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Ovila MEILLEUR
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Zéphérina GAUTHIER
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naissance
26 décembre 1882 à Red Lake Falls MN,
décès 14
août 1954 à Fisher Branch MB, âge : 71
ans, "of cancer", sépulture
au Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fisher
Branch MB,
Père : Thaddée II MEILLEUR
Mère : Mathildée
VAILLANCOURT
Homestead
SW 30-24-1E Fisher Branch MB
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naissance
14 février 1887 à Emardville MN,
décès
6 février 1979 à Arborg Hospital MB, âge : 91
ans, funérailles
10 à Fisher Branch MB with rev. D. Bourbonnais officiating,
sépulture
au Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fisher
Branch MB
(nécrologie).
Père : Odilon GAUTHIER
Mère :
Marie HOUDE
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Marié(e) 24
novembre 1904 à Red Lake Falls MN,
13 enfants
(8 fils, 5 filles) :
1.1. Théodore MEILLEUR, naissance 18 août
1905 à Terrebonne MN, décès octobre 1906 à
Terrebonne MN, âge : 14 mois, "of dysentery".
| 1.2. Wilbrod MEILLEUR,
naissance 24 septembre 1906 à Bovey, Rapid
Co. MN, décès 11 janvier 1971 à Winnipeg MB,
âge : 64 ans, "of heart failure", sépulture au Green
Acres Memorial Gardens, Winnipeg MB.
Marié(e) 8 février 1928 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par
rev. François-Xavier Leroux, Zélia
(Exélia) DANDENEAU, naissance 1er mars
1907 à Grand Rapids MN, (fille de Louis II
DANDENEAU et Fidélise BENOIT) décès 27
décembre 1995 à Winnipeg MB, âge : 88 ans,
de cancer. 10 enfants
(4 fils, 6 filles). |
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1.3. Célina Marie MEILLEUR, naissance 21
avril 1908 à Terrebonne MN, décès 30 octobre 1930 à
Fisher Branch MB, âge : 22 ans,de "pneumonia after appendectomy",
sépulture au cimetière Immaculée-Conception, Fisher
Branch MB.
| 1.4. Ernest MEILLEUR,
naissance 16 mai 1910 à Terrebonne MN, décès
12 septembre 1980 à Winnipeg MB, âge : 70
ans, de "stomach cancer", sépulture à Glen
Lawn Memorial Gardens, Winnipeg, MB.
Marié(e) 19 octobre 1939 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par
rev. Léo Marchand, Thérèse
Joséphine M. LETEXIER, naissance 25
octobre 1918 à Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes MB,
(fille de Julien LETEXIER et Marie-Clémence
BÉGOU). 11 enfants (7 fils, 4 filles). |
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| 1.5. Émery Joseph
MEILLEUR, naissance 2 mai 1912 à
Arborg MB, p/m Albéric Bruneau & Malvina
Bédard, décès 15 août 1977 à Fisher Branch,
âge : 65 ans, funérailles 19 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB,
sépulture au cimetière local de Fisher
Branch. Marié(e) 13 juillet 1938 à
St-Adolphe MB, Léontine CARRIÈRE,
naissance 27 septembre 1910 à St-Adolphe MB,
(fille de William CARRIÈRE et Joséphine
CARRIÈRE). 7 enfants. |
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| 1.6. Albert Joseph
MEILLEUR, naissance
9 mars 1914 à Fisher Branch MB, p/m Louis &
Mélina Meilleur, décès 25 octobre 1983 à Fisher
Branch MB,, funérailles 29 rev. Denis
Bourbonnais o.m.i., sépulture au Parish
cemetery, Fisher Branch MB, âge : 69 ans, de
"heart attack". Marié(e) 20 avril 1936 à
l'église Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB
par rév. Léo Marchand, Jeanne Aurélie PÉPIN,
naissance 19 octobre 1918 à Sandbridge MB (fille
de Peter PÉPIN
et Angéline LAMIE),
décès
24 juin 2008 de Fisher Branch MB, âge : 89 ans
"peacefully with her family at her side",
funérailles 2 juillet à Immaculate Conception
Church, Fisher Branch MB with rev. Michael Raj
Savarimuthu officiating, sépulture au Parish
cemetery, Fisher Branch MB. 9 enfants. |
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 1.7.
Léa MEILLEUR,
naissance 29 janvier 1917 à Fisher Branch MB, décès
7 octobre 2008 à International Falls MN, âge : 91
ans, funérailles 13 à St. Thomas Catholic
Church, International Falls MN, sépulture à St.
Thomas Catholic Cemetery, International Falls MN (nécrologie).
(1) Marié(e) 19 octobre 1938 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par rév. Léo
Marchand, Théodore DANDENEAU, naissance 31
octobre 1905 à Grand Rapids MN, (fils de Louis II
DANDENEAU et Fidélise BENOIT) décès 21 janvier 1939
à Fisher Branch MB, âge : 33 ans, de cancer de la
gorge.
(2) Marié(e) 8 juin 1940, Alder RAYMOND,
naissance 6 janvier 1905 à International Falls MN,
(fils de Silas RAYMOND et Rosanna RAYMOND) décès 23
novembre 1979 à International Falls MN, âge : 74
ans, sépulture au St.Thomas-Aquinas Cemetery. 5
enfants.
| 1.8. Maurice MEILLEUR,
naissance 11 janvier 1920 à Fisher Branch
MB, p/m Julien Payment & Valérie
Meilleur, décès 11 septembre 1993 à Fisher
Branch MB, âge : 73 ans. Marié(e) 26
septembre 1949 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par
rév. Léo Marchand, Alma Alice BERNIER,
naissance 18 novembre 1920 à
St-Jean-Baptiste MB, (fille de Joseph
BERNIER et Corinne (Caroline Dalia)
GRÉGOIRE), décès 20 décembre 2018 au Fisher
Personal Care Home in Fisher Branch MB,
âge 98 ans, funérailles Immaculate
Conception Roman Catholic Church in Fisher
Branch MB with Father Roy George
officiating (nécrologies).
9 enfants (8 fils, 1 fille). |
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| 1.9. Alcide Raymond
MEILLEUR, naissance 13 septembre
1921 à Fisher Branch MB, p/m Eliodore Tougas
& Almizéam Bruneau, décès 23 mai 2001 à
Deer Lodge Centre, Winnipeg MB, âge : 79
ans, sépulture 28 à Green Acres Memorial
Gardens, Winnipeg MB. Marié(e) 6 octobre
1949 à Zénon Park SK, Jeanne FORTIER,
naissance 18 juin 1929 à Mariapolis MB,
(fille de Roch FORTIER et Elza GOUR), décès 19 juillet 2016
à Foyer Valade Nursing Home de Winnipeg MB,
âge : 87 ans, funérailles 22 à St. Eugene
Parish de Winnipeg MB (nécrologies).
7 enfants (2 fils, 5 filles). |
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 1.10.
Délia Parmélia Marie
MEILLEUR, naissance 4 janvier 1924 à
Fisher Branch MB, p/m Moïse Meilleur & Délia
Pépin, décès 29 octobre 2016 à Percy E. Moore
Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, âge : 92 ans,
"surrounded by family, after a lengthy illness",
funérailles 4 novembre à Immaculate Conception
Church, Fisher Branch MB, sépulture 5 à Immaculate
Conception Cemetery, Fisher Branch MB. Marié(e) 2
juillet 1945 à l'église Immaculée-Conception, Fisher
Branch MB, par rév. Léo Marchand, Paul I Édouard
Joseph BERNIER,
naissance 18 décembre 1921 à St-Jean-Baptiste MB
(fils de Joseph Henri Mathias BERNIER
et Corinne Caroline Délia GRÉGOIRE),
p/m
François Bernier & Adeline Landry,
grands-parents paternels, décès 21 août 2004 à
Fisher Branch MB, âge : 82 ans "peacefully at home
after a lengthy illness", funérailles 26 à
Immaculate Conception RC Church, Fisher Branch MB,
sépulture au Parish cemetery, Fisher Branch MB (nécrologies).
16 enfants (9 fils, 7 filles).
| 1.11. Éva Marie MEILLEUR,
naissance 26 juin 1925 à Fisher Branch MB,
p/m Aldéric Charles Savage & Rose
Charet. Marié(e) 25 juin 1947 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par
rév. Aubin, Roger Alcide Omer Joseph
BERNIER, naissance 14 août 1923 à
St-Jean-Baptiste MB, (fils de Joseph BERNIER
et Corinne (Caroline Dalia) GRÉGOIRE). 13
enfants (8 fils, 5 filles). |
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1.12. Amanda Marie MEILLEUR,
naissance 15 novembre 1926 à Fisher Branch MB,
p/m Wilbrod Meilleur & Exélia Dandeneau,
décès 9 novembre 2010 à Winnipeg MB, âge : 83
ans, funérailles 12 à St. Adolphe Roman Catholic
Church in St. Adolphe MB, by Rev. Dominic
Lafleur officiating, sépulture des cendres au
St. Adolphe Parish Cemetery at a later date.
Marié(e) 28 septembre 1948 à St-Adolphe MB, Léo
LAGASSÉ,
naissance 28 août 1923 à St-Adolphe MB (fils de
Eugène LAGASSÉ
et Marguerite CARRIÈRE),
décès
17 mai 2011 à St-Adolphe MB, âge : 87 ans,
funérailles 20 à l'église catholique romaine de
St-Adolphe MB par rév. Dominic Lafleur,
sépulture des cendres au cimetière paroissial de
St-Adolphe MB (nécrologie).
6 enfants (3 fils, 3 filles). |
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| 1.13. Auray Fidèle
MEILLEUR, naissance 27 juillet
1930 à Fisher Branch MB, baptême 17 août à
l'église Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch
MB, par rév. François-Xavier Leroux, p/m
Louis Dandeneau & Fidélise Benoit
Dandeneau, décès 16 octobre 2021 à Fisher Branch
MB, âge : 91 ans, funérailles 23 à Immaculate Conception Parish in
Fisher Branch MB by invitation only (nécrologie), emploi(s) : Ouvrier plombier,
cultivateur et virtuose renommé de Steel
Guitar. Résidence à Fisher Branch MB.
Marié(e) 6 oct 1951 à l'église
Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par
rev. Léo Marchand, Simonne Angéline
Marie BERNIER, naissance 9 août 1929 à
St-Jean-Baptiste MB, (fille de Joseph
BERNIER et Corinne (Caroline Dalia)
GRÉGOIRE) baptême 11 à l'église
St-Jean-Baptiste MB, par Eugène Alfred
Chamberland, p/m Joseph Colette & Louise
Grégoire Colette. 13 enfants (6 fils, 7
filles). |
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The pioneer life of Ovila Meilleur
Ovila Meilleur was born in Emardville, Minnesota, on
December 26, 1881. He was the son of Thaddée II Meilleur
and Mathildée Vaillancourt. Thaddée Meilleur originally
came from Québec, moved to Minnesota with his family,
then later came north to Canada and settled near Fisher
Branch. Zéphérina Gauthier, Ovila's wife, was born on
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Ovila Meilleur &
Zéphirina Gauthier et petit
Théodore Meilleur
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February 14, 1887, in Emardville, Minnesota. Her mother
was Marie Houde and her father was Odilon Gauthier.
Odilon came from Québec and then settled in Minnesota.
Mrs. Meilleur's forefathers originally came from Acadia,
which is now known as Nova Scotia. Mr. and Mrs. Ovila
Meilleur were married on November 23, 1904.
Ovila Meilleur rented some land in Minnesota. All the
land had been taken, so he had to pay rent by giving
part of the crop to the owner of the land. His neighbor
at that time was Elzéar St. Pierre, who later came to
Fisher Branch to set up the first Post Office. Having
heard of land available in Canada, at ten dollars, for
one hundred and sixty acres, Ovila and his father
Thaddée II decided to move north. In the spring of 1911,
Thaddée Meilleur journeyed to Manitoba to obtain land.
In the fall of that same year, Ovila also went north to
Manitoba.
At that time, Ovila was living in Terrebonne, Minnesota.
First, he had to go to a nearby town, Brooks, Minnesota,
to rent a box-car to haul his cattle and machinery and
family to Canada. They traveled to Winnipeg, and from
Winnipeg another train was taken to Arborg. On that same
train was Mrs. Meilleur's brother, Joseph Gauthier, who
was also moving to Fisher Branch at that time. Once in
Arborg, it was too late to make the journey to their
homestead, so they wintered there, in a shack which had
been built by Fred Clairmont, years before.
During that winter, Ovila Meilleur hauled cordwood to
make money for his family's needs. He soon made himself
a reputation for having the best team of horses in
Arborg. He would even hitch his horses to an empty
box-car and pull it along the tracks. No other team in
Arborg could do the same. Two years later, he sold that
same team of horses for six hundred dollars. That was a
lot of money in those days for just two horses.
In the spring of 1912, Ovila Meilleur moved his
family to his homestead, six miles east and one mile
north of Fisher Branch, on section 30-24-IE. They
brought with them enough supplies to last through the
summer and fall. Their homestead was twenty-five miles
from Arborg. On their way from Arborg, they had to pass
through the "Ox Swamp". This swamp had gotten its name
because once an ox had tried to cross it and had sunk
out of sight.
They had moved in April, and by May, Ovila's family had
grown to six. There was Wilbrod, Celine, Ernest, and the
baby, Emery. Also living with them was Mr. Meilleur's
uncle, Odile Meilleur. Later on, he built himself a
shack on the quarter section north of Ovila's. Odile
still had to send his washing to Mrs. Meilleur because
he never married.
That summer was a busy one for Ovila Meilleur. All of
his land was wooded except for a small slough which
crossed his place. After having built a shack of logs,
he started clearing some land by using a "grubhoe" to
cut down trees and by using his ox to break the land. He
planted some potatoes that year. He bought young pigs
for the fall slaughter. Smudges had to be made for the
cows and horses as there were many bulldogs and swarms
of mosquitoes. Mrs. Meilleur was sometimes discouraged
and wished that they could return to Minnesota. But the
pioneer spirit still clung to Mr. Meilleur, and after a
few years things began looking up, and the mosquitoes
became almost 'bearable'.
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Meridian Baseball Team
vers 1915
De gauche à droite :
Arrière : Ovila Meilleur - Moïse
Meilleur - Louis Meilleur - Alcide
Gamache - Eusèbe Faubert et
Barthélemi Meilleur
Avant : Honora Bruneau - Julien
Meilleur - Ben Payment et Mike
Piette |
Social life for the Meilleur centered on Sunday.
Whenever possible they went to church, about eight miles
away, through bush and swamps to Arcade Menard's
homestead (where Ovila's youngest son, Auray now
resides) where Father Corbeil had his Sunday services
before the church was built. They had to follow on the
high ground and sometimes had to cross swamps. At times,
on Sundays, a baseball tournament and a picnic was held
on the school grounds of the North Meridian School which
was situated on a ridge one half mile west of Ovila's
homestead. A team, the Meridian Team, consisted of the
Meilleur and their close friends. They sported homemade
uniforms. They would compete against teams from Arborg.
The women showed no interest in baseball and preferred
chatting away all afternoon. In the years to follow,
Ovila bought another cow and also a binder to cut his
crop of grain. He also bought some sheep, and soon he
had a small flock of thirty. After awhile, their
two-roomed log shack was too small for their family.
Therefore, in 1915, Ovila built a house of lumber.
First, he had to get a permit to be able to saw logs
into lumber. He used Alcide Gamache's sawmill to saw his
logs. Aloysius Caners helped to build the house. The
floor was rough and very hard to clean. A few years
later, a new oak floor was put in.
His first barn was soon replaced by a much larger one.
This new barn was built in the 1920's. He also built a
hen house, a shed for sheep, plus his granaries for the
grain. Surplus grain was sold in town. Slough hay was
first cut with a scythe and later, Mr. Meilleur bought a
mower. Eusebe Faubert would do the planting before a
drill was also bought. Mr. Ernest Menard and Mr. Dan
Chyzy would do the threshing, but early in the 1950's
Mr. Meilleur bought his own threshing machine.
Mrs. Meilleur was, also very busy in those days.
She helped with the stooking and threshing as her sons
were not yet old enough to help. Although she worked
very hard, Mrs. Meilleur was very seldom sick. Her
grandmother, Judith Gauthier (née Bedard) had also
worked very hard in her life. She was as strong as an
ox, and could work harder than any man !
Mrs. Ovila Meilleur made clothes for the whole family.
Though she never had any patterns, all the clothes fit
the children very well. When the sheep were sheared, the
wool was then carded and spun on a spinning wheel. The
yarn was then used to knit warm socks, mitts, and all
kinds of clothing for the family. She also had to haul
water from a hand-dug well. This well was made by
digging a hole ten feet deep with a shovel. Then, a
posthole auger was used to drill the hole deeper. A long
pole was attached to the auger to extend the depth to
which the auger could reach. At about thirty feet, water
began to come up. Since it was a flowing well, water was
always available. This well was also used as a
refrigerator, for milk, cream and meat.
 Wild
game was very plentiful in those days. Once, Mr.
Meilleur saw a moose close by the cabin; he took down
his gun and shot him from his own porch. Another time, a
mother bear attacked Mr. Julien LeTexier and his
daughter Thérèse (who later married Ovila's son,
Ernest). They quickly started a fire by burning Mr.
Julien LeTexier's straw hat. They kept driving the bear
away by throwing flaming pieces of wood at her. Still
she tried to attack again and again but was driven back
by the burning wood. After two hours of this ordeal,
exhaustion began to overcome the two trapped people.
Luckily, a fire had passed through that area earlier and
there was a lot of dead wood to feed the fire. They were
still calling for help when Ovila's sons heard their
cries. They took their guns and hurried towards the
yelling. Before they arrived at the scene, the bear
retreated into the bush. Mr. Julien LeTexier was at the
point of physical and mental exhaustion, when the
Meilleur boys arrived.
Time went on, and Ovila and Zéphérina had thirteen
children.
In 1949, Ovila built a new home in the town of Fisher
Branch, where he retired. In the fall of 1953, Ovila and
his wife traveled to Florida, and spent the winter,
there. In the spring of 1954, they returned to Fisher
Branch, when Ovila became ill shortly after. On August
14, 1954, three months before they were to celebrate
their fiftieth wedding anniversary, Ovila died of
cancer, at the age of 72. Now, all of his brothers and
sisters have passed away. His brothers, Julien and Osias
; two sisters, Melina and Alma ; and a sister-in-law,
Lucie Faubert (Barthélémi's wife) all died in the fall
of 1918, (within three weeks), from the terrible flu
epidemic. Many people died that fall and winter. His
other brothers and sisters also died : Valerie,
Hormidas, Moise, Theophile, Louis, Mathilde, Barthélémi,
and Joseph. They have passed on, but, their innumerable
descendants live on. Ovila Meilleur's wife, Zéphérina,
passed away in February of 1979, at the ripe old age of
ninety-two. At the time of her death, Zéphérina had one
hundred and one grandchildren, one hundred and nineteen
great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Most of the above information was obtained from Mrs.
Zéphérina Meilleur approximately seven years prior to
her death.
______________________
By Réal Meilleur, Fisher Branch MB.
| Recherches et photos par Simonne Bernier
Meilleur, de Fisher Branch MB
Mise à jour le 4 janvier 2010 par Simone
Meilleur Gautron
Mise à jour le 30 juin 2011 par Simonne
Bernier Meilleur, de Fisher Branch MB
Mise à jour le 25 décembre 2018 par
Paul Meilleur, de Sainte-Adèle QC
Retour à la Généalogie des MEILLEUR
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