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Coming Together
“It brings back memories. It kept the family connected in so many ways….”
-Sandy Tartre Liarakos, San Diego, California
In May 2023, members of the Tartre family gathered from across the country – California to Maine – to reconnect over a christening gown and accessories that they each wore on their baptism.
In 1889, Maria Stella Lalanne Tartre (1867-1946) created this baptismal ensemble in anticipation of her first child, Charles Wilfred Tartre, who was born in Biddeford. Charles’s eight siblings also wore the special religious attire, as did another 150 of Mrs. Tartre’s grand and great-grandchildren, eventually spanning five generations.
One family member was designated “Keeper of the Robe.” When someone in the family wished to christen their baby, they requested that the “Keeper of the Robe” mail the baptismal ensemble to their home. The second-to-last baby was christened in Bothell, Washington, and the last baby in 2015 in Augusta.
“It was a big deal because my mom had it for a long time…it was like a big celebration – Mom would have it put away in a closet … and then there’d be a baby coming. So, then everything would come out. It was always a celebration. A connection.”
-Terry Lacasse Baker, Brunswick, Maine
