Author: paulmjankowski

What does a Pigeon, a cheating wife of a soldier, a Gonzague?, an adulterer, the church, sacrilege, a bigamist, a NARC and an Official Excommunication all have to do with one another? Sounds like a Tabloid article for someone famous or should I say infamous.

Well they all have to do with Louis de Gonzague Deshetres dit Pigeon and his wife (Not really) Louise……..or you can just call him our 5th great grandfather. Or just pops. lol. (This is the family that later changed their name to Beach when they immigrated to the USA from Canada. )

Just a personal note here. It was tough writing this story. Two things I hate most in the world are Pigeons and Cheese Eating surrender monkeys. I’m having a hard time mentally coming to grips with the fact that the Beach line is not just French but UBER French….It’’s killing me. lol

He wouldn’t let the church stand in the way of his love…… at least until things got real tough.

Louis de Gonzague Deshetres dit Pigeon was born in 1736 and died in 1809. He was a wheelwright when he died. (A person who repairs wheels) I understand he was also a trader, trapper and an interpreter. His father Antoine Deshetres was possibly from New England and the story goes he was kidnapped by Indians and taken to live with them escaping when he was older. Sounds like a story but I’m still looking.

“Our Scandal and Horror” “Public and stubborn adulterers” “Whore” “Calmly and even blacker more gross” Nice huh? These were the words in the Official Excommunication of Louis and Louise. Here is what happened.

Louise was a new Immigrant to the country. She lied and was an imposter saying she was a widow so she could marry Louis. Well she wasn’t. Her husband, a soldier in the Kings guard was still alive. Louise tried to cover it up, say it wasn’t so then told more lies to try and get out of it. She told the church that her husband was married before and even had children before they were married…… So they banned them from church until the matter could be investigated.

Well they got found out. They were confronted and fell to their knees. The next day after they were found out they threw themselves down at the priest’s feet, cried mercy and profound tears saying they would stop. The priest gave in to them and believed them as they had exterior marks of sincere repentance each carrying a candle to church in front of a large crowd who had come to witness such a sight. The reverend father absolved them and let them enter the church……BUT…….PSYCH! They didn’t stop. In fact after they said they would stop living together etc. it appears they had at least three children of a marriage that was not legal. Things moved a little slower back then. So the church went to them again to punish them and they repented again and the church believed them again. (The priests got real mad when talking about the chances they gave them in the document)

Enter the NARC!
A person who is not named in the Excommunication went to the church and told on them! It appears they couldn’t hide the fact she was pregnant again.
Nine days after a notice was sent to them Louis de Gonzague Dehestre and Louise went to the Church of Notre Dame de I’Assomption and publicly married each other. Well it appears the priests had a cow and a conniption fit. (Conniption was in my spell check!) I guess they had more time on their hands. (Insert joke about little boys and priest here.) It didn’t take long after that and they were Excommunicated.
Louis disappears for two years. The church’s ruling kept them apart. They had the power back then to bring them to justice (Jail and imprisonment).

c’est la vie…..
I can’t be too worried over this horrible story. If the church didn’t Excommunicate them we wouldn’t be here. Louis turns up in Montreal two years later sans Louise and marries Marie Francois Fortier my 5th great grandmother!

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I grew up hearing stories and the history of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotȟake) and the Hunkpapa Lakota of the Sioux Nation. I would have been the coolest kid in grade school had I known what I know now. John took part in a rescue that I will post about later, where he and the 30th WIS helped rescue Capt. James Liberty Fisk’s emigrant train of miners and settlers on Sept 20th 1864. John was this close (my fingers and inch apart) from Sitting Bull.

Sitting Bull had attacked the wagon train with 100 Hunkpapa warriors on Sept 2nd 1864 (Look up Captain Fisks Montana and Idaho Expedition or Fort Dilts). During the initial attack on the wagon train Sitting Bull was wounded by a gun shot to the hip (other accounts a knife wound) and he was taken to a Sioux Village 6 miles away from the attack to heal. Corporal John Thompson arrived along with 900 other soldiers from Fort Rice on Sept 20th to rescue the emigrants. Just Six Miles from the Great Sioux Warrior.

Pierre Bolduc, with awesome mustache, (1607 – 1670) 9th – 11th great grandfather to all of us from the Beach Side of the family. He had connections to Louis the XIV and had received a land grant from him. Pierre was a Master Apothecary in Paris where this portrait resides. His son Louis Boulduc (1648–1700?) War name – “Bosleduc!” was a French soldier from 1665 to 1668 and settler of New France. He served in the Carignan-Salières Regiment and helped build new forts along the Richelieu River, the principal route of the Iroquois marauders.

Louis Boulduc was one of at least five children. His father was Pierre Boulduc and his mother was Gillette Pijart. Louis had at least four brothers, Simon who was an apothecary in Paris; Pierre who was procurator in “Le Chatelet”; Gilles who was an Augustinian monk; and Jacques who was an Augustinian monk. He was sent to Quebec as a member of the Carignan-Salières Regiment in 1665 (age 17 and assumed the “war name” of “Bosleduc”), and remained behind to settle in Charlesbourg, when the regiment left. Louis married Elizabeth Hubert (1651–1701?) on August 20, 1668 in Quebec, Canada. He later was recalled to France after what I would call “intrigue” and “shenanigans” You can read more about it here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Boulduc

First and second cousin to our Beach side of the family. Charlotte Beach was the daughter of Adolphus Nelson Beach (Our third great uncle). Adolphus was the brother of Louis Beach who is buried up in Flandreau. Louis was the father of Alfred Beach which was grandma cookies (Marguerite Beach Boyum Jensen) father. I’ve been trying to figure out Charlotte and why she had a baby after her husband died..and why she was in Prison in North Dakota……well 7 years later and I got a call today from the North Dakota State Penitentiary. I guess I piqued their interest when I had asked for help. They tracked her record down for me. Waiting for the documents. Took the lead and found this gem! Was convicted as an accessory to manslaughter in the death of a child. Amazingly weird story!

Picture of Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Beach family connection? Marplot, Gasconade and Swarthy oh my! Antoine Deshetres “Tonish” was a jack of all trades hired man on Washington Irvings “A Tour of the Prairies” adventure. Tonish is second cousin on the Beach side of our family. Author Washington Irving was born in New York City in 1783. He achieved international fame for the fictional stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” as well as for such biographical works as A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Irving also served as the U.S. ambassador to Spain in the 1840’s and pushed for stronger copyright laws before his death in 1859. Upon returning to the U.S. in 1832, Washington Irving visited some of the little-known territories off the western fringes of the country, an expedition that inspired A Tour on the Prairies (1835). During this “Vacation” Washington Irving and the “Tourists” employed Antoine Deshetres who went by the name “Tonish”. The book is wonderful and describes our cousin in exquisite detail. Antoine Deshetres “Tonish”. He was the jack-of-all-trades. He had come to the service of the Tourists before their arrival at Chouteau’s trading post. . . . the squire, the groom, the cook, the tent man, in a word the factotum, and . . . the universal meddler and marplot of our party. This was a little swarthy, meagre, French creole . . . if all this little vagabond said of himself were to be believed, he was without morals, without caste, without creed, without county, and even without language . . . He was, withal, a notorious braggart and a liar of the first water. It was amusing to hear him vapor and gasconade about his terrible exploits and hair breadth escapes in war and hunting. He stuttered, at least that is what the journalists’ words lead one to believe. A tendency to stutter though didn’t stop him. He was effervescent. In the midst of his volubility, he was prone to be seized by a spasmodic gasping, as if the springs of his jaws were suddenly unhinged; but I am apt to think it was caused by some falsehood that stuck in his throat, for . . . immediately afterward there bolted forth a lie of the first magnitude. Tonish was a strong presence in all four Tourists’ journals. Tonish will not so soon sink into oblivion. Light, active, in the prime of life, no horse could take him by surprise . . . Full of make-shifts, and unspeakably useful in the woods . . . He was garrulous to excess, in spite of an impediment in his speech, in the form of a barrier, which it was necessary to break down by an effort, after which the words composing the meditated sentence, came tumbling headlong . . . he was a most determined and audacious braggart . . . for lying effrontery, none of us had ever seen his equal . . .he would bring a host of little lies to cover a big one . . . By the time the party arrived at the Three Forks, all the Tourists saw the worth of Tonish. He was the cook extraordinary and could do just about everything else. Tonish is now by far the most important personage, and we . . . await the result of his operations. The young Count added his take on Tonish/Toniche. As he was riding his pony Missionary, he discovered the truth in Toniche’s tall tale. Today Mr. Toniche, our cook and braggart-in-chief, came galloping up to tell us that five monstrously big bears had just entered a nearby wood . . . I see three black animals come out of the woods. . . . I arrive close enough to the black objects to see a long fluffy tail and other signs which, coupled with my previous knowledge of bears, persuade me that these are beautiful black prairie-wolves. Commissioner Ellsworth found little of which to complain. Tonish . . . is a good cook—a fine hunter—a stranger to fear, and as fleet as a deer. Picture of Washington Irving.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Beach family connection? Marplot, Gasconade and Swarthy oh my!

Antoine Deshetres “Tonish” was a jack of all trades hired man on Washington Irvings “A Tour of the Prairies” adventure. Tonish is second cousin on the Beach side of our family.

Author Washington Irving was born in New York City in 1783. He achieved international fame for the fictional stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” as well as for such biographical works as A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Irving also served as the U.S. ambassador to Spain in the 1840’s and pushed for stronger copyright laws before his death in 1859.

Upon returning to the U.S. in 1832, Washington Irving visited some of the little-known territories off the western fringes of the country, an expedition that inspired A Tour on the Prairies (1835). During this “Vacation” Washington Irving and the “Tourists” employed Antoine Deshetres who went by the name “Tonish”.

The book is wonderful and describes our cousin in exquisite detail.

Antoine Deshetres “Tonish”.
He was the jack-of-all-trades. He had come to the service of the Tourists before their arrival at Chouteau’s trading post.
. . . the squire, the groom, the cook, the tent man, in a word the factotum, and . . . the universal meddler and marplot of our party. This was a little swarthy, meagre, French creole . . . if all this little vagabond said of himself were to be believed, he was without morals, without caste, without creed, without county, and even without language . . . He was, withal, a notorious braggart and a liar of the first water. It was amusing to hear him vapor and gasconade about his terrible exploits and hair breadth escapes in war and hunting. He stuttered, at least that is what the journalists’ words lead one to believe. A tendency to stutter though didn’t stop him. He was effervescent. In the midst of his volubility, he was prone to be seized by a spasmodic gasping, as if the springs of his jaws were suddenly unhinged; but I am apt to think it was caused by some falsehood that stuck in his throat, for . . . immediately afterward there bolted forth a lie of the first magnitude.
Tonish was a strong presence in all four Tourists’ journals.
Tonish will not so soon sink into oblivion. Light, active, in the prime of life, no horse could take him by surprise . . . Full of make-shifts, and unspeakably useful in the woods . . . He was garrulous to excess, in spite of an impediment in his speech, in the form of a barrier, which it was necessary to break down by an effort, after which the words composing the meditated sentence, came tumbling headlong . . . he was a most determined and audacious braggart . . . for lying effrontery, none of us had ever seen his equal . . .he would bring a host of little lies to cover a big one . . .
By the time the party arrived at the Three Forks, all the Tourists saw the worth of Tonish. He was the cook extraordinary and could do just about everything else.
Tonish is now by far the most important personage, and we . . . await the result of his operations.
The young Count added his take on Tonish/Toniche. As he was riding his pony Missionary, he discovered the truth in Toniche’s tall tale.
Today Mr. Toniche, our cook and braggart-in-chief, came galloping up to tell us that five monstrously big bears had just entered a nearby wood . . . I see three black animals come out of the woods. . . . I arrive close enough to the black objects to see a long fluffy tail and other signs which, coupled with my previous knowledge of bears, persuade me that these are beautiful black prairie-wolves.
Commissioner Ellsworth found little of which to complain.
Tonish . . . is a good cook—a fine hunter—a stranger to fear, and as fleet as a deer.

Left to Right Micahel Kurek, Hattie Jankowski, Frank Kurek (Michaels brother) or Joseph Nowak not sure and Virginia Jankowski Nowak (she was married to Joseph on Sept 1924).

I really can’t believe this. This ring was with my mothers stuff I was looking through after she passed. It looks like a very small insignificant gold ring. Super small. On the inside it says H. M. J to M.A.K 11/23/21. This initials stand for Hattie M. Jankowski to Michael A. Kurek. They were married on 11/23/21. Hattie Jankowski is my grandmother and Micahel Kurek is my grandfather. She died when my dad was 1 year old in 1923. My dad was adopted by his grandparents Rose (Rozalia Jarczynski) and George (Wojciech) Jankowski who changed my dads name from Michael Kurek Jr. to Edward Michael Jankowski (This is why we have the Jankowski name). This was his fathers ring. Michael Kurek died in 1940 in Dayton Ohio. He was a veteran, fought in WWI and died of TB. I’m speechless. I didn’t even know my dad was adopted until after I found his adoption papers after he died. We were told nothing of my dads family and my mom had told me my dad didn’t know if his dad had died or not etc. sayng they knew nothing of him. NOT True. This is my grandfathers wedding ring. Thank you mom!

Soooo he didn’t poison her…WHEW! Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) 06 Dec 1913, Sat • Page 3

THEY DUG HER UP! Just when you thought it was all over….they send the organs out….creepy

Thought this was just a rumor but my 2nd great grandfather’s third wife died in 1912 and all was not well….crazy. Nils Boyum married Beret Eriksdtr Meaadal Brude in 1902. They are buried in the St Paul Cemetery pretty close to each other. Beret is buried next to her first husband Paul Brude. This is the cemetery at the front gate of EROS Data Center.