John Demeau

Lately I have been working on my husband's Acadian genealogy.  I have been working my way thru the St-Alexis-de-Matapedia, Quebec, church records and came across a baptism that sent me back in to work on the maddening situation of John Demeau/John Dumas and Isabella/Mary Mann.

John  Demeau married Isabella Mann in 1860.

This fellow has given me quite the trouble!

1861 Census of Canada

The problem here is this is John Demeau and he married Isabella Mann in 1860 then why is he single here?  So, perhaps we have two John Demeaus!

1871 Census of Canada, New Brunswick

Problem here is we have John elsewhere, furthering my belief we have at least two different Johns.  This is the family of Isabelle Mann, so perhaps they both wives were related as well.

1871 Census of Canada, New Richmond, Bonaventure, Quebec

1871 Census of Canada , next page

Even worse, we have baptism at St-Alexis-de-Matapedia in 1871 for a Matthias Demeau, son of John and Mary Mann.

So lets consider then that we have a John Dumas b 1836 who married Isabelle Mann in 1860.

By 1871 they have the following 6 children listed in the census

William Alexander Dumas
Eliza Jane Dumas
Vital Dumas
Margaret Dumas
Josette Dumas
Isabel Dumas

Then we have John Dumas b 1839 who married Mary Mann and by 1871 they have a son George (maybe aka Mattias from the baptism in 1871 St-Alexis-de-Matapedia?

1881 Census of Canada, New Brunswick

This is John b 1836 with Isabella Mann, and their 8 children:

William Demeau
Mary Demeau  (I suspect this is Eliza Jane listed as Mary by mistake?)
Vital Demeau
Margaret Demeau
Joanna Demeau (Josette in 1871?)
Isabella Demeau
Elizabeth Demeau
Mary Demeau

1891 census of Canada, New Brunswick

This is again John Dumas born 1836, but things are tricky here again.

There are 3 children listed, Johanna and Mary match up with children listed in earlier years, but Thomas H seems improbable.  Isabel's age have been consistently reported to match up with a birth year around 1836.   It seems unlikely she had a child around age 50.  Thomas is actually their grandson, thru their son Vital.

death record, 1920 New Brunswick, Canada

The informant is his grandson, John Martin. (son of John Martin and Margaret Elizabeth Demeau)

No parents listed on the death record.

The children of John Demeau and Isabelle Mann include:

William Alexander Demeau

Elizabeth Jane Demeau

Margaret Elizabeth Demeau

Isabella Demeau

Vital Demeau

Johanna Demeau

Mary Ann Demeau

I have still not located the other John Demeau/John Dumas in other census records but based on the marriage and death records of his children it appears that he and Mary Mann had at least the following children:

George Demeau
William Murdock Demeau
John Demeau
Annabella Demeau
James Demeau
Peter Edward Demeau
Sarah Bridget Demeau