#52 Ancestors – No. 36 – Napoleon Groulx (Groux)

This post is number 36 in the series of the #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge where a group of us blog about a different ancestor for each week of the year.  To learn more about the 52 Ancestor Challenge visit Amy Johnson’s site at Amy’s website.

Glad to know my five years of French through high school and college still has some use today.  Not that I can speak the language anymore.  Being able to recognize french words and handwriting styles comes in handy in deciphering French Canadian historical records. It is a necessary skill to have. One of the most useful Quebec vital records are the Drouin church records.

Drouin Marriage Record for Napolean Groux

Drouin Marriage Record for Napolean Groux

I am a descendent of French ancestors who were settled Quebec in the 1600’s.   In addition to my direct line, I have a few collateral lines who married individuals of French ancestry that I also research.  I try my best to read the French records to glean information.

My grand aunt, Opal Anderson, daughter of Ernest Anderson and Minnie White; married Norman Joseph Groulx.  Norman is the grandson of Napoleon Groux and Azilda (Exilda) Lacombe.  Napoleon and Azilda were married in Ripon, Quebec, Canada, in 1869. The marriage was witnessed by Joseph Groux and Jule Lacombe.

I am not sure why the letter “l” was added to the name.  It could be to help the pronunciation in English.  My family pronounced the name as “Grew”.  The marriage date is written in a flourish scroll, and I cannot clearly read the month. The date in French is; Le sept Janvier or Fevrier, [mil] huit cent soixante et neuf.  Translated to 7 January or February 1869.

I have not been able to find a surname meaning for Groux.  There is a church, Saint Groux, in France.  Google maps displayed a couple of streets name Les Groux in several French cities.  Since it is a collateral line, further research is usually when I get blocked by a wall and need a distraction.

Photo Source Information:

Ancestry.com. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:  Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.

, , , , , ,

Copyright © 2013-2020 · Caroll Budny · Trace Your Genealogy · All Rights Reserved