I was delighted to hear about your research and extensive work on the Daoust family genealogy. It is a colossal job, entailing hours of research!
I must admit that I have fond memories of my childhood growing
up with my uncles especially Paul, Edouard, Orpheda and my grandfather, Paulus. These three uncles, as well as my father, worked land given to them by my grandfather.
My grandfather was a gentle, patient man but authoritarian; he managed his sons' lands with a firm hand. Gifted, he could do almost everything from repairing machinery of all kinds to treating animals, even castrating bulls, pigs and horses etc.
An illiterate man, he, nonetheless, succeeded in being elected mayor of Martland Township which comprised Noelville and the surrounding area from 1914 1921, 1926, 1937 and 1938.
He also dealt in livestock, buying animals from farmers in the region and selling them at the Toronto market. I remember when I was around 5-6 years of age, he took me to Toronto on one of his business trips!
Paulus was a pious man who often recited the rosary in the evenings. I never once heard him blaspheme or swear. There was no alcohol to be found in the house and I never saw him drink.
My grandmother was a docile woman who obeyed all orders without fail. Her passions included cultivating a beautiful perrenial flower garden as well as feeding her family, preparing meats, cakes, pies which she did until she'd reached a ripe old age!
My uncle, Edouard, a bachelor, lived with my grandparents until their deaths. He told me once that my grandfather had the courage and self control to treat himself. Once when a severe infection in his finger was threatening to spread throughout his hand, he asked for a butcher knife and amputated his own finger. Since the doctor was in Noelville, five miles away, he himself nursed the wound back to health.
Sincerely and with my deepest appreciation
J. Paul Daoust
