The funeral of Mrs. Jennie Gallant, wife of William, who died Thursday afternoon at the family home, Main Street, Carter's Corner, Andover was held Saturday morning. A High Mass of requiem was offered in St. Augustine's Church at 8 o'clock by Rev. Fr. P. J. Campbell. At the offertory the choir sang "Pie Jesu" and at the close of the service Miss Annie G Donovan, oganist, played a funeral march. Internment was in the family lot in St. Augustine's Cemetery.

The deceased was 76 years of age and had been a resident of Andover for many years. During her long residence there she made a large circle of friends who were grieved to hear of her passing. Many beautiful floral tributes and spiritual offerings were received.

* Taken from the Evening Tribune - Saturday Edition April 28, 1923.


According to the Transcribed Massachusetts Death Record:

Cause of Death: lobar pneumonia
Time of Death: 10 A.M.
Age: 76
Length of Time in Community: 5 years
Length of time in United States: 13 years
Marital Status: Married to William Gallant
Father: Joseph Wedge
Birthplace of Father: Canada
Mother: Sophie Gallant
Birthplace of Mother: Canada
Death Record Informand: Mrs. Louis Gallant
Funeral Home: E.M. Lundgren, Andover
Date Record Filed: April 28, 1923


Note: Many searches have been done throughout St. Augustine's Cemetery but Jennie and William's headstone or a family plot has ever been found. Correspondence with St. Augustine's Church have produced no definitive location or answers other than that they were, in fact, buried in St. Augustine's Cemetery.

A story of St. Augustine's Cemetery: My mother, Mary (Gallant) Deschenes, had an aunt that lived in Andover, Alma (Gaudet) Dwyer. Alma had twins that died shortly after birth but before they were baptized by the church so they were buried in a, so called, "un-baptized" area of the cemetery somewhere on the very outside border. Alma's husband even made their headstones himself and placed them for the two children. A few years past and Alma had two more children a year apart from each other; one died at just over a year and the other 6 months but died within a few days of one another (these two were baptized). Aunt Alma wanted to have the first two exhumed to have all 4 children buried together but when she went to visit the first two their headstones were gone. She went to St. Augustine's Church to find out what had happened and they told her that the church had removed the stones because the un-baptized children were "un-cleansed" and meant nothing to the church so they cleared out the entire area. Alma's children were not the only ones - The cemetery was the property of the church. I think this is what also happened to the headstone of William and Virginia Gallant. I have tried to get some answers from the church but, of course, they won't talk about it - yet! They should be glad I live so far away and can't stop in for a visit! Mom's cousin Evelyn Gallant died at the age of 16 months and she is also missing from St. Augustine's Cemetery. The children all died of diphtheria as it was rampant in Andover at the time of all these child deaths.