Subseries

This subseries is composed primarily of two journals from Chalet des Vignes, the summer cottage on Île aux Fantômes (near Sorel) owned and run by Hyacinthe Guèvremont's parents, Olive Beauchemin and notary Alfred Guèvremont, as of 1886. Located next to Îlette-au-Pé, an historic site listed in the Quebec Directory of Cultural Heritage, the cottage was the meeting place of friends and family. Serving as both journals and guest books, these hand-written documents were used to record daily events as well as the names, addresses and remembrances of visitors who came during the 1915 to 1921 summer seasons.

The first journal covers the 1915 season, with very few entries, as well as 1916 and 1917, while the second recounts the summers of 1918 to 1920 and, to a lesser degree, 1921. The stories in the journals offer a rich, animated chronicle of this cottage devoted to hunting, fishing and relaxation, thus providing a window into the history of family leisure activities in Quebec. Beginning in the summer of 1916, the owners' nephew, Paul E. Monarque, assumed the task of recording the stories of life at the cottage on an almost daily basis. Other members of the household, such as Margot Langlois and P. P. de la Bruère, took over when he had to leave, which was usually in the late summer so he could return to college. Often adopting a light, playful tone, the chroniclers provide detailed descriptions of everyone's activities: expeditions in the rowboat, swims, picnics, or, in less clement weather, reading, writing and needlework. They recount the social gatherings, card parties, birthday celebrations and plays held at the house. They also record all the chores required to keep the cottage running smoothly: cleaning, meal preparation, shopping and excursions to find milk or ice, and chopping wood. Some entries are illustrated with a few drawings. Cottage visitors came from the surrounding area, as well as from Montreal, Longueuil, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Ottawa. Among the vacationers who wrote in the journals are notary Wilfrid Martel, A. de Ch. Francoeur, H. Emery, Father Louis Bourque, Prior Réginald Dupras of the Dominicans at Montreal, Marguerite Clark, Jane O'Sullivan and Mariette O'Bready. There is also an entry by Germaine Grignon Guèvremont dated September 10, 1916, in which the young woman describes the household's merry atmosphere and her relations with her in-laws.

In addition, the subseries contains a letter dated July 28, 1918, in which several guests express their best wishes to Olive Beauchemin and Alfred Guèvremont on the occasion of their 34^th wedding anniversary. Several documents have also been inserted or glued into the journals, including press clippings, a postcard, a business card and several notes.