Louis Chanter

[Kit]

Louis Chanter is the husband of Irene Susan Chanter nee Addison and father of Paul William Addison and he died before 1943.

I know nothing else.

I only found out Louis' first name by accident yesterday. He is named as the father on Paul's engagement and wedding announcements in the Sydney Morning Herald dated Wednesday 22 December 1943, page 12 and Wednesday 10 May 1944, page 12.

Paul's army records state he was born in Victoria in 1917 but I can find no record of this and I can't find a marriage for Louis and Irene anywhere.

Irene was born in 1882 Windsor, New South Wales to Harley John Addison and Mary nee Best.

Can anyone help solve this mystery?

[tenterfieldjulie]

Toni, Don't forget because of Privacy Laws in Australia you won't get an official public birth record outside 100 years, unless you can prove close kinship.

[kiterunner]

Paul is listed as Paul William Chanter on the 1943, 1949 and 1954 e rolls, though you probably know that already. Is his name Addison on his army records?

[kiterunner]

Oh, there's a marriage in 1915 in Victoria between a Louis Chatelet and an Irene Addison.

And....! A death in 1922 at Northcote, Victoria, of Louis Chatelet, parents Hector Chanter and Marie.

[kiterunner]

Ooooh... an NAA search for the name Chatelet brings up a couple of interesting records:

MT269/1 VIC/FRANCE/CHATELET IRENE CHATELET Irene: Nationality - Australian [French by marriage]: Date of Birth - 26 July 1882: First registered at East Melbourne Date range 1916-1916

and MT269/1 VIC/FRANCE/CHATELET LOUIS CHATELET Louis: Nationality - French: Date of Birth - 6 April 1873: First registered at East Melbourne
Date range 1916-1916

MT269/1 is "Forms for registration under the War Precautions (Aliens Registration) Regulations 1916 and the Aliens Registration Act 1920 (Forms A, A2 and E)".

[Kit]

ooooh Kate.

How wonderful. How/where did you find the marriage and death?

I wonder why there is a difference in the surname from father to son?

[Kit]

I just found the death on ancestry and the father's name is Hector Chanter Chatelet if you select the record, on the index it is Hector Chanter.

Either way I can't find a newspaper record of Louis Chatelet's death.

[kiterunner]

How/where did you find the marriage and death?


I looked for an Irene Addison marrying a Louis as I was getting nowhere looking for a Louis Chanter marrying an Irene. The index on ancestry gives you the full names. I thought it must be the same couple as it would be too much of a coincidence if not, but I just did a general search for Louis Chatelet on ancestry to see if I could find anything to confirm it was the right person and the death entry came up that way.

I didn't click to see the full record on ancestry till you said, so I didn't realise that Chanter was his father's middle name, not surname. Also it gave his mother's full name - Marie Beaudouard.

As for why Paul's surname was Chanter instead of Chatelet, maybe Irene preferred to have an English-sounding surname instead of a French one?

[kiterunner]

Hmmm, maybe Kiwi Chris can help with this? Chatelet isn't a very good keyword to search for, especially around the time of WW1 as there are loads of results about Chatelet Wood, plus there seems to have been a theatre called Chatelet, but there is an article on Trove from 19th May 1913, Sydney Morning Herald, about the funeral of the Rev. Father Keating, SJ, rector of St Ignatius College, Riverview, and one of the chief cantors (sorry, I don't know what that means!) was the Rev L Chatelet SM. Wonder if it's the same person?

[kiterunner]

Or maybe not, it looks to me as though the Rev L Chatelet was Roman Catholic, but I'm not 100% sure so maybe Chris can help us sort that out!

Edit - Louis Chatelet is almost impossible to Google for as there was a painter called Claude Louis Chatelet. :(

[kiterunner]

There is a marriage on ancestry of Adelaide Marie Chatelet and Marie Francois Gallee, 25 Nov 1872 at Evran, Haute-Bretagne (Upper Brittany), France, and one of the witnesses is a Hector Chatelet, age 32, postman at Plouer, brother of the bride. Adelaide Marie was a seamstress, born 21 Apr 1842 at Le Bourg, father Louis, "auxiliaire cantonnier " (not sure what the correct translation is of that), mother Julie.

Might not be connected but with Hector's father being called Louis he would have been likely to have a son called Louis?

[Kit]

I don't think the Rev Chatelet is the right person as I found immigration records (on NAA, I think) which were after Louis died on ancestry.

Louis Chatelet and Louis Chanter are probably the same person, I just wish I could prove it. The VIC BMD index is coming up with no results if I put in Irene's middle name or father's name so those details are not on the cert, which doesn't help. The YOB for Irene is the same as what you mentioned earlier on the NAA.

[Kit]

We cross posted Kate. I don't know of any reason why Hector couldn't have had a son called Louis if his father was of that name. Sounds like a good reason for the name.

[kiterunner]

Louis Chatelet and Louis Chanter are probably the same person, I just wish I could prove it. The VIC BMD index is coming up with no results if I put in Irene's middle name or father's name so those details are not on the cert, which doesn't help. The YOB for Irene is the same as what you mentioned earlier on the NAA.

I'm sure they're the same person. If you got a copy of Louis Chatelet's death certificate, would it say the names of any children, i.e. Paul?

[Kit]

I'm not sure of Vic certs but if they are like NSW ones then technically yes they should. I'll have a look at the website tomorrow and see what details they say are supplied. I'll check if I can get something online rather than wait for an offical cert, it will be quicker and cheaper. These people are not a direct line so I don't need offical proof, if that makes sense.

[kiterunner]

Australian findmypast says it has 1 match for Louis Chanter, from the NSW Police Gazette 1895. Have you already got that? No matches for Louis Chatelet on that site.

[Mary from Italy]

there is an article on Trove from 19th May 1913, Sydney Morning Herald, about the funeral of the Rev. Father Keating, SJ, rector of St Ignatius College, Riverview, and one of the chief cantors (sorry, I don't know what that means!) was the Rev L Chatelet SM.

SJ refers to a Jesuit priest, so the funeral was an RC ceremony.

[Mary from Italy]

father Louis, "auxiliaire cantonnier " (not sure what the correct translation is of that)

A cantonnier is a road mender, so I guess auxiliaire cantonnier would be a roadmender's assistant, something like that.

[Janet]

An auxiliaire cantonnier appears to be a laborer hired as needed.

http://books.google.com/books?id=-cVIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA243&lpg=PA243&dq=auxiliaire+cantonnier&source=bl&ots=Bar74SQYBl&sig=cBBfn8tNZqgryFEZxpDVdKk5GqA&hl=en&ei=W5eoTbHfMMuD0QHE9rn5CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=auxiliaire%20cantonnier&f=false

Manuel de l'ingénieur des ponts et chaussées [Manual for Engineer of Bridges and Roads]
Alphonse Alexis Debauve
Paris, 1873

pgs. 242-243
[my translation]

"On auxiliaries--There is today a general usage of supplementing the cantonniers at certain times of year with workers called auxiliaries; auxiliaries are called upon especially during the winter, when stone is needed, or for removal of mud or snow.
Some engineers have found unfortunate consequences in employing auxiliaries, and have put forward that in principle all maintenance work should be done by cantonniers.
[...]
"Employment of auxiliaries requires redoubled oversight; the tasks accomplished by each crew must be carefully noted, and the cantonnier made responsible in a certain measure for the work of his helpers."

It goes on to describe how work attendance must be recorded on a paper on which a table is drawn, with rows for each auxiliary hired, and columns for each day of the month. Space is alloted in this table for either two or three shifts per day, as required, and it is suggested to have different annotations for different types of work done (for accounting purposes). But a simple annotation is not sufficient to mark absence. At the start of each shift, for any auxiliary who is not present the cantonnier is to punch a hole in that square on the paper with a sharp pin!

[Kit]

Australian findmypast says it has 1 match for Louis Chanter, from the NSW Police Gazette 1895. Have you already got that? No matches for Louis Chatelet on that site.

I don't have that, Kate, I don't have a sub anymore.

So if he is my guy why is he changing his name?

Chanter in NSW in 1895 then Chatelet in 1915 in VIC to get married.

[Kit]

I bought the death cert for Loius Chatelet and it doesn't confirm he is the right man in that no wife or child details are listed but it did say his name was Louis Chatelet formerly Chanter.

He was an insurance agent and was 48 years old.

Something strange happened. I can't see how he could be in the NSW police force and then filling in forms about Forms for registration under the War Precautions (Aliens Registration) Regulations 1916 and the Aliens Registration Act 1920 as stated in post 5.

Unless he had residencey and left the country and had to reapply to return to Australia?

(I know this can happen. I've seen cases where a person has residency but needed to get a new visa to leave the country and return again.)

[Mary from Italy]

The NSW police gazette contains brief details of criminal cases, so he could have had a run-in with the law.

[Kit]

Thanks Mary. That could explain the name change.

[kiterunner]

It could be that he was known as Louis Chanter but had to use his real name on official documents such as marriage cert, etc.

[Kit]

Very true Kate. With this family, I find out a bit but that leads me to the next brick wall which then takes ages to knock down the next little bit.

I guess 2 days ago I didn't know Louis's name, nor that he had a son, so I am doing well.

[kiterunner]

I don't have that, Kate, I don't have a sub anymore.


Just thought - when you say you don't have a sub anymore, you do mean to Australian findmypast? Or do you just mean the main findmypast site? The Aussie one has a free 24-hour trial sub offer, so if you haven't already tried it, you could give it a go:

http://www.findmypast.com.au/

Make sure you do the trial on a day when you've got some free time, though!

[Kit]

Kate I meant to the main FMP.

To be honest I didn't realise they had an aussie one but I'll have a look probably next weekend when my OH is round to mind the kids a bit. Thanks for letting me know.