Augers of Lewiston-Auburn Part 3

This is the third of a series on The Augers of Lewiston-Auburn where I explore the descendants of Mathias and Marine (Desmarais) Auger who were among the earlier immigrants to the area from Quebec in the mid 1800’s.  The first and second parts can be found here: 

http://michaelsgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/05/augers-of-lewiston-auburn-part-1.html

http://michaelsgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/11/augers-of-lewiston-auburn-part-2_21.html

Today I’ll discuss the third and youngest of their three sons, who is also my great grandfather; Louis Theophile Auger.  

Louis Theophile Auger

 Louis Theophile Auger was the youngest of the three boys in the family being born on September 21, 1848. While Jean Pierre and Alphonse worked in the grocery business, bought and sold real estate and became wealthy men in Lewiston, Louis was drawn, like his father before him and generations before, to the life of a farmer and also eventually worked as a milkman. With the rest of the family, he moved from Biddeford to Lewiston in 1865. Soon after he married Virginie Laflamme on June 28, 1869 at St.  Joseph’s Church in Lewiston.  Virginie, similar to Louis, had arrived in Lewiston during the same year. Family oral history has it that as she arrived in the U.S. the train conductor announced that President Lincoln had been assassinated.

Virginie Laflamme Auger

Just 3 months after their marriage in 1869, their first child, a daughter named Artheline (Lena), was born. A son Louis Mathias followed in 1872. By 1873 Louis, Virginie and their young family moved to East Poland, Maine. Located on what is now known as the Torrey Road, the farm, over the years became a large, well-established farm as Louis & Virginie continued to add acreage.

Louis became a US Citizen in March of 1876, however later in the year his mother Marine passed away at the age of 60. Louis’ family continued to grow with Emma arriving in 1877, Anne in 1879, Theodora in 1880 and Marie Blanche in 1883. Tragedy struck the young family in 1884 as Marie Blanche, Anne and Emma all died of diphtheria within days of each other. The family began to grow again with son Alfred being born in 1885, Oscar in 1888 and lastly Leon in 1890.

Louis died at the young age of 57 of stomach cancer in 1906. While all of Louis’ other relatives are interred at Saint Peter’s Cemetery there is no record of him being buried there.

L to R: Back Row:  Alfred Provancher (infant), Dora Provancher, Lena Martin, Virginie Laflamme Auger, Leon Auger. L to R: Front Row:  George Provancher, Oscar Auger, Alfred Auger.

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 Below is information about each of Louis and Virginie's children:

Artheline (aka Lena):  Born Sept 27, 1869 Poland, Maine – Died March 7, 1953 Auburn, Maine.  Lena married Robert Martin and they had one child: Robert A. Martin Jr.  They are buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine.

Louis Mathias:  Born May 8, 1872 Poland, Maine – Died March 15, 1931 Woonsocket, Rhode Island). Louis was married to Mathilda Boissel and they lived in Woonsocket.  They had no children.  They are both buried in Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket.  Unfortunately their grave is now unmarked.

Louis Mathias Auger

Emma:  Born June 26, 1877 Poland, Maine - Died April 25, 1884.  She is buried in an unmarked grave in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine.

Anne: Born Sept 20, 1879 Poland, Maine - Died April 14, 1884. She is buried in an unmarked grave in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine.

Theodora (aka Dora):  Born December 6, 1880 Poland, Maine – Died May 24, 1963, Lewiston, Maine.  Dora was married to George Provancher.   They are buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine. They had four children; Alfred, Arthur, Ellen and Theodora.  

L to R:  Dora Provancher and Lena Martin

Blanche: Born August 10, 1883 Poland, Maine - Died April 19, 1884. She is buried in an unmarked grave in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine.

Alfred Dominique:  Born April 9, 1885 Poland, Maine – Died May 25, 1942 Boston, Massachusetts.  Alfred was married to Sarah Smith Hill.  They had no children.   Alfred worked as a musician and lived in Boston and Philadelphia.   He is buried at Westminster Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. 

Alfred Auger

  

Oscar:  Born June 15, 1888, Poland, Maine - Died February 14, 1963, Lewiston, Maine.  Oscar was married to Evelina Ouellette and they had one son, Thomas.  They are buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine.

Oscar Auger

Leon Henri: Born June 17, 1890, Poland, Maine - Died October 29, 1971, Lewiston, Maine.  Leon was married to Diane Gagne and they had six children:  Gerald, Florence, Leon Marcel, Louis, Alfred and Oscar. Leon and Diane are buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine.

L to R Back Row:  Florence, Leon M., Fred, Gerald.  L to R Front Row: Diane, Leon H., Oscar and Louis.

Augers of Lewiston-Auburn Part 2

This is the second of a series on The Augers of Lewiston-Auburn where I explore the descendants of Mathias and Marine (Desmarais) Auger who were among the earlier immigrants to the area from Quebec in the mid 1800’s.  The first part can be found here: http://michaelsgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/05/augers-of-lewiston-auburn-part-1.html

Today I’ll talk about the second of their three sons who settled and raised a family in the area: Alphonse Toussaint Auger.

Alphonse was born on October 31, 1846 in the village of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Quebec east of Montreal.    The story of how he and his family came to Maine can be found in an earlier post of mine: http://michaelsgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-auger-line-from-canada-to-us.html.  Alphonse, similar to his brother Pierre went into the grocery business, owning J & A Grocers on Lincoln Street. 

A very detailed accounting of his successful business career was published in 1915 in the “Franco-Americans of the State of Maine, U.S.A., and Their Achievements: Historical, Descriptive, and Biographical” by R.J. Lawton.  It described Alphonse as “Among the most prominent and successful Franco-American business men of Maine, who came to the State in the early years of French-Canadian immigration.”    The publication also heaped significant accolades on Alphonse’s character:  “Mr. Auger is not only a pioneer Franco-American business man, but one whose long and active career is decidedly representative of French-Canadian enterprise, public spirit and mercantile integrity, and in achieving pronounced success he has gained as well a high personal standing among his fellow men. He has not departed from his sterling qualities of citizenship to enter the strife of politics, and being a great lover of home and family has not even become affiliated with fraternal orders, and that Mr. Auger has been sagacious in this as well as in business, we have only to point to his large, fine family of children which he has brought up and educated, not only with credit to himself but to the entire community.”   High praise indeed!

Alphonse married Clara Briere in Lewiston, Maine on Sept 7, 1872, but she passed away soon after in 1876.  He remarried in 1879 to Marie Elmire Pelletier, with the ceremony being held in St. Pascal, Quebec.   Alphonse and Marie lived in Auburn and they had at least eight children who lived to adulthood:

Arthur Joseph Auger 1881- 1944

Albert Louis Auger 1886 - 1966

Marie Eugenie Alexina Auger 1889 - 1956

Alphonse Winifred Auger 1897 - 1967

Albertine Auger

Amelia Alma Auger

Anna Auger

Alice Auger

I have not done the research to delve into the details of each of the children’s lives and likely this has been done already by some of their descendants, but a few tidbits include that Arthur was a well-known local grocer, Albert was a well-known music studio operator and teacher and Alphonse wrote the wonderful family history of Mathias and Marine from which we know so much about them.  Three of the daughters were nuns, including Alexina.   I welcome any information folks may have about this family, especially the daughters. 

Alphonse lived until 1935, outliving Marie (who died in 1928), his parents and his two brothers.  Alphonse is buried with Marie and his sons in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine