his name.

The English translation of Raymond Belanger’s second installment on Francois Belanger and Marie (Guyon) of Beauport, Quebec, 1634-1641, had been done by Jim Belanger.

The piece, which discusses the early settlement of the area and includes maps, also talks about Jean Guyon and Zacharie Cloutier, who are the ancestors of so many Franco-Americans, some of them now known as Gonya and Clukey, for example.

My husband and I traveled l’Avenue Royal just above Quebec City in 2001, where these families lived, and marveled at the beautiful landscape that was home to many early French settlers.

One of the things I really like about Le Forum – and have since its beginning in 1972 – is the fact that while some articles are in French and some in English, some are offered in both languages.

It has been many moons since I took French in high school, but that experience has helped me a lot in doing Franco-American genealogy.

On another note, Jacqueline Chamberland Blesso – one of my husband’s numerous Chamberland first cousins – wrote a nice piece about the new Long Lake Public Library in St. Agatha.

It includes her memories of finding books in French in a secretary and bookcase that were purchased during her youth by her father, my husband’s “Mon Oncle Gerard,” whom I remember.

Blesso also writes about translations and how inexact they are, even when they are beautiful, offering for comparison part of Longfellow’s “Evangeline” with the 1912 French translation by Pamphile Lemay. It’s fun to compare the two, line by line.

Another splendid article in this issue, presented in both English and French, is Yves Chartrand’s “Sanford’s Mr. Baseball” about Fred Parent, who played for Boston in the 1903 World Series. (When I asked the BDN sports desk what Mainer played for Boston in that series, reporter Ernie Clark came up with the answer right off.)

A genealogical feature now beginning its 17th year in Le Forum is Bob Chenard’s “The French Connection.” In this issue, it is the Laverdiere family, descendants of Rene Cauchon, sieur de l’Auverdiere, from France, and wife Charlotte (Citolle).

The listing of descendants follows the same pattern as that used by Eloi Gerard Talbot in his county marriage books for Beauce-Dorchester-Frontenac and for Montmagny-L’Islet-Bellechasse, both series of which are at the Maine State Library in Augusta.

To use the Laverdiere listing in Le Forum, pick a marriage, such as that of Pierre-Rodolphe Laverdiere and Ida-Ethel Martin in 1921 in Waterville, Page 55 in Le Forum. The number to the right of the listing, 52B, refers to the marriages of their children, who turn out to be Constance-E. and Frederic Laverdiere.

The number to the left of the marriage of Pierre-Rodolphe and Ida-Ethel, 52A (a number that pertains to a whole group of children) is found on Page 53, where it is to the right of the parents of those children, Pierre Laverdiere and Vitaline Anna Poulin in 1898 in St. Evariste.

The number to the left of this marriage, 52, takes us to Pierre’s parents, David Laverdiere and Marie Pouliot, 1872. And so on. It sounds complicated if you haven’t used this system, but once you’ve traced a line, you’ll see it’s an efficient way to include a lot of genealogical information in a small amount of space.

Here’s what I would do if I were using this system for the first time. I’d photocopy the pages for Laverdiere. Then I’d use a highlighter to draw through the most recent marriage that pertained to my family. Then I could easily see what number to follow back.

Subscriptions to Le Forum are $20 a year in the United States, $25 elsewhere, $40 to libraries. Send a check to Le Forum, Centre Franco-Americain, Orono 04469-5719.

Here’s Jim Belanger’s query. I hope someone can help him.

3415. DIONNE-TILLEY-LEVESQUE-BISHOP. Seeking marriage date and place for William Henry Tilley, aka Guillaume Dionne, born Dec. 11, 1862, to Elie and Helene (Lagace) Dionne of Fort Kent, and Modeste Levesque, aka Maude Bishop, daughter of Benoni and Sophie (Dube) Levesque, born Feb. 9, 1860, St. Hilaire, Madawaska County, New Brunswick. William Tilley died July 5, 1948, in Sherman Mills. His wife died 1919, location unknown. Guillaume and Modeste probably married about 1883, maybe in Benedicta, but church records don’t show it. All of their children were given the surname Tilley, even though none of Guillaume’s siblings used that name. William and Maude are buried in St. Benedict’s Catholic Cemetery, Benedicta. Elie and Helene Dionne married Oct. 3, 1853, in Frenchville. Benoni and Sophie Levesque married Jan. 18, 1858, in Frenchville. Jim Belanger, 32 Plain Road, Hollis, NH 03049; Jim.B@tds.net

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; or e-mail queries to familyti@bangordailynews.net.