I chose to do my project on the Larochelles because my dad once told me that we originally came from France and had been in Canada for more than 100 years, so this interested me. I was also interested to find out how my ancestors made a living in the 1800s and the early 1900s. I found out this information in the 1881 and 1901 census and in the BMS2000 database.
In 1881 the French origin family of the Larochelles was living in Quebec as a household of 9 people. The family lived on a farm with four children. One of the children (Victor) was already working with his dad on the farm. According to the census, Israel was “en voyage”. I think maybe he was on vacation or maybe he was a merchant who was travelling. The children’s mom – Victoire Larochelle – didn’t have an official job. Maybe she stayed home to take care of six year old Jean Baptiste.
During the 1901 census the Larochelle family had grown even more than in 1881. The family still lived in the rural area of St-Victoire. In 1901 the Larochelles were still a farming family. I used to think that the head of the household, Victor, came from Europe but I later on found out on the 1901 census that he was born in Quebec.
I also now know from the BMS2000 database that Victor Larochelle and Victoria Peloquin got married on February 11th, 1890 in Ste. Victoire. Victoria’s name on the census is Larochelle because it was the custom for a wife to use her husband’s surname. Six years later Elise Larochelle was born. Elise was Victor and Victoria’s first child and then in 1901 Victoria gave birth to Charles.
The de LaRochelle Name
I was very surprised when I was finding information because my surname (de la Rochelle) has changed many times. For instance, I found it listed as: Larochel, Larochelle and De Larochelle!
Sources: Coming Later This Week (post under construction)
GEN TIP: Here are some reasons why surname spellings change. 1.Your ancestor – or the person filling out the document – was uneducated or unfamiliar with the name and made a mistake. 2. The name was changed so it would be easier to pronounce. 3. The name was translated. For instance, Meunier = Miller 4. Sometimes Quebec priests deliberately changed spellings to differentiate between two families.