The Story of Joseph and his son Narcisse

Joseph Jubinville was born in Québec in 1829 (Ste-Elisabeth parish, Seigneury of Dautray, Berthier county) and resided there until 1870, when he immigrated to Fall River, Massachusetts, following in the footsteps of many of his compatriots.

Seven years spent in the United States were enough for him, and he left for Manitoba in the spring of 1879 as part of a group led by Charles Labine.

Upon his arrival, he took up a homestead along with Georges Beaupré, who had also come from the United States, in the parish of St. Joseph. A small patch of land was cleared that year, and they harvested their very first crop in 1880.

Source: Land Grants Western Canada (1870-1930)

The following year, his family joined him from Fall River, and they took up residence in a 20 by 24-foot house that Joseph Jubinville had built. Joseph began the farm work with a team of oxen, but finding them too slow for the task, he disposed of them and procured a team of horses to replace them.

Raymond, the eldest son, came to Manitoba in 1881, and during his first few years here (in Manitoba) he worked on his father's farm. After a few years, he bought his own farm, and by 1909 he owned a large tract of land in Letellier.

Joseph, the second son, continued to work on his father's farm. However, tragedy struck in August 1899 when their home burned down, claiming the lives of his wife and children. The mother could have escaped the flames, but her efforts to save her children were in vain, and she perished with them.

Joseph, the son, was not home at the time of the fire and arrived only when nothing but embers remained. He rebuilt the house but never remarried. He would tragically perish a few years later in a snowstorm.

The third son, Narcisse, besides being a farmer, also became a general store owner and postmaster. He built his first mud "shack" in 1886. Mrs. Narcisse Jubinville, Emma Mercier, was a school teacher. Emma taught school in St. Boniface for 110 dollars a year. She also taught in St. Joseph, where she met Narcisse. They moved to St. Léon in 1918, on Armistice Day, November 11.

Narcisse's youngest brother, Wilfred, differed from his brothers in his choice of profession and pursued his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1894 by Bishop Grandin.

Narcisse and Emma had eight children:

1. Joseph - Born March 23, 1893, in St. Joseph. Died young.
2. Marguerite - Born January 19, 1896, in St. Joseph.
3. Nazaire - Born April 25, 1897, in St. Joseph. Died young.
4. Joseph Jules - Born May 14, 1898, in St. Joseph. Died young.
5. Antonin - Born June 5, 1899, in St. Joseph. On January 17, 1923, in St. Léon, he married Honora Payette, daughter of Esdras Payette and Joséphine Landreville.
6. Denys René - Born May 15, 1901, in St. Joseph. Oblate priest. Died in Lebret, Saskatchewan, on December 3, 1968.
7. Laurent - Born September 5, 1902, in St. Joseph. On October 28, 1925, in Somerset, he married Éliane Landry, daughter of Exide Landry and Lusina Major. Laurent passed away in St. Claude on May 14, 1963.
8. Marie Germaine Ernestine - Born September 5, 1903, in St. Joseph. Died young.