| Notes |
- 1880 Federal Census of 6th Ward, Fond Du Lac, Fond Du Lac County, WI
Serrle Bessitt 36 M CN CN CN Head Laborer
Delia 26 F VT CN CN Wife Keeps House
Phillip 3 M WI CN VT Son
Charles E. 1 M WI CN VT Son
AGED WOMAN IS VISITOR IN CITY
MRS. CYRILLE BESSETTE, 82, LETELLIER, CANADA, IS CENTENNIAL GUEST
Mrs. Cyrill Bessette, 82, of Letellier, Manitoba, Canada, is among the oldest Centennial visitors in the city. She is a guest of her sister, Mrs. Della Mosher who resides with her daughter, Mrs. Charles Linde, 69 West Arndt street.
Other Centennial guests at the Linde home are Mr. and Mrs. A Gallant and Phillip Bessette of Letellier, Canada, and Israel Bessette of Detroit.
Mrs. Bessette was born in Vermont April 8, 1854 and came to Fond du Lac with her parents, Mrs. and Mrs. Joseph La Duc, when a small child. She married Cyrill Bessette, a native of Fond du Lac. His parents operated a tavern at the corner of Court and Macy Streets on the present site of the Hamernik garage.
They left Fond du Lac during April, 1882, with their small sons and Mrs. and Mrs. Joseph La Duc making the long journey to Canada by immigration train and sled. There were no roads only Indian trails, so the family had to walk one time through 3 feet of snow to reach St. Jean, the home of Mrs. Bessette's brother. One of the sons was taken ill and died. Flood conditions made burial impossible for six days.
The first home was a 12 by 14 foot log cabin covered with sod, which Mr. Bessette built. An Indian trail passed in front of this little home, and as many as 160 wooden carts would rumble by in a procession at one time. The first white settlers in the district, Mrs. Bessette became very lonely for her friends back home.
In 1900 the Bessettes returned to Fond du Lac for a visit. This is the third visit Mrs. Bessette has made to her early home since the death of her husband in 1920.
Notes from Alban Gallant, grandson of Dleima Leduc
Delima Leduc was born in Vergennes, Vermont and came to Fond du Lac where she met Cyrill Bessette. Her mother's maiden name was Doire de Bondi. Mrs. Adolf Fortier's maiden name was also Doire de Bondi. Cyrill (Bessette) and Delima (LeDuc) left Fond du Lac, Wisconsin for Canada by cart and boat and they had Israel, Phylip, Delima and Charles. The last was only a baby. One of their stops along the Red River was at Adolph Fortier. Both family's were strangers but after talking they found that they came from about the same part of the country and that they were related.
After their stay they left and went to St. Jean-Baptiste, about 10 miles north from Letellier and spent he winter there. In the spring Charles Died. There was a flood that year. They had to keep the body for days or weeks and when it started to dry up, they went to St. Joseph, about 4 miles west of Letellier and buried him there.
They left St. Jean Baptiste early summer and went to take a homestead at St. Alphonse which is about 100 west of Letellier and about 5 miles from Mariapolis.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1854 - 1941 (87 years)