Marie Arzelie Patry, Sister to our Great Grandmother, Merida (Patry-Turgeon) Delire
Several weeks ago I was contacted about Arzelie Patry. My contact had very little information on this ancestral line nor did he know when she died. Marie Arzelie Patry was born on April 13, 1854, in Beaumont, Bellechasse County, Quebec. Arzelie’s younger sister was our ancestor, Merida Patry. Merida’s daughter, Mary Turgeon, married our grandfather, William P. Smith
Marie Arzelie’s birth register appears below. She was born a legitimate child of Louis Patry, a trader (commercant), and Angelique Chinque of Beaumont (The register says Angelique was “of this parish” or ‘cette paroisse’). In most cases Angelique’s maiden name generally appears as ’Shink’ although once in awhile you see it as ’Chinque’. Shink is a German name. Arzelie’s godfather (Parrain) was Joseph Couture and her godmother (marraine) was Euphrosine Roy. The birth register was signed by both the godfather and father (pere).
Arzelie later married Modeste Dubois (1850 - 1904) in Beaumont, Canada, on August 26, 1873. Modeste was born in St. Joseph de Levis, Quebec, Canada. The marriage register was signed by Arzelie Patry, her father (Louis Patris), and her brother, Achille Patry. Achille later moved to South Dakota, stayed awhile to homestead the land, then left for Canada. ‘Patris’ appears to be one spelling used by Louis for his last name; however, all the siblings used Patry.
The 1881 Canadian Census shows the following persons living in the same household in Lauzon, Levis, Quebec. This is the last reference we see for Arzelie in any subsequent census record.
Arzelie gave birth to the following children:
Napoleon Dubois who married Amanda Cote 07 January, 1901* in Arthabaska, PQ
Joseph Dubois who married Eva Guay 12 June, 1899** in Lewiston, Maine.
Marie Dubois who married Georges Girouard 08 July, 1901 in Arthabaska, PQ.
Alphonse Dubois who married Adelia Ruel 17 April, 1899 in Lauzon, PQ, Canada.
Modeste Alphonse Dubois (1874-1874) never married
It is thought Arzelie died sometime around 1883. Unfortunately, no one can find her death certificate. Modeste Dubois moved his family to Lewiston, Maine. Modeste met Josephine Chartier and they had six children:
Josephine Dubois b. 13 July, 1890** in Lewiston. d. 30 July, 1890** in Lewiston, Maine.
Alma Dubois b. 31 August, 1891** in Lewiston. Married Joseph Fournier 13 April, 1914** in Biddeford, Maine. d. 07 April, 1981 in Biddeford, Maine.
RoseAnna Dubois b. 09 September, 1892** in Lewiston. Married Arthur Robida 17 April, 1911 in Biddeford. d. 15 January, 1980 in Biddeford, Maine. in Biddeford. d. 15 January, 1980 in Biddeford.
Ida Dubois b. 21 April, 1894** in Lewiston. Married Nicolas Georgakakis in 1926. d. 16 May, 1934 in Biddeford, Maine.
Anna Dubois b. 16 April, 1896** in Lewiston. Married Emile Turgeon. d. 21 February, 1968 in Biddeford.
Albertine Dubois b. 23 January, 1898 in Lewiston, Maine. d. 24 September, 1899* in St. Camille, PQ, Canada.
The 1900 US Census shows Modeste and his family living on Water Street in Lewiston, Maine. His occupation was listed as hack driver and the census indicates he immigrated in 1887. No death certificate exists in Maine for his first ‘wife’, Arzelie Patry.
No birth records for Emma, Minnie, or Ada were found in a search of the Maine State Archives in Augusta, Maine.
What is the big mystery? Modeste Dubois died on December 15, 1905, in Lewiston, Maine. The State Archives has his death certificate and it shows his wife’s name as Arzelie Patry not Josephine Chartier. No marriage record can be found for Modeste and Josephine Chartier either in Quebec or Maine.
The parish record for the marriage of Arzelie’s son Napoleon and Amanda Cote in Arthabaska (07 Jan 1901) states Marie Arzelie (Patry) Dubois was not living at the time of her son’s marriage.
Cat Dancers
The following was written by one of Josephine Chartier and Modeste Dubois’s descendants:
“In the 1920's Josephine Chartier and
Bernard (Charles) Lafargue lived in Saco, Maine. They bought a home in
Biddeford, Maine on St. Mary's Street, just across the street from the
Church. Josephine died in her home at the age of 74 in 1940. Charles
Lafargue immigrated to the US from France. Their daughter Jeannette is
the mother of Doris who married Ronald Guay....they became quite well
known as "Ron and Joy Holiday", The Cat Dancers. Joy Holiday (Doris) is
buried in Saco. This act included a lion and tiger.
The intriguing part is that Josephine marries Lafargue in 1902 but her
first partner (Modeste Dubois) doesn't die until 1905 in Lewiston,
Maine. No marriage or divorce papers have been found in the Maine State
Archives so I believe that she and Modeste were not married. “
Cat Dancers were three dancers who danced with giant cats. Two of the team, including Joy, were killed by the same white tiger five weeks apart. Several years ago HBO aired a documentary about this dance team. The Smiths have no blood relationship to Joy’s family; however, Joy does have a connection to Arzelie Patry’s descendants.
Louis Patry, father
The Louis Patrys, parents to Merida and Marie
Finally, the following is an odd item regarding our ancestor, Louis Patry. In 1916 Louis Patry re-entered Canada from Maine. The entry said he visited his son in Maine. Which son it is not certain. This may have been his last trip abroad.
