The Lague Gazette

From Alberta (right): "James 'Harrison' Lague was a son of Dominique Stanislaus LaGue and his second wife Josephine Compton. Picture of James "Harrison" Lague and wife Eunice Clarke. They are the parents of Jim Lague who lives in Oroville, California. Note: The Dominique Stanislaus LaGue name was spelt with the large G. James "Harrison" changed it to the small g for his branch. Now I understand that Jim's son Phil is changing it back to the big G."     How do you spend your spare time? If you have a hobby or interest you would like to share with the rest of us, now is the time to write it up and send it in. "The Hobby Corner" will be a new section added to the Gazette that can highlight your creativity or show the rest of us how you blow off steam. Vicki

This article was printed in the Advocate, Clifton, IL, Vol. 97, Number 15 on Thursday, April 21, 1988; written by Norma Meier

Once Upon a Time...

Jean Louis Fronville and Magloise Ponton left Clifton to enlist in the War of the Rebellion. It was August of 1862 and after a brief training session at Camp Douglas in Illinois, the two young privates were sent to Louisville with their outfit, Company D 89th Illinois Infantry.

They had much in common--both were teenagers, both spoke French, both lived east of Clifton not far from the conjunction of Langham Creek and the Iroquois River. Pvt. Ponton's niece, Rosalie, had married Pvt. Fronville's brother, Florent, earlier that same year. Their worlds ended that same September--in the same place.

They had begun so far apart. Jean Louis Fronville first saw daylight in the little town of Beneffe, near Brussels. He was 16 when his family emigrated from Belgium in 1856 to settling in the Belgian community east of Clifton. Catherine Ponton gave birth to Magloise near Sainte-Marie-de-Monnoir, a French-Canadian village just east of Montreal. He was a child of 11 years when he came with his parents to homestead land along the Iroquois River.

He was a boy of 18 when he joined Union troops stationed with General Buell near Louisville, Kentucky. His military file at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. is slim. His papers briefly state, "Pvt. Ponton died 14 September 1862 of exposure, overexertion and congestive chill." Four days later Pvt. Fronville was dying from a bullet wound, fired mistakenly by a Union guard. Their war was over.

But it was yet to begin for young Francois Ponton. He was the grandson of Catherine Ponton, the son of her oldest boy, and he was named for his grandfather, Francois Ponton. The young Francois was 18 at his enlistment on the first day of October in 1862, 16 days after the death of his uncle, Magloise.

He joined Company B of the 113th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers when the company was organized at Kankakee. In his military file at the National Archives is a letter, faded almost to extinction, penciled to his sister, Mary, "Youngs Point, Louisiana, March 31 (1863), Dear Sister, Yours of the 8th instant has just been received with great pleasure. I was very glad to hear from you. It found me in good health and hope that these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing as it leaves me.

We have just returned from an expedition up the river, we went up about 20 miles and then we landed and we then went up Black Bayou. We then got in a coal barge. Sailed up in that for a mile. We then got ashore. We then marched about two miles and stopped at Hills Plantation then we got lots of fresh meat. We got some sheep, cattle, hogs, chicken and turkeys. Also some Johnny cake from the nigger wenches. We went up the Big Deer Creek to save the gunboats that had went up there to go around to Rolling Fork. Last Sunday our company had a little skirmish we fired about 7 or 8 rounds at the rebels. The gunboats fired...they threw shells amongst them..they run like sheep, but when they fired they gave us a pretty close call, but did not hurt any of us.

"Dear sister I have sent 10 dolars by express with Louis Cazeau...has sent ten dollars also. We sent it to H. H. White at Clifton. I wish that you would tell father to go to Mrs. Cazeau at Clifton and get it. When you write tell me if you have received the money."

"I expect that we shall leave here in a few days for Fort Warrington there we expect that there shall be some fighting to do. As I have nothing of importance to write I will close this by sending you and all of the family my best respects. Give my respects to all inquiring friends. Write as soon as it leaves me. I am glad to see that you have not forgotten me yet. I have not forgotten you either. I hope that you will continue to write to me. And I will do the same. I have sent 55 dollars to father. When he receives it I wish that you would write and let me know as soon as possible. As I have no news to write to you I will close this by sending you my best respects. I still remain Your Brother, Francois Ponton."

Then it was May. By the 14th, Union troops occupied Jackson, Mississippi. Now Grant had a single purpose--capture Vicksburg. On May 19 and May 22 his troops stormed the city. His losses were heavy. Vicksburg was not to fall until a siege brought Grant his victory here on July 4th. Pvt. Ponton never saw the victory. He died in battle that first day--May 19th, "Killed by reason of gun shot in head whilst charging the enemy's works in (battle) of Vicksburg."

Death had become so familiar to Catherine Ponton in her home by the Iroquois River. Her parents died of cholera when she was just four years old. She had marrid the elder Francois Ponton in 1823 and they came to the L-Erable area with the first wave of French-Canadian pioneers in 1855. Then came the war and the year that somehow Catherine survived. The year when she lost her son, Pvt. Magloise in September, 1862; her husband, Francois, in February 1863; her grandson Pvt. Francois in May 1863; her 12 year old grandson, Joseph,in December 1863; and her baby grandson Joseph Simeon, in December 1863.

Note from Marilyn: "It should be noted that the information re: Catherine's parents dying of cholera seems to be misinformation since further documentation does not appear to substantiate the newspaper article."

Maple Syrup Dumplings (Grand-pères au sirop d'érable) A cousin of mine sent me a French surname newsletter and I found the most interesting section on recipes from Quebec. Marilyn

2 cups water 1 1/4 cups maple syrup 1 1/2 cups pastry flour or 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 3 tsp. baking powder 1 T. sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup cold butter 1/2 cup milk chopped nuts

Pour water and maple syrup into large pot. Cover and simmer while preparing dumplings. Sift flour with baking powder, suger and salt. Cut in butter. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients; add milk and stir slightly. Drop large spoonfuls of batter into the boiling syrup. Sprinkle nuts over dumplings. Cover and simmer, without removing cover, for 15 minutes. Serve hot. Translated from Mme Jehane Benoit's L'Encyclopédie de la Cuisine Canadienne . . . . The late Madame Benoit was a well-known expert on cuisine, frequently appearing on Canadian television and radio in the 50s and 60s.