Veterans' Week - Joseph Carmel Lavoie

The veteran of the day in my family tree today is Joseph Carmel (J.C.) Lavoie.

J.C. (often called "The Major") was my great grandfather. He was born on February 15, 1878, in Quebec, the son of Jean-Baptiste and Philomene (Gagne) Lavoie.
J.C. fought in World War I. Unlike the other people I've profiled this week, he was a professional soldier, not a farmer that went to fight for the war. At the time of the war he already had military experience, and had the rank of lieutenant.

Luckily for me, J.C. survived the war, came home to his wife, Alice Bard, and had 8 children, including my grandfather, Louis. J.C. died on November 2, 1960, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Well, that about wraps up Veterans' Week for me, since I think I've run out of relatives who fought in a war, at least that I know of. I seem to recall that my grandfather, Louis Lavoie, fought in WWII, but I have not yet done the necessary research to find any records related to that. (It's a bit harder to get records for people who lived through WWII.)

As always, feel free to share links in the comments if you've written posts this week about your veteran relatives.

Veterans' Week - Leslie Austin Angus

The veteran of the day in my family tree today is Leslie Austin Angus.

Leslie was my great grandfather. He was born on April 9, 1893, in Drayton, Pembina, North Dakota, the son of Robert Byron Angus and Julia Orange Johnston. He is one of my few relatives to have been born in the United States. Several lines of my family on both sides moved to North Dakota and then back into Canada, at a time when that area was great for homesteading. By the time Leslie joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force, he was living in Barwick, Ontario.

Leslie fought in World War I. He survived the war (lucky for me!), and went on to marry Mildred Grace Watts and have 8 children, including my grandmother. He died on June 3, 1974, in Fort Frances, Ontario.

Stay tuned this week for more military records from my family tree. Do you have relatives who fought in a war? Tell us about them in the comments, or blog about them and leave a link in the comments.

Veterans' Week - Phillippe Daigneault

The veteran of the day in my family tree is Phillippe Daigneault.

Phillippe was my first cousin twice removed, the cousin of my paternal grandmother. He was born on July 31, 1894, in St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba, the son of Emilien and Sarah (Hogue) Daigneault.

Phillippe fought in World War I. The record of this is held by Library and Archives Canada. I don't know when he died, whether it was in the war or much later. He was recruited in 1917, which is after the last available census (1916), so I guess I won't know for sure until later censuses are released.

Stay tuned this week for more military records from my family tree. Do you have relatives who fought in a war? Tell us about them in the comments, or blog about them and leave a link in the comments.

Veterans' Week - Lucien Richard

Yesterday, for my first Veterans' Day post, I wrote about Gerard Richard. Today's veteran is Gerard's younger brother, Lucien Joseph Arthur Richard.

Lucien was my great uncle, the brother of my paternal grandmother. He was born on August 30, 1924, in Manitoba (probably in St. Francois Xavier), the son of Alphonse and Bertha Richard.

Lucien was a rifleman in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C., unit, in World War II. He died on August 15, 1944, almost making it out of the war. The record of this is held by Library and Archives Canada.

Stay tuned this week for more military records from my family tree. Do you have relatives who fought in a war? Tell us about them in the comments, or blog about them and leave a link in the comments.

Veterans' Week - Gerard Richard

I just learned from Genealogy Canada that this week is Veterans' Week. That gave me an idea for a short series, so this week I will be sharing the military service records of my relatives who fought in World Wars I and II.

Today's veteran is Gerard Joseph Lionel Richard. He was my great uncle, the brother of my paternal grandmother. He was born on May 22, 1919, in Manitoba (probably Sainte-Anne). He was the fifth child of Alphonse and Bertha Richard.

He was a trooper in the British Columbia Dragoons, R.C.A.C., unit, in World War II. On April 18, 1945, at the age of 25, having almost made it out of the war, he died. I don't know how, as I haven't yet ordered the full record from Library and Archives Canada.

Stay tuned this week for more military records from my family tree. Do you have relatives who fought in a war? Tell us about them in the comments, or blog about them and leave a link in the comments.