Louis Emile Daigneault (1887 - 1952)

Born 19 Jul 1887 in Sherbrooke, Estrie Region, Quebec, Canada

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 23 Feb 1952 at age 64 in Dover, Strafford County, New Hampshire, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Paul Daigneault [send private message]

Biography

Louis Emile Daigneault – Biography July 19, 1887 – February 23, 1952 Link to Louis's memorial; https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Daigneault&GSfn=Louis&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=32&GScnty=1905&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=160796475&df=all&

Louis Emile Daigneault was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada in July 19, 1887 and came to the United States in 1895. He became a naturalized citizen on September 10, 1919 at the superior court in Lawrence, MA.

His military career started out as a member Battery C, 102 Field Artillery, 26th Division of the National Guard from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Nearly all the members of that battery were Lawrencians.

Battery “C” was involved in keeping the peace during the famous 1912 labor strike also known as the “Bread and Roses” strike of Lawrence, MA. We don't known if Louis Daigneault participated in this event or even if he was a member of that National Guard unit at that time. It would be an interesting point of research because Louis's future daughter in law's mother (Germaine Decauwer Jonckheere Daigneault) was one of the strikers.

Before WW1 Louis Daigneault's duties with the National Guard's, battery “C” of Lawrence, MA included service along the Mexican border from July 2, 1916 to October 10, 1916, during the campaign against Francisco "Poncho" Villa who had been raiding across the border into the United States. In 1917, Congress, under president Woodrow Wilson, declared war against Germany. At that time, Battery C, 102 Field Artillery, 26th Division (aka the “Yankee” Division”) of the National Guard was federalized as part of the regular army and ordered to proceed to France to repel the Germans who invaded that country some years earlier. Battery “C” and the 102 F.A. (Field Artillery) along with a great many other troops assembled at Camp Curtis Guild (today known as Round Top) in Boxford, MA. From there, they boarded trains to New York City and left for France aboard the U.S.S. Finland on September 23, 1917 not to return home again until March 31, 1919 aboard the ship Mongolia.

Pvt. Louis Daigneault fought with Company “C”, an artillery unit of the famous "Yankee Division" in a great many famous battles, on many different fronts throughout northern France. This same unit was fighting at Verdun, France, the scene of much death and destruction when the war came to an end in November 1919. After peace was restored between France and Germany, he and the entire unit he served with were returned to the United States where he and the rest of the boys of Battery “C”, were honorably discharged April 29, 1919 at Fort Devens, MA.

At the end of the war, Battery “C” was offered the option of staying in Europe to enter Germany as part of an occupying force but declined the honor because of illness, exhaustion and battle fatigue after so many months on the front lines, and also because the boys just wanted to get home.

The exploits of Battery "C" are chronicled in the very interesting book “Smashing Through The World War" with Fighting Battery C, 102nd F.A.(Field Artillery), 26th Division” in which Louis is mentioned and pictured. In one of his pictures, he wears the WWI Artillery Horseshoer's patch on his shoulder which can be seen at his findagrave.com memorial page. It is a blue woolen patch with an embroidered red horseshoe.

After serving in WWI, Louis Emile Daigneault became a Lawrence, MA police officer until his retirement. He was appointed reserve police officer 1-1-1920 and regular patrol officer 7-30-1921. At one point, he was listed as living at 40 Water St in Lawrence, MA. He and his second wife Alice (Locke) Daigneault later owned a home together at 10 Mt. Vernon St also in Lawrence, MA.

Louis is the son of Antoine Daigneault and Adeline (Levesque) Daigneault both of whom are interred at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Andover, MA. Their graves are unmarked and as of yet their location cannot be exactly determined. As of the spring of 2017, we are in contact with the Catholic Archdiocese in Boston to find these graves.

Louis died of severe coronary artery disease and is buried at a large "Locke" family plot in Barrington, Strafford County, New Hampshire with his second wife Alice Locke, her mother, father and her four uncles as well as her paternal grandfather and grandmother.

Louis was the father of Remond Daigneault and George Joseph Daigneault who married Gladys Henriette Jonckheere Daigneault. That troubled and failed union produced six children; Robert, Mildred, Alan, Charles, Paul and Warren. Two of George's sons served in Viet Nam and one in the Air Force.

Occupation: Police Officer.

Sources

Death certificate, cemetery headstone, Lawrence public library records, book "Smashing Through, The World War"