2nd generation:- After the unexpected and premature death of Joseph Handfield, head of the family, on 03 October 1820 in the house on the farm at St. Marc on Richelieu, his widow, Françoise Desmarais, left with four minor children made Jean Baptiste Handfield, uncle of the children, substitute guardian on 16 July 1821. At the request of Françoise Desmarais, 19 July 1821 Notary Vallée prepared an inventory of the estate. The assets totalled 169 livres 12 sols and debts of 630 livres 2 sols. One cannot but admire the courage of this young widow , in spite of everything, successfully raised her family in such difficult conditions. The land belonged to Thomas the father, and it was not until 1829 that she became owner of it. When Françoise Desmarais died, the land, three arpents by 20, was divided equally between her four children.
3rd generation:- Thomas, the youngest son of Joseph Handfield and Françoise Desmarais, born 17 October 1810, was married 29 January 1839 at St. Marc to Catherine Tanguay, daughter of Joseph and Marie-Marthe Guertin, he bought from his sisters and his brother, their share in the family farm and lived there until his death 24 June 1907.
4th generation:- The eldest son of Thomas Handfield and Catherine Tanguay, called Thomas after his father, was born 17 December 1839 and married at St. Marc 26 September 1862 Céline Pigeon, daughter of Augustin Pigeon and Elise Dansereau. This Thomas had the nickname of Little Thomas so as to differentiate between him and his father. He bought two farms in the area called "Deuxième Ruisseau" , where he raised seven children. (One of his grand-sons Mr. Gilles Lefebvre was an illustrious musician.) After Céline Pigeon died, Thomas married in 1893 at St. Marc, Philomène Renois, widow of Romuald Noel. He died 8 January 1929.
5th generation:- Hormisdas, born 17 October 1868, married at St. Marc 21 January 1889 Josephine Chicoine, daughter of Alex Chicoine and Marguerite Paquette dit Lavallée. After their marriage, he and his friendly young wife lived on the farm at "Deuxième Ruisseau", where the first two of their 22 children were born. Hormisdas later moved to the village of St. Marc where he worked for his father-in-law who had established a creamery there. After several years he bought the creamery and its attached house. Between 1915-1920, Hormisdas served as mayor of the Village of St. Marc for one term. He died 09 February 1932.
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Family of Hormisdas Handfield and Joséphine Chicoine in 1926. *First row (bottom): Albert, Dolenda, Hormisdas, René. *2nd row: Victor, André, Justine, Marie. *3rd row: Léonard, Anna, Claire, Alice, Flore-Emma. *4th row: Gaston, Jules, Eugène, Léopold. |
6th generation:- It was in the house in the village that all the other children of Hormisdas and Josephine Chicoine were born: Victor -- 11 February 1903 who married at St. Marc 07 October 1926 Irene Jeannotte, daughter of Clement Jeannotte and Amélia Larue; Léopold , born 22 February 1902, who married at St. Marc 22 October 1925 Émilia Fontaine, daughter of Mérille Fontaine and Dorilla Loiselle.
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The monk Henri Handfield was born September
13 1895, son of Augustin Handfield and Mathilde Noiseux. He studied at
the College of Montreal from 1909 to 1915. He took holy orders on December
8th 1915 and was tonsured June 1st 1916. He became Benedictine December
8th 1915 and was tonsured on June 1st 1916. He was nominated Benedictine
of Solesmes in France on March 3rd 1920 and his profession as a monk of
Solesmes on December 8th 1921. He was ordained Priest June 29th 1927.
The Abbey St-Pierre de Solesmes in France had a monastery at Quarr, Wight
Island, Ryde, England and Henri did his minister there. |
7th generation:- Victor Handfield and Irene Jeannotte are the parents of Conrad, who owned "L'Auberge Handfield" at St. Marc sur Richelieu and whose generous assistance permitted the publication of my researches in 1971. Léopold Handfield and Émilia Fontaine are my parents. They have lived at Beloeil for more than 40 years.
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Léopold Handfield and Émilia Fontaine October 22, 1925 |