Eugene Albert Genest was born on February 29, 1896, at Thetford Mines, Quebec, the son of Antoine and Annee Genest. Other children in the family were Charles, Joseph, Asilda, Ludger, Omer, and Eugenie. In 1901 they lived in the village of Kingsville. They were French-Canadian, and of the Roman Catholic faith.
Canadian draft records from WWI give Eugene's occupation in 1918 as "mechanic." He first came to the U.S. on June 9, 1920, destined for the home of a cousin, Ed Tanguay, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He returned again in January of 1921, both times entering the U.S. at the Port of Newport, VT. Immigration records from May 11, 1922 show him with $120 in his pocket, headed for the home of his "sis-in-law" Anna Genest, in Leominster, Massachusetts. He stated he would be staying for less than six months.
Three years later, a 1925 city directory from Manchester, New Hampshire listed him as a "clerk", possibly working with his brother Joseph who was a local grocer. Eugene lived briefly in New York City around 1935, but in 1940 he was again living with Joseph, and Joseph's wife Corinne, still in Manchester, NH. At that time Joseph owned a sausage factory, and Eugene gave his occupation as a "sausage maker." He still retained his Canadian citizenship, and was still single.
The onset of WWII required him to register for the U.S. draft. At that time he was unemployed, living in New York City on W. 36th St. He gave as "the person who will always know your address" his brother Joseph, who still resided in Manchester, NH.
Eugene Albert Genest died February 27, 1981, at Presbyterian Hospital. He was buried on Hart Island.
Sources: U.S. Social Security Death Index; 1901 Census of Canada; Canada, Soldiers of the First World War, 1914-1918; U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1956; U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989; 1940 U.S. Federal Census; U.S. WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1942.
