While we’ve been able to put together the remote and isolated kernels of information gathered in the dusty archives of census records and long forgotten microfiche to extrapolate an adjunct profile of the artist’s historical and cultural context, he himself has remained an enigma. Without any records of marriage or traceable offspring we’ve been left with wild speculation as a surrogate for facts in painting a picture of the child he was and the man he might have become.

To my elation and surprise, the flea market vendor who more than a decade ago acquired the bulk of this man’s collected worldly possessions informed me that an identification card from Beauparlant’s service in the Merchant Marines had surfaced in his basement. While this weathered and noticeably warped memento allows us to assign a face to, and perhaps offer additional clues into his life, it leaves more questions than answers. But for now, let us relish in this small moment of victory as we gaze into the eyes (and perhaps the soul) of our protagonist, Albert J. Beauparlant.

To follow this story from the beginning:
Albert J. Beauparlant
On the Shores of Wonder Lake
Mother, Father, Sister, Brother
Maps and Legends
The Lingering Question Mark of Beauparlant
The Weight Room
Gold Dust

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After unsuccessfully searching Google for his name and address, I stumbled on a website call ed Ancestry.com, which was offering a 14-day trial. Figuring I’d give it a shot, I signed-up and started poking around. At this point the only information we had was his name, his father’s initials, and an address in Chicago. My initial searches yielded an surprising number of Beauparlants, most of whom lived in the Midwest and Canada. Shortly thereafter, I was able to hone in and locate a record of his family in the 1920 and 1930 US Census. Amazingly, here’s an archived scan of the actual hand-written forms!

Check these out up close in Flickr!

As it turns out his father’s name was indeed J.A. Beauparlant (Father, age 38), Leontine (Mother, age 36), Alice (Sister, age 7), and Albert (2.5 as of 1930). Mr.Beauparlant was born in Canada and was an Iron Worker. While the writing is difficult to make out, it looks like both his father arrived in the US in 1900 and mother in 1912.

On the 1930 Census, we don’t see his father’s name but because the image is much cleaner we can determine that Leontine was married at age 29 and evidently was still married at this time. Also the address recorded is one building off from the number 2330 which we’ve seen on the back of Albert’s artwork and subsequently on the postcard. This could have been a minor error by the Census worker.

I was also able to uncover Albert’s death record, which provided a host of information. Albert was born June 19th, 1917 in Illinois. He only received a 12th grade education and was never married. According to this record, he worked as a manager in water transportation. He died on November 8th, 1997 in Lorain County (Avon), Ohio as a resident of a nursing home. He was 80. I tried to find an obituary for Albert, but was unsuccessful.

With no children or information on relatives, I started probing into other family members. I found a US Public Records Index on his sister, Alice but she would have to be 95. If she’s still alive, she lives in Lowell, MA. We have a phone number.

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