In a search for Irish ancestors on Dad’s side of the family …

… I got sidetracked.

After a career of staying on course, working with a focus on specific results, it’s kind of fun to skip around on the various ancestry sites, in search of family stories.

Even, that is, if they are stories from other families.

Here’s where we are:

We have a story from Le Nouvelliste newspaper in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Dated 30 May 1964, this article is about Edmond Gardner.

The good news is that Grandma Vayo had a Canadian cousin named Edmond Gardner. But what are the chances her cousin is the same Edmond Gardner featured in the article?

Probably not all that high.

Meanwhile, I’ve found a photo of Cousin Edmond. His family included it in this thank-you message they posted in the paper following his passing:

Edmond’s family’s burial plot is located in Victoriaville, Quebec.

He is buried with his father, Albert, his mother, Mary Ann Hurley (the Irish connection we will explore eventually), and his wife, Laurette. Edmond and Laurette’s daughter, Kathleen, and her husband, Marcel, will someday share the burial plot with their ancestors.

It’s time to revisit the probability that the article from Le Nouvelliste is probably not about our Edmond. The amount of information I’ve found out about him is quite limited.

It’s just so … delicieux:

Tip: A Caisse Populaire is a financial cooperative, similar to a credit union.

Here is the translation:

They didn't know the Caisse had moved

Two bandits broke in during the night of Thursday to Friday at the
Rue des Vignes home of Mr. Edmond Gardner in Ste-Perpétue.

The two bandits broke into the home by smashing windows and door latches. Mr. Gardner, hearing a noise, stepped out of his house and found himself nose-to-nose with the "two birds." The bandits demanded the combination for his Caisse Populaire safe from Mr. Gardner.

Mr. Gardner replied that the Caisse — which had moved its premises last month — had been emptied of its contents; the intruders searched the safe anyway, finding only papers, and realized they had targeted the wrong location. The two accomplices then left without stealing anything.

Since the two masked accomplices stole nothing, Mr. Gardner did not call the provincial police. The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. According to Mr. Gardner, the municipal secretary, the intrusion interrupted his night's sleep. At the time of the attempted theft, he was alone in the house with his wife. It does not appear that the would-be thieves were local youths, as they were unaware that the Caisse had relocated a month earlier.

Poor sleep-deprived Monsieur (not to mention Madame) Gardner. I mean, not calling the police and all. At the very least, they should have notified the new host of the Caisse!

As always, I promise to return and add more facts to this story if I’m able to find any. Right now, though, please excuse me. I feel the need to double-check the locks on our doors and windows. Wouldn’t want to go nose-to-nose with any “birds” stopping by …

---

Please subscribe below to receive an email notice with each new story: