Frustrating situation when researching geneology
Problem with details when researching Family history.
If you spend fifty years researching geneology there are two things that is very frustrating. People either have tidbits of vague (Often nonsensical) information and consider it gospel or (More frustrating) people have knowledge of something but wont tell you because its a part of some family scandal or shame. Probably the most common incidence of this involves illegitimate babies (who could easily have deliberately falsely declared parents listed on their birth certificates – which among other problems would throw out DNA test results). This is a particular problem when you are trying to research a Indian ancestor like my Beothuk 4x great grandmother. People often consider an Indian ancestor a family shame and deny that they exist – even people who look half native will deny that there is a single drop of Indian blood in their body. People could easily take offense if we tell them that they have an Indian ancestor in their family. Nowadays its gone the other way. Everybody wants to be a native. People who were once downright hostile to our efforts to cheapen the family bloodline by adding native blood to it will have something said to them during a fight in a bar and then come running to us looking for a paper trail so that they can march down to the dept of Indian affairs (Or whatever its called nowadays) and register as a pure blood Indian so that they can claim all the money and benefits that the government dolps out to natives nowadays. When we were interviewing your grandmother thirty five years ago had you been a little more helpful in getting her to spill the beans about family stories concerning late night interactions with Indian chicks who were living in the wilderness down by the river that her grandfather used to brag about when he got drunk at parties then we might be in a better position to help you right now.
So when you accept something you need corroborating evidence. Family stories is a good starting point but obviously have to consider that they are second or third hand and could easily have bits of other events mixed in and stuff left out or changed (Often deliberately). Church and government records are good sources of information but again there is often inaccuracies due to many reasons. Ministers may have put things in a notebook for rewriting in an official ledger later, babies often have baptism dates listed as their birth dates or vague dates put in as a child might be ten years old when he got registered and cant remember exactly when their birth was. One of my grandmothers had two legal birth certificates – one saying she was born in 1902 and another saying she was born in 1898. She used the 1902 one when she got married to my grandfather and told him her age. I wont give you bonus points for guessing which one she used when she applied for her government old age pension. The whole mess was the result of the church burning down and new records had to be reconstructed from memory.
Then you have to consider history and historical events and customs of the times and if the story makes sense in history. We know frustratingly little about my Beothuk 4x great grandmother. We also know very little about the tribe of Beothuks that lived in Pistlet Bay. It was well known by the older people that Indians once lived in the area. My 3x Great Grandfather Henry Bowfies told my great grandfather (His grandson) that he was born in the wilderness to the Indian women Nancy and about his French father. There were no history books or information and intimate details of the French revolution and the situation in the mid 1800s could only have come from my grandfather Henry. Its as ironclad a family story as you will ever get. It was certainly an Indian mother that he had because he called her an Indian. Being a native she could also have been an Eskimo but he would have said Eskimo if his mother was an Eskimo. My great grandfather told stories about Eskimos. They knew the difference. In any event an Eskimo mother wouldn’t work with history because he lived in the wilderness in Pistlet bay. The Eskimos only came over from Labrador for the summer and didnt overstay the winter in Newfoundland. So his mother had to be a Beothuk. Church and government records support this idea also (Even though I think that my half Beothuk Grandfather was three years out when he noted his age in the 1923 census). Then we have DNA evidence. The whole family story can only work if I am personally 1.5% native. If I was 3% like my mother or 0.75% like my kids we would have a problem with our research. DNA evidence puts a 100% pure Indian ancestor exactly where our family stories and church records says that there is one. Nancy existed and I am a direct descendant of the Beothuks.
But our knowledge of Nancy is very limited. Older people in Ship Cove used to say she was a medicine women and spent a lot of time on ships. Henry went to live with the Deckers in Querpon at one point. We dont know his age at the time but probably old enough that he was helpful for work. Being excited about a package every year he probably was on good terms and friends with the french fishermen and there in case his father ever returned since the Deckers worked as caretakers for the french property. One story said she was supposed to get married – although that could have been simply something assumed because she gave up her child (A common situation when a women got married).
An old man in Cooks Harbour has a story about Nancy the Beothuk and said he knew what happened to her. She married Joe Brown (An ancestor that he dont seem to overly familiar with) and she is buried in pistolet bay in Joe Browns cove. Corroborating evidence of this is that when the original road went through (I believe early 1960s) near what is now the Loon Motel they cut through a mound and bones came out (Information from my my grandmother). There was never a community there and its quite a hard place to get to and a very odd place to have a graveyard. So its likely that it was an Indian grave site.
However, other than the fact that both were named Nancy I dont believe that this is the same person. We know that my Beothuk grandmother lived in Fox Harbour on the Labrador into her 80s. I find it hard to believe that she lived her life with a family (And presumably had kids) in cooks harbour and her great grandson in Ship Cove didnt know and then somehow moved to Labrador in her twilight years and wanted to be buried in the tribal graveyard – and somebody actually brought her body there. Its a story that seems a bit loose. But it could easily have been another Beothuk woman from the same tribe. There was a major shortage of wemon in the area at the time. One would easily have been able to find a husband to look after her. But this is all conjuncture. Nothing corroborates the story enough for me to accept it as truth.
Historical documents and records show that a Priest would usually accompany the French fishermen who came with the french between 1504 and 1904. In 1816 a Priest by the name of Father Lalo was stationed in Cape Rouge Harbour, Newfoundland and would visit Conche Harbour, Newfoundland to offer services to the fishermen.
Oral history tells us that Father Lalo had been a French Captain but when he learned of the deplorable conditions of those fishermen he decided to become a Priest. He went back to France and studied. He returned to Conche, and with the help of the Irish settlers and the French fishermen he built a Chapel on a point of land which today is still known as Lalo’s Point. Since the building of that first chapel there have been three other churches built on that same piece of land. The last Priest from France was Father Gour (1873-1883).
The church records in Conche which would have the records kept by the traveling priest date back to 1873. The records before that date were kept by the French Priest and Brought back to France every year. My understanding is that supposedly these records now reside somewhere in Brest, France. So the birth record of my 3x great grandfather Half beothuk Henry no longer resides in Newfoundland.
While we dont know my 4x Beothuk Great grandmothers actual name some time after his birth (Possibly many years later) she named the baby Henry and there was a birth certificate made by the traveling priest under her direction (We believe the priest was father Lalo). This document was brought back to France. It might not have anything of interest but could possibly mention her actual name and Andres last name. There may or may not be other items of interest also. Either way I would love to get my paws on that birth/baptism certificate.
Anglican Bishop fields traveled around Newfoundland in 1848 and again in 1850. He was upset to find out that a catholic French Priest was providing services and ministering to people regardless of their faith. He was apparently upset about a lot of things. But there wasnt nearly enough ministers or Teachers to fill the need and no money to pay them in the unlikely event that one became available anyway. This may or may not further complicate any effort to find Henry’s birth certificate in franc