Joseph Bouchie was born in Quebec, Canada, the son of Louis Harebert Bouchie and Rebecca Boast. (He was a first cousin of Robert Boast.) Joseph married his first wife, Mary Ann Law on Sept. 27, 1858 in Richmond, Quebec, Canada. Joseph and Mary had five children, Louis, Mary, Lucy, Isaac and Elizabeth. His first wife died in 1870, and he was remarried to Elizabeth Currier on Oct. 6, 1871 in Grundy, Iowa. After his first wife died, Joseph's children were "adopted" by various neighbors, and none ever lived permanently with their father again.

Joseph and Elizabeth farmed in Iowa for about ten years, before moving to Dakota Territory and homesteading in Kingsbury County around 1882. Joseph and Elizabeth had eleven children, the youngest dying either at birth or in infancy.

Joseph was the father of three of the children who were real life models for thee of the children that Laura Ingalls Wilder taught at the Bouchie School --Isaac, Clarence and Fanny. In the book "These Happy Golden Years", the children's fictional names were Clarence, Tommy and Ruby Brewster.

Joseph was also the father of Louis Bouchie, the model for the fictional "Lewis Brewster" with whom Laura boarded during her term teaching at the Bouchie School.

Obituary February 8, 1918

Joseph H. Bouchie was born May 26, 1838 at Richmond, Canada. He moved to Iowa in 1867, and to Nebraska in 1880. Two years later he moved to Dakota, locating to a claim a few miles southwest of De Smet. In 1903 he moved to De Smet where he died Wednesday morning, January 30 at the age of 79 years and eight months. Mr. Bouchie worked nearly all his life at the carpenter's trade. He was a great lover of home and spent much of his time with his family when not necessarily away. Deceased leaves his wife and ten living children, also fifty grandchildren. The funeral was held from the home at ten o'clock Saturday morning conducted by Rev. N.F. Cole.