For this week in Amy Johnson Crow’s genealogist challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I am going to write about my maternal 2nd great-grandfather, Hyacinth Pelletier (1849-1911).

Researching my maternal ancestors has been a rather difficult process. In the case of my 2nd great-grandfather I believe some sort of transcription error occurred in several Canadian census records.

Just below you can see Hyacinth and his wife living near Crooked Lake in the Assiniboia area of the Territories in the 1901 Census. They’re recorded as being ‘F.B.’, Roman Catholics, with their mother tongue being French. I wasn’t sure what ‘F.B.’ meant but a look at what the Métis National Council had on information about the 1901 Census indicates that this was how enumerators recorded individuals with mixed blood. In this case, Hyacinth and his wife are what they described as being ‘French breeds’. A look at the LAC had on the census also noted that Aboriginal tribes would have been traced through their mothers and the specific tribe name was to be recorded. It is interesting to note that this was not done by the enumerator.

1901

I’ve been unable to find Hyacinth and his wife in the 1906 census. Furthermore, something odd occurs in the census records that follow. Hyacinth Pelletier is now a widowed woman. She is recorded as being Cree, Roman Catholic, and can speak ‘Indian’ and French. She is also living with her son Joseph Pelletier (1876-?) and their family.

1911

Hyacinth is then recorded as living with her son Joseph Pelletier as well as her nephew and niece Emmanuel and Angelique LeRat in the 1916 Census. The same information from the 1911 Census is recorded regarding her race, religion, and languages.

1916

Hyacinth is then recorded as living with her son Joesph Pelletier and his family in the 1921 Census. She is recorded as being blind while the same information is recorded for race and religion, however she is recorded as being unable to speak French.

1921

The changes in the census records from 1911 to 1921 make me believe that the person recorded as ‘Hyacinth Pelletier’ is in reality his wife Julienne LaVallee (1853) and that Hyacinth must has died sometime before the 1911 census. If I could find either person in the 1906 census it would make matters a little clearer but it could be the case the Hyacinth passed away before the 1906 census. Furthermore, my knowledge of Julienne as his wife and the rest of the family is murky at best as I used unsourced family trees from Ancestry. I do know from speaking with family that we are related to the LaVallee and LeRat family names but I have no firm knowledge on specifics.