Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Léandre Sauriol (ca 1826-1897) and Olympe Bergeron

This tintype (a photographic print on metal) of Léandre Sauriol and Olympe Bergeron was in the possession of Charles Sauriol and became part of the collection he bequeathed to Toronto Archives. It seems, judging from the clothing and their ages, to have been taken in the late 1860s or possibly 1870s, and is heavily retouched. Charles Sauriol thought, after examining the image, that Léandre might have had false teeth.
North Americans with the  family name of Sauriol are descended from Pierre Sorieul, who was born in Rennes, France on April 15, 1675, the son of Guillaume Sorieul (born about 1650) and Nicole Jourdain. He came to New France before 1701 as a soldier of the Compagnies franches de la Marine and was nicknamed "Pierre Sorieul dit Sansoucy" ("carefree"). Pierre Sorieul married Marie-Madeleine Plouf at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Montreal on August 25, 1718, and two years later took up a farm in what is now known as Côte Vertu, a district of Montreal. They had many children, and he died on April 17, 1748.


The image on the left reconstructs the outfit of a soldier of the Compagnies franche de la Marine dressed for winter about the time that Pierre Sorieul came to Canada. The more idealized one on the right dates from 1757.

Quickly tracing the connection to the Hood family, Pierre's son Louis Sauriol (1727-1805) married Marie-Josephte Couvret in 1751, in Saint-Martin, Quebec (now part of Laval), where the family lived for several generations. Their son Louis-Charles Sauriol (1753-1834) married Marie-Clémence Taillefer in 1774; they in turn had a son named Jean-Baptiste Sauriol who married Judith Cédillot Montreuil in 1804.

Incidentally, much of this information was collected by a Quebec priest named Timothée Sauriol in his Notes genéalogiques sur les familles Sauriol et Brien dit Desrochers, which is available on microfilm and in an original copy at the Toronto Reference Library. There are also print directories of vital records for the Saint-Martin area, and with the release of the Drouin Collection of Quebec records through Ancestry.com, the original birth, marriage and death records for most of these families are now universally available.

Jean-Baptiste's son Léandre Sauriol (pictured at the top of this post) was born about 1826 in Saint-Martin. He married Olympe Bergeron (born sometime after 1833) there on August 9, 1852. By 1855 the couple had moved to Williamstown, Ontario. They had a big family, and several of their sons became machinists and moved to Toronto, where they found work with the Gendron manufacturing company, which assembled electric railway cars; it also became known for its baby carriages.

The sad story is that the older couple came to Toronto to visit the younger generation in April 1897 and stayed at a rooming house or hotel on Parliament near Dundas. Not being familiar with gas lighting, they "blew out the candle" at bedtime and were both asphyxiated. They're buried at St. Michael's Cemetery at St. Clair and Yonge.

Most of the family members had nicknames, so it's difficult to match official records with verbal recollections, but it seems likely that they had 12 children, who were:

1. Herma, born about 1834, who died around the age of 24.
2. Prime (1855-1940), who married, moved to Toronto and had about six children. He made furniture.
3. Marie-Louise Josephine (1857-1943), known as Josephine, who married James (Jim) Duffy and moved to the US. She also had a large family.
4. Elisabeth (born about 1859), known as Aunt Liz, who married John Charles McKinnon in Pembroke, Ontario. She had about eight children;  however all but one apparently died in a single week during the Spanich Flu epidemic, after which she vowed to wear black for the rest of her life. She was employed at what was then called the Workman's Compensation Board, and also served as the organist at Sacré-Coeur Church for 45 years. Incidentally, her sole remaining son, Charlie, is said to have felt compelled to satisfy his mother's wish to have at least one child enter the priesthood and so dutifully went through ordination.

Here's the formidable Aunt Liz, all in black at a beach outing (perhaps in Toronto?) with Barbara and Hugh Hood, so in the early 1930s when she was in her early 70s.

    Aunt Liz's son Charlie McKinnon
    5. Arthur (born about 1860) may have been the one known as "Uncle Bun". In his 30s, he was a cutter at the Toronto File Company. He died relatively young.

    6. Joseph (born about 1864) left home at 12 and worked as a blacksmith in Cornwall, then as a dredgeman on the Tey Canal at Perth, Ontario. He was also engineer at Gendron from about 1891 to 1924, then worked as a maintenance man at St. Mary's Hospital on Jarvis Street in Toronto, under the Soeurs de la Misericorde. His son Charles said "My father never earned more than $30 a week, and when he died he owned four houses. He owned number 11, number 13 and number 15 Munro, and 388 Leslie Street." His children were Eugene, Marie, Joseph, Marguerite, Harry, Leon and Charles.

    Joseph Sauriol senior at centre with four of his sons. I think they may be (left to right) Leon, Harry, Charles and Eugene. Charles is certainly second from the right, and I believe this may be taken at his  home off Broadview at the edge of the Don Valley. Copy from a photo collection lent to me by Charles Sauriol in the 1980s and now likely with Toronto Archives.

    Marie Sauriol with friends.  Copy from a photo collection lent to me by Charles Sauriol in the 1980s and now likely with Toronto Archives.

    Marie Sauriol dressing up in WWI uniform (possibly her brother's kit?) on Valentine's Day, 1918.  Copy from a photo collection lent to me by Charles Sauriol in the 1980s and now likely with Toronto Archives.
      Harry Sauriol home from WWI at 13 Munro Street in Toronto.  Copy from a photo collection lent to me by Charles Sauriol in the 1980s and now likely with Toronto Archives. Here's his military Attestation, by the way.
    7. Léandre-Henry, who died at the age of three.
    8. David Vital (1867-1930), known as "Uncle Bay”, also worked for the Gendron Co. as a carriage frame builder. In 1901 he started with the Toronto Railway Co., where he was an electrician and carpenter. He lived at 181 Erskine Street in Toronto from 1913 until at least 1924. He also married and had children.
    9. Nedia or Nidina or Nydia (born in 1869), known as Aunt Need, who lived to be about 100. She married Thomas-John Hawkins, had two daughters, and moved to the US.
    10. Eugenie
    11. Jean-Marie (1874-1905), probably the one known as "Dolor". He was a machinist at Gendron from 1899 to 1905, but died of tuberculosis at the age of 31 and is buried close to his parents in Toronto.
    12. James (born in 1877), known as Uncle Jim, worked at Gendron as a machinist until 1914, then began to work for a taxicab company. Among his children, his daughter Albina maintained a long relationship with Margaret Blagdon.
    Sauriol ladies and possibly Eugene Sauriol in Toronto in the 1920s. Second from right may be Aunt Liz. It's interesting to see how the youngest woman (Marie?) is dressed in full 1920s fashion, while the older women are more or less still hanging on to the the sensibilities of the Edwardian era. Copy from a photo collection lent to me by Charles Sauriol in the 1980s and now likely with Toronto Archives.

    30 comments:

    1. Sarah, you might find this information about how to date old photographs by format and process very interesting- I know I did!

      http://nationalmediamuseumblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-daguerreotype-photography/

      So nice to read about your family tree!

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    2. This is entirely brilliant, Miss K! Turns out I have a bunch of daguerrotypes in the collection. The whole series is fascinating!

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      1. Hi Sarah, I was curious about the family name Sauriol (it is my great grandma's last name) and was wondering if you knew any family members with that surname. thanks!
        - Melissa

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    3. If you read the post fully, you will see that she is certainly descended from Pierre Sorieul. What was her first name, and where did she live?

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    4. Oh I did, I just don't know her name. She lived in WA state. I know of her brother (Alfonse) and her brothers son's name (Thomas)

      I just saw a photo of my G-gma last night, she was about 9 yrs old. It was probably taken in the 1890s. It was great to see that, but its left me with more questions now than anything, and no answers!

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    5. I had a quick look around Google to see what I could see. Here goes:

      Mitchel Sauriol and Mary Boursang (names may be slightly wrong) were born in Canada in the early 1800s. Their son, Fabian Michael/Michel Sauriol (b. May 9, 1831, d. March 28, 1918), moved to the US, eventually settling in Tacoma. He had the following children:

      -Cora A. Sauriol (b. March 12, 1876, d. Dec 4, 1949), who married Addison Morgan Button and had at least one child, James Fabian Morgan Button
      -Alfonse/Alphonso Rollan Sauriol (b. 1882, d. May 19, 1952). On Dec 29, 1925, in Pierce, he married Marguerite J. Gehring (b. abt 1903, d. 1948). They had at least one child, Thomas Rollan Sauriol (b. Jan 7, 1927, d. Sep 6, 2005); he married twice: (1) Mary Jeanine [last name unknown] and (2) Katherine Helen Dupille (marriage: Nov 13, 1999)
      -William Sauriol
      -Charles Sauriol
      -George Sauriol
      -Alice Sauriol

      Either Cora or Alice is your gt-granny. There's quite a lot about this fanily online, including photos. Have a look at this link:
      http://www.historictacoma.org/files/historic_south_tacoma_way-1111web.pdf

      I think you could locate other researchers who are working on your linefairly easily.

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      1. Oh wow, how interesting! Love the link!

        I'm leaning towards Alice because my aunt is also named Alice - which to me probably isn't a coincidence.

        Thanks so much, I appreciate your help, Sarah.

        Time for more digging.



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    6. One last bit of digging: if Alice is your great grandmother, I think she would be Alice Marie Sauriol, born about 1889, who married Arthur B. Conner (b. abt 1882) in Pierce, Washington on September 7, 1910. They had a son called William, born about 1921, and maybe other children. Do you have a Conner grandfather?

      If you can establish the connection to Cora or Alice, I don't think it would be too hard to link your line, which already goes back to about 1800 in Canada, with Pierre Sorieul, but I don't happen to have that particular information in my electronic records. Next time I'm rummaging through my paper files, I'll see whether I might have a note about that somewhere else.

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    7. I had a great Uncle Charles Sauriol who has a conservation area named after him. My grandfather's name was Harry Sauriol, Was wondering if I am related to him. Thank

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      1. Was your Dad's name Harry as his dad. My cousin (Buddy) lost a leg in a freak accident. Charles would be your great uncle, he had three girls, Denise, Monique, Marcelle and one son C;aude that lives in the Toronto area. Then I am related to you.

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    8. Yes, Michelle, your great uncle is mentioned (and even pictured) in this post with his brothers (including your grandfather) and your great-grandfather Joseph.

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    9. Did Charles Sauriol have any sons?

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    10. Michelle, you'll find that information and quite a bit more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sauriol

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    11. Sarah
      Did any of my relatives have a son named Jacob Charles Sauriol who was an engineer in West Africa

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    12. I'm sorry, but I don't have any information about him.

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    13. I didn't think so but thank you for trying. Is there any information on Harry (bud) Sauriol and his family. I haven't been able to find anything. Can you help me?

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      1. Harry Sauriol was my uncle, I am Eugene's daughter Anita. I knew the family very well as I was born iin Toronto but moved to Montreal when I was 6. Harry had three children, Teresa who became a nun, Henry (Buddy, and that was we called him and another daughter. Both Teresa and Buddy passed away. Buddy lost a leg following a pool accident. This what I rremember so far.

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    14. You will probably have noticed that there are two photographs of him in this blog post. He is also listed here: http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/searches/soldierDetail.asp?ID=79981. Charles Sauriol published numerous books, and I believe some mention his brother. He also left an extensive collection of documents and photos to the City of Toronto Archives, which can be used there. There is info in online Census of Canada data and City of Toronto directories, all of which are easy to access.This work wouldn't be too hard to do yourself, or you could hire a genealogist to pull it all together for an hourly fee.

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    15. Michelle, here are some tidbits to get you started:

      http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maryc/tor1924p3.htm
      2789-24 Henri Joseph SAURIOL, 26, fur cutter, Toronto, same, s/o Joseph SAURIOL & Maria GELINAS, married Maria Eva BEAUNE, 21, Toronto, same, d/o Edmond BEAUNE & Henriette CHARRON, witn: Joseph SAURIOL & Edmond BEAUNE, both of Toronto, 24 June 1924

      http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/View.jsp?id=81100
      1911 Census of Canada
      Sauriol Joseph, Male, Head, Married, born: Mar 1863 age: 48
      Sauriol Maria, Female, Wife, Married, born Apr 1870, age: 41
      Sauriol Eugene, Male, Son, Single, born: Mar 1893, age: 18
      Sauriol Marie, Female, Daughter, Single, born: Aug 1894, age: 16
      Sauriol Joseph, Male, Son, Single, born: Dec 1895, age: 15
      Sauriol Harry, Male, Son, Single, born: Jul 1897, age: 13
      Sauriol Margaret, Daughter, Single, born: Feb 1899, age: 12
      Sauriol Leon, Male, Son Single, born: Jan 1902, age: 9
      Sauriol Charles, Male, Son, Single, born: May 1904, age: 7

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    16. Also, I notice that someone on Ancestry.com has a file on him; you might want to join up for a few months just to get in touch with them

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    17. I am Anita Sauriol, my dad's name is Eugene Sauriol(Gene). Born in Toronto and moved to Montreal when I was 6 because of my dad"s work. If I am right I am the eldest of this part of this family.. I was searching for the date of my dad"s enlistment in the army in the first war. I know he was in the merhant marine at the beginning, but I cannot find the date he enlisted in the army. I have all the info even his regimental number. I will keep on looking. The records of the first war armed forces are being digitized presently, so I will wait. I was surprised to see the photos on this page My uncle Charles living in Toronto was able to find the photos and attach them to this family documentary.Modt of the people represented I did know. This was great.The photo with the ladies is taken in Montreal and my aunt Marie is the youngest, aunt Jennie is there last one to the bottom right and the lady next to the gentlemen (it says that it could be Eugene but he doesn't look like my dad) is her sister and was also handicapped. They were both my grandmother Maria"s sisters.

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    18. Another item is the photo of Aunt Marie with one man on each side and it shows the date as 1980. I am sorry to say that this is impossible. The man on the left is her husband Joachim Sauve, he was a judge in the city of Otttawa. The gentleman on her right, I do not know. The photo shows that my aunt was a young woman and she was born in the early 1900, so it cannot be 1980.

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      1. That's a typo. Not 1980s: 1920s. Thanks for catching it.

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      2. Your aunt Jennie is my great grandmother. I'd love to trade information; I'm delighthed to know more about these images. Email me at cadmus at interlog dot com if you'd like to get more from me and help me fill in some info about your family.

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      3. I also made a mistake regarding the ladies, the lady top left is Mme Deschatelets, Her husbamd mas a master wood maker, as a matter of fact one of my daughters has one of the benches he made, it is a superb piece of furniture. Her son became the superior general of the order of Marie Immaculate in Rome. I spoke to him once when my dad passed away in 1965. As a matter of fact my great grandmother Gelinas lived with them. She had great courage. The lady next to Aunt Jennie I believe her name is aunt Rosa and she was the one that was handicapped, however I am not sure about her name, it could be the other aunt Mme Deschatelets. Aunt Jennie was a hair dresser on Park Avenue in Montreal, her husband worked as a waiter at the Windsor Hotel and her son Ernest was a hair dresser also. I also believe that the man sitting with the ladies is Harry, he had a round face and my dad was slimmer. Take a look at the photo of the Sauriol men, beginning at the left was Harry, Eugene my dad, grand pa, Charles and Leon. One missing was Jos, he probably had passed away he was handicapped. He was my friend when we lived in Toronto, he used to hold my hand and we used to go and walk and do errands for his mom. That's a loong time ago. As I said I did leave Toronto I was 6

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      4. I see from these comments that there were two Jennies; my great grandmother lived in Sturgeon Falls and Toronto. I'm thrilled to have your extra information. Thanks!

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    19. I finally located Rosa by tracing her son. She is the one on top on the left, I will send you copies of what I found and I also have pgotos of the Toroonto families including grand mother and great grand ma who is a Gelinas with Rosa, Jennie, Mrs McKinnon I believe and the other unknown. I will search again. My email is arsjjr@gmail.com I need your email also if possible.

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    20. Hello Anita
      A couple of years I reached out to you about my Grandfather Harry Sr and you had photos regarding my family. I see you have the first picture but would you happen to have the remaining photos in a file? Could you repost them for me at missylevy71@outlook.com? I change computers and lost the file. I would really like to show my kids and my Girl Guides. Thank you. I am harry sauriols granddaughter.

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