Denis Poulin
As was the custom, Elie Poulin gave his first son, Denis, a farm in the hamlet of Saint Joseph de Beauce. As Denis builds a… Read More »Denis Poulin
As was the custom, Elie Poulin gave his first son, Denis, a farm in the hamlet of Saint Joseph de Beauce. As Denis builds a… Read More »Denis Poulin
Marie Celanire Georgiana Vachon dit Pomerleau spent most of her life in Saint Marie de Beauce. At her mother’s 50th wedding anniversary, Celanire is almost… Read More »Celanire Vachon dit Pomerleau
A favorite for breakfast among Quebecois, cretons are a great way to start your day. Spread cold cretons on toast or add to crackers for… Read More »Cretons with Maple Syrup
The oldest daughter of Evariste Poulin was Florence Poulin. She had always dreamed of being a religious sister and as an early teenager, was sent away to study. Her preliminary marks as “teacher material” were very high. She had finally been accepted and was sent home to say goodbye to her material world.
While home for a few weeks, her mother passed away after giving birth twenty-five days earlier. With a suitcase in hand, her father declared that she needed to stay to be both mother and sister to her siblings. How could Evariste farm if there were no one to cook and clean and tend the children and small animals.
For thirty-five years she stayed until finally, she was free from her family obligations. When she contacted the convent about entering, they informed her that she was too old. Family history states that a fight ensued. Perhaps by letters or phone calls or face-to-face.
“You promised”
“But too many years have passed”
“This is all she has ever wanted. You promised that she could return”
“But it’s too late”
“But you promised”
Well the sisters did accept her. She lived and worked throughout a religious and humble life for thirty-five years among the gray sisters.
As was the custom of the day, when a religious man or woman passed away, a close associate would write a life story or biographical sketch of the person and have it completed in time to present to remaining family at the funeral. The following is the biography of Sister Saint-Florence, a member of the Order of the Sisters of Charity of Quebec.
Read the entire biography of Sister Saint-Florentin.
Read More »A promise to Florence Poulin and her fight to claim it
Some of the earliest pioneers in the Beauce cleared the land, created the first irrigation systems, negotiated with local Abenaki and Algonquin First Nation people. … Read More »Elie Poulin – An Early Pioneer
There are many stories of untold courage and unwavering determination, all flowing from the next generations of Beauce pioneers. These men at fourteen years old… Read More »Next Generations
I’ve often returned to Coventry, Vermont, searching for my grandfather’s farm on River Road. No visit is complete without a visit to the Town Clerk… Read More »Coventry Vermont
For millennium, the Northern Lights have appeared across the Canadian landscape. One has to wonder what the earliest First Nation people thought of those lights?… Read More »The Mysterious Northern Lights
The second-born son of Evariste Poulin and Eliza Vachin dit Pomerleau, Arthur spent most of his life in his home village. Arthur was the only… Read More »Arthur Poulin – the Constant Son
One Sunday, my family went out for a long drive. I was ten years old then. We ended up in Lowell, Massachusetts in front of the Franco-American Orphanage. Three stories high, this building was huge.
One side of the property was open lawn stretching down toward the Merrimack River. The other side included a wide delivery driveway, swing set and jungle gym with shin bars and ladders. At the end was a cavernous shrine made up of large boulders, outdoor lights and fronted by permanent seats. Statues of the Stations of the Cross sat on raised boulder platforms that edged the large driveway.
The Sisters of Charity of Quebec, an order of religious Sisters, ran the orphanage. We all exited the car as one of the Sisters came out the front entrance and walked down the driveway to greet us. Her conversation was in French, so I showed little interest. At one point, my mother told my brother and me to go play on the swings. We were the only children in this area, so we explored every inch of the gym set with excitement.
Eventually, my mother opened the car trunk and pulled out a small suitcase,Read More »Reminiscences of Franco-American Orphanage