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Feature Article: Researching the Gaudries Success On-Line. In a previous episode I began the process of searching for the connections for a branch of the Gaudry family that had lost contact with the rest of the family. The family history as they presented it then was:
Father: August Gaudry b. 1890?
Mother: [unknown]
Children:
August m Elizabeth McGillis [Glasgow, Montana]
Martin
Tom
Pruden
Maurice
Vanesse
Father: August Gaudry 1910-15?
Mother: Elizabeth McGillis
Children:
August m Shirley Jessup [Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan]
Joe
Josh
Howard
Duff
Dan
Father: August Gaudry b. Mar 23 1933, Bellsite Man., d. HB, Sask 1999
Mother: Shirley Jessup b. July Rose Valley, Sask M. Mar 23, 1954, Flin Flon, MB
Children
Ivan August - b. Nov 30 1954
Dwayne
Louis
Mark
Denise
Maurice
Susan
Theresa
Rodney
Lyle
Charlotte
Initially, I had run out of leads and was preparing to do it the hard slogging document by document way. A fellow researcher had advised that the family was complicated to track through the records. The name gets confused with Beaudry in some records.
Then, in the summer, a young person in the family brought me more concise information. She had her grandfather's baptismal records accompanied by notes on the family from her grandmother.
"August Joseph Gaudry b. 23/03/33 to August Gaudry and Elizabeth McGillis.
Baptised [by rite of the Roman Catholic Church] June 3, 1934, St. Anthony's Church, Bellsite, Manitoba. By Rev. E.L. Mullally. Sponsors - Mr and Mrs. Michael Gosselin. As recorded in the Baptismal Register of this church."
[handwritten]
"Parents: August Gaudry and Elizabeth McGillis
Grandparents: Moses Gaudry and Madalaine LeCerte (french)
Joseph McGillis and Margret Thomas (scotch & native)
Gaudry's from Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan
McGillis's from Montana, U.S.A.
Married - Shirley Ann Jessup, daughter of Frederick Elijah Jessup and Mary Elizabeth Crittenden, on March 23, 1954.
Died - Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, 28 August, 1999. Funeral 31 August, 1999, burial - Hudson Bay Roman Catholic Cemetery
Marriage record for August Gaudry and Elizabeth McGillis: in Montana - Glasgow, Montana."
Having the names of the grandparents proved to be the magic lead, but it wasn't until Christmas holidays that I had time to follow it up. In the meantime, I had done more general research, and posted queries on a couple of Roots Web message boards. <http://www.RootsWeb.com>. I looked for family members in the Canadian Public Archives military records and land records, <http://www.archives.ca/o2/0201_e.html> but still hadn't placed the individuals I found in those sources in the context of the whole family. I had also spent time surfing the Willow Tree Website, <http://members.shaw.ca/rominator/> which linked many of the residents of Willow Bunch into extended families.
When I finally sat down with all the information, and went back to the message boards, I quickly found that the pieces began to fit together.
If I replaced the "August" who was father of August married to Elizabeth McGillis with "Moses" or rather "Moise", it fit in with the conversation between two Gaudrys who were searching for family connections on-line on the message boards. One of them, Ernie, said he had a grandfather "Moise Gaudry". I began a correspondence with him, and he soon assured me that I had found the right family. He had an Uncle August and Aunt Lizzie who had a son, Gus, his cousin.
I then went back to the Willow Tree site, and traced out the Gaudry ancestry line back to St. Boniface in the early 19th century. Ernie Gaudry said he had traced them back to the 15th century, using the internet.
Here, then is the whole line.
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Editorial Crossing Borders in Metis Genealogy Metis space ignores the border between Canada and the United States because it pre-dates it.
The fact of the Metis existence in Canada was reinforced and upheld by the Seven Oaks Incident in 1816, the Manitoba Rebellion of 1869/70 and the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. Metis existence in the United States was never acknowledged in the same way, although there were places where the Metis communities bridged the border. Branches of the same peoples who dominated the early history of Manitoba had established settlements in three areas: around Pembina, North Dakota; the Turtle Mountain Reserve and the Oregon/Montana territories. As well, the fluidity of the fur trade spread the people south through Minnesota to St. Louis, Missouri, center of the American fur trade.
In recent years, with the increased acceptance of aboriginal identity and the flood of interest in Metis genealogy, many families are discovering that they have cross-border ties. Some of the families are also discovering how difficult cross-border research can be. Collections and researchers with western Canadian information may not have any knowledge of American communities. American researchers may be limited in their understanding of Canadian collections.
Those interested in American Metis research should visit Gail Morin's web-page <http://www.televar.com/~gmorin/> for some leads and additional information. As well, her data-base, available in the Glenbow Museum, and I believe, in her first publication [Metis Families, http://www.quintinpublications.com/metis.html], has lineages for many of the American Metis families.
Another site of interest is titled "The Mountain Men" and focuses on the American fur traders. It can be found at http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtmen/ [check] It links to much useful information, as well as copies of fur trade journals from the far west.
American Metis
A quick search of the internet revealed a variety of sites on the American Metis: one quite old, a couple around five years old, and several very new. They define themselves in a variety of ways, some of which differ from the definitions used here. The list that follows is organized by the age of the site. National American Metis Association This site has been in existence since 1978. They say "We can not understand boundaries and borders." They include all "mixed-blood" peoples as Metis. Association of Southern Metis This site has been in existence sine 1996. They say "This is a Métis Movement, an awakening and coming together, a time for voices to be heard and action to be taken."
Their membership statement: What is Métis? Basically, anyone of Native American /aboriginal and "other" ancestry. Metisgen genealogy page This site links you to 5 separate Metis genealogy sites [one of them being "Titameg's Children", which includes the McKay's and Favells] and invites you to join a Metis genealogy discussion group. United American Metis Society This site has been in existence since 1999.
The United American Metis Sciety was founded by Manny Two-Feathers. They say "Metis (may-tee) - A person of mixed blood who is of Indigenous American heritage. Mixed with European, Asian, African descent, or any combination thereof." | |
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Researching Serendipity in the Glenbow.
On a recent visit to the Glenbow Museum in Calgary with Mary Black-Rogers, I had the pleasure of meeting Donald Smith, long-time subscriber to Canada Tree and Professor of History at the University of Calgary. As well as bringing Mary Black-Rogers to the Museum Archives, he was searching for material on a McKay descendant who was connected to the Brays. I was researching for a presentation at the Women's History Conference at the University of Calgary in June. I was also trying to find material on McKay descendants. Mr. McCloy had told me a story, and I was tracking down his sources.
Along the way, I decided to request the newspaper clippings that my mother had donated to the Glenbow in the 1970s, to nail down a fact for the screenplay on which I was working. Donald Smith had just shown me the reference to the Bray family book in the last newsletter, and I had told him I had just seen it listed in Mr. McCloy's collection. It wasn't available in the Glenbow library.
Then he looked at what I was examining, and asked if there might be anything relating to his individual in the clippings. We quickly looked and found two different articles. He declared them very useful and expressed his amazement at how quickly the information came together. In our excitement, I did forget to suggest that he look in the photo archives for more on his individual.
And that's why I love going to the Archives. Sometimes you have just the information someone else needs, and sometimes, someone else has just the clue you are seeking.
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