Francis Cyprien Duval & Alice Hyde are my 2nd great grandparents. They are pictured above with four of their five children who survived birth and infancy. Their oldest son, Francis Henry (back left), is my great grandfather.
I have known about 5 of their children for years. Slowly I have been finding little tid-bits that indicate there were additional children.
These are the five children who are well known to me:
- Annie Marie Elvera Duval, 1899-1979
- Francis Henry Duval, 1901-1996
- Leon Howard Duval, 1907-1941
- Dolores Lenore Duval, 1909-2005
- Alexander Valmore Duval, 1916-1997
Notice the gaps? Six years between Frank and Leon, and seven years between Dolores and Valmore. Those are pretty big gaps for a Roman Catholic like Francis Cyprien Duval.
For a few years now I have known of two other children. The first is a baby boy who was not named. He was born and died on 15 February 1915 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The second child is referenced in the 1910 census for the family while they are living in Fairbanks, Alaska. Alice is listed as the mother of 5, with 4 living. That means that there is a child who was born and died prior to 10 February 1910.
So my revised list of children looks like this:
- Annie Marie Elvera Duval, 1899-1979
- Francis Henry Duval, 1901-1996
- Unknown Duval, born and died prior to February 10, 1910
- Leon Howard Duval, 1907-1941
- Dolores Lenore Duval, 1909-2005
- Baby Boy Duval, 1915-1915
- Alexander Valmore Duval, 1916-1997
It seems likely that the child I learned of from the 1910 census belongs between Frank and Leon in that 6 year gap, but that is just speculation.
It now appears there may be an additional child.
A baby girl named Dorothy.
The Western Call, a BC newspaper, has a death and funeral announcement found in their 14 October 1910 issue that reads:
DUVAL
The death took place Wednesday morning of Dorothy, the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Duval, corner of Twenty-sixth avenue and Martha street. The funeral was held Thursday morning at 9.30 o’clock from the residence, Rev. G. A. Wilson Officiating.
Could this Mr. and Mrs. Frank Duval be my Frank & Alice Duval?
Most likely.
I know from an interview of their son Frank in the late 1970s/early 1980s that Frank and Alice left Alaska sometime after Alice’s father Henry died in 1907. They were still in Fairbanks when the 1910 census was taken in February of that year. I know that after they left Fairbanks they lived in Vancouver for a short time before moving to Lynn Valley, BC where they all lived until sometime after Francis Cyprien Duval’s death in 1919.
So once again, I revise my list of children for Frank and Alice:
- Annie Marie Elvera Duval, 1899-1979
- Francis Henry Duval, 1901-1996
- Unknown Duval, born and died prior to February 10, 1910
- Leon Howard Duval, 1907-1941
- Dolores Lenore Duval, 1909-2005
- Dorothy Duval, died 12 (or 11th) October 1910
- Baby Boy Duval, 1915-1915
- Alexander Valmore Duval, 1916-1997
Does baby Dorothy belong in my tree?
I think so. I need more records to be sure.
But now I am wondering… how many other children are missing?
Note: THANK YOU to Teresa from writing my past for suggesting I check out this BC newspaper site where I found the obit for baby Dorothy. Of course that led me to additional searching including this site for BC City Directories. I love the genealogy blogging community. Our collective knowledge and sharing make genealogy SO MUCH better. Thank you Teresa!