More from Marc Rouleau

Interesting...

I've got an idea. It's tantalizing, but not a sure thing yet.

As I mentioned before, the Rouleau Association found a marriage between "Adolphe Rouleau" and "Josephine Neveu" from Ste. Martine, QC on February 11, 1861, and baptismal records of Josephine Marie Rouleau on November 29, 1861 and for Celina Rouleau on Ocober 11, 1866 (both in Ste. Martine, although I have other notes that says they were baptised in St. Chrysostome).

Your U.S. census records notes show that "Charles and Josephine Rouleau" had a daughter Josephine born in Canada in 1861 or 1862. I now think that this Josephine is the Josephine Marie, daughter of "Adolphe and Josephine." Now, there is no Celina Rouleau on the 1870 or 1880 U.S. census. Why? A lot of children died early in life, even into the 20th century. Maybe that's why we don't see Celina. But what about Henry? He was born in Canada, according to the 1870 U.S. census. One possibility is that the record is in another parish, but that seems unlikely since Henry was born between Josephine and Celina, and they seem to have been baptised in the same parish. Perhaps the record is in Ste. Martine/St. Chrysostome, but maybe the priest wrote the record with Charles listed as the father (people often got written up in records under their second names), and the researcher did not figure that Adolphe and Charles were the same person. Or maybe the family was already in their wandering period which later led them to upstate New York where Mary was born.

What would we need to show definitively that Charles and Adolphe are actually the same person? Maybe we won't be able to know with 100% certainty. If you could find a baptismal record for Adolphe and found he was really "Adolphe Charles" that would be the best case. If you could find Henry (Henri)'s baptismal record maybe that would help.

What do you think?
Marc