Trachy Part Deux
We have spent a lot of time poking around old Irish records, so now we make a right turn and head past England toward the Channel Islands. Our earliest recorded ancestor (Richard Trachy, b. 1275?) lived in Jersey, which is one of the Channel Islands. In 1331 A.D. Richard Trachy was one of the twelve jurymen in his parish. He is the first Trachy on record, and quite possibly the originator of the Trachy line. The Channel Islands have never been greatly populated, and the census records show a small number of Trachy surnames. The following census records show our distant cousins as all Trachys are related.
We have written about this Trachy connection before and this can be found elsewhere on our website. How are we related to the Trachy family? Jeanne Marie Trachy married Cesaire Turgeon. Cesaire and Jeanne’s granddaughter, Mary Turgeon, married William Smith. William was ‘Irish’ John Smith’s son. Our family tree appears below.
Here is a little history. Benjamin Trachy, co-owner of a schooner "The Three Sisters" came to Quebec from Jersey with two of his sons, Abraham (1794-1871) and Edouard (1800-1887). The two younger boys never returned to Jersey because they fell in love with two sisters, Louise and Suzanne Bourget. The Trachy boys and Bourget women were married on the same day. This bit of history suggests Benjamin had older sons living in the Channel Islands. The 1841 Channel Island census may actually show Benjamin’s sons.
The Channel Islands
[From the Harmsworth Encyclopedia, 1909]
The Channel Islands are a group of small rocky islands
off the North West coast of France, and 90 miles South of England. The group
consists of Jersey and Guernsey, two or three smaller islands - Alderney, Sark
and Herm - and various tiny islets of rock or seacrags. The total area is about
75 square miles. The soil is fertile and exceptionally well cultivated. The
islands send large quantities of early potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, and other
fruits and vegetables to the English markets. Each of the largest islands
possesses its own peculiar race of cattle.
The people, who are of Norman descent, are industrious and fairly prosperous.
Their numbers increased from 49,430 (excluding Alderney) in 1821 to 95,840 in
1901, giving at the latter date the great average density of 1,278 inhabitants
to the square mile. The language of every-day intercourse is the Norman-French
patois; of the popular assemblies, law courts, and churches, modern French.
English, however, is taught in schools. The islands enjoy practically home rule.
The chief executive officer in Jersey, and also in Guernsey and its
dependencies, is the Lieutenant-Governor. The people are Protestants and the
islands are attached to the diocese of Winchester.
Census Records
The following records are also arranged by family groups. In the 1841 census the head of household is the only member of the census whose last name was recorded. By 1881 the entries are grouped by where they lived.