The RICHER, LEFTO, LIFTO, LEFTAULT CONNECTION

In the United States, people whose family names are Lefto, Lifto or Leftault are Richer dit Louveteau. Their ancestors are Joseph Richer dit Louveteau and his wife Adélaïde (Lydia ) St-Michel. Joseph dropped his former name to keep the latter which became Lefto, Lifto or Leftault.

So far no one has found when and where Joseph and Lydia were married. One can only assume that is was around 1832, their first child was born the following year, probably in the Upper St. Lawrence River area where they settled.

Their marriage certificate would have specified their parents' names and therefore make it easier to link Joseph with his Quebec ancestors.

Either their union was blessed by a missionary priest travelling along the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston and the marriage registration was lost. Or else they were married at St. Andrews West, north of Cornwall, Ontario,where the bride's family lived at that time.

Church records in St. Andrews were kept in a very disordely manner before 1840 and the priest who presided the ceremony may very well have neglected to record their marriage.

Sometime ago I was asked by members of the Lefto and Leftault families if my data included one Joseph who could very well be their ancestor. I had two, one born in 1809 and the other in 1810. Taking for granted that it was one of them, my data base being complete for that period, I had to rationalise on the right one.

In the past I had noticed, while doing my research, that parents often gave their father's and mother's first names to their siblings. By comparing Joseph and Lydia children's names to both Joseph's parents names I was able to come up with the most credible candidate.

Indeed I found out that Joseph born in 1810 was the son of Guillaume (William) and Ursule Lalande, both uncommon surnames in early 19th Century, at least in Quebec. Three of Joseph and Lydia's children were named William and Ursule.

I noticed that Lydia also had given her parents' names to her children, Gabriel and Marie, the former also not a common name at that time.

Therefore one may reasonably conclude that the ancestor of the Lefto, Lifto and Leftault families is Joseph Richer born to Guillaume Richer dit Louveteau and Ursule Lalande on April 4th, 1810 at St-Benoît, Quebec.

St-Benoît is now part of the city of Mirabel, a few miles north west of Montreal.

It is still a small rural community famous for its maple sugar and orchard products. Unfortunately the Church known to Joseph was burnt by the troops in December 1837, during a rebellion against British rule.

Now this is how Joseph links in with the Richer dit Louveteau ancestry from Quebec and France :

- Guillaume and Ursule Lalande, married February 13th, 1804, St-Eustache (north of Montreal);

- Jean-Baptiste and Charlotte Letourneux, married January 10th, 1763, Pointe-Claire (Montreal);

- Jean-Baptiste and Marie Jarry, married January 22th, 1731, Notre-Dame, Montreal;

- Jacques and Marie Joffrion, married April 7th, 1698, Notre-Dame, Montreal;

- Jacques and Catherine Pin, married around 1660 in Normandy, France.

It was easier to identify Lydia's parents. They were living in St. Andrews since the 1820's and were sponsors to some of their children. They were Joseph Gabriel St-Michel and Marie Arsenault dit Larivière. They were married on January 20, 1806 in St. Joseph de Soulanges (Les Cèdres).

They lived in this last community where they had seven children, at least until 1823. St. Joseph de Soulanges is located on the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston. In 1829 Gabriel was living at St. Andrews where he was sponsor to Adam Boileau, probably one of the neighboors' or friends' son.

Joseph Lefto and his wife Lydia St-Michel lived in Upper State New York, on Long Sault Island near Massena, between the 1830's and the 1860's. This island is part of the St. Lawrence River system. They had 15 children. Here is a list:

1- Ada, born November 19, 1833, baptised at St. Andrews' West, Ontario, sponsors; Gabriel St-Michel and Ada Lalonde;

2- Michael Peter, born February 15, 1835, Massena, NY, married to Rosanna Greenbush (Boisvert) and to Thereas von Ruden, died October 25, 1907 at Faribault, Minnesota;

3- Mary, born February 13, 1836, married to Joseph Seguin, October 17, 1858;

4- Julia, born August 12, 1838, baptised May 25, 1839 at St. Regis (today Akwasasne), sponsors; John McNulty and Angelique St-Michel, married to Peter Terrio (Thériault), June 13, 1859;

5- Joseph, born April 16, 1840, baptised May 30, 1840 at St. Regis; sponsors; John Lahy and Ann McCarty, married to Catherine L. Peltier (Pelletier), died June first, 1920 at Henderson, Minnesota;

6- Andrew, born May 24, 1842, married to Mary Jane Alguire, died March 10, 1907 at Sioux Falls, South Dakota;

7- Ursule Aurelia, born April 7, 1844, baptised May 9, 1845 at St. Peter's, Massena, sponsors; Basil... and Isabella St-Michel;

8- Moses, born August 6, 1846, baptised at St. Peter's, Massena, married to Délima Gervais, January 6, 1875 at Jessenland, Minnesota, died February 28, 1922 at Le Sueur, Minnesota;

9- Angelique Ursule, born April 7, 1847, baptised May 15, 1848 at St. Columban's, Cornwall, On., sponsors; Pierre Cantin and Mrs. Ranger;

10- Amelia, born May 14, 1849, baptised May 29 1850 at St. Peter's, Massena, sponsors; Joseph Ranger and Marie Rivière (Larivière), married to George Walter Béliveau, January 30, 1871, lived in Minnesota where Amelia died on April 29, 1889. They had nine children;

11- John B, born September 19, 1852, died on May 25, 1933 at Canton, New York;

12- William Henry, born May 24, 1853, baptised at St. Patrick's, Hogdensburg, NY, sponsors; Michael and Margaret Rivière (Larivière), married to Mary Catherine Empey, November 22, 1877, died August 29, 1928, Chatfield, Minnesota;

13- Daniel David, born April 1855, Massena, married to Amélia Favro (Favrault), died November first, 1938, St. Paul, Minnesota;

14- Gabriel B., born 1858;

15- Lydia Agnes, born November 11, 1859 in Massena Springs, NY, married to Louis H. Gadbaw (Gadbois), June 5, 1876, died November 7, 1952, Henderson, Minnesota.

Around 1867, the family moved West.

In the 1880 census, we find the Lefto family in Jessenland, Minnesota. The parents, Joseph and Ada (Adelaide), declared to be 69 and 63 years old, both born in Canada. He was a farmer and she looked after the household. Ada died on November 13, 1883. Her husband was already dead.

Their son Daniel and his family lived with them. He was 26, born in New York and was a farm worker. His wife Emma (Amélia Favreault) was 19 and born in Canada. They had two children: Theresa, 2 and Aurelia, 5 months, both born in Minnesota.

Daniel and Emma will have seven other children: Elmer J., Fred J., Mary, Alice, Ruth, Bernard Neil, Aurelia and Isabel. Amelia died on October 26, 1934, Daniel on November 1st, 1938, both in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In their neighborhood lived, in 1880, other Lefto sons' families.

Moses was 33, born in New York and was a farmer. His wife Delima was 21, born in Minnesota and looked after the house. They had three children born in Minnesota: Josephine, 4; Joseph W., 2 and Michael W., one month old.

Moses and Délima will have eight other children: Margaret, Ida Agnes, John, Levi, Theo Lizem, Louise Mathilda, Aurelia and Clarence F. Moses died on February 28, 1922 and Delima on February 23 1948, both at Le Sueur, Mn.

William Henry was 27 years old, born in New York and was a farmer. His wife Catherine Empey was 18, born in New York and looked after the house. They had one child, Alice, 2 months old, born in Minnesota. She had a twin sister, Lydia Catherine, born and dead the same day.

William H. and Catherine will have eight other children: James W., John, George Michael, Mary Rolia, Geneva, Gerald Dennis, Henry (Howard), Florenz Benedict. William W. died on August 28, 1928 in Chatfield, Minnesota.

Joseph was 40 years old, born in New York and was a farmer. His wife Catherine was 34, born in Canada and looked after the house. Their children were: Louise, 16; Josephine, 14; Joseph, 9; William, 7; Daniel, 5 and John 2. All were born in Minnesota except the oldest who was born in Canada.

Joseph and his wife will have two more children: Noah and Henry Charles. Joseph and Catherine Léocadie Peltier (Pelletier) were married in 1860. Joseph passed away on June the first 1920 in Henderson, Mn, while she died a few months later on December 25, in Jessenland, Mn.

Michael was 46 years old, born in New York and was a farmer. His wife, Rosanna was 43 and born also in New York. She looked after the household. Two grandchildren were living with them: John Doheny, 10 and Margaret Kelley, 7, both born in Minnesota.

Michael and Rosanna Grenbush (Boisvert) were married on October 17, 1853 in St. Patrick's, Hogansburg, New York. They had one daughter, also named Rosanna. Michael P. died October 24, 1907 at Faribault, Mn.

Another Lefto son, Andrew, lived in Minnehoka, an unorganised territory in Dakota. He was 38 years old, born in New York and was a farmer. His wife Mary Jane Alguire was 35, born in Canada and looked after the house.

Their children living with them were: Daniel, 15, born in Canada, a farm worker; Sarah, 12; John, 10, both born in Wisconsin; Martha, 7, Erba, 3 and Norman 8 months, born in Dakota. The family will have two more children: Mabel born 1882 and Grace in 1885.

Andrew and his family had lived in East Smith, Canada before moving to Wisconsin and finally to South Dakota where he died on March 10, 1907 in Sioux Falls.

In 2002, I found on the Web this mortuary announcement: Evelyn C. Baller, nee Lefto, from Long Prairie (Minnesota) died at the age of 96 on December 29, 2001. Her funeral mass was held on January 2, 2002 in St. Mary of Mount Carmel .

Evelyn was born December 8, 1905 at Chaska, Minnesota. Her parents were James Lefto and Susan Burg. She was predeceased by three sisters and two brothers: Loretta Murphy, Mary Berg, Agnes, Earl and Matthew.

I am glad I was able to make the link between the Lefo, Lifto and Leftault families from the United States and the Richer dit Louveteau from Quebec.

Louis Richer, Québec City

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