Six Degrees of Separation — Carman Lalonde and Marie Olivier Sylvestre

Thank you Jennifer Fenwick Irwin from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Museum for sending me this. From the Middleville Museum

LETARDIF, OLIVIER, interpreter, head clerk of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés, judge of the court of the seigneury of Beaupré; b. c. 1604 in Brittany, in the diocese of Saint-Brieuc; d. 1665 at Château-Richer.

Letardif was at Quebec from at least 1621 on, since he signed the report of the meeting of leading citizens in that year; his presence is then noted from time to time until 1629. By that date he was an assistant clerk for the de Caëns; “experienced” in the Montagnais, Algonkian, and Huron languages, he served also as an interpreter. In July 1629, acting on behalf of François Gravé Du Pont, who was ill, he handed over the keys of the Habitation to Lewis Kirke. We find him in Quebec again in 1633, promoted to be head clerk of the Cent-Associés, and fulfilling the functions of interpreter or witness as required. It was at this period that Letardif collaborated in the missionary effort: he supported the Jesuits and acted as godfather to indigenous people; he even administered baptism and, following Champlain’s example, adopted three young indigenous individuals. In May 1637 he received, jointly with Jean Nicollet (who shortly thereafter became his brother-in-law), the tract called Belleborne on the outskirts of Quebec (a commoner’s grant of 160 acres). In April 1646 he acquired one-eighth of the seigneury of Beaupré. On becoming a member of the Compagnie de Beaupré, with the title “general and special procurator,” he made a score of grants in the years 1650 and 1651.

Then in 1653 Letardif gave up his Belleborne property, which was to become the castellany of Coulonge, and obtained land at Château-Richer, where he settled. From this time onward, until 1659, it would appear that he exercised the functions of seigneurial judge of Beaupré; his “premature senility” apparently caused him to neglect his duties. On 13 April 1662 he sold his fief in the seigneury of Beaupré. This former colleague of the de Caëns, of Gravé Du Pont, of Champlain, and of the Jesuit Paul Le Jeune died at Château-Richer in January 1665, and was buried there on the 28th of that month.

Letardif’s first wife, whom he married on 3 Nov. 1637 in the parish of Notre-Dame de Québec, was 13-year-old Louise Couillard, daughter of Guillaume Couillard. Left a widower in November 1641, he married Barbe Esmard, widow of Gilles Michel and sister-in-law of Zacharie Cloutier the younger, in the parish of Saint-Barthélemy, at La Rochelle, on 21 May 1648. Only one child is known to have been born of the first marriage; three more followed from the second. Olivier Le Tardif is the forefather of the Letardifs or Tardifs of North America.

Olivia DeTardif’s daughter Marie Olivier Sylvestre married Martin Prevost in 1644. Dues to unrest some of her family with the last name of Lalonde moved to Perth hearing the offer of free land. Three brothers: Joseph, Michael and Antoine moved to Darling Township in the French Line area. I had no idea that my friend Carman Lalonde (1926-2016) was the great grandson of Joseph Lalonde. He married Irene Blackburn who I was lucky to know also. They are buried together at the Greenwood Cemtery in Middleville and Carman is the great grandfather of my granddaughter Sophia. Read Marie Olivier Sylvestre: A Special Name In History

You just never know and so happy to add this history for Carman’s history.

Thanks Jennifer once again.

Read-In Memory of Carman Lalonde — Grandfather, Father and Historian of Lanark County

Thank you Jennifer Fenwick Irwin from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Museum for sending me this.

Carman and Heather his daughter

Carman Heather and we share this cutie Sophia

here is not a day that does not go by that I do not think of him. In memory of Carman Lalonde here with his great granddaughter my granddaughter Sophia

Linda Seccaspina
December 25, 2015  · Shared with Your friends, Hannah’s friends and Heather’s friends

Me and Carman

Why Am I SOOOOOOO Obsessed with History?

Thank you to Sean N Michael Rikley-Lancaster from the *Mississippi Valley Textile Museum for allowing me to tell my tales and many opinions at the Algonquin Museum Studies class. Last time I spoke there was in 1991 about small business. Some of these kids had not been born yet LOL

So why am I doing what I do every single day- 7 days a week?  Why do I sit here hour after hour, day after day, and get caught up in time–actually time gone by? Some days I don’t know–and then I get an email from someone saying they saw one of their ancestor’s names- or they read one of my stories on one of my Facebook history pages and remember what their grandparents told them. I see how happy it makes people– so it makes me feel that I am on the right road for my legacy.

 I think it’s almost like: “We Interrupt This Program … Words That Change Lives”

History is a glimpse into the past and it grounds us in the present and serves as a template as we journey into the future. Each decision we make moves us a step at a time. At times, this travel is with a defined step and other times the steps are convoluted– and heck, I have always wanted to be a time traveller. So this is one way I guess.

I decided that if I was going to write about history it was going to be on my own terms. I do not have any fancy college degrees– barely scraped through high school– and protesting the Viet Nam war and bad professors at Sir George University/Concordia was way more important to me than an education. It was about getting street smarts and doing things on my way, and not listening to others, which gets me into trouble sometimes. Well sometimes a lot.

The late Carman Lalonde and me at his daughter’s wedding (Heather Lalonde) where we spent most of the afternoon discussing local history.

So some days when I start posting on Facebook at 5:30 am I think about some kid in years to come that might scroll Google on their phone, or whatever they will have then, and come across one of my articles. I am hoping they might say,“hey that is pretty cool” and tell someone else.

Every single day I see the faces and hear the voices of Lanark County, Ottawa and the Eastern Townships as I read personal memories and newspaper archives. They are my past, and I am their future. We all travel the same road. History is about people and the events that shape and change our lives.

R. G. Collingwood said:–“History is for human self-knowledge … the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.”

I am going to end this on a funny note. In my first book I wrote about winning a Twist contest at Cowansville High School in grade 5 with someone called Jimmy Manson. Man, did I have a crush on this guy, and I approached “my love” for him much like I write about history. I was “focused” on my adoration of him– today, we would call that ‘prolific’ stalking. So what happened to Jimmy?

Jim began his academic career in Jamaica in 1980 teaching West Indian history after earning a diploma in education from McGill University. Upon returning to Canada, he completed a Master’s degree at Concordia University in 1983. His MA thesis dealt with U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba after the Spanish – American War.

During the remainder of the decade, Jim taught in the Quebec public school system and freelanced as a sportswriter for The Canadian Press. He began his university teaching career at Concordia and McGill Universities in 1991 after completing his comprehensive exams towards a doctorate in history (Canadian – American relations) at Concordia.

While teaching at Concordia, he became involved with an organization known as Routes to Learning Canada (RTL). Over the subsequent decade he served as an educational consultant to RTL and led scores of historical excursions across Quebec and Canada.

Jim has taught the History of Canadian -American Relations at the Montreal campus of Champlain College since it opened in 2007. He began teaching in the CORE Division at the Burlington campus during the Fall of 2012. In addition to teaching and writing about Canadian – American Relations– and there is so much more we could cover two pages here.

Today the both of us no longer dance to Chubby Checker but we both speak and write about history ( Jimmy is the REAL historian (Brome Mississiquoi Historical Society)- I am the National Enquirer (Historian), and who knew that would happen? But what’s different about the both of us?

In Jimmy’s world –history does not include aliens and God knows what. In my world it does! The truth is out there as they say, so keep history alive.  No matter how you spread the word–I am counting on you for it. It’s for our future generations.

Dedicated to my favourite historian  Carman Lalonde who sadly left us last year in May of 2016. Last night I got a lovely phone call from someone in Middleville hoping to find out the location of an old photo and we talked about him– I miss him– terribly.

N.B.–*Mississippi Valley Textile Museum from Almonte, Ontario- word on the street is that they are going to “partner” with the Bruck Mills Museum in Cowansville, Quebec.

 My mother who used to work for Bruck Mills is dead centre front with the white dress. Everything comes 360

Related Reading:

In Memory of Carman Lalonde — Grandfather, Father and Historian of Lanark County

Dedicated to my Weekend Protesting Hippie Generation — Nothing Changes Does it?

Should You Ever Stop “Burning Down the House” About Things that Matter?

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News and now in The Townships Sun

In Memory of Carman Lalonde — Grandfather, Father and Historian of Lanark County

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some like Carman Lalonde stay for awhile and leave deep footprints, and when they leave us we are never the same.

A cloud of sadness now hangs over his family and those who knew him. Grief comes in like waves and sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it’s not–all we can ever learn to do is swim. We have to hold on to the love and not the loss, and that is what Carman Lalonde was all about. He shared his love for the world with his kindness, laughter and stories with all of us.

I had the honour of first meeting Carman and his late wife Irene when his granddaughter Stephanie came into my life and joined our family. Carman and I immediately clicked as we both shared a love of Lanark County history. Most knew that Carman was a reluctant historian, and all the cajoling in the world would not give me a story of the humble man I most wanted to write about.  One day I even offered him the cover of my book Tilting the Kilt because as I told him, if my stories were not enough to sell the book, his legs in a kilt might be.

Everyone knows about his love for his cats and his garden, but he also had a passion for his photo collection. He knew that one of my hobbies was trying to save old photos from the hands of dealers at auctions, and the last group of photos I bought we shared almost on a bi-weekly basis. When I found and purchased the Millie Aitkenhead collection and showed it to him he began to smile and laugh. I said,

“What’s so funny Carman?”

He said with a sly grin on his face, “I know that woman very well- she dumped me for one of the Woodcocks!”

My mouth dropped at his forthcoming as I could not imagine anyone dumping Carman Lalonde. But Carman was honest and lived his life like Mark Twain. If you always tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.

Carman was always the man to go to at Eades Hardware in Carleton Place and he went above and beyond what was expected of him. He would deliver things past store hours and even plant your tree or plants if need be. Word was if you didn’t have a shovel he would go home and get his. That was just who he was.

Carman began to really fail last week and as I kissed him on the forehead Friday I knew deep in my heart it would not be long. I sat in my car after the visit and cried, but then I smiled and remembered the day his daughter Heather got married– Carman and I sat together and talked away most of the afternoon.

Did we talk abut the beautiful bride and his lovely granddaughters who were bridesmaids?

A little.

Instead of smiling at the guests and talking about the beauty of the day we talked about Clyde Hall in the village of Lanark all afternoon. That was because we were sitting inches away from the front doorway of that very same building. I will remember our conversation forever and cherish every second. I was honoured to be able to listen to him, just like the Lanark County Geneological Society and other local historical groups have been through the years.

Now we mourn the loss of a man who cannot ever be replaced. No more will his family and friends see his smile and hear his loving words. No longer will Middleville enjoy his visits, and no longer will I enjoy his conversation.

Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget. This week I lost a friend and a family lost their beloved Grandfather and father. My heart is breaking and all I want to do today through my tears is to go visit Carman, see his smile, place some local newspapers on his bed and say

Hello– How Are you?….

And if Carman would see the sadness I have now he would shake his head, and say quite emphatically,

“Oh Linda!”

Also read-

Six Degrees of Separation — Carman Lalonde and Marie Olivier Sylvestre

  I Live On

Don’t cry for me in sadness; don’t weep for me in sorrow,
For I will be beside you, as sure as comes tomorrow.
My body has gone but my spirit lives on, as does my love for you.
Just as in life. I’ll watch over you, I always will be true.
My blood lives on in my children, how I’ve watched them grow up with pride.
I’ll live on within them, always by their side.
I know my jokes weren’t always funny and jobs weren’t always done.
Just try and always remember the good times, the days when we had fun.
Reach out if you need me, for I will always be near.
Just talk to me, as if I am there, I promise I will hear.
For I’ll live on, with in your mind, we’ll never be apart,
As long as you keep my memory, deep within your heart.
So lift up your hearts, don’t be sad, my spirit hasn’t gone.
While your still there, so am I, I really will live on

 

Carman Lalonde–Obituary- Alan Barker Funeral Home 
(Died May 1, 2016)

Peacefully in hospital, Carleton Place, surrounded by his loving family, on Sunday, May 1, 2016, in his 90th year.

Dearly loved and devoted husband and best friend of the late Irene Isobel Lalonde (nee Blackburn). Much loved and loving dad of Heather (Carlos Grimm) and Ian (Jody Drew). Adored “Grampy” of Stephanie (Perry) Seccaspina and Hannah Southwell. Cherished “Great-Grampy” of Sophia. Predeceased by sisters Kaye McLLravey and Ruby Magahey and brothers Boyd, Harvey, Clarence, Ernie and Stewart. Survived by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Raymond and Ruby Blackburn. Loved by many nieces and nephews. Carman will be sadly missed by Joyce Tennant.

Carman loved life, his family, the great outdoors and having good times with family and friends. He had a warm and compassionate disposition, always respectful of others’ feelings and opinions and was a totally devoted husband, dad, grandpa, brother and friend.

Friends may visit the family at the Alan R Barker Funeral Home 19 McArthur Avenue, Carleton Place on Thursday, May 5, 2016 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral service will be held in the chapel on Friday at 11 a.m. Interment at Greenwood Cemetery, Middleville.

Donations to the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital Foundation would be appreciated.

A heartfelt thank you to the Staff, Doctors and wonderful Nurses for their outstanding care and compassion given to Carman.

 

Jayne Munro-Ouimet– Linda, your words are a beautiful tribute to one of the kindest gentleman I ever met. He sure did have a liken for Lanark County history and didn’t mind sharing a few stories with me. Those I will not forget, nor will I forget his encouraging me to record my family history- You’ll need 20 Volumes or more he said with a chuckle. Your Munro’s are in every corner of this county!

He was right and he will be missed. Look up! there’s a new star shining brightly tonight. My condolences, Jayne Munro- Ouimet President of the Lanark County Genealogical Society

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum photo

This was the note I wrote for the Middleville time capsule that will be opened when I am long gone. Hopefully my grandkids will still be around and as someone said hope they can read cursive..:)