Celebrating the 50th Wedding Anniversary of
Honoré and Victoria Lamontagne Demers.
July 15, 1915. Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet, Québec.
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Sitting in front row: Marie Lucia Demers, Gilberte Demers, Alida (Ida) Demers, Unknown Boy, Ludger Demers, Unknown Girl, Ernest Demers, and Marie Laure Demers.
Sitting in 2nd row: Alphonsine Demers, Albina Beauregard Demers, Émelia Bernard Demers (holding son Julien Demers), Eugénie Demers Théberge, Henriette Lamontagne Demers, Victoria Lamontagne Demers, Marie Euphrosine Demers Aubin, Lea Beaudoin Demers, Anne Paré Demers, Alice Samson Demers, Rose Anna Demers, and Unknown Woman.
Standing in 3rd row: Arthur Demers, Narcisse Demers, Alfred Théberge, Télesphore Demers, Senior, Honoré Demers, Janvier Lamontagne, Nazaire Demers, Télesphore Demers, Sinaï Demers, Philomène Martel Girard, Donat Girard, and Unknown Man.
Standing in 4th row: Possibly Marguerite Pelletier Lamontagne, Unknown Man, Delienne Lamontagne Rousseau, Narcisse Girard, Julie Lamontagne Girard, Joseph Lamontagne, Marie Perreault Demers, Unknown Man, and Unknown Woman.
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A large gathering met to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Honoré and Victoria who were married on February 21, 1865, in Saint-Julien-de-Wolfestown. From several towns and cities in Québec and northern New England, all their surviving children and several grandchildren came for the event, as did many cousins from the Demers and Lamontagne families.
Their children and families in the photo above are: Arthur and his wife, Albina Beauregard Demers, and their children, Ida, Gilberte and Marie Lucia; Nazaire and his wife, Lea Beaudoin; Télesphore and his third wife, Anne Paré (they were married the previous July 4th and combined the trip to Saint-Samuel with their honeymoon trip), and three of his children from his marriage with Demerise Letourneau, Ludger, Earnest, and Marie Laure; Sinaï and his wife, Alice Samson Demers; Narcisse and his wife, Ëmelia Bernard Demers, and their baby, Julien. The daughters shown are Alphonsine, Rose Anna, and Eugenié, who is with her husband, Alfred Théberge.
There are no brothers or sisters of Honoré in the photo, but in addition to his children and grandchildren, the other Demers in the photo are his cousin Télesphore Demers and Marie Euphrosine Aubin, a sister of Télesphore and the widow of Hilaire Aubin (Hilaire was Honoré's half-brother). The photo below also includes Télesphore Demers, Junior, the son of Tèlesphore and Henriette Demers.
The following photo is an almost exact duplicate of the photo above, but with some of the people shown more clearly and with one substantive difference, the presence of Télesphore Demers, the oldest son of Télesphore and Henriette Demers, who is standing at the extreme left. He has replaced Arthur Demers who stands in the same position in the first photo. Presumably the two men switched positions to act as photographers so that each could be included in a group photo.
Celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of
Honoré and Victoria Lamontagne Demers.
July 15, 1915. Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet.
____________________________
The 50th Wedding Anniversary of
Honoré and Victoria Lamontagne.
July 15, 1915, Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet, Québec.
______________________
This substantial home may have been Honoré and Victoria's. Once more, Honoré and Télesphore, and Henriette and Victoria are grouped together, this time sitting in the center-left of the front row. Janvier Lamontagne is also in a place of honor once again, this time in between Télesphore and Honoré, as is Marie Euphrosine Demers Aubin, standing between her sisters-in-law Henriette and Victoria. Note the prominent place given to the automobile; perhaps it belongs to a member of Honoré's family. This is the earliest family photo in Quèbec that we have showing an automobile.
Standing to the right of Janvier Lamontagne is Alphonsine and Télesphore Demers, children of Honoré and Victoria. Standing to the left of Janvier is Alfred Théberge, with his wife, Eugénie Demers Théberge. All the others are unidentified and were not in in the previous photos; perhaps they are Honoré and Victoria's friends and neighbors, rather than relatives.
On the shore of Lac Drolet.
July 15, 1915.
Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet, Québec.
Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet, Québec.
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Unfortunately, the quality of the photo above is poor, the result perhaps of being copied multiple times. In any event, it shows the guests of Honoré and Victoria enjoying themselves on the shore of Lac Drolet with Mont-Saint-Samuel in the background. In Odelie's journal of her trip in 1898, she describes a long, hot hike on the mountain that ended with a frightening thunderstorm which prevented them from reaching the top. Boat rides on the lake in a chaloupe, or rowboat, are also described in her journal and in her father's journal from 1908.
It seems likely that the boats used were similar to the one shown in the photo. We don't know where the Demers house was located in Saint-Samuel, but it must have been close to the lake given the frequent boat rides described in the journals, and their property may have included this portion of shoreline. If so, the Demers home would have been located on the Rue Principale or on the Chemin du 5éme Rang close to the village center.
It seems likely that the boats used were similar to the one shown in the photo. We don't know where the Demers house was located in Saint-Samuel, but it must have been close to the lake given the frequent boat rides described in the journals, and their property may have included this portion of shoreline. If so, the Demers home would have been located on the Rue Principale or on the Chemin du 5éme Rang close to the village center.
All the women and small children are posed in a genteel manner, but many of the men and boys on the right have some unusual poses. Two are holding rifles, several have rough fishing poles, two appear to be holding oars, and one is looking through a telescope.
On the shore of Lac Drolet.
July 15, 1915.
Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet, Québec.
Saint-Samuel-de-Gayhurst, now Lac-Drolet, Québec.
Women and children sitting in front row: Unknown Woman, Unknown Girl, Unknown Girl, Unknown Girl, Unknown Girl, Unknown Girl, Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Rose Anna Demers, and Alphonsine Demers.
Women and children sitting in second row: Emelia Bernard Demers, holding baby son, Julien Demers, Marie Euphrosine Demers Aubin, Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Unknown Child (apparently standing), Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, and Eugénie Demers Théberge.
Standing from left: Télesphore Demers (Honoré'sson), Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Unknown Woman, Unknown Man, Unknown Man, Donat Girard?, Arthur Lamontagne?, Unknown Man, Joseph Lamontagne?, and Unknown Man.
Man squatting with rifle and three men sitting in boat : all unknown.
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This photo is clearer and allows for the identification of more people than the similar photo above. Once again the women and younger children are posing in a more traditional manner, although two women standing in the center are now wearing men's hats, and many of the men and boys are posing informally. In both pictures, the women in white have something across their laps, with this photo showing that more clearly. Perhaps it is a garland of some kind?
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