It is with deep sadness on behalf of our family that I post the death of Sonny Pelaquin on March 1, 2002. One of the best showmen in the family and in the business, Sonny was loved and respected by his family and those who had the priviledge of knowing or working with him. The "Mad Penguin" and his one-of-a-kind sense of humor will be missed. An even sadder postscript to this is the death of his wife Judy on May 27, 2002. They were inseperable in life and are now together again. I personally am grateful to them for giving Russ and I the once in a lifetime experience of traveling with the carnival--I will never forget all they've done for us. Their passing marks the end of an era and leaves a huge hole in my past..and in my heart. Jolynn The earliest known ancestors on this side of the family thus far are Louis and Annie Pelaquin. Louis was born in Mass. in April of 1875 and was of French Canadian descent on both sides of his family. Annie was born in Scotland in Oct. of 1872 and immigrated to this country in 1881. Her parents are listed as being from Ireland. They married circa 1895. The 1910 census lists Annie as giving birth to 6 children but only 5 living. They are: Louis J., born June 1896; Paul M., born March 1898; Rosanna, born Feb. 1900; Joseph A., born May 12, 1903; and James G., born circa 1904. This family lived on Plain Street in Brockton in 1900, and at #14 Perkins Place in 1910, also in Brockton.
About 1923 or so, Joe Pelaquin married Viola Emmeline Noel. This would be the couple that would produce some of the best riders in the motor drome industry. Viola was the daughter and oldest child of Edgar Noel and Josephine Brunell, and was born October 31, 1907, in Randolph, MA. Joe and Viola had 6 children; Lorraine born April 1, 1924, Joe Jr, Russell, Louie, Paul Michael (or "Sonny")born April 28, 1924, and Frankie. The children are listed in birth order to the best of knowledge at hand.
In the beginning of their marriage, it had to have been fairly hard for Viola. Her mother had died three years before the marriage, leaving an infant son, plus three other children ranging in age from 11 to 4 years old. It is reasonable to assume that Viola continued to help care for the little ones even after her marriage and subsequent birth of her own children; the 1930 census shows Viola and Joe, along with the first of their 3 children, living on Beacon Street in Brockton, across the street from her father. My father, Joe Noel, son of Joseph Russell, grandson of Edgar and nephew of Viola, recalls a lot of alcohol consumption in this branch of the family. One can only imagine the confusion that this blended family endured--and how much pain was being medicated.
The family eventually got into the entertainment business; owning and operating the Wall of Death motorcycle thrill show. Joe and Viola began the tradition, with Joe Jr., Russell, Sonny and Frankie following in their parents' footsteps.
The tradition was passed along to another branch of the family when, after losing track of each other for decades,cousins Sonny Pelaquin and Joe Noel crossed paths in the mid-1970's. Joe's son, Russ, had his own motorcycle, and after seeing him ride, Sonny began taking Russ during the summers to ride on the Wall. Check out Wall of Death Online to see the history of this unusual talent and pictures of some members of this family.These pages are slow to load sometimes, but they are worth the wait. Samantha Morgan does an excellent job of keeping this site organized and current, so do take some time to browse through the site--you may be amazed at what can be accomplished on a motorcycle!! Note: As of 2008, the Wall of Death link is not working due to the death of Samantha Morgan. I have been told that the site may be back online at some point in time, so please check back again. Thank You!Joe Pelaquin Sr died in 1982. "Old Joe", as he was known, was a delightful man with a great sense of humor. He attended my 18th birthday party in 1976 and showed that his wit was sharp as ever!
To further honor the memory of Sonny Pelaquin, Samantha Morgan now rides on the motordrome under the name of Sam Morgan Pelaquin, in order that his name will live on in the show business world. Sam rode with Sonny for years and he was a father figure to her.
Honoring Our Ancestors (con't)
The same trend for using family names has held true on this twig of our tree also. There is son Joe Jr., who could have been named for his father, his uncle, or both. Then there is son Russell, whose name we have seen before. Sonny seems to have been named for his uncle Paul M. And the name Louis is used through 3 generations.
This page was updated February 2008. .
Noel Family of Brockton, MA by Jolynn Noel Winland is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States LicenseWhat does this mean? .
Email: littleangeljw@yahoo.com
