This collection consists of copies of han+N7:N17dwritten and typescript letters between Father Joseph Marcoux, Pastor of Wallagrass and Eagle Lake, the Little Franciscans of Mary of Baie-Saint-Paul, Bishop Louis S. Walsh of the Diocese of Portland, and Father Aimé Giguère of Fort Kent. The correspondence, starting in 1906 through 1949, requesting the Little Franciscans of Mary to administer and staff Father Marcoux’s hospital (Northern Maine General Hospital) and the Convent School (St. Mary’s Convent) in Eagle Lake and Father Aimé Giguère’s hospital in Fort Kent, Maine. Note that the ArchivesSpace record and the finding aid for this collection identify it, incorrectly, as MCC-00434 and MCC-00434.
Etching of Leandre-Arthur Dumouchel and photograph of Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Albany, NY. Léandre-Arthur Dumouchel and his twin brother, Alphonse-Edouard, were born on March 1, 1841 in Rigaud, Quebec. From their youngest days, their aunt, Estelle Fournier, instilled in them a love of music, and it was she who cultivated their talent. At the age of 9, the 2 brothers entered Coll├¿ge Bourget in their hometown to further their musical studies. Just 18, Léandre-Arthur left home to pursue a career as an organist at various churches in Ontario before moving to Troy, NY in 1864. From there, he moved to Carthage, NY in 1866. (It was for the Musical Association of Carthage that Léandre-Arthur and his brother performed in concert of sacred music on November 29, 1866 as accompanists to another Franco-American, Emma Lajeunesse. Her story is featured elsewhere in this collection.) In 1869, Léandre-Arthur Dumouchel left for Europe in order to further his musical studies. His brother joined him shortly thereafter. Léandre-Arthur studied piano at the renowned Leipzig Conservatory, and in 1872, he successfully completed a doctorate in music there. When he returned from Europe in 1872, Léandre-Arthur settled once again in upstate New York, this time to become an organist in Rochester, NY. (Some sources contend that he went next to Oswego, NY.) He would leave there in 1876 to become the organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, NY, a position that he held until his passing in 1919. His brother Alphonse-Edouard would also become an organist in upstate New York, serving for 40 years at the cathedral in Ogdensburg. He died in 1914. The remains of both musician brothers were laid to rest in Rigaud, Quebec.
Emma Lajeunesse, known internationally as Mademoiselle (Miss) Albani and a photograph of St. Joseph's Church in Albany, NY. Emma Lajeunesse was born November 1, 1847 in Chambly, Quebec to musicians Joseph Lajeunesse and Mélina Mignault. Following Mélina's death in 1856, Joseph began work as music master at a convent in Montreal. The nuns there quickly became aware of Emma's musical talent. However, finding little support in Quebec, Joseph departed with his two daughters for upstate New York. Accounts differ on where they settled next. Some say Plattsburgh, others indicate Johnstown, and still others point to Saratoga Springs. What is certain is that by 1865, Emma and her family had made Albany their home where Emma joined the choir at St. Joseph's Church and obtained positions as first soprano, church organist, and choir director. It was parishioners there and Bishop McNierny who provided financial support for Emma to pursue her dream of studying music in Europe, and she departed in 1868. Shortly thereafter, she took on the stage name of Mademoiselle (or Miss) Albani, in part to have a more "European" (more sophisticated) name and in part to recognize her supporters from her adopted home. Eventually, she would go on to international fame, even singing at Windsor Castle at the invitation of Queen Victoria.
A photograph of the exterior of the Shrine at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. St. Anne is the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. She was a popular figure in France at about the time of settlement in New France, later Quebec. Along with St. John the Baptist, she is a patron saint of Quebec. Located on the Saint Lawrence River, not far from Quebec City, the Basilica is credited by the Roman Catholic Church with being a place of numerous miracles, especially curing the ill and the disabled. Consequently, the Shrine was a pilgrimage destination for Franco-Americans.
A photograph of the interior of St. Joseph's Church, one of the "French" churches in Cohoes, NY. This beautiful church was incorporated in 1868, and construction was completed the next year. Sadly, the church was closed in 2009.
Assumption Church was consecrated on August 15, 1855, the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary. Every year on August 15, a community picnic was held by the parish. It continues today on the 3rd Sunday in August. The masses were said in French until Irish parishioners complained. Then bilingual masses were held, followed later by separate masses. There was also a parish school whose teachers and administrators were nuns from the Order of the Holy Cross from St-Laurent, Quebec. The church was Sallaz Academy.
