28 July 2010

The Raymo Ancestry - Montréal and France

We can still go a few more generations back from François Raymond. His parents were Michel Raymond and Josette Leduc, married in Montréal in 1766. Josette was Michel's second wife, he had previously married Marguerite Aubin in 1756.


Michel's parents were Charles François Raymond (1697-1746) and Marguerite Danis (1699-1784). Charles was born in La Prairie, Québec, just outside of Montréal. Marguerite was born in nearby Lachine.

Charles' parents were Toussaint Rémond (1669-1741) and Barbe Pilet (1677-1757). Toussaint was the first of this family line in North America arriving in New France sometime in the late 17th century. He was a soldier under the command of Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil, who was a French colonel deployed to New France in 1687 to protect the early colonists and fur traders from Native attacks. Vaudreuil later was appointed Governor-general of New France. After Toussaint's service was complete, he remained in the New World as a colonist.

His marriage record reveals who his parents were and where he immigrated from in France.


Toussaint was the son of Barthélémy Rémond (1639-1708) and Marguerite Chaudier (1635-1708). They were from the Roullet parish of the city of Angoulême, France.

Here the trail stops. Any further records on the Raymo/Raymond patrilineal line, if they exist, will be in France.

24 July 2010

The Raymo Ancestry - François Raimond

Most of the Raymo ancestry past Mitchell Raymo that I have uncovered come from two main sources. First the Drouin Collection of French Canadian church records, which is available online as well as in microfilm form at the New England Historical Genealogical Society library in Boston. Second, is the book Genealogy of the French families of the Detroit River region, 1701-1911 by Fr. Christian Denissen, which is also available at the NEHGS library. It is likely that Denissen's tome drew heavily on the same primary sources that make up the Drouin Collection.

With these sources as a guide, I can trace the Raymo ancestry back a few more generations.

Mitchell Raymo's father was François Raimond, born in Montréal, Québec in 1769. His surname can be found in records also as Rémond, Raymond and Ramo. As a young man, François came to settle in Fort Détroit for an unknown reason. At Ste. Anne's Church in Detroit, on 17 May 1802, he married Rose Lemay, a young woman also of French descent.


Partial translation (C'est difficile pour moi.):

The year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Two and on the seventeenth of May, after having publicly read three consecutive Sundays, the banns of marriage between François Raimond, adult and legitimate son of Michel and Josette Leduc, of the the City of Montréal, diocese of Québec...and between Rose Lemay, minor and legitimate daughter of Théophile and the late Marie Pelletier...
François then settled in the farmland of Nankin, west of Detroit where he begins to show up in the U.S. Census records. In 1830, he is listed as Francis Ramo.


François and Rose had at least ten children.
  • Marie Raimond, born 1804
  • Catherine Raimond, born 1806
  • Archange Raimond, born 1808
  • François Raimond, born 1809
  • Michel Raimond (aka Michel Rémond aka Mitchell Raymo), born 1813
  • Alexandre Raimond, born 1815
  • Marie Des Agnes Raimond, born 1817
  • Jean Baptiste Raimond, born 1819
  • Unnamed infant, born and died 1822
  • Marguerite Raimond, born 1826
Daughter Archange went on to marry Warren Fenton in 1825. Their daughter Rosanna Fenton (1831-1898) married Samuel Denniston (1822-1885), the younger brother of Margaret Denniston, Mitchell's second wife. (Rosanna was Mitchell's First Cousin and Margaret's Sister-in-Law.)

François died in 1834 at the age of 65, leaving his Nankin farm to son Mitchell, who later passed it down to his son Theodore.

23 July 2010

The Raymo Ancestry - Mitchell Raymo

I will take a break from the photographs for a few posts in order to share some of the genealogical material I can add to the Raymo family history.

Mitchell Raymo of Nankin, Michigan, was the father of Theodore Raymo and grand father of Arthur Elsworth Raymo. Mitchell was born in Detroit, then part of the Michigan Territory, on 25 February 1813. He was born as Michel Rémond and later in life adopted an anglicized version of his name.

The registration of his birth can be found in the records of the Ste. Anne de Détroit Catholic Church (found in the database of the Institut Généalogique Drouin). Ste. Anne's was the primary church for the French Canadian Catholics living in the Detroit area at the time.


My best transcription and translation:

Michel Rémond, né avant hier du legitime mariage de François Rémond et de Rose Lemai, a ete baptisé par nous pére sousigne aujourdhui, le vingt sixième jour du mois de fevrier de année mil huit cent treize. Le parrain a ete Théophile Lemai et la marraine Jeane Chauvin, epouse de Charles Rouleau, les quel ont declare ne savoir signer de ce enquer. 
--(Signe) Gabriel Richard, pére.

Michel Rémond, born yesterday of the legitimate marriage of François Rémond and Rose Lemai, was baptised by the undersigned priest today, the twenty-sixth day of the month of February in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirteen. The godfather was Théophile Lemai and the godmother Jeane Chauvin, wife of Charles Rouleau, who have declared they are unable to sign this register.
--signed, Fr. Gabriel Richard

Mitchell, at the age of 22, married a teenaged Laura Drake (b. 1819) in 1835. Laura gave birth to two daughters, Mary Elizabeth Raymo (b. 1836) and Rhoda Ann Raymo (b. 1838). Laura died sometime after that of undetermined causes. Mitchell, a widower with two young children, soon remarried. In 1840, he wed Margaret (Denniston) Mains (b. 1812), also a widow, who had recently arrived in Michigan from New York with her father Samuel Denniston, an Irishman from Longford.

Together, Mitchell and Margaret had five more children:

  • Theodore Raymo, born 1841
  • Leonard Reuben Raymo, born 1844
  • Newton Raymo, born 1847 (died in childhood)
  • Rebecca Raymo, born 1849 (believed to have died in childhood)
  • Owen M Raymo, born 1854
Theodore was the progenitor of the family documented on this blog. Leonard settled in Missouri and is the ancestor of many of the Raymo lines there. Owen remained in Wayne, Michigan and left no known patrilineal descendants.

Mitchell first appears in the U.S. Federal Census in 1840 as the head of household in Nankin, Michigan. He is listed here as Michael Raymo.


In 1850, when the U.S. Census began to enumerate all members of a household, he is listed as Mitchell Remoo.


The John enumerated here is Mitchell's step-son John Mains, son of Margaret and her first husband, the late Robert Mains. Margaret's father Samuel is also listed here.

Finally, in 1860, he is enumerated in Nankin as Mitchel Ramo.



In 1870, Mitchell is absent from the census rolls. Margaret is listed as head of household. I have not located a death record for Mitchell so I do not know if he died prior to 1870. However, in 1880 there is a Mitchell Raymo in the census records for Goshen, Indiana, listed as born in Michigan in 1813, but married to a woman named Lucy. It appears likely that Mitchell left his family sometime after 1860 and resettled in nearby Indiana.

21 July 2010

Grandma Josephine


Charlotte A. Raymo and Arthur J. Raymo with their other grandmother Josephine (Greusel) Merrow (1861-1938)
Chattanooga 1925

18 July 2010

Grandmother, Uncles, Aunt and Cousins


The Raymo family matriarch in 1925 was Theodore's widow Emma (Handeyside) Raymo, photographed here at the age of 72. She is joined by, from left to right, her grandson Arthur J. Raymo, daughter Hazel (Raymo) Krumm, son Ralph Raymo, brother (uncertain?) John Handeyside, granddaughter Evelyn B. Krumm and son-in-law William C. Krumm.

NOTE: I had previously identified the unknown elderly gentleman as Emma's brother-in-law Owen M. Raymo, a druggist who lived in Nankin, Michigan. Upon further reflection, I believe it is more likely to be Emma's older brother John Handeyside (1846-1939). After Emma was widowed, she lived in Nankin in the home of her older brother John. The gentleman here appears to have a greater resemblance to Emma than Theodore. In 1925, John would have been 79 years old.

FURTHER NOTE: Examining this photograph more closely, it appears that John Handeyside is sporting a Freemason's pin on his watch fob, and William appears to have a Kiwanis Club belt buckle.

13 July 2010

Flappers


Charlotte A. Raymo (aged 18) and friends
Chattanooga, 1925

11 July 2010

Mother and her Brood


Roger D. Raymo, Arthur J. Raymo, Margaret (Merrow) Raymo, Charlotte A. Raymo, Chester T. Raymo
Chattnooga, Summer 1924

03 July 2010

Infield of Dreams


Not exactly Tinker to Evers to Chance, but not bad.
Roger D. Raymo, Arthur J. Raymo, Chester T. Raymo
Chattanooga, 1924