Sylvar Jim, John Peter Gallant, Glorice, Aubin Arsenault (my grandfather), Joe "Antoine" Gallant.
Aubin Arsenault my Grandfather
(Was born and raised on the St John Road, St Nicholas)
My Grandmother Lucie Arsenault nee Gallant
She was born in Egmont Bay
When my father was only months old in 1940 she had passed away and my father Melvin was adopted by his god parents Aldona and Reggie Gaudet where he was raised.
Lucy is on the right.
This was my grandmother's headstone in Mont Carmel Cemetery
For many years I thought about repairing her headstone.
In 2012 I began the task of making a new one.
Using re-inforced concrete supported by rebar, I had hand carved the lettering and symbol with diamond drill bits and a rotozip saw.
In the summer of 2013 the job was completed and the stone shipped from our home in Mississauga to the cemetery on PEI. Upon removing the old headstone and after poring the base using 700 lbs of cement, the new headstone was put in to its final resting place.
My goal was to make it lasting as well as to fit into the surroundings as if it had been there since the day she was buried in 1940.
My great-grandfather Jack "Etienne" Arsenault on the left and his second wife Marie Gallant (My Great Grandmother) on the right.
In the middle is my grandfather Aubin.
The 2 boys are Perrys (Eddie and Emile) and I have not been able to determine yet what family they belong to.
This is Jack "Etienne" Arsenault and his first wife Mary McDonald.
They lived on the St John Road in St Nicholas.
In 1902 Mary fell from a barn and died leaving 5 children.
Soon after Jack "Etienne" Arsenault remarried to Marie Gallant and they had one child my grandfather Aubin
These are pictures of the old farm on the St John Road.
It was located near the road at the first slight bend.
The farm is no longer there and the house was hauled over to make the home for Elmer "Albani" Poirier and his family.
This is a picture of Alphonse Gaudet's brother Stephen who was married to Bridgette Richard.
The little girl is their daughter Gertie who was married to John Peter Gallant.
John Peter and Gertie raised Joe Pineau Gallant who mother was Lucy, sister of John Peter.
John Peter was the brother of Madeline who was married to Leo Fidele Gaudet.
Another daughter of Stephen and Bridgette was Mildred who was married to Alphie Gaudet who ran a store in Miscouche.
This is the grave site for Bridgette in Mont Carmel shortly following her death
In 2010 the headstone for Bridgette had fallen and was in poor condition.
It laid on the ground over two winters.
In 2011, with the help of some family, the headstone was reconstructed to as close to the original condition as possible.
In the same year, I had noticed this cement stone showing through the grass at the cemetery.
Come to find out 2 years later, after it was cleaned off and raised, that this stone
belongs to the brother of my grandfather Reggie Gaudet.
He had died as a child and was buried in Mont Carmel because, at the time of this death, the family lived on the St John Road which Mont Carmel would have been their parish.
This is the headstone that was unearthed in Mont Carmel.
It was an odd shape as I had not seen one quite like this.
Then in the summer of 2013 I found another one like this in Miscouche buried underground. This one was the child of Arthur Gaudet of St Nicholas. Both stones had this oval circle and what appears to be a small base at the top possibly for a cross which had been broken off.
The picture of this stone is below soon after I had found it. Being found face down the lettering was much preserved.
Jim Gaudet of St Nicholas is a nephew of Adrien, had cleaned off this stone and set it atop some gravel to better preserve it.
In addition to the stone above, I have repaired over 30 others in Mont Carmel and Miscouche some of which were found behind an old barn in Mont Carmel. With the help of Aldine Richard, we were able to locate where they had been situated. Over several summers I will have these back in place one of which is now completed.
Mont Carmel Church in the earlier years.
Some Misc Obits that I will describe better shortly.
This is my BLOG regarding connections to St Nicholas, PEI.
I will be adding direct family pictures and pictures of other families that had lived in the area.
These pictures have been collected over many years thanks to my grandparents collection as well as loans from many others. I felt that it was important to share these with those interested in order to perserve some of the history that our ancesters had created .
THANKS !!
Mike
Here is a picture of mom and dad in their early years
Mom and dad while they were dating.
In the foreground is Mamie (Aldona Gaudet) looking as happy as ever.
The dinner was at my grandfathers sister Zelma's place in Summerside.
Dad was boarding there while working at the Government Garage.
This is Mom and Dad's wedding picture. They would have been married 50 years in 2013.
My sister and I prior to my brother Mark being born.
Picture was taken at my grandparents Reggie and Aldona Gaudet who lived next door. We spend much time there. Coming from school at St Nicholas at lunch or after I would always stop there and eat and/or visit. My mother would always wonder where I was.
I always enjoyed time with my grandfather Reggie Gaudet . He had served in both world wars. I recall the bulletts and buttons that he had collected from soldiers in the war.
My Grandmother Aldona playing cards with her father Alphonse Gaudet
Below: My Grandmother Aldona and I - 1968
My grandfather Reggie seated - WW1 Photo
This picture is of my grandfather (far right) and his 3 siblings John Peter, Zelma (m. Art Arsenault Summerside and Mary (m. Art Bernard from Urbanville). They moved to Montreal.
These are the parents of the above. Hubert Gaudet and Obeline Poirier. Obeline is the sister of Arsene Poirier from St Nicholas.
The 4 pictures below are that of Hubert and Obeline. The 2 children are my grandfather Reggie and his sister Mary Anne
Death of Obeline - 1958
This is another picture of Hubert (my grandfather Reggie's father)
Seated are the grandparents of my grandfather Reggie Gaudet.
The people were all very dark looking in the picture. Possibly from working hard outside in the sun.
This would be the same older lady in the picture above.
Mary Maneau Gaudet who is the grandmother of my grandfather Reggie Gaudet.
Just look how long her fingers were.
This is my grandfathers uncle Stephen. He inherited the old home from his parents. My Grandparents Reggie and Aldona moved in with him shortly after they got married. Stephen was not married. Early in life he was injured by trying to remove a knot in a string and stuck himself in the eye with the fork.
The next 2 pictures are that of Joe Jack Gaudet and the third is that of Joe Jack and his wife Selina. They originally owned the house where Freddie Muddy Creek lived. They had only one adopted child. Joe Jack is the uncle of my grandfather Reggie Gaudet.
This was grade 2 at the St Nicholas School and the final year before it closed after being open for 100 years.
These are some earlier photos of the students at St Nicholas.
I will be posting the names that I have for these pictures shortly.
This is a picture inside of the St Nicholas School in 1973 the year that it closed. Seated are Heather Ryder and Myself along with Scott Ryder. To the left is Jason Finch.
This is a picture of my grandparents Reggie and Aldona at their home in St Nicholas.
This is a picture of my grandparents in their early years and the bottom picture of my grandmother Aldona and 3 of her sisters (Sylvia, Alcida and Beatrice). Missing is her twin sister Clarise.
This is my grandmother Aldona and her father Alphonse playing cards which was always a favorite pastime and a great social even especially on Sundays.
As growing up in my early years I do remember Alponse visits to my grandmothers house which was across the road from where he had lived. Below is a picture of Alphonse and I.
This is the mother of Alphonse Gaudet and the wife of Stanislaus Gaudet.
Her name was Mary LeClerc
This is Alphonse Gaudet and his wife Mary Ann Poirier who was born in Mont Carmel.
Louis Poirier below who was the father of Mary Ann Poirier (in pic above)
Louis was also the grandfather of Clovie and Andy Perry who operated businesses in Summerside.
This is the home of Alphonse Gaudet
It was later purchased by Clarence and Theresa Gaudet.
The house was torn down in the 1980s
There were many family gatherings at the old farm of Alphonse's
This is a the obituary of Alphonse's sister Celine Gaudet who married Amie Richard. Celine and Amie were the parents of Webe Richard
This is Celine's daughter Rose. She married Willie Perry from Tignish. The lived in Summerside and were buried in Tignish. Their son Amos Perry ran the lighthouse in Summerside for many years.
Willie's brother Benoit Perry was a renowned organist in Montreal.
This is a Movie from 1963 of living on the farm in St Nicholas
This is another movie that I made using old pictures.
It works best if you turn up the volume.
Many men and families left PEI and went to work in the woods in Maine. Some returned each summer to help on the farm and other remained in Maine to raise thier families. Still other when to work in NH and Boston area in factories and as trades people.
Many of the women gathered for a spinning bee.
Fr Monaghan was a long serving priest in Miscouche representing the area of St Nicholas.