Prologue to this Body of Research

[Web publishers note: This was written as the introduction to a voluminous work on paper before being converted into a website. Mentions below of reading physical copies have not been changed.]

Before you get started and turn the pages, I would like to point out a few items that you should be aware of and that you should keep in mind as you look through the following “body of work.”

Work in Progress

First and foremost, all of this is still a work in progress. It is by no means completed. I’ll be adding to it as I come across additional information and probably will continue to do so for quite some time. Always keep in mind that the information that follows is only as good and reliable as the sources from which it comes and even “official” sources can be suspect at times. Unfortunately, most of our ancestors could not read or write, so they couldn’t correct the “record keepers” when there were inaccuracies.

Accuracies and Limitations

Secondly, as stated above, the “record keepers” could only write down what they thought they heard and spelled it as best they could. For this reason, surnames have, in some instances, several variations. (Even our “Hogue” surname, as simple as it is, had no less than 8 spellings in some of the source material.) I show the most commonly used spelling and after that (for research purposes), in parentheses, the most commonly used variation. To make matters worse, the often-used first name of “Marie” for the girls and “Joseph” for the boys (a Catholic tradition) and the common practice of naming the first-born son after the father only added to the confusion. As you can imagine, research was at times challenging, but nobody said this was going to be easy.

Having said that, you will come upon entries where I have stated, “Date and location unknown” [or blank, in the digital version]. The “baptismal” and “burial” documents from source materials do not always include or indicate the actual date or location where “birth” and “death” occurred. They could be different from one another, due to the geographical location of the home relative to the local church or cemetery, time of year, etc. (Read my “Introduction” for additional information.) “Baptism,” “Marriage,” and “Burial” were the “important” events in the Catholic tradition, so information was carefully kept in church records when they happened. Dates and locations for these events are shown accordingly.

Generation Numbers

Also, the generation numbers I have assigned to individuals are not necessarily chronological. I started with the oldest male (Hogue) sibling, put a number on each of his children, went to the next oldest male (Hogue) sibling, put a number on his children, and so on, down the line. It’s a bit unconventional, but it worked best for me [and helps to distinguish one Pierre Hogue from another). Previous and/or subsequent marriages for the Hogue men are also shown where appropriate, with resultant children, if any. Children of the “Hogue women” are shown where such information was available, but no number was assigned since they would carry the husband’s surname. Also, previous and /or subsequent marriages for the Hogue women are noted where information was found, but not necessarily any of the children from those marriages.

Notes and Considerations

As you will also notice, I have made notes that appear on the bottom of the pages. Some of it will describe the source documents from which I acquired the information; some of it may include “my” thoughts or deductions/assumptions I have made based on my research. Read the notes as you leaf through – hopefully you’ll find them informative.

And finally, take the time to read my “Introduction,” as well as my Story of Pierre. They will provide you with some historical and geographical background information. From that, you should get a sense on the life and times the early Hogue family lived in, from their trip to Canada from France, and eventually their immigration to New England. It’s a span of some 200 years, with another 140-plus years or so here in the US. That’s a lot of history. So read on and enjoy.