The above images are the results of some of the "details" I found during my research online, through my usage of www.ancestry.com and http://www.genforum.com's/ Message Boards, New New York and Vermont Directories, etc. regarding the Sheehan "El-Nu" group's genealogical, historical and social research that I conducted.
Retrospectively-speaking, Carollee (or Carol Lee) nee: Reynolds and her daughter Takara Matthews decided it was in their best interest to go to the Koasek group in ca. 2006, "when April A. (nee: St. Francis) Merrill wouldn't give either of them an 'incorporate member card' " (what my elder calls a "Tribal Dog Tag"). Now for a long time, I pretty much concluded that Carollee Reynolds just wanted to be where her daughter was. Carollee stated, "that if April Merrill began issuing 'membership cards', and Carollee got one, that she would go back to April Merrill up in Swanton, Franklin County, Vermont" and "that T.K. would stay with the Koasek/ El-Nu group, even if her mother went back to Swanton, Vermont's group led by April Merrill".
Well, studying these "details" of late, I began to "see" the other dynamics of the "jumping from one group to another" in Carollee Reynolds attempt to get her "membership card" and subsequently secure her plan "of getting a new house, T.K. could open up a Native Craft store" and so on. But the whole situation was deeper than I could "see" at the time. I will admit that the parentage of Julia Patenaude being the child of Charles Patnaud and Julia Lafield according to the death record "threw me off" genealogically-speaking, but thankfully only temporarily-speaking.
Now I know a few more "details" because, by studying the Patenaude ancestors and descendants, sure enough Esther Patenaude (whom married to Jean Baptiste Dandurand ca. 1848) was the daughter of Alexis Patenaude and Judith or Julia Marie (nee: Chevalier). Esther (nee: Patenaude) was born Apri l18, 1828 in Lacolle, Quebec, Canada and died Spetember 14, 1885 in Swanton, Franklin County, Vermont. Her younger sister Judith or Julia Marie Patenaude was born in June of 1846 and died Apri l15, 1932 in New York City, New York. Julia or Judith (nee: Patenaude) maried to Gilbert Lanctôt - Lonctot - Loncto (or Longtoe) on September 28, 1862 in Malone, Franklin County, New York.
Gilbert Lanctôt - Lonctot - Loncto and his wife Judith or Julia (nee: Patenaude) were the ancestors of Roger Anthony "Longtoe" Sheehan and his cousin Vera "Longtoe" Diane (nee: Sheehan), through seemingly their common ancestor Ellen "Nellie" Henrietta T. (nee: Loncto) born August 02, 1863 in Malone, NY and her husband John F. Sheehan who was born December 17, 1863 in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, down through their son Frank Lawrence Sheehan who was born September 21, 1885 in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts who married to Leona or Lena Marie MacDonald on March 24, 1905 in Springfield, MA one day after their son Frank Sheehan Jr. died.
So, of course (to my thinking) Carollee Reynolds was soldifying her "Indian-ness" or "Abenaki-ness" with the "El-Nu sub-band" of the Koasek Incorporate by joining and interacting with her distant cousins, the Sheehan's. They shared a common ancestor in the Patenaude lineage whom had migrated down from Quebec, Canada to the Keeseville, New York area.
The question is, was those two particular Patenaude sisters, Esther and Julia or Judith actually of "Abenaki" descent? Yet another question crept into my mind, and that is:
Are Vera and her cousin Roger with their mutual Patenaude descendant cousin Carollee Reynolds simply interacting with one another, in an attempt to substantiate each others "stories" of their mutual Patenaude ancestor women being "Abenaki" when perhaps these two Patenaude sisters might not be "Abenaki" at all? As a curious-minded person I had to figure this genealogical puzzle and dynamic out, before I could even try to attempt addressing what I thought might be going between both the Sheehan cousins Roger and Vera, but also Carollee Reynolds and her daughter Takara (T.K.) before posting my "findings" here on this blog pertaining to this subject matter.
From an undisclosed source in 1999, Vera "Longtoe" Diane (nee: Sheehan) claimed that the "Patnaud woman" was the "last fluent speaker of Abenaki in the family and the source of their Abenaki blood".
Subesequently I began to do a little genealogical background research on this particular Patenaude family lineage, which I will post (in the very near future) here on this blog. People reviewing this blog can make up your own minds as to whether these "details" are accurate or not.
