This son of Augustin and Agnes Grignon, was born on March 8th 1885 in St. Albert of Russell County, Ontario. St. Albert was and is still today a quiet, agricultural community located in southern Ontario. The 1891 census records for Springer Township states that Albert could speak English and could read and write. It is not known exactly when they left St. Albert but the baptismal records for the parish show that Augustin Daoust and his wife Olive had children here from 1870 until at least 1887. Although his birthday was June 18th 1890, we are presently not sure where their son Evariste was born. This would help us determine when the family moved to Sturgeon Falls in northern Ontario.
We are also unsure when Albert met his future wife, Oliva Delorme. The parents of Oliva were Siméon Delorme and Elmire Daoust, Augustin's sister. They lived in nearby Clarence Creek. Albert and Oliva were first cousins. It is easy to imagine that they knew each other in childhood since their families lived close by. They married on May 1st 1905 at Sacred Heart Church in Sturgeon Falls. Albert's father, Augustin had obtained a land concession here in 1896. This community (about twenty-five miles west of North Bay) started off as a booming lumber town. The first years of the young couple`s marriage were spent in Crystal Falls just a little northeast of Sturgeon Falls. According to their daughter Georgette, they used their home as a boarding house for men who were heading out to work in the lumber camps. When their house burned down here (around 1920 - I don`t know the details), the family moved to Sturgeon. They lived in a small house that belonged to Joseph Gagné and was located on Toronto Street. Oliva acquired a lot of land (#19) on March 14th 1929 on the corner of Levesque (previously Toronto Street) and John Streets (The lot was ultimately sold on June 16th 1966). For a few years during the depression, the family owned a general store on Main Street opposite the Police Station. The store sold all kinds of goods. Two of Albert and Oliva`s children worked here: Gilles and Georgette. Goergette said that a lot of people used to come with their $25 government vouchers for food, which they would prepare. The General Store also had a butcher shop. Their cousin, Cheri Grignon worked as the butcher. He died young of stomach cancer. He drank a lot of milk to relieve the pain.
Albert became a land scaler for the Labrador CT Lumber Co. His job entailed surveying land to assess how much lumber could be obtained from it. He would travel to northern communities such as Timmins Kapuscasing, and Smooth Truck Falls and was gone for several months at a time. Our aunt Germaine remembers he would write home regularly during his absence. He was proud of his penmanship and would actually practice writing in notebooks he had for that purpose. Sadly they have been lost. Oliva always worked at home. She had a work area, we recall, just off the staircase on the second floor. Here she would sew clothes and fur coats. She had a real talent. At 12 years of age , she was asked to make the wedding dress of her school teacher!! Later she made cloths for many prominent people in the community. One of them was Mrs. Dionne, the mother of the quintuplets! Albert passed away from cancer on August 24th 1942 at the young age of 57. Oliva continued to live on Levesque Street with her brother Euclide for many years. Euclide maintained a beautiful garden in the large backyard. He passed away in 1965. Oliva spent her last years with her daughter Thérèse in Azilda, Ontario. The last four years of her life were spent at Falcon Bridge Retirement Home in Sudbury, ON. She died in the spring of 1975 just short of her 90th birthday.
ALBERT DAOUST
(1885 1942)
was born and grew up in Saint Albert, Russell County, Ontario. He later moved to Sturgeon Falls in northern Ontario where he spent the rest of his life. Here are some transactions I have found that pertain to him. This is a work in progress!!
By 1905, Augustin Daoust had about 270 acres (closer to 262 acres) in a rectangle enclosed by the south shore of the Sturgeon River and the present day Roy Street and Quesnel Road in the town of Sturgeon Falls. I don't have the dates when he acquired this parcel of land but I do have the dates that he sold some of it to his sons (for a $1).
June 9th 1906 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Augustin Daoust sold to his son Albert 80 acres north of and neighboring Phileas's lot.
March 8th 1907 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Phileas Daoust sold the 80 acres, number (i) his father had given him to his brother, Evariste for $1,300.
May 22nd 1912 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Albert Daoust bought the southeast part (40 acres) of the 80 acres his bother Evariste had purchased from Phileas in 1907 (just above!).
On the same date, Albert sold the northwest 40 acres his father, Augustin had sold him in 1906 to his brother, Evariste for $1. On January 26th 1918, Phileas bought the remaining 40 acres (the northeast corner) his brother, Albert had gotten from their father, Augustin Daoust in 1906.
June 10th 1912 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Albert Daoust sold the property, above to Joseph Maissoneuve for $750. Joseph was the husband of his niece, Graziela Fortier, the daughter of his sister, Alexina.
March 14 th 1929 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Albert Z. Aubin
#4504 Deed of Land Oliva Daoust (Delorme) purchased from Joseph Rivet, laborer and his wife Apoline Rivet lot #19 on the east side of Toronto Street (now Levesque) in the town of Sturgeon Falls in the Township of Springer as laid down on a plan of survey of said town made by H.R. McEvoy, P.L.S. for James Holditch dated the 12th day of December 1884 and registered in the Registry Office for the District of Nipissing on the 24th day of December 1884. The cost of the purchase was $3,500. This is the house that Jean Guy Daoust grew up in. We lived here in the early 1960s.
December 30 th 1954 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Jacqueline Poirier
#7567 Agreement for sale of land. Oliva Daoust (Delorme) sold to her son, Gerard Daoust of Sept Iles, Quebec the east half of Lot #19 on the east side of Toronto (now Levesque) Street in the Town of Sturgeon Falls. This half of the lot was where the family garden was located. The cost was $1000. $100 cash and the remaining $900 due and payable on December 15th 1955.
Conmpleted on January 6th 1955 in the presence of Albert Z. Aubin, Solicitor.
Gerard never paid his mother for the lot nor did he take possession of it.
May 24 th 1966 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Conrad Proulx, Barrister and Solicitor
#62009 Quit Claim Deed. Gerard Daoust, Lobourer of the Town of Sept Iles in the Province of Quebec sold to his mother, Oliva Daoust (Delorme) the east half of Lot #19 on the east side of Toronto (now Levesque) Street in the Town of Sturgeon Falls. The cost was $1. This was to cancel Agreement for Sale registered as No. 7567
Completed at 1:25 pm on August 19th 1966.
June 6 th 1966 Sturgeon Falls, Nipissing County
North Bay Land Registry Office
Conrad Proulx, Barrister and Solicitor
#62010 Deed of Land Oliva Daoust (Delorme) sold Lot # 19 mentioned previously to Ernest Taillefer of Tellefer Construction. The sale was for $9,000.
Completed at 1:30pm on August 19th 1966.
