A Better Way

We all knew that Papa was pretty shrewd and could always find the best way to get things done. Even though that could be a trait that might become annoying to a wife, this is one of the times it paid off for him.

More Baby Theresa

I came across this in the packing, it starts in english and goes into French after the Godparents, so that part is my translation

June 30, 1934

My name is Marie Therese Beauregard
243 Campbell, Detroit, Michigan
I born today, Saturday at 8 O'clock a.m.
My mother: Alberta Dalpe
My father: Azarias Beauregard
Doctor Durocher - paid $30.00
No nurse
Godfather: Eddie Beauregard
Godmother: Germaine Laplante
Baptized Sunday July 1, 1934 at 3 O'clock in the afternoon at Holy Redeemer Church at Junction and Vernor Highway in Detroit, Michigan
Weight - 9 1/2 lbs
First smile: June 30, 1934
Died - July 2, 1934 at 7 O'clock p.m.
Buried July 3, 1934 at 3 O'clock p.m. at Holy Cross cemetery.
Description of my place at the cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Detroit Michigan
Burial No. 30943
Grave No. 841
Lot No. 2
Section N
Deceased baby Theresa Beauregard
Undertaker A.L. Kent Co.
Office 8850 Dix Ave, Phone Cedar 0545
Supertendant residence 8930 Dix Ave. Phone Cedar 0545

The cause of her death, (my translation) Something broken in her stomach and she was spitting up black blood. (written French) Quelques chose de brisee en dedans de son estomac et elle remoyait du sang noir.

Flowers
grave blanket of white carnations from her father and mother
crown of white and yellow roses from her Godfather and Godmother

Serious packing

Its beginning to feel a lot like I'm going to move. Stephanie came over today and we got into some serious packing. The entire linnen cupboard upstairs is empty. The other hall cupboard has only towels and toiletries that I'm bringing with me. Stephanie took home a lot of stuff that I didn't want to just throw out or give to Purple Heart. Gretchen had already taken all the pictures with her. We went through and discarded a ton of greeting cards I had been saving for some reason.

There were a few other things mixed in with the greeting cards that Steph made me save. Like a letter from Adrienne that began with the sentence "I hate Gretchen" and the last sentence was the same. Steph thought Adrienne would get a kick out of getting it back.

We went through the green folder in my dresser drawer. It was a multi-pocketed folder wherein each of my children had a separate pocket in which I kept report cards, school pictures, birth certificates etc. It didn't take long for the green folder to overtake the whole drawer.

You now each have separate folders and Steph took all of Karl's stuff.

Its really just a drop in the bucket, but it seems huge right now.

Camping and Salvation Army

From John

Spending a week every year at the Salvation Army Camp (summer camp) with Ma (but no men were allowed). Maybe you and Monica might remember this as well.

from Monica
Do you remember at that Salvation Army summer camp there was a little boy who took a liking to ma, and he would sit next to her at the table with us to eat. One time when ma had a piping hot cup of tea, he rolled his hands over the steam of her cup, saying, "oh, that's nice & warm." Ma said to him "get your hands away from my tea!" (You know, little boy-dirty hands and germs and all.) I wouldn't have wanted his dirty hands rolled over my tea either.

from Paulette
I think we went to this Salvation Army camp just one time. Rita was 12 and I was 8. It was just mothers and children. Boys were housed separately but because Gabby was only 6 (or maybe 5 if it was before his birthday) he was allowed to stay with Mama and us. The little boy of the dirty hands belonged to a woman who was housed with us. She had one other daughter with her who was about Rita's age. I thought she was much poorer than us because her daughter did not have a bathing suit and went swimming in her underpants. Mama was scandalized, and thought she was too old to be doing that.

Families whose boy children were housed separately were still seated together for meals which is why the dirty handed (and they were always dirty) kid was at our table. It was cold when we were rousted out of our beds in the mornings and made to go to the dining hall for breakfast and he did like to warm his hands over Mama's hot tea.

On Sunday morning we were obliged to attend the Christian service with songs and sermons but that wasn't enough for Mama, after the service we met in our cabin and got down on our knees to say the rosary. Since the other lady was also Catholic Mama offered for her to join us. She accepted and called her daughter to come in. When the girl was leaving her friends to come in she explained to them that she had to go in to say the "rosalie or something like that" and she would be back shortly.

We learned lots of songs and games and did crafts. Mama got rid of us for long periods during each day and she didn't have to fix any meals, so it probably was more of a vacation for her than for us.

Somebody in the parish had told Mama that this camp was available to the underprivileged and I remember going on the streetcar with her and having trouble finding the building on Bagley where we had to go to sign up. I don't remember if any of the other kids came with us or not.



from John
Going to day camp one day per week in the summers.

from Paulette
Oh, boy, Day Camp. We used to have to walk, early in the morning, to the pick up spot. One year I remember being picked up at Wilson School, another time at Harms School. We would bring a bag lunch and the busses would take us to Rouge park where we would have organized games and crafts. There was usually a day during the week that was designated as Swimming day when we went to Rouge Pools (I think that's what it was called). After my first swim day Marcel asked me if we had swum with black kids. I said yes, we had and he said "And did it come off." I thought that was a mean thing for him to say. We had very little contact with black people and I don't remember being acquainted with any of them or having any interaction other than sharing a swimming pool.

Farms, Paper Drives and Ice Cream

Farms
from John
Going to the Ford garden with Pa where we used to pick our own vegetables.

from Monica
I don't remember going to the Ford farm to pick vegetables. I know that Marcel & Bernie did some planting, etc (farming or whatever) to grow those vegetables, and miraculously we had all of these tomatoes (maybe you, Gabby, helped to pick them, but I don't remember ever being there myself). Pa would wash all of the tomatoes, and he had these little wooden pint boxes he would fill them with tomatoes, and we would put them in the wagon & go around the neighborhood selling them for 10 cents a box. The neighbors were always glad to see us when we came by with those great tomatoes. Sometimes, to my chagrin, a person would go through a few of our boxes and create their own version of 10 cents worth.

from Marcel
Ford Trade School had gardens for the boys to work on. Henry Ford believed that everybody should know how to farm, just as he did when he was a youth. We always ate the corn that we brought home but had a surfeit of tomatoes. I was so pleased that I did not have to go and sell those tomatoes and felt a little sorry for you girls having to do it. Only now I find out you did not mind at all, and it was easy.

from Bernie
I DO NOT REMEMBER ANY OF YOU CLEANING THE HOUSE. I DID PLANT AND PICK TOMATOES THOUGH.

from Paulette
It was only recently that Marcel mentioned that Mama used to let us keep part of the money we got for the tomatoes. I don't remember ever seeing any of it. Maybe that's why Rita used to be able to buy us broken chips at the Better Made place on Vernor on the way to the show. I remember one year getting and being expected to eat purple corn. I remember the wonderful smells coming from the basement when Mama made her "ketchup" after the tomato harvest.

Paper drives
from John
I remember going up and down the street collecting newspapers with my wagon for the annual
church paper drive. Did any of you do that?

from Monica
Paper drives, yes St. Gabriel School would sponsor it once a year. They made it a contest between the grades. I remember one year my 5th grade class won. We had such a sport of a nun, she even made up a song for us which we sang every day during the drive. How could we lose? I think we got a day off from school as the prize. What a payoff!

from Paulette
Was that just once a year. It seems like it was pretty often. It must have been for several days at a time because I remember bringing my wagonload to the school driveway and watching them load it (and tally for my classroom) and heading out again to get more. And then starting all over again the next day. One year our nun assigned a "buddy" so no one would be canvassing alone. I got stuck with a lazy little Mexican boy named Manuel (we pronounced it with three syllables)


Ice cream
from John
Going to the out door ice cream social on the corner of Mulane and Gartner (I think). I think it was a church or VFW that sponsored the event. I think you were supposed to pay to get in but I used to just walk in without paying. Boy that ice cream was good (and all you could eat).

from Monica
Once a year in the summer the Baptist Church held an ice cream social on their church grounds. The congregation purchased coupons for ice cream on a paper plate. It was outside with big tables to sit. It was just at the end of our alley, and we would walk over there and look through the fence at all these people, with these heaping plates of ice cream. Once in a while, a man would walk over and give one of us a coupon & we would go through the gate and get a plate of it. I don't think I ever tasted vanilla ice cream any better than that!

from Marcel
The place that had the ice cream socials was the Masonic Temple on the corner of Lawndale and Senator. Ernest Butler was a member of the DeMolay at that Temple.

from Paulette
Marcel is right it was a Masonic Temple. The lot right on the corner of Lawndale and Senator was vacant and that's where the ice cream social was. The temple was next to that on Lawndale and then Pop's grocery store. Then the Navy bar, and right on the corner of Navy and Lawndale was a cleaners. On the corner of Mulane and Gartner was a store we called Kretchman's (sp). Do any of you remember the Red Store (corner of Mulane and Senator) and the Brown Store (on Mulane between Senator and Whittaker)?

I don't remember looking at the ice cream through the fence (was there a fence?), I remember being given tickets and standing in line for the ice cream. I just assumed it was all free. Probably the Masons took pity on us poor little Catholic children.

Beaches & French Fries

From John
Going to Jefferson Beach with the whole family on Sundays and swimming in Lake St Claire. Ma would bring a picnic lunch. I remember once Rita brought Jim Sheedy and he accidentally stepped in Ma's apple pie. I remember we all had bad sunburns and we hurt all the way home in the car.

from Monica
Lake St. Claire-During the summer, every Sunday we went on a picnic over there (summers are short in Michigan), always got sunburned pretty good from one week to the next. One year Sunday was immediately followed by the 4th of July and we HAD to go again. I felt like I went dragging and kicking the whole way; my skin burned so bad already. Didn't we use suntan lotion in those days? Remember the Uncle who had a French-fry stand over there, and he would give us these paper containers full of hot French-fries, he had some sort of vinegar to put on them. Ummmm so good.

I don't remember Jim stepping in the pie on a picnic, but I do remember that during the winters, Ma used the back porch, right in the corner by the door, to keep big pots of soup for the next day, no room in the fridge for that. And Jim was leaving, going out the back door and he wasn't looking, and stepped on the cover of that pot, and it caved, and his foot, shoe, pants, and all we soaking wet with cold soup. He was so embarrassed, I felt bad for him. Of course, we didn't have soup the next day.

from Marcel
I do remember the apple pie incident. My recollection is that we ate it anyway. The person with the french fries was not an uncle, he was Paul Gelinas. His trick was to put orange rind in his grease which gave it additional flavor. Paul was a piano tuner by trade.

from John
I don't remember actually eating the pie but now that you mention it I recall Mama arguing that since it was covered by a piece of wax paper it would be OK to eat. Yuuuk.


from Paulette
Before we started going to Maceday Lake it was to Belle River in Canada. Then for some reason we stopped going to Canada and started going to beaches way on the east side of detroit. Jefferson Beach, Willow Beach and finally St. Clair Beach. We used to go swimming every Sunday during the summer. Mama would go to an early Mass and while the rest of us were at church she would pack up the lunch and other paraphernalia and it would all be sitting on a corner of the back porch when we got home. All we had to do was change clothes, load up the car and we were on our way.
Before we had coolers like we use today, Papa used to have a big galvanized tub covered with a tarp and he would get a block of ice and cool his beer in it. I don't know if they also cooled soft drinks, I know we never got any.

There were usually extended family and friends there also. I'm pretty sure it was at St. Clair Beach that Paul Gelinas had the french-fry booth. Mama told me he got the good flavor in the french fries oil by frying fruit and putting in a teaspoon of vanilla. She started doing that and I continued that with my kids, but the only fruit I ever had was apples. In later days Paul opened a fast food restaurant on Vernor near Dix. Where the muslim temple is now.

I remember getting home on Sunday nights, sleepy, tired, and sun burned. I also remember the year that the 4th of July fell on Monday and we had to start the whole cycle again. I guess we usually had a week in between for the sunburns to level out a little. That day sitting crowded in the back seat was more torture that usual. I don't remember if we sang that day. We three girls, sitting in the back seat is where we did a lot of singing and harmonizing. Whenever Marcel was with us he joined in. I don't remember either of the other boys ever joining in.

I remember having to unload the car and take care of putting away the picnic stuff and hanging out the wet bathing suits and towels when we got home. Ma always said she would get everything ready but when we got home her shift was over. She went in the house and relaxed. I adopted that attitude with my own family.

Schoolgrounds, Shows and Johnies

From John
Playing baseball at Bennett school and climbing the school roof to get free balls. I used to climb the side of the building using the ledges and window sills. When I got older I would carry Pa's ladders to the playground to get to the school roof. That is where I got almost all my baseballs, one basketball and one football.

Do you (Marcel) recall trying to teach me to play football in the Bennett school playground? I do. But I don't remember ever actually carrying the ball much less catching a pass.

We all had some fun back then even though we had little money and our fair share of family problems.


From Marcel
I remember climbing the side of that school myself. The first time I had seen it done was by Buck Mulligan. Given the finger strength at that time it was easy.

from John
Climbing that school by the ledges seems a lot scarier today than it did when I was 10 or 12. However, I doubt it is any riskier than the rock climbers do these days (and they are old enough to know better).

From Paulette
Bennett schoolground - if we had a nickel for each hour we spent there. It was just across the alley and through a yard and across Senator. I remember that Mama was able to stand on the back porch and look for you guys and send us to get you to come home to dinner. I also remember that Mrs. Clark, across Navy from us used to holler for Donald.

I remember the guys climbing up on the roof to get baseballs but I thought it was just when one was hit up there and it had to be retrieved to continue the game.


Movie shows
From John:
Going to The Capitol (movie theater) on Vernor Highway on Saturday morning. We got to see two full length movies, a comedy and some newsreals all for about a nickel. I think Ma gave me the nickel just to get me away from her for almost the whole day. On the way home Bob Mealback and I would recreate the action scenes from the movie. I distinctly remember pretending to be Zorro (or Superman). We would get home late in the afternoon (for supper). Those were fun times.

Bernie, I vaguely recall that you were an usher at the Capitol. Do you recall the emergency exit door near the right front of the theater. The door latched on the inside and it lead out to an outdoor corridor that opened out onto Vernor. Bob Mealback and I used to sneak in to the show through that door sometimes. One of us would pay to get in then sit near that exit. When the usher was not looking he would quickly open the exit (which was shielded by a curtain) and the other(s) would run in and quickly sit down as if they were there all the time. What a thrill! We got the idea by seeing others do it first. Did you ever catch anyone doing that?

From Bernie
I WORKED AT THE CAPITOL FOR 2 YEARS. SERGEANT YORK PLAYED AND IT WAS VERY POPULAR. IT PLAYED FOR OVER A WEEK AND I SAW IT ABOUT 30 TIMES. IT WAS ON TV LAST MONTH AND I SAW IT AGAIN. IT WAS STILL GOOD.


From Monica:
So you went to the Capitol theatre on Saturdays? So that's why you were never around when the 3 of us girls cleaned the house on Saturdays and always ended up in major arguments over who was going to do what rooms, etc. And Ma would walk to the grocery store on Saturday mornings and do her shopping. Pretty sharp mother we had.

from Bernie
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN MORE ARGUING THAN CLEANING. I DO NOT REMEMBER THE HOUSE EVER BEING SUPER CLEAN.

from Paulette
I was never aware that Gabby was going to the show on Saturday afternoons. Its like the Capitol was the "boy" show and the Rio was the "girl" show. So if we cleaned house while you were gone to the show, what did you do on Sundays while we went.

Johnies Sweet Shop

from John:
Walking to Johnies and trying to talk Rita into serving me a free ice cream float. She never did. Later I tried it with Monica but she never did either.

from Marcel:
There is only one Beauregard that would do what you asked, all others would refuse.

From Paulette:

Monica worked at Johnies first and he was so pleased with her work he asked if there were any more at home like her and lucky for him there was. I started at Johnies on March 1, 1952. Rita never worked there. I don't remember you ever trying to get anything free from me, but it wouldn't have worked. I don't think I ever even ate a spoonful if ice cream that I hadn't paid for. I wish I could say I have been that honest all my life but when I used to do my income taxes while I had the house on Navy with the rental unit upstairs, I would drop to the bottom line to see how much I could get away with getting back and then work up to itemize my house income and expenses.

I loved working at Johnies. That's where I got my first taste of bookkeeping. I was working there when Social Security taxes first came into his life. It meant a lot more work in doing payroll and I was there to help him figure out the forms and the deductions. I think the deduction was 1/4 of 1 percent each from the employee and the employer at that time.

It was also during that job that I gave up the idea of ever being a teacher. Bernie dropped a comment about the time I was starting high school that we girls should become teachers and we could make as much as $2.00 per hour. Well, while working at Johnies and watching those kids from Wilson that used to come in after school, they were horrid. The day they bragged that they had made the teacher cry, and that they had thrown her chair out the window, I decided that wasn't for me.

Goodfellows

From Gabby:
I read your input about Monica you mentioned getting charity boxes of clothes. That reminded me of the free (I think) salvation army shoes we used to get once a year round Christmas time (I think).
I remember Ma would take us all on a bus to somewhere downtown (I think). I was about 6 or 7 years old. I don't remember Marcel or Bernie being there but maybe
they were (there may have been an age limit). I remember the shoe place was a very very large room with a very high ceiling (about 15 feet high) and huge round columns rising to the ceiling. It was crowded and noisy. It seemed to me to be controlled chaos. The shoes were not very stylish but they were very well made and sturdy. I never got a choice of styles, If they fit I had to take them. Then we were good
till next year. Being older than me maybe you or Monica remember this better than I and can fill in more of the details and put it on your Blog.

From Monica:
Those shoes came from a certificate in the Christmas boxes brought to our house from The Good fellows. Berni & Marcel were too old, but the 4 of us each got a big, long cardboard box from the Good fellows. The girls box always had a doll, some underwear, and I donÂ’t know what else, but always the certificate to go downtown and get some shoes. We all rode the streetcar with Ma (I think that was our only outing once a year with Ma by herself). I hated those clunky brown shoes, but they did last until the next year.

From Marcel:
We got shoes from the Goodfellows, a Christmas Charity. There was an age limit and that is why Bernie and I did not go when you went. When Bernie and I went it was probably to the same place, with the same confusion and disorganization. I was struck by all the blacks that were there, each time we went. The Goodfellows were good at raising money and distributing Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve. Their motto was "No kid without a Christmas". I think our family owes something to the Goodfellows for the charity they gave us when we were younger.

From Paulette:
The Goodfellows and the Salvation Army are two charities that I never minded donating to. They were both a part of our lives. Those goodfellow christmas boxes were very exciting when I was very young. You can bet we never would have gotten dolls like that every year otherwise. In later years I remember going to the Rotunda and seeing all the dolls on display. The goodfellows used to pass out dolls to women in large workplaces and these women would dress the dolls and give them back to be distributed to poor little girls (us). They may still do that. I also remember a year when Mama and Mrs. Gervais dressed dolls for us. Mine was dressed in green, and the other two were yellow and purple. I don't remember who got which.

Oh the shoes. I don't know what "styles" Gabby is talking about in boy shoes. Those all looked alike to me anyways. But the girls. When all my friends were wearing Mary Janes and loafers, we had "nun" shoes.

I remember when Rita graduated in age from getting a doll as her special treat into getting a book. I felt very sorry for her but maybe she was of an age to like the book better. I don't know what Gabby got in lieu of a doll or a book but there must have been a "boy" treat for kids his age.

Weren't the Goodfellows the "Old Newsboys". Don't they still sell special edition newspapers on streetcorners to raise money to make sure there is "No child without a Christmas"?

Correction

You guys have to remember that these blog facts are not written in stone. They are the recollections of my young life. Turns out I was way wrong about the Eldege family boys' citizenship and birthplaces. The Eldege family moved back to Canada shortly after the birth of Laurent who is only 3 weeks younger than Uncle Marcel. So only John Robert and Laurent had citizenship as adults. Marc came in and applied for citizenship the old fashioned way. At the time he married Jeannette he was a green card holder and required to register annually.

Jeannette told me about a time that two immigration officers showed up at their house ready to pick him up for not registering. All of you must know by now that Beauregards are "take care of business" kind of people and those officers were just wrong. Marc convinced them that he had indeed registered (he must have had paperwork) and they left him alone.

Gabby and Monica have sent long emails about recollections of their own and ideas for future blogs. I have copied those into a file and will do some editing and put them into posts. Stay tuned for further developments

Scholarship & Citizenship

Mama and Papa became U.S. citizens. I know they had to go to school for this and I know that they both went to night school and completed their 8th grade education. One of them had completed grade 6 as a child and the other only grade 3. I forget which was which. This 8th grade education was completed in English so they first had to learn to speak and read and write in English.

One story from their English classes concerns the picture book used in their class. There was a picture of a girl holding a glass of water. The text under the picture said "She has a glass." Mama, who was the faster learner, knew what it said and was quizzing Papa. He looked at the picture, saw the word She (it should be noted here that the word she in French is a form of the verb "to shit" in fact it means "is shitting") and of course his answer was "The girl is shitting in the glass".

Mama was a quick study and loved learning and school in general. She told me of a time as a very young child when she was staying with one of her older sisters. Another side note is that Mama was the second last in a line of 14 children. Most of her siblings were a lot older than her. We knew and visited with her younger sister Reine, and one brother Euclid.

I know there was another brother Arthur who was the last remaining at the homestead (which in Mama's youth included a general store and the post office, but in later years might have been just the farm). Arthur married late enough in life that I was aware that it was happening and then the new wife inherited the property. I got the impression that it was an irritant but not a really big deal.

Anyways, this older sister was a school teacher in a one room schoolhouse that had attached living quarters, lets call it a bedroom, for the teacher. Mama was admonished to stay in the bedroom while school was in session. She just couldn't do it. She kept creeping out into the schoolroom. She liked listening to the lessons and figuring out the answers. Finally the sister brought a chair into the doorway, and let her sit just inside the bedroom with the door open so she could watch and listen. I imagine she recognized a kindred spirit in me when I asked as a toddler "Why don't you let me go to school."

We were working in the kitchen of the house in Allen Park when she told me this story. She paused and said "I can hardly believe I'm the same person as that little girl. But I know it was me, I've been with me ever since". (Rough translation from the French).

Citizenship was offered by this country of ours to all children born within its borders. Eldege had several boys that were born during his stay in Detroit. As far as I know they started with John Robert and ended with Marc. That would mean John Robert, Laurent, Julian and Marc were U.S. citizens. In order to maintain their U.S. citizenship they were required at some age to live in the U.S. and at different times, John Robert, Laurent and Marc all lived with us on Navy street. Could have been for weeks, months, or years. I just know they were there, and then they weren't. I assume Julian opted not to take advantage of maintaining dual citizenship.

I remember that being drafted into the service was a concern of each of them. I believe Laurent was 4F, possibly the beginnings of the ailment that he ultimately died from. Marc married young and started a family which exempted him but John Robert did indeed have to serve. I have never met a person before or since that was so bitter about his Army experiences. Get him to tell you about it sometimes.

What with having to serve so unwillingly in the army, you might say John Robert paid dearly for his citizenship and all of his children were citizens. John's first marriage failed at some point and his wife, Loretta, moved with the minor children, back to Canada. Things happened, laws changed, laws changed back.

John's son Paul, who lives in Fowlerville got caught in the middle. There is a 3 or 4 year period of either U.S. or Canadian law where dual citizenship was no longer offered. Where you lived at the age of your majority was your country. Paul found himself without U.S. citizenship. I don't know what his status is, but he was unable to get a U.S. passport. His recourse was to apply for citizenship through regular channels with the normal requirements of sponsorship and waiting periods. He was a little bitter of being caught in this position and he stubbornly resisted for years, but now with the tightening of our borders, and his mother guilting him that he won't be able to come to her funeral, I think he has finally taken out his citizenship papers.

How Many Beauregards

How many Beauregards you ask. Sean asked actually. Well, in the family of Leon and Louisa there were 14. Since you know there were 10 girls you can do the math. Besides Eldege, and Papa, there were Gerard and Robert.

Robert was hurt from a fall out of a tree as a child which left him crippled for life. I remember seeing him on our first trip out there and he was short and deformed and I'm ashamed to say, I was afraid of him. He never married or had children.

Gerard had a farm about a mile away from the old homestead and I can only remember 4 of their kids, so I don't know if there were more than that or not.

I already mentioned that Mama had 7 children in 10 years. My own first 4 were born in 4 years but the baby birthing championship goes to Pat who had 6 in 5 years.


In my scope of knowledge however, the longevity birthing championship goes to Yvonne (Eldege's wife) who had 16 children in 22 years. We know one only lived a few days and is buried in Detroit. Two others, Luc, born in 1939 and Francoise, born in 1941 had died before I became aware of the family.

This picture of the family was taken at the parents 50th wedding anniversary. As far as I know only Laurent has since died and they have 12 surviving siblings.

In 1996 I was in Canada for a birthday party the kids gave for their mother (her 94th birthday) and they did a count of progeny. She had 51 grandchildren, 105 great grandchildren and 17 great, great grandchildren.

I have been trying to keep a family tree for the Azarias family and I'll see how I can put that into a posting.

Surviving Tantes

These are the surviving Beauregard Tantes.

Julia, Monique and Alfreda in that order. The fourth one, Marie Clair was disabled by an anurism many years ago and lives in a nursing home.

The party Tim referred to is one I'm not familiar with and maybe he can fill us in on his impressions of the Canadian connection. The only guy I can think of that was ordained would be Dennis Pion (of the first batch of Pions whose mother was Flor). He became a Jesuit priest. His older sister Jennine married into the Bombadier family. Y'all probably don't know that Joseph Bombadier invented the snowmobile, branched into SkiDos, SeaDos and I think they are even into aeronautics now.

Dennis was Monica's age and was always one of my favorites because he was english speaking, even when we were kids. I can't remember why those kids spoke english. Their dad (Leo Pion) was a barber in the town of Acton Vale. I don't remember that being a big town or anything.

Come to think of it, I think my mother's parents were english speaking. They operated the general store of Roxton Falls which included running the post office. My mother told me stories of how her dad used to write letters for people who couldn't write their own and post them to America for them.

Papa met her at that store and was worried because she was a year older than him. Not that the age made that much difference, but it meant that she would be on the dating market before him and might meet someone and not be available when he reached the age of dating. Dating in those days meant that you visited the girls family on Sundays.

I recently learned from Rita that when a courtship got really serious the young man was welcome to visit on Thursday evenings also. So, when she first started going out with Jim, he was allowed to come over on Sundays and Thursday nights.

Down on the Farm

I don't much remember our arrival in Canada, but I remember waking up on the farm. We children were housed at the Eldege household. Many of us slept up in the loft that they called "au troisieme" which means on the third floor. When John Denver came out with Grandma's Feather Bed it reminded me of those days.

The grandparents house was across the road and had indoor plumbing. Nobody had warned me that there might not be such a thing. Eldege had an indoor bathroom but there was nothing plumbed about it. It must have been a chemical toilet of some kind. They did have a pump at the sink so nobody had to carry water or anything. I don't know if they had a bathtub of any kind. We kids, my age and younger, were washed by adults. When it was time to get properly bathed and dressed for the party, Mama did all that at Grandma's house that had a proper bathroom.


In the kitchen at the Eldege house they had one of those big steel wood stoves with at least 4 maybe 6 removable burners. It was a very modern one with a hot water reservoir on the side. It was the girls of the family that tended the stove. Put wood in the burner and lit the fire. It was so fascinating that they didn't use frying pans, eggs were placed right on the burner cover to cook.

I remember them covering the whole top with bread at breakfast time to make toast. Had to be at least a whole loaf at a time. They had a lot of growing boys who did a lot of heavy farmwork, not to mention all this visiting kids. Vonna and Tony were also there for the party with their six kids.

I have no idea what they did for refrigeration. There was a celler that one or another of the children would be sent to but I never was brave enough to go with them. We had a refrigerator at our house in Detroit. Vonna and Tony still had an ice box on their back porch and the ice man delivered ice. But down on the farm they didn't even have an ice man. I must have siblings that know more about that part than I do.

The twins, Fleur Aimee and Fleur d'Ange were my age and we hung out together. I went with them to get the cows in the afternoons. It was a longer walk than I was used to and up a couple of hills. They showed me their school house on the way. I didn't go with them to the barn to milk the cows in the mornings (too early) or in the afternoon either (too stinky). Plus, those big boys thought it was very funny to squirt milk at us. I'm thinking now that Rita and Monica were of an age to maybe do a little flirting (16 and 14) but I was oblivious to it then.

The barn, the smell, the flies There were dogs and puppies, cats and kittens, and I don't know what all; and we had free access to all of that. We rode on the hay wagon and I saw a picture of me on a horse but I don't remember riding him.

One treat for me was being exempt from Sunday Mass because there was insufficient transportation. The older adults traveled in Papa's Hudson and the younger adults hitched up the horses and buggies. I remember the confusion of transporting to Mass but I don't remember anything about how we all got to the party.

This picture of Grandma and Grandpa and eight of their ten daughters (collectively known as Les MaTantes) was taken at that party. One dauthter Jeanne who also lived in Detroit, did not attend. The other missing daughter was Flor who died young after bearing six children. When she died, a younger sister, Monique was sent into this motherless family to keep house for them. She ended up marrying her brother-in-law (Leo Pion) and bearing him six more children.

Les MaTantes who survive today are Alfreda, Julia, Monique and Marie Clair. One hundred and five years after the first sibling was born, that ain't bad.

On the Road

The education of travel is real. In 1949 we took a family trip to Canada. To us Canada meant the rural area of Quebec northeast of Montreal where our parents came from.

I learned on that trip that feet could swell to a point that you couldn't get your shoes back on. This happened to Mama. I remember the poor thing having to hobble to a gas-station bathroom barefoot. I made a conscious decision that that would never happen to me, and it never has. Could be because footwear has improved a lot.

I learned of Mama's trick of traveling with salt and pepper mixed into one shaker. There were no restaurant stops for us. There were a plethora of roadside tables and Mama had packed plenty of food.

There were no freeways either and we drove through many, many small towns and one great big one - Toronto. Street signs and store fronts were all still in English but many were starting to be bilingual and we had lots of laughs at the French names of things. As we got into Quebec signs became all French. We were familiar with the spoken slang French, but the written word was something else. Jerry Lewis was pretty popular then and one of his comedic sayings was "Stop already" so when the stop signs said Stop - Arretez it made us laugh. Another really funny word was the French word for swimming pool when it was advertised at a hotel. We rather thought they should hide the fact that they had a "piscine".

In our suitcases were the first store-bought dresses I ever remembered. Mine certainly and probably the other girls too. Mine and Monica's were the same style and fabric but different colors. We were traveling with our best foot forward to meet the family. Those store-bought dresses were for the big anniversary party. Mama had a lacy aqua dress that I thought was the most beautiful I had ever seen. I don't remember one more beautiful at the party, and a lot of our Aunts had "money". That aqua dress didn't lose its "most beautiful" status in my eyes until I saw Pat in her wedding dress.

I would imagine that Marcel and Bernie helped with the driving. They would have been 19 and 17. Well maybe not Bernie. The trip takes almost 12 hours now, it must have been at least 18 or 20 back then, especially with all those stops.

There is not one single memory that I can attribute to on the way home. Just a lot of crying when we left Canada. I don't mean just me (although I did my bit), everybody cried, a lot. That's what our family did when parting company. Maybe because it used to be so long between visits. Even when people from Canada visited us in Detroit, the leavetaking always took place at the Ambassador Bridge and involved at least an hour of crying.

Paulette (Me)

I was a beautiful, delightful baby. How happy the family must have been to see me. I mean, think about it as girls go, we had timid, clingy Rita; stubborn, pouty Monica and me, a ray of sunshine.

Mama said I was always smiling and happy. I liked to rock. Papa loved to rock babies. We bonded. The newest baby slept in a rocking cradle in their bedroom. Mama said I used to wake them up, not hungry or dissatisfied, but sitting crossways in the cradle and rocking.

I remember the happiest of childhoods, I remember long days with Mama as she cooked in the kitchen. Once those other kids were gone to school I had her all to myself. I was jealous of those kids going to school though. I really wanted to go too. One day I asked Mama "Do you love me?" and she said she did so I said "Then why don't you let me go to school?"

When it was time for Papa to come home from work I would stand by the alley gate to see him come around the corner from Lawndale. As soon as he was visible, I would start running to him and he would scoop me up and carry me home. I remember running my hand on his beard growth and laughing as he kissed me on the eye.

Of course after we got home, it was Monica he took up on his lap to give her sips of his beer.

I think I was a "good" child. I usually tried to do what I was supposed to. I do remember though, that many times if I had done something wrong or "bad" it seemed to be the fault of my sisters for having "let" me do that. I remember feeling bad when they were yelled at or punished for something that was my fault.

I remember Rita threatening me once. There was something I wasn't supposed to do and she said "You'd better not do that, or you'll be sorry". I was very worried about being sorry. That seemed like a terrible fate. I tried to avoid having to be sorry.

I was so proud when I got bigger than Monica. (Not so proud about it now) All the relatives made a big fuss about me. I was smart too, in the "choose the nickel or the dime" game, they had laughed at Monica for choosing the nickel because it was bigger. I couldn't wait till it was my turn, and I chose the dime.

I remember being put on display at parties singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. In later years the three of us sang together, but that one was a solo. I don't know why, or if the other girls had solos too.

Pictures

I am trying to add another picture to the Uncle Marcel post that has Bernie in it also. I think it is too far back to go add pictures to each post. However, pictures are not cooperating with me today. I will try more later. My next piece is about my recollection of Marcel in the navy. I have pictures (if they will go up)

In the Navy

When I was about 10 years old Marcel joined the navy. It didn't make much difference in my day to day life, but, oh, the excitement when he came home on leave I don't know if Mama always knew when he was coming but it was usually a big surprise to me.

I remember times just before dinner when Marcel would come sauntering through the back gate. I don't know why I was so excited about that. It wasn't like he was going to spend his leave with me. One of the fascinating parts of his leaves was that they seemed to be measured by the hour. He would have a 36 hr. leave or a 72 hr. leave.

He took time during one of his leaves to teach Monica and Gabby how to do a handstand. (notice the pin curls in Monica's hair). During that handstand lesson Marcel also demonstrated his one-handed handstand. I was so impressed.

One day, dinner was ready and there was a big plate of Chocolate Drop Cookies in the middle of the table for desert. I seem to remember that it was Rita that did the baking of them, but knowing what I know now, I am doubting that memory. Anyways, Marcel came in the back door, spied the cookies and said "Oh, boy, hamburgers." We laughed.


The picture of Marcel in his sailor suit with Mama and Papa was taken in Canada in front of the Beauregard family farm house.

In 1949 we took a family trip to Canada. It was a big celebration. 50th Wedding anniversary of Papa's parents and 25th wedding anniversary of Mama and Papa. Marcel got leave to come with us. Pa had bought a Hudson (car) and evidently the seats were pretty wide because it fit all 8 of us. I remember Bernie and Gabby sitting in the front seat with Mama and Papa and we three girls were in the back, sitting on the edge of the seat or on the floor because Marcel was laying across the back seat sleeping.

I have some pictures and will do future posts about that trip.

Uncle John

John Gabriel Beauregard (hereinafter referred to as Gabby) was the last child to be born into the Azarias Beauregard household. As he neared his 2nd birthday Papa was heard to utter "We are going to be caught without a baby".

Being the most recent baby entitled you to all sorts of privileges. All those bigger kids were at your beck and call. All Beauregard children are intelligent and Gabby was among the best. It didn't take long (months) for him to have that "becking" and "Calling" down to an art form. It didn't affect me as much as the others because I was still pretty little and being the last girl, and being cute as the dickens, I was still enjoying privileges of my own.

Usually MRB privileges waned when the next baby was born. Gabby was able to carry these privileges well into his Grade School years and maybe beyond. I can remember instances of his chagrin when the outside world didn't share his parent's fascination with him. He truly expected all things to go his way. I think he used crying as a mechanism a little longer than the average kid his age.

When he was playing outside and things were not going according to his plan, he would slam through the back door and throw himself onto that dining room couch crying. Since it was on wheels, the couch would bounce off the kitchen wall so the whole household was aware of his presence. Marcel and Bernie had many a good laugh about this. Once, when they heard Gabby crying outside and were anticipating his next move, they playfully moved the couch out of its normal corner so that when Gabby threw himself into its customary spot, he hit the floor instead.

Gabby and I used to share comic books. Share might be too strong a word for what Gabby used to do. There was a used comic book store on Vernor near Lawndale. You could get well used comic books for 2 cents. Slightly used comic books were 5 cents and brand new ones were 10 cents. You could turn in the 2 cent comics for a penny so you only needed one more penny for each comic you bought.

I remember asking Gabby if I could read his comics once and he said "Beg me". While I was contemplating my best begging strategy he said "After you beg me enough, I'm going to say no". I might have hit him. He might have cried. I'm pretty sure I was bigger than him. Another time when I was looking forward to sneaking his comics after he went to bed he informed me "When I go to bed I'm going to keep them safe, under my pillow".

I'm not sure when Gabby managed to pick up the social skills he enjoys today. He turned out to be quite a delightful fellow in his adult years.

Baby Theresa

Things I know about Theresa


She was born during a hot month.  When the doctor was in the bedroom working on the delivery, he had a fan aimed to blow directly on himself. This meant that when the baby emerged, the first thing she felt was that blast of cold air from the fan. From the way Papa talked about it to me, I felt that he blamed that doctor for the fact that Theresa only lived a few days and that her cause of death was listed as Pneumonia.

I don't know if Marcel and Bernie attended the funeral, but one Sunday afternoon when the family was going to visit the gravesite Bernie ran over and picked up his little sand shovel. When Papa asked him why he wanted to bring that Bernie answered "To dig her up."

Theresa is buried in Holy Cross cemetery on Dix across from Patton Park. I think I only learned about that after Monica's baby Pamela died (February, 1960, I think) and was buried there also. After Pamela died, Papa bought a headstone for Theresa's grave.

After we moved into the Navy house, I went over to office of Holy Cross to locate the two gravesites. I learned then that there was another Beauregard baby buried there. One of Eldege's babies that had been born while the Eldege Beauregard family lived across Navy from our house. You may all remember that John Robert, Laurent, and Marc were all born in and had citizenship in the US of A.

This other Beauregard child (I don't remember a name) had malnutrition listed as the cause of death. I confronted Mama with this, thinking that if food were a problem surely they would have seen that the kids were fed. Mama explained that when a baby can't hold his food down, malnutrition is what they die from. I felt very stupid.

Uncle Marcel

All Beauregard men love babies. If you are a Beauregard man, carry that to its logical conclusion and don't even try to deny it. You love babies.

Papa was used to having babies in his life since his mother was having them regularly almost right up to the time when he moved away from home. Imagine his delight when, after five years of marriage the first baby finally came along. Marcel was the sun and the moon.

One story Papa told me about this first baby had to do with his bottle. Marcel was very attached to his bottle. They thought that when Bernie came along Marcel would be willing to give up his bottle, but alas, no. There were two bottles set aside for Marcel and the rest were for Bernie. Marcel could tell his apart (I'm not sure how, I know they weren't different colors or anything and they were all glass) and would have a fit if Mama tried to use one of his on Bernie. They respected his wishes but Papa told him to be very careful with his bottles because if they got broken they would not be replaced. Marcel understood and accepted this.

There came a time when Marcel was down to his last bottle. Papa had taken him for a walk and Marcel enjoyed his bottle on the way. On the way home, in front of the house next door to them, Marcel dropped the bottle and it broke. Marcel couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at that bottle for the longest time and finally said "broken" (I'm translating from the French here). He accepted his fate and continued walking up to and into the house.

At this point in the story, Papa got a little misty and said that he had to hurry into the house himself so that the neighbors wouldn't see him crying.


Marcel, with his long blond curls was a beautiful baby, I've seen pictures. The long curls did him in one day when a neighbor child marched up to his front door and when Mama answered the door the child said "Your little girl hit me". Mama said "I don't have a little girl". The child's incredulous reply was "Is Marcel a boy"?

One of the percs of being the oldest was manifest one winter evening when Marcel declared that there would be no "Lucy" in his living room when the Stanley Cup Playoffs were being televised. No one breached this edict.