Leger Richer

The Family of Sarah Leger and Zenophile T. Richer

.....a brief writeup on Sarah Leger and her parents, as told by Delphine Richie Dougherty. Sarah was Roy's mother.

Zenophile T. Richer was born in St. Anicet, Quebec in 1876. His parents were Michel and Marie Pelon Richer. In 1902, he married Sarah Leger who was also born in Quebec in Ste. Agnes de Dundee. Sarah was the third daughter and fifth child of Celestin (Leslie?) Leger and Philomene (Margaret?) Mainville. We do not know the birth dates of either Leslie or Margaret. I'd always been told by my father and grandmother that a full-blooded Mohawk Indian was Sarah's grandmother. (see photo).

couple standing

Phil and Sarah had eight children - their first, Delphine, died of pneumonia as an infant. Another child (unnamed) was stillborn, afflicted with smallpox. The story is that Sarah contacted smallpox, but never broke out in the lesions; however, her unborn baby did. The other children were Blanche (Betty), Mae, Leo, Anna, Roy, and Albert.

The family lived in Canada for a while, then in 1908, moved southward to the upper regions of New York State. Phil took on jobs such as lumberjack and mail carrier. Living in the northern parts of the state was a rough and tough existence. I believe they lived in a log cabin at one time - of which comes the story about the cat. It seems that Sarah found a poor kitten that was half frozen out in the snow. She picked it up and took it inside to warm up and see if she could help it. Well, as soon as it started to thaw out some, it realized where it was ( and since it was probably a bobcat) tore up the cabin in a frenzy! She finally opened the door and it found its way out. Bet it was a long time before she let a cat in the house after that! Another time, Phil was ill and Sarah had to deliver mail for him. She said she didn't mind it, except for the gun she had to carry to ward off predators (man or animal).

The family later moved to Herkimer, N.Y. and after a time Sarah and Phil separated, so we never really saw much of our grandfather. He moved to Syracuse and came to visit once in awhile. What I remember about him is that he always wore a straw hat - called a "skimmer", popular in the early part of the century. He spoke with a French accent, and was very debonair - always cheerful, as he handed out half-dollar pieces to his grandchildren. My sister Linda recalls Grandpa as being very patriotic. The TV played the National Anthem every morning and he would rise to his feet with his hand on his heart and remain standing until the end of the song. Sarah didn't appreciate his visits at all (he would stay with her) and would complain for days after his departure. They were never divorced, only separated. I've heard it told that he was a man about town in his early days, and that's what caused the split.

The name Richer (pronounced Ree-shay) got changed to Richie in this manner: When Uncle Leo first entered school, the teacher asked him what his name was. She wrote it on the blackboard as Richie, and it stuck, as neither parent protested it.