Rhea's story turned out to be curious,
if not very detailed. My sources included the census, obituaries, and limited information on an online posting of the Quintin
family tree. I was unable to locate any living relatives, except for a cousin who had nothing to add.
Rhea Quintin was
born in Fall River in 1902. She was one of five daughters of Cyrille and Marie (Boulay or Boule) Quintin, also known as Cordelia.
They had no sons. Both parents were born in French Canada. Rhea died February 15, 1998, at the age 95 or 96. The following
is from her obituary:
“She worked
in the textile industry for most of her life. She was a communicant of St. Anne’s parish all her life and a member of
its Children of Mary Society. She is survived by two sisters: Yvonne and Irene Quintin, both of Fall River.”
Her other two sisters
were Alexina (1899-1992) and Anita (1904-1963). Irene died in 2000, at the age of 91, and Yvonne died in 2003, at the age
of 103. All five women worked at one time or another at the mill.
The curious part of
this story is that none of the five sisters married, four of them lived to be older than 90, and all of them died in Fall
River. When Yvonne died in 2003, there were no known surviving family members except for the one cousin. I am yearning to
know more of what must be a very interesting story.