Ernest Albert Daignault (1897 - 1971)

Born 10 May 1897 in Quebec, Canada

Husband of Alfred William Lapean — married about 1918 in France

Died 31 Jul 1971 at age 74 in Pinellas, Florida, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: U Swanson [send private message]

Biography

Private 1st Class Ernest Daignault served in the United States Army Medical Corps in World War I
Service started: 24 May 1917
Unit(s):
Service ended: 1919

Ernest was born in Quebec, Canada in 1897. He grew up in Shefford and Worcester, Massachusetts with his parents and eight siblings.^[1][2]

On May 24, 1917, he enlisted in the US Army.^[3] He was last listed in a roll call on July 31, 1919, listed as a Private 1st Class in the Medical Detachment of the 77th Field Artillery.^[4]

While stationed in France, he met Fred Lapean. In 1920, after leaving the army, they lived together with Fred's aunt and uncle in Holyoke, both working as clerks for a grain store.^[5] In 1930, they still lived with the Burnhams, both working as coal laborers.^[6]

In 1940 and 1950, Fred and Ernest lived in Warren, working as farmers in the former decade and retiring by 1950.^[7][8] In 1942, he enlisted in the US Army and possibly served as a warrant officer.^[9] In 1953, Fred passed away.

After Fred passed, Ernest went to live with his nephew Albert.

Ernest passed away in Florida in 1971.^[10] He was buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery in Willimantic, Connecticut, sharing the "Daigneault" headstone with his nephew and his wife and Albert's wife's brother.^[11] His death date on the Lapean headstone at the Brimfield Cemetery in Brimfield, Massachusetts, shared by Fred, Fred's older brother Thomas, and Thomas's wife, was never updated.^[12]

Research Notes

The 1901 Canadian Census lists Ernest's age as 13 and his birth date as 10 March, 1887.^[1] However, he was the only person in his family listed "out of order" by age, listed after a 7 year old sibling and before a 1 year old sibling. This possibly means that he was actually 3 when that census was taken, making the resulting birth date of 10 March, 1897 much closer to that listed on the death index. His other headstone also lists his birth year as 1888,^[12] and various censuses alternate which decade he was born.

The confusion with his birth year may be the reason records for Ernest Albert Daignault are sometimes conflated with records for a Joseph Eugene Ernest Daignault, born in Quebec in December 25, 1889, who married a Grace Jean, had at least two children, served in the US military, and passed away around 1977. Ernest Albert, however, was the lifelong partner of Fred Lapean, never married, and never had any children.

While same-sex marriage was not legal in Massachusetts until 2004 or France until 2013, the marriage field on this profile is used to represent the long term relationship between Fred and Ernest.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Canada Census, 1901," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHRW-VCN : 23 February 2021), Ernest Daigneault in household of Edouard Daigneault, Shefford, Quebec, Canada; citing p. 11, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M22B-M9M : accessed 22 June 2023), Ernest Daigneault in household of Edward Daigneault, Worcester Ward 5, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1886, sheet 17B, family 335, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 632; FHL microfilm 1,374,645.
3. ↑ "United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-F3CV-SDKX?cc=3346936 : 8 May 2023), > image 1 of 1.
4. ↑ "United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-F3CV-SX7Z?cc=3346936 : 8 May 2023), > image 1 of 1.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXB7-21T : 1 February 2021), Ernest Daignault, 1920.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XQGH-KC2 : accessed 22 June 2023), Ernest Daignault in household of C B Burnham, Holyoke, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 165, sheet 15A, line 42, family 399, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 907; FHL microfilm 2,340,642.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4JZ-JT7: Sat Jun 17 18:45:54 UTC 2023), Entry for Fred W Lapean and Ernest Dagnault, 1940.
8. ↑ "United States 1950 Census", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6F33-5L7D: Fri May 19 16:17:05 UTC 2023), Entry for Earnest Daignault and Fred W Lapean, 6 April 1950.
9. ↑ "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85R-VF6 : 5 December 2014), Ernest A Daignault, enlisted 27 Jun 1942, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
10. ↑ "Florida Death Index, 1877-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVD1-Q2D : 25 December 2014), Ernest Albert Daignault, 31 Jul 1971; from "Florida Death Index, 1877-1998," index, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : 2004); citing vol. , certificate number 45845, Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, Jacksonville.
11. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/119411950/ernest-albert-daigneault: accessed 22 June 2023), memorial page for Ernest Albert Daigneault (10 May 1897–31 Jul 1971), Find a Grave Memorial ID 119411950, citing Saint Joseph Cemetery, Willimantic, Windham County, Connecticut, USA; Maintained by CLS (contributor 47450885).
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/185512768/ernest-a-daignault: accessed 22 June 2023), memorial page for Ernest A. Daignault (1887–unknown), Find a Grave Memorial ID 185512768, citing Brimfield Cemetery, Brimfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Sue (contributor 47067682).

See also

• frootchinator. "In the last few years I’ve learned more about my family history..." Tumblr, June 19, 2023. Tumblr post link, https://www.tumblr.com/frootchinator/720606293762654208/in-the-last-few-years-ive-learned-more-about-my?source=share.