Like so many other French Canadian families, the Lacroix family has deep roots in New France and Lower Canada. This is a family whose women-folk led eventful lives with links to two European kings. The King of Belgium Leopold II and his consort La Baronne Vaughan, Caroline Lacroix, is one royal connection, as shown in this postcard from Ancestry.ca.

There was also a Francoise Lacroix amongst the King’s Daughters who came to Quebec from Dieppe, France, in 1669, at age 29, with about 150 other “Filles du Roi” and a few other colonists aboard the ship “St-Jean-Baptists”. To help correct the imbalance of the male to female ratio in the new colony, over 800 women were recruited and sent out by the King of France with a dowry and all expenses paid.

The name as it appears in old records can also be found as La Croix or Bourgault dit Lacroix and Lacroix dit Lagiroflee. The Lacroix name is also found in Arnprior and Bytown records; so Lacroix family members were in the Ottawa Valley before coming west to Westmeath Township.
The Lacroix Family of Westmeath Township
David Lacroix (1807- ) and Emilie Julien (1811-1868) are the earliest pioneers that we know of coming to Westmeath Township. She was the daughter of Jean-Baptiste Julien and Catherine Auger. They had a son Alfred Lacroix (1831-1907) whose name appears in the 1851 Census of Westmeath Township.

That 1851 Census lists 3 young people who are perhaps siblings (not verified):
David Lacroix, 24, birthplace Canada West, birth year about 1828, Labourer. David settled in LaPasse. The LaPasse R.C. Cemetery has a grave marker to commemorate David’s daughter Adeline Lacroix (1865-1893), wife of Jules Marion. Adeline Lacroix is the daughter of David Lacroix Jr. and Tarcille Longpré. She was born August 23, 1865 and baptized in LaPasse on 3 September 1865 and died in Gower Point at age 28.
Alfred Lacroix, 22, birthplace Canada West, birth year about 1830, Labourer. He was born in Westmeath Township in 1831 but was taken back to the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal to be baptized in 1832.
Theresa Lacroix, 20, birthplace Canada West, birth year about 1832.
They were at Gower Point – later called LaPasse in Westmeath Township. Labourers were always in great demand in the lumber trade, or to clear the land and prepare it for incoming homesteader-farmers. Strong hardworking men could always find employment. The Lacroix men it would seem, often connected with people downstream (Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers), so it is speculated that they were travelling either with the rafts of timber going downriver to market or as voyageurs to move the trade cargo of such concerns as the Hudson Bay Company.

This entry will follow two sons of pioneers David Lacroix and Emilie Julien, who remained and settled in North Gower (LaPasse), Westmeath Township: (1) Louis Lacroix (1827-1918) and (2) Alfred Lacroix (1831-1907). Each brother raised a large family; Louis had 13 children and Alfred also had 13 children. Louis was 92 years and Alfred was 76 years of age when they died.
Fortunately various Lacroix descendants have used Ancestry.ca and that information was most useful and appreciated in the preparation of this entry. We thank those contributors.
Because there were several branches of the Lacroix family and numerous children in each family, it was not uncommon to have a first or second cousin with the same name. This makes the work of genealogists challenging. If you are interested in more on the genealogy of the Lacroix family you can contact: pjohns2014@outlook.com
1. The Descendants of Louis Lacroix and Eliza Clermont (Clarmont)


Photo from Ancestry.ca
Louis Lacroix (1827-1918), had been baptized in Boucherville, Quebec in 1828. That is now a Montreal suburb on the southeast shore of the St. Lawrence River. In 1857 at age 23 years, he married an Elizabeth “Eliza” Philomène Clermont or Clarmont (1830-1904), daughter of Jean- Baptiste Clermont and Theotiste Leblanc in LaPasse Parish. Louis would die at age 84 of cirrhosis of the liver after a long acquaintance with alcohol. 1918 Louis Lacroix Death Reg. Both Lois and Eliza are buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery at LaPasse.

In the 1871 Census for Westmeath Township record we find this young Lacroix couple raising their family in Gower Point:
“-Louis Lacroix, 36, birth place Ontario, birth year about 1835, a French Catholic. And Eliza Lacroix, 33, their children in the household were: Josephine Lacroix – age 12, Toussaint Lacroix – age 10, Louis Lacroix – age 7, Delemer Lacroix – age 5, and Julie Lacroix – age 2.”
1881 Census Louis and Eliza Lacroix Household
Lacroix | Louis | M | 45 | Ontario | RC | French | Farmer | Married | |
Lacroix | Eliza | F | 45 | Ontario | RC | French | Married | ||
Lacroix | Josephine | F | 22 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Toussaint | M | 21 | Ontario | RC | French | Farmer | ||
Lacroix | Philomene | F | 14 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Peter | M | 17 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Julie | F | 13 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Harriet | F | 11 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Edward | M | 9 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Antoinette | F | 6 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Alex | M | 2 | Ontario | RC | French |
Louis Lacroix was listed at age 56 in the 1891 Census. He lived to the old age of 92 and is buried in the LaPasse Roman Catholic Cemetery. 1891 Census Louis&Eliza Household. They would have 13 children.
By the 1901 Census the Louis Lacroix Household consisted of:
- Louis M Lacroix 66
- Eliza C Lacroix 62
- Edward Lacroix 29
- Baptiste Lacroix 26
- Alexander Lacroix 20
- Charley Lacroix 18
1. Louis Lacroix (1857-1858) infant death, buried at LaPasse.
2. Josephine Lacroix (1859- ) m. Joseph Colborne in Mattawa, Ont. in 1900 when she was age 42,
3. Toussaint Lacroix (1860-1925) m. Marguerite Veronique Lamarche (1858-1956) at LaPasse Parish in 1889. She was the daughter of John Lamarche and Philomene Gervais. They are buried at LaPasse. 1925 Toussaint Death Reg.


The land parcels at Gower Point (LaPasse) run up from the water frontage of the Ottawa River in the old style of the Quebec signories. Because the river was the main mode of transportation, early settlers built one room log homes along its banks. Many of the early houses were used for 2, or even 3 generations and would then be re-purposed as barns or henhouses.Marguerite Lamarche Lacroix with her sons John (left) and Wilfred. Photo from Ancestry.ca.

1911 Westmeath Census Toussaint & Marguerite Lacroix Household
Lacroix Toussaint | M | Head | M | Aug | 1860 | 50 |
Lacroix Marguerite | F | Wife | M | May | 1869 | 42 |
Lacroix Rose Mary | F | Daughter | S | Aug | 1890 | 20 |
Lacroix Ida | F | Daughter | S | Feb | 1892 | 19 |
Lacroix Harry | M | Son | S | Dec | 1893 | 17 |
Lacroix Ephriam | M | Son | S | Jul | 1896 | 14 |
Lacroix Wilfred | M | Son | S | Mar | 1899 | 12 |
Lacroix Julia | F | Daughter | S | Dec | 1901 | 9 |
Lacroix John | M | Son | S | Feb | 1906 | 5 |
Lacroix Jane | F | Daughter | S | Jun | 1910 | 1 |
i. Marie Rose Lacroix (1890- ) m. Philias Franceour, son of Amable and Philomene Levesque in LaPasse Parish in 1914.
ii. Marie Ida Lacroix (1892- ) m. Alexandre Leblanc in 1912 in LaPasse. He is the son of Joseph Toussaint Leblanc and Albina Gratton. See LEBLANC entry.

iii. Henri-Alexandre “Henry” Lacroix (1893 -1917), unmarried, first of two brothers who died of drowning on August 12, 1917, 1917 Henry’s Death Reg. – even though they were good swimmers. Buried at LaPasse. Henry was part of the cook crew in the lumber camp in the winter.

Photo from Ancestry.ca
iv. Ephraim Lacroix (1896-1939) unmarried, second brother who died of drowning at age 42 years. Buried at LaPasse.


v. Wilfred Lacroix (1899-
vi. Julia Lacroix (1901- ) m. Philias Amyotte, son of Moise Amyotte and Cordelia Gervais, on May 14, 1927 in LaPasse. Daughter Marie Cordelia “Leona” Amyotte (1928-2000) m. Marc “Mark” Lacroix (1912-1975), son of Charley Lacroix and Marie Louise Miron.
vi. John Arthur Lacroix (1906-1988) m. Florence M. Lacroix (1916- ), daughter of Charles Lacroix and Marie Louise Miron in 1933 in LaPasse. Lacroix, J & F 50th. Their children are Ray, Sister Connie, Mabel Adams, Lilliam Pharand and Susan Legault.
vii. Marie Jeanne “Jane” Lacroix (1910- ) m. Fabien Euchere Mousseau, in LaPasse in 1934, son of Simeon Mousseau and Domothilde Perreault.
4. Louis Lacroix Jr. (1864- ) m. Hermeline (Ermiline) Leblanc (1873- ) in 1889, daughter of Theophile Leblanc and Henriette Belanger, in LaPasse Parish. 1889 Louis&Emerline Marriage Reg. See LEBLANC entry. Their two daughters married two brothers, sons of Victor Poisson and Lucy Bertrand: Elizabeth Lacroix m. Victor Poisson in 1919 and her sister Antoinette Lacroix m. Raoul Poisson in 1920. Louis Junior and Ermiline farmed on Lots 16 & 17 on Concession East Front C (EFC), the north-eastern shore of the township at what is now known as the Lacroix Bay area.


The children of Louis (Junior) and Ermiline Lacroix are:
i. Louis J. Lacroix (1890 –1976)
ii. Joseph Lacroix (1891 – 1966)
iii. Eva Lacroix (1892 –
iv. Bellense Lacroix (1894 – 1942)
v. Elmere Lacroix (1897 –
vi. Wilford Lacroix (1898 –
vii. Eliza Lacroix (1900 – ) m. Victor Poisson in 1919.
viii. Isabell Lacroix (1902 –
ix. Antoinette Lacroix (1904 – ) m. Raoul Poisson in 1920.
x. Alexander Lacroix (1905 –
xi. Harriett Lacroix (1907 –
5. Euchere Lacroix (1866- 1901) was a bachelor and a blacksmith when he died of diphtheria in February 1901, at age 36 years. A look through death registrations shows that a number of Westmeath Township residents died of Diphtheria that winter.
6. Philomène Lacroix (1868-1947) m. Théophile Gratton (1868- 1953) , son of Eustache Gratton and Henriette Laverdure in LaPasse in 1895; the Grattons were also a LaPasse Family. They are buried at LaPasse Cemetery. Daughter Josephine Gratton 1903. The Grattons homesteaded on Pleasant Valley Road and that farm stayed with Josephine in her marriage to George Amyotte; then to their son Roger Amyotte and his family.


7. Julia Lacroix (1868- ) m. Napoleon Gauthier in Bonfield Ont., Nippissing area, in 1884 when she was only 14 years old. By the 1891 Census she is listed at age 21 living back with her parents in Westmeath Township. Young women of that era would sometimes return to their home rather than spend the winter months alone; if her husband was in the lumber camps working all winter.
8. Henry Lacroix (1871- ) m. Jane Mary Ann Thibeau in 1896. 1896 Henri-Mary Marriage Reg. Their children are: Eximere Lacroix (1896-) ; Rapheal Lacroix (1899- ); Emoure Lacroix (1905- ); James Lacroix (1911- )
9. Edouard Lacroix (1872-1953) m. Clara Rose Anna Desrocher (1883-1943). Clara was the daughter of Aldolphe Desrocher and Julie Beauchamp of Fort Coulonge, Quebec, a settlement directly across the Ottawa River from LaPasse Ont. They are buried in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, LaPasse. Ont. Their children were:

i. Ovila Edouard Lacroix (1906-1991) m. Evelyn M. Lablanc (1913-1998) in LaPasse in 1912. She was the daughter of Joseph Lablanc and Ida May Lacroix, in 1936 in LaPasse. Their son Roger Lacroix died in 1944. See LEBLANC entry.
ii. Arthur Domina Lacroix (1908-
iii. Joseph Euchere Forenzo Lacoix (1909-1985) m. Marie Corrine (Couronne) Victoria Gervais in 1937, daughter of Cyrille Gervais & Auxile Laderoute. See GERVAIS entry. They settled in LaPasse, Ontario and farmed just upriver from the village. Their children were:
a. Claudette Lacroix (1938- ) m. Edward Kingston, son of Edward Kingston and Muriel Martin, in 1959.
b. Mona Lacroix (1940- ) m. Denzel Ethier, son of Lawrence Ethier and Louise Chevier. See ETHIER entry.
c. Doreen Lacroix (1943- ) m. Robt. McNair, divorced.
d. Ronald Lacroix (1944- ) m. Eva Herman, daughter of James and Nora Gervais in 1969.
e. Ralph Lacroix (1947- ) m. Mona Lachance, daughter of Armidas Lachance and Rita Lamarche, in 1969. They would be storekeepers of the LaPasse Lacroix’s Store for a generation and retire just downriver from the village.
f. Richard Lacroix (1949-
g. Rolly Lacroix (1950- )
h. Rock Lacroix (1956-
i. Marie Lacroix (1957- ) m. Dwayne Ethier, LaPasse, Ont.
iv. Evaline Lacroix (1910
v. Aurore Elizabeth Lacroix (1911-1968) m. Donat Francoeur (1907-1979), son of John Francoeur and Annie Graveline in LaPasse Parish in 1938. Buried at LaPasse.
vi. Anora Lacroix (1912-
vii. Joseph “Camille” Lacroix (1913-1994) m. Bernadette Leblanc (1914-1980), daughter of Joseph LeBlanc & Ida May Lacroix, in 1939. Buried at LaPasse.
viii. Rudolphe Lacroix (1920-1934) – died age 14.
ix. Rheal Lacroix (1922-1965) died at age 43.
10. Antoinette Lacroix (1875- ) m. Francis Lapage, son of Francois Lapage and Anna Mongrain, in LaPasse parish in 1899. Marriage Antoinette Lacroix and Francis Lapage. Antoinette and her brother Baptiste would both marry into the Lapage family. There are no children listed for her marriage and seven years later in 1902 Francis is a widower when he marries Robina Ryan of Calumet Island, Pontiac, Quebec.
11. Jean “Baptiste” Lacroix (1876- ) m. Julie Anne Lepage at LaPasse in 1900. She is the daughter of Francois Lapage and Anne Mongrain.

1911 Census Westmeath Township
Lacroix Baptiste | M | Aug | 1876 | 34 |
Lacroix Julia | M | Jun | 1878 | 32 |
Lacroix Violet | S | Oct | 1901 | 9 |
Lacroix Francis Ann | S | Jul | 1903 | 7 |
Lacroix Leon | S | Jul | 1905 | 5 |
Lacroix Ida May | S | Jun | 1909 | 2 |
Lacroix Clanneade? F. | S | Apr | 1911 | 1/12 |
Lacroix Mary Clara | S | Apr | 1911 | 1/12 |
The children of Baptiste Lacroix and Julie LaPage are:
i. Violet H. Lacroix (1902-1967) m. David E. Dufault (1899-1960). Buried at LaPasse.
ii. Frances Annie Lacroix (1904-
iii. Leo Lacroix (1906-
iv. Pancy Lacroix (1909-
v. Clacus Lacriox (1911- ) a twin?
vi. Mary Clara Lacroix (1911- ) a twin?
12. Alexandre “Alex” Lacroix (1879-1966), youngest son, m. Jennie Fleury (1883-1945). Buried at LaPasse. Their children:
- Lorrain Lacroix (1908-1923) died age 15.
- Lorette G. Lacroix (1913-1997), buried at LaPasse.
- Mae Dorianne Lacroix , born 01 Jul 1921 in LaPasse, Ont. m. John Gervais, 26 May 1942 in LaPasse, Ont, John was born 10 Dec 1918 in LaPasse, Ont., and died 11 Oct 2003.

i. Geraldine Gervais, b. 05 Apr 1943, m.
ii. Renaud Gervais, b. 21 Jan 1945, m..
iii. Edward Gervais, b. 14 Feb 1946; m. Christina Huguet, 11 Jan 1975
iv. Lorrain (Fatty) Gervais, b. 22 Sep 1948; m. Karen Pappin, 04 Jun 1990.
v. Jo-Anne Gervais, b. 22 Jan 1953, m.
vi Donna Gervais, b. 11 Apr 1961, m.
4. Leonard Lacroix (1916-1998) m. Laurance LeBlanc (1919- ), daughter of Paul Leblanc and Eleonore Soucie in LaPasse in 1942. See LEBLANC entry. Their children are:
i. Lianne Lacroix (1943
ii. Rachel Lacroix (1944
iii. Christine Lacroix (1946
iv. Philipe P. Lacroix (1951
v. Maurice Lacroix (1954
vi. Francine Lacroix (1958
13. Charles “Charley” Lacroix (1882-1969) m. Marie Louise Miron (1885-1978) in LaPasse Parish in 1933.


Marie had been born 4 Feb 1885, in Bois Franc, near Fort Coulonge, Quebec. Her death 8 Oct 1978, in Pembroke, Ontario at age 93 years.

Charles and Marie married in 1904 in St. Pierre de Fort Coulonge. The children of Charles and Marie are:
i. Denis Lacroix
ii. Lillis Lacroix
iii. Morris Lacroix
iv. unknown
v. unknown
vi. Marie Edna Eleonore Lacroix (1905-1980) m. Joseph Vann Million (1904-1965)

Photo from Ancestry.ca
vii. Edgar Raymond Lacroix (1907-1979) – died in Kirkland Lake, On.
viii. William Maurice Lacroix (1908– 1909) – died in infancy.
ix. Joseph Charles Ferdinand Lacroix (1910 – 1997) m. Ida Wyman in LaPasse in 1940, son of Napoleon Wyman and Emma Gervais. Charles died in Sudbury at age 87 years.
x. Joseph Marc “Mark” Lacroix (1912 –1975) m. Marie Cordelia “Leona” Amyotte (1928-2000), daughter of Julie Blanche Philomene Lacroix and Philias Amyotte (1898-1974).
xi. Marie Lina “Mabel” Lacroix (1915 –
xii. Florence Melvina Lacroix (1916 – ) m. John Arthur Lacroix, son of Toussaint Lacroix and Marguerite Lamarche; they are also pictured above with John’s sister Edna. John was 27 years and Florence was 16 years old when they wed. Their children: Raymond Lacroix, Sister Constance (Connie Lacroix), Mabel Lacroix Adam, Lily Lacroix Pharand (divorced) and Suzie Lacroix Legault (divorced).

xiii. Ariel Lyda Lacroix (1918- m. (1) Valmore Laporte, son of Fred Laporte and Mary Ann O’Hara in 1936; (2) ___ Trudeau; three children.
xiv. Joseph Davis Lacroix
The Charles Lacroix Family as listed in the 1911 Census for Westmeath Township.
Lacroix Charles | M | Head | M | May | 1883 | 28 |
Lacroix Mary Louise | F | Wife | M | Feb | 1885 | 26 |
Lacroix Mary Edna | F | Daughter | S | Dec | 1905 | 5 |
Lacroix Edgar L. | M | Son | S | Feb | 1907 | 4 |
Lacroix Charles F | M | Son | S | May | 1910 | 1 |
Lacroix Louis | M | Father | W | Aug | 1834 | 76 |
1921 Census Household Members:
- Charles Lacroix 38
- Mary Lacroix 37
- Edna Lacroix 15
- Edgar Lacroix 14
- Charles Lacroix 12
- Joseph Mark Lacroix 8
- Mabel Lacroix 6
- Florence Lacroix 5
- Ariel Lyda Lacroix 3
- Joseph Davis Lacroix 10 months
2. The Descendants of Alfred Lacroix and Angele Lessard
Church marriage records show that Alfred Lacroix (1831-1907) married Angele Lessard (1837-1911) at LaPasse in 1854.
1881 Census for Westmeath Township
Lacroix | Alfred | M | 49 | Quebec | RC | French | Farm Laborer | Married | |
Lacroix | Angele | F | 38 | Ontario | RC | French | Married | ||
Lacroix | Alfred | M | 23 | Ontario | RC | French | Laborer | ||
Lacroix | Charles | M | 22 | Ontario | RC | French | Laborer | ||
Lacroix | Louis | M | 20 | Ontario | RC | French | Laborer | ||
Lacroix | Eleonore | F | 18 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Josephine | F | 16 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Felix | M | 14 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Theophile | M | 12 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Henry | M | 9 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Selena | F | 7 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Leona | F | 5 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | John | M | 3 | Ontario | RC | French | |||
Lacroix | Julia | F | 0 | Jul | Ontario | RC | French |
The men of the family are all listed as labourers rather than farmers so they were not landowners at that time. By the next Census taken in 1891 some of the older children are no longer living at home. 1891 Census is clearer in spelling with the Alfred and Angele Lacroix family listed below. Spouses have been added where available with information from parish marriage records, as:
1. Alfred Lacroix (1858-1902) m. Marie Louise Cecile, daughter of Toussaint Cecile and Marguerite Labine, in LaPasse in 1885. Alfred died at age 45 and is buried at LaPasse.
In the 1911 Westmeath Census Marie Louise Lacroix was widowed and running a busy boarding house. She had grown up in her parents Cecile Hotel business in Westmeath Village. See CECILE entry. Daughter Beatrice would die at age 25 yrs.
Lacroix Mrs. M.L. | F | Head | W | Nov | 1858 | 52 |
Lacroix Beatrice | F | Daughter | S | Sep | 1888 | 22 |
Lacroix Edward A | M | Son | S | Jun | 1890 | 20 |
Webb R | M | Lodger | S | Apr | 1889 | 22 |
Thildeau Delia | F | Servant | S | Apr | 1889 | 22 |
Taylor Charles | M | Lodger | S | Jan | 1899 | 22 |
Rowan Elizabeth | F | Lodger | S | Mar | 1886 | 25 |
2. Charles Lacroix (1859- ) m. Elizabeth Bridget McManus in 1908. 1908 Charles & Elizabeth Marriage. Charles was listed as a cook – a position of importance in the lumber camps to feed the hardworking men. They lived in Hailibury in 1911 Census with Albert Marcotte, Myles Shea (adopted). Elizabeth had very bad luck with husbands and in all would be marry and outlive four. In 1886 she married Eli Napoleon Marcotte in LaPasse; in 1908 she married Charles Lacroix in LaPasse; in 1916 she married Michael John O’Brien in LaPasse and in 1929 she married Alfred St. Dennis in LaPasse.

3. Louis Lacroix (1861- ) m. Celina Leblanc in 1889, daughter of Theophile Leblanc and Henriette Belanger. 1889 Louis&Celina Marriage. Son Elmire Lacroix (1891- ). See LEBLANC entry.
4. Eleanor Lacroix, (1863- ) -spelled Eleonore on 1881 Census, born in 1863 was married in Gower Point to Alfred Noiseux (1859- ) from Repentigny, just east of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River. Alfred worked as a Shanty Foreman in the winter lumber camps. They are buried at LaPasse.
6. Josephine Lacroix (1865- ) m. Olivier Lanthier, son of Joseph Lanthier and Suzanne Lavioe, in LaPasse in 1891.
7. Felix Lacroix (1867- ) was listed as a labourer in the 1891 Census; probably in the lumber camps – details unknown.
8. Theophile Lacroix (1869-1902) was listed as a labourer in the 1891 Census; probably in the lumber camps. He died at age 33 – details unknown.
9. Henry (Henri) Napoleon Lacroix (1872- ) m. Dulcina Bertrand, daughter of Francois Bertrand and Melinda Turcot, in LaPasse Parish in 1895. 1895 Dulcina&Henri Marriage. Henry also worked as a labourer. In the 1921 Census the family consists of: Henri Lacroix – 51 yrs.; Jane Lacroix – 40 yrs.; Exerine Lacroix – 24 yrs.; Blanche Lacroix – 20 yrs.; Ralph – 21 yrs.; Edmonde Lacroix – 15 yrs.
10. Selena Lacroix (1874- details unknown
11. Leona Lacroix (1876- details unknown
12. John Lacroix (1878- ). In the 1901 Census, 24 year old John is at home with Alfred (68), Angel (60), and Charles (42) . Details unknown.
13. Julia Lacroix (1881- details unknown