Tuesday, September 16, 2008

J.E.Arsenault has been found. Do you remember a few blogs back,I was asking if anyone would know who this gentleman that I had found in an old cookbook and was a justice of the peace and station master in Wellington PEI? Well I had put my detectives (from my acadianroots group) hard at work, and it paid off. Frank contacted Miscouche received some info and also some info from the notes from Heros of Island Sport. My thanks to Frank, to Miscouche and to anyone who helped Frank. Here is the following info. Read on, he was a very interestion man:
Here is some information on Joseph E. Arsenault taken from the book By the Old Mill Stream, History of Wellington, published in 1983.

Joseph E. "Joe Carise" Arsenault was the son of Euchariste Arsenault and Margaret Gallant of Egmont Bay and was born January 23, 1840. Joe Carise married Mary Gaudet of St. Nicholas on January 7, 1862 and they had nine children.
Mary, Joe Carise's first wife, died in 1913. On September 30, 1918, Joe Carise married the widow of the late Captain Perry of Alberton. After Joe Carise's death in 1934, she returned to Alberton.
Great Sport Stories - Joseph E. Arsenault "Joe Carise"Inducted Date:May 29, 1983Inducted By: Joseph Gaudet
Everyone has heard the story of the thirty-year old Canadian being humbled by thatspry and apparently ageless sixty-year old Swede. And yet Wellington, P.E.I.'s JosephArsenault would be recognized in 1932 as the skating champion of the world for his ageclass, all at the age of 93 years. It seems like a story for Ripley and indeed it was tobe, for the story of the legendary Acadian Skater was carried in that famous syndicatedcolumn, Ripley's "Believe It or Not," throughout North America in the 1930's.
Born January 23, 1840, at Egmont Bay, Joseph Arsenault, or as he was commonlyknown, "Joe Carise" grew up on the pre-Confederation Prince Edward Island that wasin most respects a pioneer society whose pleasures were of the simple variety. YoungJoe's passion was with skating, and he cherished his pair of "Woodstock" skates, theoriginal form of the skates with the blade curled at the front. Strapping these to hisboots, Joseph would step onto the frozen Ellis River below his home to skate the threemiles to Sunday Mass at the Grand River Church.
In these times before paved roads, Joe would walk through trails in the forest to schoolmiles away at St. Eleanors. By age 16, and having achieved his teacher's certificate,he would surprise his students by skating several miles to classes at the CascumpecSchool. This very early belief in physical exercise in the great outdoors, so Joe wouldlater claim, was responsible for hardening up his system and give him the powerfully-muscled limbs so vital to his later skating exploits.
Joseph Arsenault left his teaching post in 1873 for the position of station agent atWellington on the old P.E.I. Railway line, a job he would fill until 1915, 38 years later. He would also serve locally as Justice of the Peace.
An active sportsman, Joe trained his own stable of horses which he drove at theWellington Lakeside track and throughout the Island.
Upon the opening of the Wellington Rink in 1930-31, Joseph Arsenault once againstrapped on his ancient "stock" skates and adopted a daily routine of one hour'sskating, soon discovering that he was able to cover the ice with most of his old-timeform.
Skating exhibitions at home, and on the mainland, followed for Joe Carise, and thecrowds delighted to watch his graceful stride between periods of hockey atSummerside's Crystal Rink or at local meets.
His challenge to all comers over 85 years of age to beat him in a three-mile race wasfirst issued in 1930-31, and although no challenger ever stepped forward JosephArsenault would be officially acknowledged in March 1932 as the "World ChampionAged Skater" by the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.Arsenault died in 1934 aged 94 years old.
Joseph E. Arsenault's remarkable example is now part of the Prince Edward IslandSports Hall of Fame's Great Stories of Island Sports."Updated: March 2006File Contains: Notebook with stories and clippings; "Heroes of Island Sport" article by Wayne Wright; no artifacts Joe Carise's first wife, died in 1913. On September 30, 1918, Joe Carise married the widow of the late Captain Perry of Alberton. After Joe Carise's death in 1934, she returned to Alberton.
Joseph E. Arsenault was the first station master in Wellington, a Justice of the Peace and a well-known skater who continued to skate until he was 93 years of age (see separate articles on station agents, J.P.'s and Aged Skater). He had a farm of 183 acres in Wellington Station where he kept purebred Yorkshire hogs and Plymouth Rock hens, farm horses and race horses. The most famous horse he raised was Beauprince. His son Emile looked after the farm and the race horses. Jos Carise was also an agent for trees and shrubs and sold wood furnaces in his spare time.

So this hunt for J.E.ARSENAULT was very well searching for don't you think?
Have a great day
Aline

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