Husband of Laura Ayotte,
Married November 23, 1908 in Cheboygan at St Charles Church with Chi Chi Gouin as best man & Emoline Ayotte as maid of honor.
There were 2 main families of Gouins in the area. One was from Michel Gouins line and the other was Jean Baptiste Gouins line. And they were brothers back in Quebec. To keep the children of these brother who moved to Cheboygan separated the school teacher added the E on the end of the name.
He started smoking cigars when he was small because his grandmother Georgianna had him light her cigars for her from the fireplace. He smoked cigars the rest of his life and when they got small he would put the end into his corn cob pipe to finish it off. Nothing got wasted back then.
He was the oldest son of James Gouin & Georgianna Coutu. After getting a 3 rd grade education he went to work in saw mill. His first job at the age of 8 Yrs old was working at a saw mill. He peeled bark off the cut trees and drove the wagon. When he was 10 yrs old he was hand sawing logs in a pit with a cross saw. He was the guy on the bottom in the pit.
Later he worked at the Tannery where he cleaned the hides of different animals. He said he learned several different languages working there, most swear words in different the languages. He and his brother Chi Chi would walk across the street at lunchtime and buy there food from Laura Ayotte.
Laura was living at her brother Louis Ayotte house. They paid .50 a week for one meal a day.
Next he was again a lumber jack until 1926 when a tree fell on his leg. It was winter time & very cold out. The guys he was working with could not move the tree. He asked them to cut the rest of his leg off so he would not freeze to death. He could not get anyone to do it so he finished off his leg himself. They took him to the doctors office. At that time there was no hospital in Cheboygan. After still being alive after a week they decided they should take him to Graying to the hospital.
After loosing his leg and he wore a wooden one for years. Once his sister Dena O'dette came for a visit with her grandchildren. Pete and Laura were not used to having little kids all over the place. The kids tried to catch the coo coo in the coo coo clock, stirred the goldfish in it's bowel until it must have been dizzy. They were everywhere until finally Pete had them bring him a hammer and nails. He hammered a nail into his wooden leg and told the little ones if they did not stop he was going to nail there feet to the floor and it would really hurt. They stopped and were good the rest of the day.
After losing his leg he ran a gas station & small grocery store on the corner of State & B st next to his house. He made his own pickle bologna which was very popular & he really sold a lot of food & gas. There was a large glass case with candy in it. He had his grand daughter Janice take all the candy out, get inside and clean it , then put all the candy back. Of course she had her choice of some candy for her work.
Later his son Merle took it over and named it Gouin's Petgas Co. Later Merle filled gas tanks & delivered them to the local people. He also sold stoves, refrigerators & kitchen appliances, next Merle would fix furnaces for local people. His sister Isabel would answer the phone and take care of the orders. A family affair all around.
In 1958 he and his wife Laura celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a huge affair. The best man Chi Chi Gouin (Pete's brother) was there. Laura's sister Emoline (the maid of honor) had passed so Clara, Pete's sister took her place. Started with a church ceremony at St Charles church. Then a luncheon at the school gym. Later in the evening they had a large party at the gym with well over 100 people attending. It was a wonderful day.
Children
Isabel 1909--1981
Isreal(Pete) 1911--1997
Kenneth 1918--1966
Robert 1921--1986
Merle 1923--2000
Picture at the top is Philbert with his granddaughter Janice taken at the house in Cheboygan.
Married November 23, 1908 in Cheboygan at St Charles Church with Chi Chi Gouin as best man & Emoline Ayotte as maid of honor.
There were 2 main families of Gouins in the area. One was from Michel Gouins line and the other was Jean Baptiste Gouins line. And they were brothers back in Quebec. To keep the children of these brother who moved to Cheboygan separated the school teacher added the E on the end of the name.
He started smoking cigars when he was small because his grandmother Georgianna had him light her cigars for her from the fireplace. He smoked cigars the rest of his life and when they got small he would put the end into his corn cob pipe to finish it off. Nothing got wasted back then.
He was the oldest son of James Gouin & Georgianna Coutu. After getting a 3 rd grade education he went to work in saw mill. His first job at the age of 8 Yrs old was working at a saw mill. He peeled bark off the cut trees and drove the wagon. When he was 10 yrs old he was hand sawing logs in a pit with a cross saw. He was the guy on the bottom in the pit.
Later he worked at the Tannery where he cleaned the hides of different animals. He said he learned several different languages working there, most swear words in different the languages. He and his brother Chi Chi would walk across the street at lunchtime and buy there food from Laura Ayotte.
Laura was living at her brother Louis Ayotte house. They paid .50 a week for one meal a day.
Next he was again a lumber jack until 1926 when a tree fell on his leg. It was winter time & very cold out. The guys he was working with could not move the tree. He asked them to cut the rest of his leg off so he would not freeze to death. He could not get anyone to do it so he finished off his leg himself. They took him to the doctors office. At that time there was no hospital in Cheboygan. After still being alive after a week they decided they should take him to Graying to the hospital.
After loosing his leg and he wore a wooden one for years. Once his sister Dena O'dette came for a visit with her grandchildren. Pete and Laura were not used to having little kids all over the place. The kids tried to catch the coo coo in the coo coo clock, stirred the goldfish in it's bowel until it must have been dizzy. They were everywhere until finally Pete had them bring him a hammer and nails. He hammered a nail into his wooden leg and told the little ones if they did not stop he was going to nail there feet to the floor and it would really hurt. They stopped and were good the rest of the day.
After losing his leg he ran a gas station & small grocery store on the corner of State & B st next to his house. He made his own pickle bologna which was very popular & he really sold a lot of food & gas. There was a large glass case with candy in it. He had his grand daughter Janice take all the candy out, get inside and clean it , then put all the candy back. Of course she had her choice of some candy for her work.
Later his son Merle took it over and named it Gouin's Petgas Co. Later Merle filled gas tanks & delivered them to the local people. He also sold stoves, refrigerators & kitchen appliances, next Merle would fix furnaces for local people. His sister Isabel would answer the phone and take care of the orders. A family affair all around.
In 1958 he and his wife Laura celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a huge affair. The best man Chi Chi Gouin (Pete's brother) was there. Laura's sister Emoline (the maid of honor) had passed so Clara, Pete's sister took her place. Started with a church ceremony at St Charles church. Then a luncheon at the school gym. Later in the evening they had a large party at the gym with well over 100 people attending. It was a wonderful day.
Children
Isabel 1909--1981
Isreal(Pete) 1911--1997
Kenneth 1918--1966
Robert 1921--1986
Merle 1923--2000
Picture at the top is Philbert with his granddaughter Janice taken at the house in Cheboygan.
Husband of Laura Ayotte,
Married November 23, 1908 in Cheboygan at St Charles Church with Chi Chi Gouin as best man & Emoline Ayotte as maid of honor.
There were 2 main families of Gouins in the area. One was from Michel Gouins line and the other was Jean Baptiste Gouins line. And they were brothers back in Quebec. To keep the children of these brother who moved to Cheboygan separated the school teacher added the E on the end of the name.
He started smoking cigars when he was small because his grandmother Georgianna had him light her cigars for her from the fireplace. He smoked cigars the rest of his life and when they got small he would put the end into his corn cob pipe to finish it off. Nothing got wasted back then.
He was the oldest son of James Gouin & Georgianna Coutu. After getting a 3 rd grade education he went to work in saw mill. His first job at the age of 8 Yrs old was working at a saw mill. He peeled bark off the cut trees and drove the wagon. When he was 10 yrs old he was hand sawing logs in a pit with a cross saw. He was the guy on the bottom in the pit.
Later he worked at the Tannery where he cleaned the hides of different animals. He said he learned several different languages working there, most swear words in different the languages. He and his brother Chi Chi would walk across the street at lunchtime and buy there food from Laura Ayotte.
Laura was living at her brother Louis Ayotte house. They paid .50 a week for one meal a day.
Next he was again a lumber jack until 1926 when a tree fell on his leg. It was winter time & very cold out. The guys he was working with could not move the tree. He asked them to cut the rest of his leg off so he would not freeze to death. He could not get anyone to do it so he finished off his leg himself. They took him to the doctors office. At that time there was no hospital in Cheboygan. After still being alive after a week they decided they should take him to Graying to the hospital.
After loosing his leg and he wore a wooden one for years. Once his sister Dena O'dette came for a visit with her grandchildren. Pete and Laura were not used to having little kids all over the place. The kids tried to catch the coo coo in the coo coo clock, stirred the goldfish in it's bowel until it must have been dizzy. They were everywhere until finally Pete had them bring him a hammer and nails. He hammered a nail into his wooden leg and told the little ones if they did not stop he was going to nail there feet to the floor and it would really hurt. They stopped and were good the rest of the day.
After losing his leg he ran a gas station & small grocery store on the corner of State & B st next to his house. He made his own pickle bologna which was very popular & he really sold a lot of food & gas. There was a large glass case with candy in it. He had his grand daughter Janice take all the candy out, get inside and clean it , then put all the candy back. Of course she had her choice of some candy for her work.
Later his son Merle took it over and named it Gouin's Petgas Co. Later Merle filled gas tanks & delivered them to the local people. He also sold stoves, refrigerators & kitchen appliances, next Merle would fix furnaces for local people. His sister Isabel would answer the phone and take care of the orders. A family affair all around.
In 1958 he and his wife Laura celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a huge affair. The best man Chi Chi Gouin (Pete's brother) was there. Laura's sister Emoline (the maid of honor) had passed so Clara, Pete's sister took her place. Started with a church ceremony at St Charles church. Then a luncheon at the school gym. Later in the evening they had a large party at the gym with well over 100 people attending. It was a wonderful day.
Children
Isabel 1909--1981
Isreal(Pete) 1911--1997
Kenneth 1918--1966
Robert 1921--1986
Merle 1923--2000
Picture at the top is Philbert with his granddaughter Janice taken at the house in Cheboygan.
Married November 23, 1908 in Cheboygan at St Charles Church with Chi Chi Gouin as best man & Emoline Ayotte as maid of honor.
There were 2 main families of Gouins in the area. One was from Michel Gouins line and the other was Jean Baptiste Gouins line. And they were brothers back in Quebec. To keep the children of these brother who moved to Cheboygan separated the school teacher added the E on the end of the name.
He started smoking cigars when he was small because his grandmother Georgianna had him light her cigars for her from the fireplace. He smoked cigars the rest of his life and when they got small he would put the end into his corn cob pipe to finish it off. Nothing got wasted back then.
He was the oldest son of James Gouin & Georgianna Coutu. After getting a 3 rd grade education he went to work in saw mill. His first job at the age of 8 Yrs old was working at a saw mill. He peeled bark off the cut trees and drove the wagon. When he was 10 yrs old he was hand sawing logs in a pit with a cross saw. He was the guy on the bottom in the pit.
Later he worked at the Tannery where he cleaned the hides of different animals. He said he learned several different languages working there, most swear words in different the languages. He and his brother Chi Chi would walk across the street at lunchtime and buy there food from Laura Ayotte.
Laura was living at her brother Louis Ayotte house. They paid .50 a week for one meal a day.
Next he was again a lumber jack until 1926 when a tree fell on his leg. It was winter time & very cold out. The guys he was working with could not move the tree. He asked them to cut the rest of his leg off so he would not freeze to death. He could not get anyone to do it so he finished off his leg himself. They took him to the doctors office. At that time there was no hospital in Cheboygan. After still being alive after a week they decided they should take him to Graying to the hospital.
After loosing his leg and he wore a wooden one for years. Once his sister Dena O'dette came for a visit with her grandchildren. Pete and Laura were not used to having little kids all over the place. The kids tried to catch the coo coo in the coo coo clock, stirred the goldfish in it's bowel until it must have been dizzy. They were everywhere until finally Pete had them bring him a hammer and nails. He hammered a nail into his wooden leg and told the little ones if they did not stop he was going to nail there feet to the floor and it would really hurt. They stopped and were good the rest of the day.
After losing his leg he ran a gas station & small grocery store on the corner of State & B st next to his house. He made his own pickle bologna which was very popular & he really sold a lot of food & gas. There was a large glass case with candy in it. He had his grand daughter Janice take all the candy out, get inside and clean it , then put all the candy back. Of course she had her choice of some candy for her work.
Later his son Merle took it over and named it Gouin's Petgas Co. Later Merle filled gas tanks & delivered them to the local people. He also sold stoves, refrigerators & kitchen appliances, next Merle would fix furnaces for local people. His sister Isabel would answer the phone and take care of the orders. A family affair all around.
In 1958 he and his wife Laura celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a huge affair. The best man Chi Chi Gouin (Pete's brother) was there. Laura's sister Emoline (the maid of honor) had passed so Clara, Pete's sister took her place. Started with a church ceremony at St Charles church. Then a luncheon at the school gym. Later in the evening they had a large party at the gym with well over 100 people attending. It was a wonderful day.
Children
Isabel 1909--1981
Isreal(Pete) 1911--1997
Kenneth 1918--1966
Robert 1921--1986
Merle 1923--2000
Picture at the top is Philbert with his granddaughter Janice taken at the house in Cheboygan.
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Siblings
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