The Becigneul Family

The BECIGNEUL family lived in the same region of France  for a very long time. They resided on lands in the town of CAMPBON and in the neighbouring villages about fifty kilometers from NANTES.A small village belonging to the municipality of CAMPBON still bears the name BECIGNEUL

BECIGNEULS' have lived in this area at least since 1504.

At that time, Jacques BECIGNEUL was pastor of both DREFFEAC and PRINQUIAU. There were also two nephews who were priests around 1550, Jean (John), son of Felix and Guillaume (William) son of Anne. Guillaume had a brother Jean who was perhaps the father of René, himself the father of Jean, a notary public in CAMPBON; he was born in 1554 and died in 1647; he had married twice. The latter could be the father of a certain Denis, himself perhaps the father of Jean, married in 1635 and the first undisputed ancestor of the actual BECIGNEULS.

It is very difficult to establish with certainty descendants at this period because many parish registers containing acts of baptisms, marriages and deaths have been destroyed. The family must have formed several branches around 1600. One of them was represented in 1669 by Louis BECIGNEUL, a barrister, Sieur (Sir) de Ia RICHARDAYE notary and procurator for the Duchy of COISLIN; his wife was GUYONNE GUISCHON. Their daughter Isabelle married Charles BLANCHARD, Sieur de GUIONY (an ancestor of the BLANCHARDS marquis de la MUSSE) and their son Robert BECIGNEUL became a priest, vicar-general and canon of St. Pierres Cathedral in NANTES; he had his coat of arms registered in the 1696 armorial.

The other branch of which we, the American and Canadian BECIGNEULS are descendants was established with certainty in 1635. It is much more modest and until the 19th century was comprised mostly of peasants and tradesmen. Other branches were not, studied but it seems that the family is almost extinct in France. The genealogy is the work of Doctor Dominique BECIGNEUL. . .

The Bécigneul Family

1. Jean BECIGNEUL lived in the hamlet of HEMERIAYE in the town of CAMPBON. In 1635 he married Jeanne GERARD and had at least three children.

2. Louis BECIGNEUL; only son of Jean (John) lived in CAMPBON in the hamlets of GAUBRBTIERE and HENERIAYE. He was born in 1644 and married twice; first in 1673 to Perrine GLOTIN (1648-1682) then in 1686 to Michelle GUILLER. He had three girls and four boys: René, Guy, César and

3. Louis BECIGNEUL, second son of Louis, born in 1680 lived in CAMPBON and married Perrine CORGAT in 1702. They had two girls and three boys: Guillaume, Guy and

4. Roland BECIGNEUL, eldest son of Louis, born in 1705 was a farmer in the hamlet of GAUBRETIERE in CAMPBON; he died there in 1745. In 1731 he had married Perrine OUISSE (1705-1750) and had had two girls, who died at an early age, and four boys: Charles, Denis, Roland and

5. Georges BECIGNEUL, Rolands second son, born at CAMPBON in1734, settled in VIGNEUX, a town almost twenty-five kilometers from NANTES where he earned his living as a carpenter. He died there in 1789. On the 21st of November, 1758, at VIGNEUX, he had married Jeanne LEBASTARD the daughter of Barthélémy and Jeanne BRODE. She died at VIGNEUX on November 6th , 1807, and her death certificate indicates that she was a ploughwoman. They had four daughters, all of whom married and three sons: Alphonse who died young, Laurent and

6. Charles BECIGNEUL, eldest son of Georges, born in VIGNEUX, November 6^th, 1761, was an inn keeper and manager of the castle grounds of BURON. He was the first BECIGNEUL of this branch to have been able to sign his name. He lived in the hamlet of LA PAQUELAIS in VIGNEUX where he died June 17th, 1832; his death certificate records the fact that he was a ploughman. On the 6^th of September 1786, he had married Cécile ORVEILLON, the daughter of Marc and Catherine LUCAS. She died in VIGNEUX the 25^th of December 1841 and is described as an innkeeper in her death certificate. They had three girls and six boys: Julien, Barthélemy, Jean-Georges (a soldier in Napoleons army who died in 1812 during the retreat from Moscow), Pierre, Charles and

7. Laurent BECIGNEUL, born in VIGNEUX, November 7^th, 1787, was the third son of Charles; Laurent BECIGNEUL, his uncle was the baptismal sponsor. He moved to NANTES where he established a bakery in his home at 16 rue de BARBIN. In 1853 at the.age of 64 years he was already retired because, on his son Francois-Adolphes marriage certificate, he was described as a land holder. He died in NANTES in 1857. On November 23^rd, 1815 he had married Anne NIEL, daughter of Francois NIEL, a barrel maker, and Jeanne CROUPIE. She (Anne) was born in NANTES, October 16^th, 1795, and died there January 15^th, 1875. They had three daughters who died childless and seven sons only two of which have descendants:

          Laurent Antoine, born in 1817, died at an early age.

Anne-Julie (1819-1902) married Louis-François PITRE and does not seem to have had children.

JosephineMarie (1820-1906) died childless. She marriedJean-François VERRIER who died in 1848, then in 1864 she married A. HAMELIN (1813-1898).

           François-Adolphe, our great- grandfather,

 Marie-Adele (18251906) married Victor VERRIER (1820-1873) in 1844.  They were childless.

           Edouard-Joseph, born in 1827, must have died young.

           Emile-Anne, born in 1829, like his brother, died young.

           Jules-Adolphe, born in 1832, like his elders must have died young.

           Hyppolite who will follow his young brothers.

 Eugène, born in 1839, emigrated to Louisiana in the United States, in 1858; he was never heard of again.

8. François-Adolphe BECIGNEUL, (our great-grandfather) second son of Laurent_, was born in NANTES on the 10th of May 1824. He succeeded well in his studies which allowed him to rise socially. When he married in 1853, he was principal secretary in the office of Mr. MOULNIER-DESPLANCHET, a notary of NANTES; François-Adolphe later became a notary at PONT-ROUSSEAU (within the town of REZE in the suburbs of NANTES. His character was well defined. When the Revolution of 1848 broke out, he hastened to PARIS to participate, but arrived when the battles were all over. Later, his political ideas changed completely and he became an enthusiastic partisan of the royal pretender, the COMTE de CHAMBORD, a very conservative man. He died at his summer home on the 8th of August 1889 at SAINTE-MARIESUR-MER (approximately fifty kilometers from NANTES). The grave, in which he rests with his wife is located in the cemetery of BOUTEILLERIE in NANTES. On the 6th of June 1853, he had married Eugénie-Anne-Marie KERN in a religious ceremony in the church of St. Jacques and then by contract on June 2nd in the presence of his former employer Mr. MOULNIER-DESPLANCHET, notary. Eugénie-Anne-Marie KERN was born in NANTES, April 3^rd, 1833 daughter of Alexis-Aimé KERN, brewer and merchant in NANTES and Zoé PEIGNE. She died in child birth at PONT-ROUSSEAU in the town of REZE on March ₈th, 1874. The child did not survive her. They had had four daughters and four sons.