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My parents and I have been tackling our Gonyea family tree for the past couple of months and are trying to verify that one couple from the 1800s is really who we think they are. If we do verify this, we essentially can trace my family history back to France. But I need some help to see if this makes sense.
The data we have so far is:
Louis Gonyea Sr. (1814-12/22/1899)
Sally (LaRock) Gonyea (1822-07/24/1887) - wife
Frank A. Gonyea (1865-1941) - son
Joseph Gonyea (1851-1874) - son
Mary Jane Gonyea (1875-1883) - daughter of Joseph
Thomas Gonyea (1863-1942)
Frederick Gonyea (1861-?) - son
Agnes Genett (1872-1834) - wife of Thomas
My direct connection to this family is:
1. Louis Sr. & Sally
2. Frederick & Julia Ann (Minnie) Delius (Delias)
3. Warren Daniel Gonyea (01/13/1883-1945) & Alice Mary Julia (Mary Giulia) Fontaine
4. Nelson Warren Gonyea (1910-1986) & Goldina Cutting (my great-grandparents)
We have the following info on the Louis Sr. family:
* Louis Sr. was born in NY, appears to have married in NY to Sally
* We have numerous documentation in VT from the children who specifically mention being born in Redford, NY in the 1850s and 1860s.
* 1870 census in Chesterfield, NY lists this family with the name Gonyor, with some minor name variations (more on that below).
* 1880 census in Ripton, VT lists this family with the name Gonyea.
* Death certificates for their son Joseph, granddaughter Mary Jane Gonyea, Louis Sr., and Sally, plus numerous marriage records for the children and birth/death records of grandchildren.
* Death record for Sally mentions her father as Newel LaRock. Louis Sr.'s listed no parents unfortunately.
* After Sally died, it appears Louis Sr. moved in with his sons Frank, Thomas, and Newell in Rutland, VT until his death according to city directories in the 1890s. Frank and Thomas lived in Rutland until their deaths in the 1940s.
Now here is the fun part:
* We have found baptism records stating that a Louis Gagne (b. 1810) and a Salome LaRocque dit La Rose had several children in Redford, NY during the 1850s and 1860s.
* Louis Gagne's parents are Joseph Gagne (03-20-1786-?) & Marie Anne Bissonnet.
* Several baptism records for Louis and Salome's children list Thomas Gagne & Mathilde Belleau as witnesses. Thomas is also the son of Joseph & Marie Ann.
* Children on baptism records include Alfred, Francois, Thomas, Noel.
My theory is that Louis Gagne & Salome LaRocque dit La Rose are the same as Louis Gonyea Sr. & Sally LaRock. I htink sometime in the 1860s their names were "Americanized", probably when they moved from Redford (near the Canadian border) to Chesterfield, NY and then Ripton, VT. Children names that are almost the exact birth dates on both sets include:
* Alfred = Fred (Frederick), my direct ancestor.
* Francois = Frank A.
* Thomas = Thomas
* Noel = Newell
Can anyone collaborate my data and let me know if this sounds possible? Unfortunately I know that data from the Redford area is extremely hard to come by in this time period, but I hope someone has come across some documents that could add to my data here and if not firmly establish the connection, at least firm it up as much as possible.
If this connection is true, I can trace back all the way to Louis Gasnier who came from France to Quebec in the 1640s. But it is just this one link that we can't for certain establish!
Thanks for the help!
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