A small box of old documents at the Clinton County Historical Association Museum (CCHA) recently came to my attention. It contained items about the Saint Jean Baptiste Society (SSJB) affiliated with St. Peter’s Church in Plattsburgh: an early ledger of the SSJB dated July 17,1872, with as many as 80 members on the rolls, member applications from the early 20th century, plans to build a hall for the SSJB, financial records, and a proclamation concerning World War One.
The SSJB was founded in Montreal in 1834 by Ludger Duvernay (1799-1852) with the purpose of retaining the French language and culture in the New World. June 24, 1834, was the first celebration of Saint Jean Baptiste Day in Quebec and is now an established provincial holiday.
As French Canadians dispersed across the border in the mid-19th century, branches of the SSJB grew in francophone parishes like St. Peter’s Church in Plattsburgh. Indeed, St. Peter’s was considered a “linguistic church,” becoming a home for francophone immigrants, as opposed to a “territorial church” like St. John’s. The SSJB emphasized fraternity and support of family, helping immigrants to establish themselves with security in this area.
Eventually societies sprung up in the USA wherever francophone communities settled. By 1930 an estimated 900,000 Quebecois had moved to the northeastern United States. At that time, the SSJB of St. Peter’s had close ties with the Societies in Fall River and Fitchburg, Mass. In 1939 Canada merged its 12 affiliated societies into a single federation numbering 5,000 members increasing to 200,000 members by 1960.
In 1969, the SSJB of Quebec became the Mouvement National des Quebecois (MNQ) with a strong political agenda. Ultimately their battle for francophone linguistic rights was more successful than the battle for Quebec sovereignty.
In Plattsburgh, the Society grew rapidly in the early 20th century. Men between the ages of 16 and 48 were inducted, some of whom were still attending secondary school. Their occupations reflect the times: cigar maker, teamster, paper maker, blacksmith, day laborer, and drayman. Meetings were conducted in French, and French names prevail, many anglicized through the years; Lebois becoming Wood, Durocher becoming Rock, or Lalumiere becoming Light.
The early application fees ranged from $.25 to $1.25, and each applicant had to have a medical exam. For more than a decade, Dr. A. A. Degrandpre signed the forms. Women were admitted in the Society under the same conditions as men, with their own councils.
The SSJB Guard of Honor was organized in 1908 in preparation for the Champlain tercentenary celebration of 1909. The Guard’s ability and ease in performing fancy and military drills won it an enviable reputation in Northern New York and elsewhere.
In 1913, the SSJB Honor Guard paraded for the 60th anniversary of St. Peter’s Church, and the Honor Guard was invited to participate in large gatherings in Fitchburg, Mass. in 1916, 1917, and 1918. At one of these gatherings, the Guard was awarded a cup for those who had traveled the farthest to attend.
In April 1917, a letter of regret was penned to “La Jeune Garde du Sacre-Coeur,” Fall River, Mass., as the Honor Guard was unable to attend. Military service in World War I may have diminished their ranks or affected their ability to travel out of the area. The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917.
An undated statement of that time in the CCHA collection opens: “The following resolutions were presented by Dr. J. H. LaRocque and unanimously adopted: Resolved that the members of the St. Jean Baptiste Society endorse and approve heartily, at a regularly stated meeting, the action of the President of the United States, who… was forced to declare the country in a state of war with the German Empire.
And concludes: Resolved that the members of the Society… offer their services to the mayor of the city, to safeguard its diverse interests, however he may judge necessary.” With no background cited for this proclamation, one must surmise the circumstances. Since the members were largely francophone and/or recent arrivals to Plattsburgh, such a statement may have been made to assure the community of its loyalty to the USA in a time of war.
“Active members” in the SSJB contributed to the insurance plans, for financial security in hard times. “Social members” carried no insurance but joined the Society for patriotic and social reasons. Life insurance certificates ranged from $250 to $10,000, depending on the plan selected.
Benefits included a central sick fund, as well as funds for aged members, widows and orphans, juvenile insurance, and funds for scholarships for young men. These member benefits were of great value in an era when social security benefits and workers compensation from employers were lacking.
Besides these benefits, the Society at St. Peter’s maintained a strong liaison with francophone countries and their culture. After business meetings, singing old Canadian and French songs helped to build fellowship and to retain the language and folk heritage.
Card playing and entertainment for children attracted families to the bi-monthly meetings. In 1928, over 300 parishioners were enrolled in the SSJB and its Councils. A Girls’ Guard was organized by the Council Ste. Cecile, which also had an orchestra. As a benevolent society within the church, the work of the SSJB always offered great encouragement and satisfaction to the clergy of St. Peter’s Church.
The SSJB flourished in the early 20th century, at a time when anglophone Societies were growing in the church and in the community. As the francophone population became assimilated, the SSJB ceased to exist locally after World War Two.
These days one is more likely to hear French spoken at the beach or in the mall than along the streets of the old French Quarter. But the names of Montcalm Avenue, Champlain Street, Lafayette Street and Beaumont Street that encompass St. Peter’s Church bear witness to the early vibrant chapters of the francophone history of Plattsburgh.
Anne Bailey is a North Country native, born in Keene, NY. Her 36 year teaching career spanned six different schools and colleges. In retirement, she has discovered that researching history can be fun and interesting, following in the footsteps of her late husband former City Historian Jim Bailey.
Illustrations, from above, courtesy Clinton County Historical Association Museum: Honor Guard for the Saint Jean Baptiste Society; F P Girard in ceremonial dress of the Society.
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