Back to Family Story outcomes, S22

by Gillie Goodwin

Growing up I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by a large family including many generations of aunts, uncles, and cousins. In this class, I quickly became fascinated by researching my maternal family and their frequent travels from Canada to the US. My extended family established their homes based on the job opportunities within textile mills from Canada to Massachusetts before finally settling down in the northeast corner of Connecticut. My maternal 2nd great grandfather, Nazaire Napoleon Carrier was born on August 16, 1879, in Rimouski, in eastern Quebec province. A family member relocated to Fall River, Massachusetts; shortly after, Nazaire uprooted himself to gain a better position as an overseer. Massachusetts was considered the leading cotton textile center in the United States during the early 20th century. It was here that he met his wife, Mary Collins from Taunton, Massachusetts, getting married on November 26, 1913. Then they relocated back to Sherbrooke and Albert Mines in Canada, the five oldest of their children were born with Canadian citizenship whereas the seven younger siblings including my great-grandmother, Ella Carrier, were born in Goodyear, CT. 

The majority of all these family members live within two towns in Windham County, Connecticut. Longevity amongst my family has been a fortunate blessing. This summer, my 92-year-old great-grandmother along with the family will be celebrating her older sister, Rita, turning 100 years old. It was not until this class, that I was fully able to understand and piece exact relationships tracing back to Canada with the use of the Canadian records. Being able to lock down details about their movement from one country to another helped clarify my family history. More importantly, I discovered what genetically makes me, me. Through family stories and genealogical evidence, I expanded upon an important part of my mother’s heritage.

In 1929, her maternal Carrier family purchased a big house in a small mill town consisting of only seven streets in the northeastern corner of Connecticut. The name of this town has changed three times based on the ownership of the town mill starting as Williamsville then Goodyear in 1917 finally to its present name, Rogers, in 1935. This family house, built in 1914, withstood five generations of Carrier family foot traffic starting with my 3rd great grandmother, Marcelline Canuel, and 2nd great grandparents Nazaire Napoleon Carrier and Mary Ann Collins as well as many of their twelve children and grandchildren. The “farmhouse,” as our family refers to the homestead, included over 130 acres of farmland, a massive barn, and a large pond. My grandparents, William Gerald Grimshaw, Sr., and Ella Bertha Mazzarella, received some of this land. In 1976, they built their home right next door to the farmhouse, where my grandmother still resides today. On March 24, 2006, my 85-year-old, great-granduncle, Henry Carrier made the decision to demolish the farmhouse and sell the remaining acres as he had moved in with my grandparents. My whole family including myself showed up to watch the tearing down.

The farmhouse with its original asphalt siding (shown above in 1958) included 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a dirt cellar, and an enclosed front porch. Many functions were held here throughout the decades celebrating numerous family events and members. According to the 1930 US Federal Census, 12 people resided in the home before my grandmother was born. Over the course of the five Carrier generations, 44 people lived in the house, creating memories and sharing stories of how they ended up in Connecticut.