Elzéar Godin is the son of Émilie Pilon ( -1886) and Thomas Godin, a blacksmith. Thomas had his boutique just west of St Charles Boulevard on the old Lakeshore Road. The house and the boutique of Godin, built in 1862, were demolished in 1981.

In 1948, James McIver’s general store, at the northwest corner of Fieldfare Avenue and Beaconsfield Boulevard, was converted into a grocery store, called Godin & Fils, run by Elzéar and his descendants. Godin was devastated when the Dominion Store opened up in 1965 next door to his store, and the following year, he sold his store (today a restaurant).

Elzéar Godin – Photo : 1950