Joseph Rouleau's family

[kshaw]

I wonder if anyone can help me... I have been having a great deal of trouble with this branch of my tree.

My great grandmother was Alice Elvira Rouleau b. 25 May 1898 in Neepawa, Manitoba. She was the 9th child of Francis Xavier Rouleau 9 Aug 1848 Quebec and Hannah Eliza Stephenson 30 Aug 1861 Guelph, Ontario. They were married 9 Aug 1880 in Brantford, Ontario.

I have found out a great deal about Hannah's family but Francis is proving very hard. The family records say that Francis was the second child (first son) of Joseph Rouleau (born between 1790/1800 L'Isle Verte, Quebec.) and his second wife Marie Taschereau (or Tachereau). However, I can't find any record of their marriage.

It also appears that his first wife (Euphrosine Patonie 1806 - 1874) was still alive during the years that he was 'married' and having children with Marie.

The Rouleau's were a well known Catholic French- Canadian family as were the Taschereau, so it seems unlikely that this was an affair.  Normally while doing family research I would look at this and say it was the wrong 'Joseph', but I have records linking Francis with 2 of his half-brothers. Charles Borromee 1840 and Edouard Hector 1843.

I was sent old family documents that confirmed and contradicted my findings and records. The family document say that Francis's father was called Michal or Joesph Rouleau with all the other information the same. I found no record of a Michal Rouleau but did find a family tree listing Michal as Francis's father.

The other possibility is that Francis himself was not who he said he was. Can anyone help me untangle this web?

[polarbear]

Hello there.

I am wondering if you are looking at the correct Joseph Rouleau as the father of your Francis? From what I can see, a Joseph Rouleau and a Euphrosine Patoine (?) (various spellings) are together as a married couple in the 1851, 1861, and 1871 censuses of Quebec? Joseph's 1878 burial record indicates he is the widower of the deceased Euphrosine.

I noted your conflicting records as well. Am also wading through your other info. Seems to be a very tangled web, for sure.

PB

Edited to add: finally found Euphrosine's burial record. It indicates she is the wife of Joseph Rouleau and a Joseph Rouleau is one of the signing witnesses. Curiouser and curiouser.

[kshaw]

This is where it gets confusing...

 My great grandmother, Alice, left behind (past in 1990 aged 92) a detailed family tree with all her siblings their families, her parents, and names (with spotty info) of their parents (as listed in the first post).

Along with the tree was a bio of her father's life growing up as the eldest son of the second marriage. I have noted many mistakes, as far as dates being off and locations. But the details have all checked out. The biggest was Francis and two of his brother's (along with another man) starting a French town in Alberta called Rouleauville. It is now part of Calgary. Roughly 20 years ago my grandma (Alice's daughter) was invited to come to the unveiling of a monument to mark the area that was once Rouleauville. Francis's face is on the monument along with that of his brothers, Charles Borromee Rouleau 1840-1901 and Edouard Hector Rouleau 1843. Yet in all the info I can find about Rouleauville it talks about only the two brothers and there is mention of a Minister brother once but not by name.

I started working on this branch about 10 years ago, correcting the errors and ran into the Joesph Rouleau paradox. I couldn't make head or tails of it as it seems that Francis's middle name changes over the years and I couldn't find his birth, death, or marriage records. I am now back trying again after a 7-year break... hoping that more records have been digitized.

To give a bit more insight (if it helps), according to my great grandmother, Francis never talked about his family... he was supposed to be a priest and was sent to a convent, but after an incident where at 12 or 13 he was whipped by one of the priests (for falling into a river and getting wet) he left. His family tried to send him back, but one of his brothers took his side and was sent to a lunatic asylum where he later died. So Francis left home and went to Toronto at 13ish... in the end, he paid his own way through Uni and became a Baptist Minister at Bloor Street Church (roughly 1880).

A family member just today found Francis gravestone which reads "Rev. Francis E. Rouleau"

Any help would be amazing as I've combed through every census looking at every for Francis Rouleau along with birth/ marr/ and death. I know there is a trove of Bap. records in Quebec but my French isn't what it once was.

edited to add: Yes, I to have her burial. I have collected info on all the children of that marriage. Either Joseph was living a double life or Francis is related in a different way.

[bbart]

I have been tracking your web of confusion for days, keeping careful notes, and then, without having hit the save button, the computer crashed..... so most of what follows is from memory:

Your Francis had two sons born in Nova Scotia.... they have delayed birth registrations showing that at the time of their birth, Francis was a minister.  One did not know where Francis was born, the other stated that Francis was born in St. Ferdinand.  The son that died in Enderby  BC shows Francis's birth as on a British ship....?  Going back to the Nova Scotia records.... one spells Francis' middle name as Xavier, and the other as Exavia, so that could explain the middle initial E on his grave.

If you haven't seen these birth registration, they are fully readable at https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/  . Just put in the surname Rouleau, and they are the only two births to come up. Note that they are multiple pages, so don't miss them all!

I was tracking a Francis/Francois/Frank Xavier Rouleau born to Ignace Rouleau and wife Marie Fontaine.  Francis was baptised in 1849.  If this was him, he was married once before marrying Hannah. He had a sister (I think it was Josephine) that married into another Rouleau family, so I was on the hunt to see if Ignace was a brother to Joseph to explain the connection to those brothers of Rouleauville, Calgary.  Maybe they were actually cousins, or brother in laws?

There was a Joseph mentioned on either Francis' baptism, or Ignace's marriage, but I can't remember which!

Sorry if this is all confusing, but I thought I should post before the bits in my own memory vanish just like my notes did!  When I stop fuming at my computer, I'll sift through it's memory to see if I can find anything of value that I was looking at.

[DonM]

According to Brant's BMD's Hannah died Feb 13, 1947 in Brantford.
https://brantford.library.on.ca/localhistory/bmd/search-the-bmd

I went to high school with several Rouleau's and there are many still living there.  Have you made contact with any of these?

Don

[kshaw]

bbart - Thank you and I'm so sorry about your computer... I've been there!! I have records for most of Alice's siblings (that's where much of the confusion has come from). I looked into that same pair but couldn't find out much about them so thank you for whatever you do find. I'm fully willing to look into any possibility at this point.

Don - Thank you, no I haven't reached out to anyone in that area. I'm just jumping back into this search myself so I haven't looked down that avenue yet. I would like to have a bit more pointing towards one (or two) family(ies) before attempting to contact living relatives. It's different if I find people also researching but right now I don't feel I know enough to reach out like that. But thank you for the suggestion and by all means if you are still in contact with people feel free to ask them if this matches their family.

[kshaw]

According to Brant's BMD's Hannah died Feb 13, 1947 in Brantford.
https://brantford.library.on.ca/localhistory/bmd/search-the-bmd

I went to high school with several Rouleau's and there are many still living there.  Have you made contact with any of these?

Don

Hi Don, how where you able to see the article? I tried but it only showed me the index, since I don't stay anywhere near Brantford I'm not able to go in.

[*Sandra*]

Rouleau burials Mount Hope Cemetery (Section: IE), Brant County, Ontario


ROULEAU

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556605
 
ROULEAU, Albert John   1882 - 1917

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556612

ROULEAU, Annbella   1887 - 1965

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556606


ROULEAU, Francis E   1849 - 1915

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556609

ROULEAU, Hannah E   1861 - 1947

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556610

ROULEAU, Lucille M   1894 - 1995

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556611

ROULEAU, Percy   1867 - 1970

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556607

ROULEAU, Winona K   1903 - 1994

http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/1556608

Sandra

[*Sandra*]

Percy W Rouleau married Annie B Smith (Annabel on the list above - 1887 - 1965) - 18 March 1914 - Portage LA Prairie, Manitoba.

http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php

Percy and Annie appear on the 1916 census Kindersley, Saskatchewan.

http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/006003/t-21937/jpg/31228_4363966-00661.jpg

Percy and Anna appears on Canada Voters List 1962 - 46 Sarah Street Brantford.

1965 only Percy Rouleau (retired) listed at 45 Sarah Street. Brantford.

1957 Percyand Mrs Percy  - Percy is listed as a carpenter - 46 Sarah Street Brantford.

1958 Percy and Mrs Percy - Percy was a builder - 46 Sarah Street Brantford.

Sandra