La Famille: Part I

 There are many things I am looking forward to in France... eating, drinking, reading, museuming etc...
But one thing that I may be the most excited about is continuing on my research in regards to my French ancestry.
I knew I had a bit of Frenchy floating around in my blood due to my grandmother's maiden name: Calliet.  But, once it was decided I was off to grande Paris, I began snooping around the ol' gene pool to see what I could find. And boy!  What didn't I find?  Revolutionaries, socialists, the child of a love affair...  Très Français, non?

Meet Marie Bazin.  She is my seventh great-grandmother.  Born in Aquitaine... I'd say somewhere around 1710.  By the looks of her (and the existence of such a picture), she was very much an aristocrat  The only other information I have about her is that she married my seventh-great grandfather, Pierre Reverchon.  

I hope all Frenchmen are as handsome....

This is Pierre and Marie's son, Jacque Maximillen Reverchon.  Born on February 21, 1750 in Saint-Cyr-Mont-D'Or in the Rhône-Loire region of France, near Lyon.  He began as a wine merchant in Vergisson during the Revolution, of which he was ardently loyal to.  He became a member of La Montagne, voted for the death of Louis XVI, and presided over the Jacobin club for a period of time.  He also was elected to the Council of Five Hundred.  My French is not great, so the information I have is lost in translation to me... but, somewhere along the line things went wrong, and his political standings did not stay in style and he left for Switzerland.  He signed the Additional Act when Napoleon returned for his last 100 days, but found himself in trouble during the Second Restoration when the government went after the regicides... He exiled himself in Nyon, Switzerland and carried out the rest of his days as a wine merchant.  He died on July 30, 1828 at the age of 78.

Jean Reverchon.  Son of Jacque M. Reverchon and Marie Robion.  Born in 1780 in Lyon.  Married Christine Dupuy Labruyere.  They had two children, Jacque Edward (who I know nothing about other than he had a son named Ernest) and Jacque Maximillen.  

Pretty sure he was dead in this picture.  CREEPY.

Now we are up to my fourth great-grandfather, Jacque Maximillen (again).  Born in 1810 in Macigny, France.  Went to college in Cluny.  When he was 20 he took part of the famous Three Days fighting in July of 1830 when Charles X left the throne.  He was a follower of Fourier and left his family to found a socialist colony in Algeria. When this failed, he sold off his farm and came back to France.  He took part in the February Revolution of 1848 during the downfall of Louis Philippe, but left France when Napoleon III founded the second empire in 1851.  He sailed for Texas bringing his son, Julien and daughter, Louise, and ended up at La Reunion, another socialist colony in Dallas, Texas.  He died in August of 1879 and was buried in his backyard in Oakcliff, Texas.  His wife, Florine Pete never came to America and died in 1871 in France.  

TO BE CONTINUED IN TEXAS.....

Love affairs, botanists, and illegitimate children coming up next!