Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST

Born

28 February 1835 , L'Acadie, Lower Canada

Died

10 June 1921 , Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Parents & Family of Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST

Explore parents, grandparents, spouses, children, and the family connections surrounding Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST.

Parents

Alexis CYRIAC (TIRIAC)Marguerite GIROUX

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Spouse & Children

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Born: 28 February 1835 in L'Acadie, Lower Canada

Father: Alexis CYRIAC (TIRIAC)

Mother: Marguerite GIROUX

Paternal grandparents: Pierre-Francois-Xavier THIRIAC dit LAFOREST , Victoire-Charlotte PIVERT dite PARISIEN

Maternal grandparents: Gabriel GIROUX , Marguerite ST-YVES

Joseph was an immigrant to the United States, arriving by 1867.
The French-Canadian Migration: New England's Late 1800s Odyssey

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Joseph married Flavie (Flora) BENOIT abt. 1858 in Saint-Luc, Canada East . The couple had (at least) 15 children.
Flavie (Flora) BENOIT was born 15 July 1841 in Saint-Luc, Québec, Canada. Flavie (Flora) died 5 May 1924 in Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA (Aldenville) (Chicopee Falls). Flavie (Flora) was the child of Albert BENOIT and Zoe LAURE (LORD).

Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST died 10 June 1921 in Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA .

photo/ portrait (above) from ancestry.com

Details of the family tree of Joseph appear below.

Québec Généalogie - Over time, Québec has gone through a series of name changes
From its inception in the early 1600s until 1760, it was called Canada, New France.
1760 to 1763, it was simply Canada
1763 to 1791 - Province of Québec
1791 to 1867 - Lower Canada
1867 to present - Québec, Canada.

Thanks to Micheline Gadbois MacDonald for providing this information.

Québec Généalogie - What is a 'dit/dite' name? When the first settlers came to Québec from France it was a custom to add a 'dit' nickname to the surname. The English translation of 'dit' is 'said'. The Colonists of Nouvelle France added 'dit' names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a 'dit' name that described the locale to which they had relocated. The acquiring of a 'dit' name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a 'dit' name the town or village in France from which they originated. This custom ended around 1900 when people began using only one name, either the 'dit' nickname or their original surname.

Source: American-French Genealogical Society, Woonsocket, Rhode Island (www.afgs.org/ditnames/index1.html)

The Definitive Guide for Researching Your French-Canadian Ancestors in 2025

Spouse & Children of Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST

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Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST married

Flavie (Flora) BENOIT
Marriage date: abt. 1858
Marriage place: Saint-Luc, Canada East
Source: Familysearch.org. Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) (Mormon Genealogy Records).
The French In North America: 1500-1783

Flavie (Flora) BENOIT was the child of Albert BENOIT and Zoe LAURE (LORD)

Marriage notes:

Name: Flavie Benoit

Spouse: Joseph Seriac

Event: Mariage (Marriage)

Marriage Year: 1858

Marriage Location: St-Luc, Québec (Quebec)

Place of Worship or Institution: St-Jean

Sacred Unions: A Look into 19th-Century Catholic Weddings in Quebec

So Many Children! French-Canadian Family Size in the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries

Children of Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST and Flavie (Flora) BENOIT

Albert SYRIAC

Born: 24 June 1859, Saint-Luc, Canada East
Died: ,

Joseph-Moise-Israel SYRIAC

Born: 16 October 1860, Saint-Luc, Canada East
Died: ,

Flavie SYRIAC

Born: November 1862, Farnham, Canada East
Died: ,

Vital SYRIAC

Born: 12 May 1865, Farnham, Canada East
Died: ,

Barnabé Joseph "Barnaby" TIRIAC (THÉRIAQUE)

Born: 31 December 1866, Saranac, New York, USA
Died: 18 February 1951, Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Rose H THERIAQUE DEFOREST

Born: 18 December 1868, Plattsburgh, New York, USA
Died: 29 June 1926, Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Lewis SYRIAC

Born: 18 January 1871, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA
Died: ,

Edwidge (Elizabeth) SYRIAC (THERIAQUE)

Born: 28 June 1872, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 2 September 1949, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Corinna Louise Mary SYRIAC (THERIAQUE) DEFOREST

Born: 28 November 1873, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 2 October 1967, Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Lizzie SYRIAC

Born: abt. 1874, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA
Died: ,

Edward THIRIAC

Born: 23 September 1876, , Massachusetts, USA
Died: ,

Alfred SYRIAC (THERIAQUE dit DEFOREST)

Born: May 1877, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 18 September 1945, Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Mary Ann THIRIAC (THERIAQUE)

Born: 3 September 1879, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 29 December 1968, Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Marie Victoria Irene THIRIAC (THERIAQUE)

Born: 25 January 1881, Webster, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 1 May 1942, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Marie THIRIAC

Born: 5 March 1882, Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Died: ,

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Life & Records

Photos, life events, and historical records for Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST.

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Records about Joseph SYRIAC (THIRIAC) (THERIAQUE) dit DEFOREST and family appear alongside historical events from the same years. Each item is labeled so you can quickly tell family records from historical context.

Birth — 1835
28 February 1835
L'Acadie, Lower Canada

1839 - February 24 - Steam shovel patented by William Smith Otis (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

1843 - The Christmas card is invented (Sir Henry Cole and John Callcott Horsley, England)

Artificial Freezer Patented (Nancy M. Johnson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

1845 - The rubber band is invented (Stephen Perry, England)

The refrigerator is invented (John Gorrie, United States)

1849 - The safety pin is invented (Walter Hunt, United States)

1857 - Toilet paper is invented (Joseph Gayetty, United States)

1858 - March 30 - H. L. Lipman, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, patented the first pencil with eraser

1859 Birth of Child
Albert SYRIAC was born 24 June 1859, Saint-Luc, Québec, Canada

Joseph was 24 years old.

1860 Birth of Child
Joseph-Moise-Israel SYRIAC was born 16 October 1860, Saint-Luc, Québec, Canada

Joseph was 25 years old.

1862 Birth of Child
Flavie SYRIAC was born November 1862, Farnham, Québec, Canada (Saint-Romuald-de-Farnham)

Joseph was 27 years old.

1864 - Pasteurization is invented (Louis Pasteur, France)

1865 Birth of Child
Vital SYRIAC was born 12 May 1865, Farnham, Québec, Canada (Saint-Romuald-de-Farnham)

Joseph was 30 years old.

1866 Birth of Child
Barnabé Joseph "Barnaby" TIRIAC (THÉRIAQUE) was born 31 December 1866, Saranac, New York, USA (Redford)

Joseph was 31 years old.

1868 - The typewriter is invented (Christopher Latham Sholes, United States)

Thomas Edison applies for his first patent, the electric vote recorder.

1868 Birth of Child
Rose H THERIAQUE DEFOREST was born 18 December 1868, Plattsburgh, New York, USA

Joseph was 33 years old.

1871 Birth of Child
Lewis SYRIAC was born 18 January 1871, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 35 years old.

1872 Birth of Child
Edwidge (Elizabeth) SYRIAC (THERIAQUE) was born 28 June 1872, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 37 years old.

1873 Birth of Child
Corinna Louise Mary SYRIAC (THERIAQUE) DEFOREST was born 28 November 1873, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 38 years old.

1876 - March 7 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a United States patent for an invention he calls the telephone.

1876 Birth of Child
Edward THIRIAC was born 23 September 1876, , Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 41 years old.

1877 Birth of Child
Alfred SYRIAC (THERIAQUE dit DEFOREST) was born May 1877, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 42 years old.

1877 - November 21 - Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record sound.

1879 - Incandescent light bulb is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, United States)

1879 Birth of Child
Mary Ann THIRIAC (THERIAQUE) was born 3 September 1879, Millbury, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 44 years old.

1880 - Webster, Massachusetts
Name: Joseph Terriar
Age: 41
Birth Date: Abt 1839
Birthplace: Canada
Home in 1880: Webster, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Flora Terriar
Father's Birthplace: Canada
Mother's Birthplace: Canada
Occupation: Laborer
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph Terriar 41
Flora Terriar 38
Joseph Terriar 18
Viteley Terriar 14
Barnabee Terriar 13
Rosanna Terriar 12
Libbie Terriar 8
Eliza Terriar 7
Edward Terriar 4
Freddie Terriar 3
Mary Terriar 9/ 12
John Terriar 21

1880 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1881 Birth of Child
Marie Victoria Irene THIRIAC (THERIAQUE) was born 25 January 1881, Webster, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph was 45 years old.

1882 Birth of Child
Marie THIRIAC was born 5 March 1882, Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA (Globe) (Lensdale) (Saundersdale) (Shuttleville)

Joseph was 47 years old.

1884 - Photographic film is invented (George Eastman, United States)

The first gravity roller coaster amusement ride (LeMarcus A. Thompson, United States)

1889 - The automobile is invented (Gottlieb Daimler, Germany)

1891 - The zipper is invented (Whitcomb L. Judson, United States)

The motion picture camera is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, William K.L. Dickson, United States)

First Perforated Toilet Paper Roll is Patented

1897 - Aspirin is invented (Felix Hoffmann (Bayer), Germany)

1901 - King Camp Gillette and William Emery Nickerson invented the world's first disposable razor blade in 1901. (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

1902 - July 17 - Willis Haviland Carrier designed the first modern air-conditioning system. (Buffalo, New York, USA)

1903 - The first engine-powered airplane is invented (Wilbur & Orville Wright, United States)

1906 - August 22 – The first Victor Victrola, a phonographic record player, was manufactured, revolutionizing the way people listened to music at home.

In 1906, Reginald Fessenden made the first AM radio broadcast on December 24th. This event marked a significant advancement in radio technology, paving the way for the modern broadcasting industry.

1907-1908 - The electric washing machine is invented (Alva J. Fisher, United States)

1908 - First Model-T car is produced by Henry Ford (United States)

1912 - April 15 - Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic

1913 - The assembly line is invented (Henry Ford, United States)

The bra is invented (Mary Phelps Jacob, United States)

Obituary
The Springfield Evening Union
Saturday, June 11, 1921, Page 10,
Columns 3 & 4.

Joseph Theriaque di DeForest; Aged 86, Dies
Joseph Theriaque di DeForest, 86, died at his home, 34 Fisher Street, yesterday morning. He was born in Canada but has lived 65 years in this country, of which 33 years have been spent in Chicopee. He had been married 63 years. He leaves his wife, five sons, Albert of Gilbertville, Joseph of Pawtucket, R. I., Barney and Alfred of this city and Edward of Webster; five daughters, Mrs. Rose Julian, Mrs. Elbie Miersau, Miss Corinne DeForest, Mrs. Mary Billadeau, Miss Irene DeForest, all of this city. The funeral will be held from his home at 8.30 o'clock Monday morning with requiem high mass at 9 in St. Joachim's Church. Burial will be in St. Patrick's Cemetery.