Nellie May Doucette was born in Tusket, Yarmouth Nova Scotia, August 12, 1883 to Emile Doucette and Charlotte Muise. The family was French Canadian and may have been Mi'kmaq Indian. Emile was born around 1868 and Charlotte and Emile married in 1887 according to the 1900 MA census for the town of Quincy. Emile came to the US in 1890 and Charlotte in 1891. Emile worked with horses and died in Massachusetts from an asthma attack and Charlotte re-married and lived many years after Emile’s death.
Found in the 1891 Tusket, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia census was a record for Doucette, Emil male 23 seaman Charlotte female 24 wife, Nellie May or Mary female 5 daughter?.
According to the 1910 Federal Census for Sandwich, Massachusetts, Nellie M. immigrated to the United States in 1892.
In 1900 Quincy, Norfolk, MA census, Nellie is living at 9 Field Street with
her father, mother and family. She is listed as a sister-in-law ?
Emile Doucette 33 b. 3/1867 Nova Scotia Alien
Charlotte Doucette 33 b. 9/1866 Nova Scotia Naturalized
Agnes Doucette 4 daughter b. 12/1895 MA
Catherine Doucette 2 daughter b. 10/1897 MA
Mary Varonica Doucette 1 boarder b. 8/1898 MA
-Emile could not read or write; Charlotte could
-Says married 13 years
-Rented home
-Had 7 children before 1900
Nellie M. Doucette age 17 res. of Quincy, daughter of Emile and Charlotte
married James B. Haynes, son of William and Margaret (Samuels) Haynes, 8/29/1900
in Quincy.
He was born in Boston, was a plumber and was 23 or 25 years old.
Two children were born of this union, Maud C. (nickname Micky) born 1901 and
Herbert C. Haynes born 1903. From information passed down, not confirmed, James
was an alcoholic and abusive to Nellie. Joseph Pavletich may have lived next
door to Nellie and James.
James and the children were of Irish descent. Maud and Herbert lived with their
father in 1910, their grandmother Margaret J. Haynes, Uncles Lawrence O. Haynes,
and Thomas F. Haynes. In Quincy Massachusetts at 81 Mill Street. James never
re-married.
Herbert E. became a plumber too and in the 1932 Quincy Massachusetts City Directory he lived at 22 Vine Avenue and was married to Anna May. Also listed in 1933 directory. They had a son Herbert born 1929/1930. Married in 1927.
Nellie left James and the children and married Joseph Pavletich. Divorce papers need to be acquired.
According to Joseph’s Declaration of Intention for citizenship, Mary and Joseph married September 25th, 1907 in Lawrence Massachusetts.
In the 1910 Federal Census for Sandwich, Barnstable Co. Massachusetts, Joseph Pavletich age 25, first marriage, married 4 years, born in Austria, immigrated 1902 and was an alien, lived on River Street in a rented house. He worked as a laborer in a car factory and could read and write English.
His wife was Nellie M. (Doucette) Pavletich, age 26, 1st marriage, married 4 years, born in Canada ( immigrated September 18, 1892 on the ship “Yarmouth” and came through Boston with A. Doucette and R. Doucette (brothers?)), no occupation, could read and write English. Their son, Otis Francis Pavletich was 1 year old and was born in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
Joseph may have worked at the following location: Located in Sandwich, in what is now Sagamore, was Keith and Ryder, also known as the Keith Car and Manufacturing Company, which produced the vehicles that helped America expand westward. Started in 1826, the company employed hundreds of Cape Codders' to manufacture stagecoaches, prairie schooners, wagons, ox carts, buggies and railroad freight cars. The company was in business for a little more than one hundred years and closed its factories toward the end of the 1920s with the coming of the Great Depression.
Joseph was born March 12, 1885 in Fiume Austria which is now Rijeka Croatia,
(Joseph’s Declaration of Intention for citizenship states he was born in Draga
Gornja Austria). He was Croatian. His father's name was Gwsma Pavoletich and his
mother’s name was Mary Vecerina. The only story passed down is that he worked in
a Vineyard as a young man, picking grapes. He came to the United States on
November 25, 1902 on the US Begdale from Buenos Aires Argentine. His
Declaration of Intention for citizenship was filed in Calumet City, Illinois on
May 7th, 1941 in Calumet City, Illinois.
No. 201348. He was 55 years old, had brown eyes, brown hair, was 150 pounds and
was 5 feet and 7 inches tall.
Otis Francis Pavletich, their only son was born February 10th, 1909 in Sandwich, Massachusetts according to a copy of his birth certificate.
Joseph and Nellie lived in Columbus, Ohio in 1917 at 1040 Leonard, Franklin County. They lived in Calumet City, Illinois, perhaps around 1925 and lived there through the early 1940’s. In 1932-1936, Joseph and Mary lived at 309 162nd Street in Calumet City, Illinois. Their son Francis lived with them and was a Gas Station Attendant.
In 1941, according to Joseph’s Declaration of Intention for citizenship, they lived at 630 Greenbay Avenue in Calumet City..
They also lived in East Chicago, Indiana and finally, Gary, Indiana.
Later, Joseph and Nellie lived at 3032 Tompkins St. in the Black Oak section of Gary. It was a small gray house, surrounding mostly by land and very few houses. They used to go to Chicago on a regular basis to see plays or go dancing.
Joseph worked as an Axel Turner for railroad cars at G.A.T.X. in East Chicago, Indiana. Eventually, Francis, his son would learn this trade as well.
Joseph died of a heart attack, around 7:00 in the morning, while at work on December 23, 1949, leaving Nellie May or Mary Ellen as she was later called, a widow. He was 64 years old.
I remember going to Great Grandma Nellie’s house as a child, I was probably between 4 and 6 years old. I remember walking up the steps to her house and I remember sitting in her rocking chair which both she and her mother seemed to have used as their favorite chairs. I remember her talking to me, she was going to fix me something to eat and she was standing by the big white sink. I remember the floor of her kitchen, it was a floral design from the 30’s or 40’s and I remember her old-fashioned black boots. I also remember going to her funeral and I remember her laid out in her casket. She was very pale, wrinkled and small, all dressed in black. I didn’t have a close relationship with her because I was so young, but I feel close to her, as though she watches over me and protects me. She was very self sufficient and used to crochet dollies with very a fine thread and needle.
She lived alone until she died. Her obituary read:
MARY ELLEN PAVLETICH
Mary Ellen Pavletich, age 91, of 3032 Tompkins St., Gary, passed away Tuesday December 10, 1974 at St. Catherine Hospital, East Chicago, IN. Survivors: one son, Francis (Mary Ann) Pavletich of Largo Florida; two grandchildren, Paul Joseph (Suzanne) Pavletich of Calumet City and Patricia (Donald) Dahlin of Hickory Hills, IL.; four great grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husband, Joseph in 1949.
Funeral services Friday, December 13, 10:00 am from Huber Funeral Home, 905
W. Chicago Ave., East Chicago with Msgr. Paul Bogovich of the Holy Trinity
Croation Church Officiation. Burial Elmwood Cemetery, Hammond. Friends may call
Thursday. 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 pm.
Mrs. Pavletich was a former resident of Calumet City and East Chicago.
Joseph’s obituary read:
JOSEPH PAVLETICH
Joseph Pavletich, age 64, of 3032 Tompkins Avenue, Gary, passed away suddenly at work Friday, Dec. 23. Funeral Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2 p.m., Huber funeral home, 905 W. Chicago Avenue, East Chicago. Rev. Joseph Steen will officiate. Burial in Elmwood cemetery, Hammond. Surviving: wife, Mary; 1 son, Francis of Calumet City; 2 grandchildren. Employed at General American Transportation for 30 years. Member of CIO No. 1133.
Emile and Charlotte Doucette Census Material
Charlotte Muis b.
Sep 7 1867 Tusket Hill,Yarmouth, N.S.
father Robert, fisherman mother Catherine; married 3/1864 Eel
Brook, Yarmouth
Emile Doucette b.
24 Mar 1868 Eel Brook,Yarmouth,N.S.
father Albert or Alban mother Chartal? Muis
1871 Tusket Hill,Yarmouth,N.S. census
Muise, Robert male 25 fisherman Catholic French origin
Catherine female 25 " "
Charlotte Female 3 " "
Henry male 2 " "
1881 Tusket Hill,
Yarmouth,N.S. census
Doucette, Albert male 38 fisherman " "
Annie female 35 " "
Amil male 15 " "
Mark male 12 " "
Ramis male 10 " "
Elizabeth female 8 " "
William male 5 " "
Freddie male 2 " "
A birth record was found for a Mary Milla? Doucette b. 22 Sep 1866 in Tusket ,father Alban or Albert, mother J or L. Muise; parents married 1866 Tusket Wedge. Don't know if this is a child of theirs or not.
1881 Tusket
Hill,Yarmouth,N.S. census
Muise, Robert male 36 fisherman
Kate female 37
Charlotte female 13
Henry male 12
Robert male 10
Sarah female 4
Jeremiah male 3
Frank male 1