Biography of Joseph Rainville

Rainville & Brothers, including Fred, Antoine, Felix, three brothers, and Joseph Rainville, their father, are a firm of well to do farmers whose estate of over five hundred acres lies five miles north, from Culdesac. This land is leased from the Indians and is a first class grain and stock farm, well handler and productive of abundant returns.

Joseph Rainville was born in the vicinity of Montreal, Canada, on April 2, 1839, being the son of Timothy and Flavio (Louizel) Rainville, natives of Montreal. The mother was born in 1820 and died in 1893. The grandfather was a soldier under Napoleon and died in 1856.

Joseph worked on the farm with his father until he was twenty-one and then started for himself, spending two years in the home vicinity. 1863 marks the date of his advent to the United States and California was the place selected for settlement. Six years Mr. Rainville devoted to farming and then he took up the carpenter trade in Plumas County. Later he wrought in San Francisco and also in San Jose and in 1879 came to Walla Walla. Mr. Rainville took up land and added by purchase until he possessed eight hundred acres of fine wheat land. In 1886 he went to the Umatilla reservation and remained there until 1894, when a trip was made to Butte, Montana. Soon he was in Alberta, then returned to Missoula and eighteen months later was again in Umatilla. In 1898, Mr. Rainville went to Boston, Massachusetts, where he remained for one and one half years. Then another move was made, Idaho being the objective point, and in 1900 he came to his present place spoken of above.

In 1861, Mr. Rainville married Miss Julia, daughter of Navia Baulait, the wedding occurring in Canada. Mrs. Rainville has not seen her parents for thirty-six years. She has four brothers and six sisters. Mr. Rainville has three brothers and seven sisters. To Mr. and Mrs. Rainville, there have been born ten children, named as follows, Joseph, in Oregon; Henry, in Montana; Nelson, Peter, and Frank, all in Oregon; Fred, born in San Jose, in 1879, is now one of the firm; Antoine, born in Oregon 111 1880, also one of the firm; Elizabeth, wife of Felix Hamel, in Montana; Rosa, wife of Nelson Boyer, in Nez Perces County; Felix, at home.

Mr. Rainville and his family are adherents of the Catholic Church and in political matters he is allied with the Republicans.

Back to: Nez Perce Biographies

Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903

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