The marriage of Jean Baptiste Geffray and Virginie Gauthier took place on 28 January 1901 at the Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola church in Nominingue, Québec, Canada. It was a small settlement; Jesuits had established the parish in 1884 and in 1901 it was managed by the Canons of the Immaculate Conception. Nominingue was not incorporated until 1904. In the Iroquois language, Nominingue means “red paint,” named for the red chalk used as a pigment. The church that stands in its place today was built in 1933.
This reads (with my approximate transliteration and translation) in French and English, as follows:
Jean Bte Jeffray
et
Virginie Gauthier
Aujourd’hui vingt huitieme jour de janvier mil neuf cent un, après lo publication de tran bans de mariage, foite an nos messes paroissiale entre Mérialle Marie Jean Baptiste Jeffray et cultivaleur de cette paroisse, fils majeur de Jean Baptiste Clere Jeffray [et de Marie Louise Segaut] de cette paroisse d’une part; et Virginie Gauthier, fille minoire de Möise Gauthier et de Lea Dubonnet l’autre part, ne s’etant decument aucun empêchement nans prêtre soussigne, curé de cette paroisse aucun recn lein mutuel evuseuteulment de mariage et lenc areas doune be binidretion nuptial en presence des parents consentant et plusieurs autres, qui’ent signé avec nons lecture faite.
M L S
Geffray [signature of the groom’s mother: Marie Louis Segaud]
VirginieherGautier
+
mark
MöisehisGauthier Jean Bte
+
markhisJeffray
+
mark
Ethrem LeBreton
Andrè Dimanche D. Ct. Bertram
Jean Bte Geffray
et
Virginie Gauthier
Today, the twenty-eighth day of January nineteen hundred and one, after the publication of marriage bans, we celebrate our parish masses between Mérialle Marie Jean Baptiste Geffray and farmer of this parish, adult son of Jean Baptiste Clere Geffray [and Marie Louise Segaud] of this parish on the one hand; and Virginie Gauthier, minor daughter of Möise Gauthier and Lea Dubonnet on the other hand, not having left any impediment without the undersigned priest, pastor of this parish no mutual acknowledgment of marriage and other areas where there will be a nuptial ceremony in the presence of the consenting parents and several others, who signed with their names below.
M L S
Geffray [signature of the groom’s mother: Marie Louis Segaut]
VirginieherGautier
+
mark
MöisehisGauthier Jean Bte
+
markhisJeffray
+
mark
Ethrem LeBreton
Andrè Dimanche D. Ct. Bertram
Mériel Marie Jean Baptiste Geffray was born on 12 April 1874 in Rieux, a commune in the Morbihan department, Brittany, France. The town was known at the time as Rieux Allare. His father was day laborer and his mother a housewife. The witnesses were farmers. He emigrated from Boulogne, France, on or about 21 March 1894, and arrived in New York on the vessel Statindam. His parents followed him to New York later that year.
This reads (with my approximate transliteration and translation) in French and English, as follows:
Du treizieme jour du mois d’Avril mil huit cent soixante-quatorze à une heure dic soirACTE DE NAISSANCE de Geffray Mériel Marie Jean Baptiste le né à La Chapelle des Enfants, commune de Rieux
le douze avril à douze heures du soir fils (1) légitime de Geffray Jean Baptiste Clair âgé de trente-huit ans, profession de journalier et de Segaud Marie Louise âgée de trente ans, profession de ménagire demeurant à Rieux
L’enfant présenté à l’Officier de l’État civil a été reconnu être du sexe masculin
La déclaration de la naissance a été faite par Geffray Jean Baptiste Clair âgé de trente-huit ans, profession de journalier demeurant à Rieux, père (2) de l’enfant,
Priemier témoin, Lelievre Vincent âgé de quarante ans, profession de Cultivateur demeurant à Rieux
Second témoin, Potier Pierre Marie âgé de quarante-deux ans, profession de Cultivateur demeurant à Rieux
Lecture donnée de présent dressé par nous soussigné Robert Jean Marie Maire Officer de l’État civil, les comparants et témoins ont (3) à léxception des deux témoins qui ont declaré nele savoir faire %
Geffray Rubert
From the thirteenth day of April one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four to one o’clock this eveningBIRTH CERTIFICATE of Geffray Mériel Marie Jean Baptiste born in La Chapelle des Enfants, commune of Rieux
April twelfth at twelve o’clock in the afternoon, the legitimate son (1) by Geffray Jean Baptiste Clair aged thirty-eight, profession of day laborer and Segaud Marie Louise aged thirty, profession of housewife residing in Rieux
The child presented to the Civil Status Officer was recognized as male
The birth declaration was made by Geffray Jean Baptiste Clair aged thirty-eight, profession of day laborer residing in Rieux, father (2) of the child,
First witness, Lelievre Vincent aged forty years old, profession of Farmer living in Rieux
Second witness, Potter Pierre Marie aged forty-two years old, profession of Farmer living in Rieux
Reading given of the present drawn up by us undersigned Robert Jean Marie Maire Officer of the Civil Registry, the appearing parties and witnesses have (3) with the exception of the two witnesses who declared that they do not know how to do it %
Geffray Rubert
Virginie was born on 25 July 1885, Nacaster, New York. Her father was Möise Gauthier, born 1 January 1847 in Québec, and died in October 1919, Nominingue, Québec. Her mother was Marie Leodie Élodie (Léa) Bonin dit Dubonnet, born on 27 October 1848 in Québec, and died 18 April 1928, Nominingue, Québec.
Virginie told her granddaughter Virginia Ellen Sharp that her mother died when she was so young that she was still playing with dolls. Even so, her father gave her to a man as his wife. When her husband came home and found her playing with dolls, he beat and kicked her. Her aunt, a neighbor, heard her screaming, went over, got her, and took her back to her father, telling him to take care of his children. This story doesn’t match with the known dates for Virginie’s mother.
Jean Baptiste and Virginie moved from Montreal with their first child, Leon. On 5 December 1902, they arrived in Chicago on the Grand Trunk Railroad; on 3 March 1903, they arrived in Eureka, California.
They had seven children, four boys and three girls, all of whom survived childhood.
Virginie was already a U.S. citizen, since she was born in Necaster, New York. Jean Baptiste Geffray first declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States on 3 March 1903, but this process wasn’t complete until 13 November 1913.
He renewed his declaration of intention to become a citizen on 23 September 1912.
He petitioned for naturalization twice.
In the first petition, he declared his full name as “Jean Baptiste Geffray”;
his place of residence as Shively, Humboldt County;
his occupation as “Section Foreman”;
his birth as 12 April 1874 at Rieux, France;
his emigration from “Boullong, France” (Boulogne)
on or about 21 March 1894, arriving on the vessel Statindam at the port of New York;
his wife as “Virginie Geffray,” born in Nacaster, New York;
and that they had seven children, whom he names.
This petition was denied because one of his witnesses, Louis Bertain, a laundry-man, was not a qualified citizen at the time; that is, he was judged to be “not competent to testify to the residence and moral character of the said petitioner for the period required by law.” Louis Bertain was married to Jean Baptiste’s sister, Philomène Jeanne Geffray.
On the same day, he renewed his petition for Naturalization
with Charles Potter, real estate agent, in place of Louis Bertain.
His second witness was Niels P. A. Grundt, merchant.
Jean Baptiste Geffray became a United States citizen on 13 November 1913.
By 7 August 1915, John Geffray had left Virginia, leaving her with the children. He went to Canada or directly to France to enlist to fight in the First World War, and was killed in France.
There is a grave for Jean Baptiste Geffray at Nécropole Militaire du Bois-Roger à Amblen, Aisne, France. He served in the 75th Régiment d’Infanterie, and died for France on 23 October 1917, likely during the Battle of Malmaison in the Ailette valley. There’s no evidence, other than his name and service, that this soldier was John Geffray.
To provide for his family during his absence, John had bought houses in the 17th Street area of Eureka and rented them out. After he died, Virginia married Robert (Bob) Lavene (Lavigne). Virginia never had schooling and could not read. Bob, telling Virginia that real estate was not a good investment, sold the properties and put the money into stocks, which he lost. When she divorced Bob, the judge gave her the house, 2330 Togo Street, Eureka, and gave Bob its mortgage. Virginia had asthma and couldn’t care for her children, so they were adopted out, except for Rose, the youngest.
Virginia died in 1937 in Eureka of an overdose of morphine given to her by a Dr. Buffalo
shortly after she was admitted to the hospital for an asthma attack
and possibly pnemonia. She was shy of 52 years old.
She was buried on 14 April 1937 in the Myrtle Grove Cemetery, Eureka, California.
Virginia took work at the Scandia Hotel, where she was allegedly assaulted by its proprietors, Joe Costa and Emmanuel Enos.
Gravestones behind the church in Rieux, where Jean Baptiste Geffray was born, use the spelling Geffray; however, it seems that Jean Baptiste signed his own name with two J’s. Clerks and cultures have given us various spellings for the names in this family. Geffray was spelled Jeffrey, Jeffries, Joffries, Geffray, Geoffray, Geoffroy, and Geffries. On his birth certificate, Jean Baptiste’s first name is Mériel; on the record of his marriage, it is Mérialle. Virginie signed her name Gautier, although her father signed his Gauthier. In California, Virginie and Jean Baptiste used the names Virginia and John. In the 1910 census, Jean is listed as “John Jeffray,” and Merle is listed as “Meryle.”