Isidore Martin’s Daughter Remembers
Editing: 2016
Recording: circa 1976
Journalist: Mgr Paul Labelle (P.L.)
Guest: Louisanna Martin (L.M.)
Interview with Ms Louisanna Martin by Msgr. Paul Labelle.
| P.L. : | In the life of Curé Labelle written by Abbé Elie Auclair, and even the history of Saint-Jérôme, mention is often made of Isidore Martin, whom Curé Labelle called “My loyal Isidore.” Ah, I’m so pleased to meet Mr. Martin’s daughter. |
| L.M. : | Louisanna |
| P.L. : | Louisanna |
| L.M. : | Martin |
| P.L. : | Martin. Your father must have told you about Curé Labelle? |
| L.M. : | Yes, he told us all about him. |
| P.L. : | I’d like you to tell me what your father said about Curé Labelle… |
| L.M. : | What Papa said when he talked to us, it was evenings, when he stayed with us for 6 1/2 years… An’ he would tell us about some trip he’d made with the Curé, err… One day the Curé said: “Right, then, Isidore, we’re gonna get our things ready ‘n’ then we’re gonna head up North!” |
| P.L. : | Get things ready? What’d they take along? |
| L.M. : | That meant they got the food ready, everything to say Mass, the whole table to prepare that up there. An’ then, err, they’d be off! With their bags. |
| P.L. : | By carriage, of course… |
| L.M. : | Jus’ a little horse an’ buggy. An’ when they went up a hill… Well, Papa’d get off and hold the reins in the road there; it was like a shared job back then. |
| P.L. : | Yep |
| L.M. : | An’ the Curé’d stay in the carriage. An’ he’d say: “Right, Isidore, we’re gonna say our rosary.” Then, err, eventually… then he’d start: “Hail Mary, full of grace…” “Ah! Hey, look there, Isidore, see that? Right there, we’re gonna stop and mark a lot for the fabrique.” For when the settlers came, so they’d know it was a reserve. So they’d cut a tree, the bark, an’ write: “Lot reserved for the fabrique.” Then they’d put a glass over that and set off again. All the names up North there, that were given, they were given during their trips. |
| P.L. : | Yes. Places like, err, Labelle… |
| L.M. : | Yeah! Then after that, y’see, you had canoe crossings; it was the Indians who crossed ‘em… So that’s what they were like, the exploratory trips, that they called ‘em. |