Arthémise Dumais and Étienne Lévesque came to Lawrence, Massachusetts, with their parents while teenagers. I now know that both families arrrived in Lawrence around 1890. In the City Directories - the streets all of the people named people lived on were the same. So they were all neighbors and even some of the men were boarders in one of the great grandmother's homes (the mother of Étienne Lévesque). Too, I now believe that some of them were already related as cousins. Taking in boarders was common in those days as others arrived from Canada and elsewhere. As I write the history of my family, I cannot help but believe that is how they all met and fell in love and got married. Family bonds were so strong in those days that families lived together in the same neighborhoods as much as possible. As I read of the different places my grandparents - Étienne and Arthémise Lévesque moved to, I also see that the addresses of their children and their spouses change to the same locale and sometimes to the very same house as theirs. Of course, I would be remiss not to recognize that there were also many marriages among cousins, etc. It is a fasicinating and awesome happening to be able to touch the history of my grandparents and parents and all of our ancestors that spans over hundreds of years. It is very moving to retrace the footprints of their lives and to see where it all leads.
Pierre Lévesque born unknown. Married Marie Gaumont born unknown.
Robert Léveque was born in 1645 and originated from Normandy as a msater carpenter. He was the son of Pierre and of Marie Gaumont(sometimes written Caumont) of St. Sulpice, Rouen, France. He married at Ange-Gardien on 22 April 1679 to Jeanne LeChevalier, daughter of Jean and of Marguerite Scorman (dit: Romain) of Saint-Nicolas de Coutances, Marne,France. Elsewhere, I have read that she was from St-Jacques de Dieppe diocese of Rouen, Normandie. They raised six children Three sons married and carried the name of Lévesque for future generations. Robert Lévesque was buried at Rivière-Ouèlle on 3 September 1699. Jeanne LeChevalier was the widow of Guillaume Lecanteur.
Étienne Lévesque married Arthémise Dumais on 15 October 1895 at Ste Anne's Parish in Lawrence, Massachusetts. As stated, he was the son of Étienne and Philomène and Arthémise was the daughter of Georges Dumais and Sara Demers. Note: From some documents I've been able to access, it seems that Étienne gave his name as Stephen Lévesque when he married Arthémise.
Amand, Arsenau, Autin, Béliveau, Bérubé, Boudreau, Boudrot, Bourque, Cormier, Dumais, Demers, Gaudet, Gaumont, Gautreau, Grant, Lafleur, Landry, Lavoie, LeBlanc, Letarte, Levasseur, Lévesque, Marquis, Matheu, Mercier, Michaud, Pastourel, Raymond-Phocos, Plourde, Richard, Scorban(Scorman), Thériot and many more Acadian and French Canadian surnames.