Peter's Grave Marker--What a find!
"This memorial is inscribed to Peter Le Chevalier of this Parish and also to Ann his wife.
Peter Le Chevalier was born in the Parish of St. Ouen-de-Perrieres near Caen in Normany on 3rd July 1724. He came to England in October 1749, married Ann Gibbs 12 March 1761. She died 30 April 1790 Aged 56. He died 6 June 1806 aged 82. Like wise [inscribed] to Catherine Mathews their daughter who departed this life January 20th 1796 aged 29."
We now knew the following that we didn't know before:
1-Peter's birth date and place in FRANCE!!! We had only estimates of his birth for 1742. He was actually born in 1724!
2-Peter's emigration from France to England in 1749. (He was 25 years old)
3-Proof that Catherine Lechevalier who married Thomas Mathews in Avening was Peter and Ann's daughter!!
Our next step was to find Peter's birth record.
I drove to Salt Lake City (a 4-hour round trip) on 29 Dec 2009 to the Family History Library to find this parish in France using the information given on the grave marker. I thought it would be easy to do. But it wasn't. There was no parish named "St. Ouen de Periers" listed in their reference material. I spent some time talking with a sister from France (her accented English was hard to understand), looked at a map of Calvados area on microfiche, and in a book (FHL INTL 944.22/C1 K2jo, Registres Pariossiaux Caen, St. Ouen, Circle de Genealogie Du Calvados, Table des Mariages, Caen 141181, St. Ouen, from 12/02/1737 to 17/09/1792) that listed some female LeChevaliers as mothers of the brides/grooms.
I was able to go again on Sat 6 Feb 2010. I spent some time looking for Peter in the London records (he was there from 1749 to 1766).
Which Parish?
I also spent more time talking with another French sister. Sis. Heidi (I didn't get her last name) in the French Dept at the FHL seemed to think that the parish is Periers-sur-le-Dan, church of St. Ouen in Basse-Normados. She suggested that I write to the Genealogical Society of Calvados. I also registered on www.geneanet.org and sent a query to a lady who was researching LeChevaliers. I received an answer written in French. My niece Kristin Jensen Manwill translated it for me.
"Hello
"I have not found, in my old atlas, the name of a village by the name of Saint Ouen-de-Perier.
"I do not have Pierre Le Chevalier in my genealogy.
"But I think that Pierre Le Chevalier was born in the parish Saint-Ouen at PERIERS near Caen.?
"I hope to have put you on a good road and I wish you good findings.
"Th. KLEIN"
I then looked up Periers on Wikipedia and found that it is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:
• Périers, Manche, in the Manche départemen
Périers-en-Auge , in the Calvados département
• Périers-sur-le-Dan, in the Calvados département
• Perrières, in the Calvados département
I then "googled" each one and found that the two that are closest to Caen are: Periers-sur-le-Dan which is north of Caen on the east of the canal to the English Channel, and Periers-en-Auge which is north-east of Caen and east of the canal. I also checked in the Family History Library Catalog and found that they have 1-2 sources for each so I guess I'll check them all even though they may not be the years I need.
I don't speak French!
Heidi at the FHL suggested that I write to the Genealogical Society of Calvados. She gave me the email address. Using some helps I found on familysearch.org and with the help of an online translator, I composed the following letter in French.
cegecal@free.fr
Monsieur le President,
Mi antepasado Peter LeChevalier emigró de su región en 1749.
Él nació el 3 de julio de 1724 en la parroquia de San. Ouen en Perier cerca de Caen.
No he sido capaz de identificar este lugar que parece estar en su área. Quizás no tengo la ortografía correcta. ¿Tiene usted alguna sugerencia?
¿Podría usted decirme qué parroquia este es y dónde los archivos de parroquia son?
Avec mes plus grands remerciements, je vous prie d'agreer, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingues.
I received a prompt answer.
Bonjour,
Les Archives départementales du Calvados sont désormais en ligne, mais l'accès est payant !!!! Cliquez sur
http://www.archinoe.net/cg14/accueil.php
Vous pourrez imprimer, chez vous, l'acte de baptême du 03/07/1724 à Péeriers (aujourd'hui Périers-sur-le Dan)
Cordialement,
Pour le Cégécal.
Lionel Bonnetot, WebMail
Using an online translator, the message said:
The departmental Archives of Calvados consequently online, but access is profitable [for payment]!!!! Click on
http://www.archinoe.net/cg14/accueil.php
You will be able to print, to you, the act of christening of the 7/3/1724 in Péeriers (today Périers-sur-le Dan)
YES!!!!!!!! Now I know the current name of the parish!!! Now I just need to figure out the website--it's all written in French. After several hours of struggling, I found the digitized film of Perier-sur-le-Dan ONLINE! It was filmed by the Church then digitized by the French. I was so excited that I could study the record here in my home!
I was able to look at the first page. Saw 3 entries. The 2nd one was:
"Pierre Le Chevalier des scuures de of Jacob le de marie Coltee de La R.P.R. a este baptize sixieme de fueburier mil sept contz-quinse la teru fur-Les fond baptismaure par pierre ? le magdelaime debled parina le maraime."
Pierre Le Chevalier, son of Jacob and Marie Colter, was baptized 6th Feb 1715.
I was so excited! This was the wrong birth year for my Pierre but maybe he is an older brother who died. I tried to scroll ahead to 1724 and a message popped up that said I had to pay! After struggling to figure out how much and how to pay, I gave up and decided to go to the FHL in SLC and copy the film onto a jump drive.
I had ordered the following film a week ahead since they had to get it out of the vault. FHL VAULT INTL Film 656471. Parish records of Periers-sur-le-Dan, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. I sat down at a computer with the film and scanned each image onto my jump drive--386 images. It took me 2 hrs 45 minutes. The whole time I was scanning, I was afraid that someone would tell me that it was against policy to scan the whole film. But no one did!
I found it!
During the following week, I spent hours on the Internet learning how to read French records and more hours trying to read the first page of this film, struggling word-by-word. On Sat Mar 27 I tried to find 1724 on the film. 1724 was not written in digits; it was spelled out. After an hour or more of going back and forth, I was finally able to find it on two different pages. Then I scanned these, looking for "Le Chevalier". The priest's handwriting was small and scrawled. I printed out the page and wrote in each word as I transcribed it. I still couldn't find the name. Knowing that I had done all I could possibly do to read this record, I offered a prayer. And suddenly near the inside margin I could see what I thought was "Francis LeChev...". On the line just below I could read "Pierre" and the a scrawl that looked like the above "LeCh". Then observing how the "h" was made in LeChevalier, I could see that "Francis" was really "Thomas". This was my Pierre!! Baptised on 6 July 1724 at the age of 3 days old! His parents were Thomas LeChevalier and Jeanne Aubers. SUCCESS!!!!
I printed the first 20 pages of the film and during General Conference (April 4 and 5, 2010) I skimmed through them and underlined the names and whether it was a baptism, burial, or marriage. The dates and other stuff will require word-by-word translation, but I am amazed at how much easier it is after only 2 weeks! And I've found 3 more children of Thomas LeChevalier and Jeanne Aubers! EXCITING!!I
I have felt an urgency to read more of this record. During May and June I indexed the first 100 pages of the record. I found 3 LeChevaliers who may have been brothers who were having children christened in the Catholic church of St. Ouen in Periers, although they were designated as being of "the Religion Pretendue Reformee" in the record. I've researched this name on the internet and found that it was a derogatory name given to Protestants in France during this time.
The French records of this time period are a wonderful genealogical source because they give the wife's maiden name and the names of the godfather and godmother who were usually related to the infant.
Besides Thomas LeChevalier and Jeanne Aubers, I found the family of Jacob LeChevalier and Marie Coltee. Also the family of Abraham LeChevalier and Francoisse Durand. There was also a Catherine LeChevalier listed as a godmother and her husband's name, Robert Gosselin, was also given.
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