On 09 Aug 1724, Marie Marthe Gamache, daughter of Nicolas Gamache and Marie Dion, was born. She was baptized in Notre Dame de Bonsecours de l’Islet, L’Islet sur Mer, Québec, New France on 13 Aug 1724.
The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Marthe Gamache – 1724
SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Notre Dame de Bonsecours de l’Islet, L’Islet sur Mer, Québec, New France, 1724. Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Marthe Gamache, folio 29 verso.
Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Marthe Gamache – 1724. Translated from the French the record reads:
B[aptism of] Marie Marthe Gamache
In the year one-thousand seven-hundred twenty-four on the thirteenth day of August was baptized by me, the undersigned priest, Marie Marthe Gamache born on the ninth of this same month, daughter of Nicolas Gamache and Marie Gyon, the father and mother. The Godfather and Godmother were Jean Gamache and Marie Marthe Belanger, who has signed with me.
[signed] Marie Marthe Belanger    [signed] C.J. LeBerre, priest
In this record, the date of baptism appears to be “treizií¨me aout” or “the thirteenth of August”. The date of birth is “neuf du míªme mois” or “the ninth of the same month”. This information led me to conclude that the birth occurred on 09 Aug 1724 and the baptism was 13 Aug 1724. The PRDH, however, states that Marie Marthe’s birth was 09 Jul 1724 and her baptism was 03 Aug 1724.
I believe the PRDH incorrectly transcribed the date of baptism as “troisií¨me aout” or “the third of August” and ascribed the birth to the previous month (instead of the same month as clearly stated in the record) since 09 Aug does not precede 03 Aug. Thus, by incorrectly transcribing the day of baptism as troisií¨me instead of treizií¨me led the PRDH to err on both the date of birth and the date of baptism.
This record can be found as image 30/149 in the Québec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com as part of the records for L’Islet-sur-mer 1683-1762. The record appears on folio 29 verso (the back of folio 29).
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
