 Marie Roy October 29, 1872-May 6, 1946
My great grandmother, Marie Mazélie Roy, was born in Sainte Marguerite de
Dorchester, the daughter of Basile Roy, a farmer, and Marie Rose Delima Blais. Through
her father Marie was descended from Louis LeRoy and Anne LeMaître (m. April 27, 1638,
Saint Rémy de Dieppe, Normandy, France). Marie's mother's family traces its lineage to
Mathurin Blais and Françoise Penigaud whose marriage took place in France during the 17th
century.
Marie, known as Mazélie, was born on October 29, 1872 and
baptised that same day as "Marie Domasile."She was one of at least nine children
born into the Roy family. She appears with her family in the 1881 census as an 8 year old,
along with her siblings:
At the time of this census the family was living within the parish of Saint Edouard de Frampton. While I know little of her early life, I do believe that Mazélie
learned to read and write.
In the late 1880s the family began relocating in the United States. In 1886
Mazélie's older sister, Marie was married Jean Jolin at Saint John the Evangelist
Church, Concord, New Hampshire.
In 1892 at the age of 19, Mazélie married François Truchon (son of Ephraim and Zoë Imbault) at Sacred Heart Church in Concord, New Hampshire. François, known as Frank, worked for the railroad and later at a local factory in Concord. Mazélie was mother to five children, and I have been told
that she could create beautiful braided rugs.
A number of Mazélie's siblings remained in Quebéc. Parish records show that her brother Joseph
married Elise Maheu in 1891. In 1894 her sisters, Delvina and Josephine married brothers, Alphonse and Elzéar Ruel. Pierre Roy
married Marie Dulac (1897) and Jean Roy married Marie
Lousie Bolduc (1907). Josephine and Elzéar would come to the United States in
the early part of the 20th century and the two lived for many years in Laconia, New Hampshire. Anyone with additional information on
these branches of the family is encouraged to contact
me via e-mail.
The remaining details of Mazélie life are a mixture of fact and family lore. Perhaps these mysteries will remain unsolved. One mystery concerns Mazélie's only son, Joseph Truchon. According to the family stories,
Joseph served in the army during World War I. During his time overseas he was mistakenly listed as "Killed in Action." While his family still believed him to be
dead, Joseph returned home from the service. It has been said that the shock of seeing her son return home after believing him dead was too great for Mazélie and she suffered a nervous breakdown. I am still researching this story to
see if the details are true. What is certain is that Mazélie was often troubled and confused. As she reached midlife,
her confusion reached a worrisome state and she was admitted to the the New Hampshire State Hospital diagnosed as suffering from "dementia praecox," (dementia with that occurs at an early age) a somewhat archaic term for schizophrenia. Mazélie was released from the hospital after showing signs of recovery
but was rehospitalized about a year later. At about this time, Mazélie's children found their way to Connecticut where jobs in industry were readily available. According to the
family story, when her children were all settled in Connecticut her son Joseph traveled back to New Hampshire to take his mother to
his new home. However, by that time she had contracted tuberculosis and was not able to leave the hospital. Marie Mazélie died
in the State Hospital in 1946 and was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Concord. From the family stories that my grandmother, aunts, and cousins have told me in relation to these episodes in
Mazélie's life I have found one common thread-that all who spoke of Mazélie Roy Truchon spoke in terms of kindness, care, and sympathy for someone whom they knew and loved.
With thanks to Réjean Roy, Gabe Couture, Isabelle Truchon Jacques, and Marie Côté.
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