I628: Stephanus (Estivent, Thivent) MAYOR (d. bef 1496)

Stephanus (Estivent, Thivent) MAYOR (ID #I628)

(male)

BIRTH: of Ballens
DEATH: bef 1496

Father: Stephanodus MAYOR (d. bef 1438)

Family 1 :

+Claude MAYOR (b. bef 1510, d. bef 1531)
+Stephana MAYOR (d. bef 1496)

There were at least two, and possible three men who might be called Thivent or Estivent Monod or Mayor at Ballens during the 16th Century. It is often very difficult to distinguish them in the records of that period.

One Thivent Monod was alias Cigoen, at least in a few records, and he had a nephew Pierre. This Thivent or Stephanus is cited at least as early as 1523 (then a minor, represented by Petrus Mayor junior, son of Mondetus Mayor), and apparently as late as about 1555 in various terriers. The name Cigoen, sometimes spelled in very different ways that suggest one of the early terriers was not clearly legible, is associated with the Monod family about 1500. According to several sources, Stephanus was the son of Petrus Cigoen and had apparently married a daughter of Thivent or Stephanus Mayor, son of Aymonet Mayor. The terriers suggest that he must have had children, but the language is vague and sometimes contradictory.

The Monod family of Ballens almost certainly all descend, either by blood or inheritance, from Aymonet Mayor, whose descendants seem to be those known at first as Mayor alias Monod and later as Monod. A prerequisite for untangling the Monod family would seem to be first to establish the parentages of the two or three men called Thivent. Another prerequisite is to assign realistic dates to as many of the Monod family as possible.

The later Thivent, first cited about 1580 and dead not long before 1622, was the son of Claude son of Pierre, in turn probably son of Estievent son of Aymonet Mayor. His connections are relatively easy to identify because of the fact that his grandfather Pierre had two sons named Claude as well as a grandson Claude, resulting in the existence of two men called Claude Monod the younger.

The Thivent who is cited about 1570 in the terriers in connection with sons or brothers Antoine and Claude, is still extremely obscure. Part of the problem is that most of what is known about him comes to us second hand (in the terrier ACV FH 175, about 1622), in paraphrases derived from a terrier that has not yet been located. One version says that he had two brothers Antoine and Claude, all living in 1570 (this version, oddly, does not name the father of the three brothers). Another version says that he was the father of the two brothers Antoine and Claude who were alive in 1570. In fact, the reconnaissance of 1570 is paraphrased so many ways, it will not be possible to take it seriously until the original version is located.

However, of these two versions, the second comes close to other evidence from the records of the notary Claude Mayor of Ballens (ACV DB 26) whose career spanned the years 1567 to 1618 and whose registers and minutaires provide the most detailed account of the people of the parishes of Bière, Ballens, and Mollens for that period. There were many other notaries working in the same area, but their registers seem to have been lost. Claude Mayor's records show that an Estienne Monod (Estienne and Thivent are the same name, both equivalent to the Latin Stephanus) had died before 15 feb 1568 (DB 26/1 fol. 33), when his unnamed heirs owned property "en Praz soubz Villaz" adjacent to a parcel sold on that date by Pierre Suffry and his wife Légière Besanson (alias of de Froideville at that period). About two years later, 21 jan 1570 (fol. 118v), we find Antoine and Jaques Monod of Ballens, brothers, paying off the marriage settlement of their late brother Claude, whose widow Pernon had now married Bastian de la Pierraz of Reverolle. The same late Claude Monod left a daughter Thievennaz who had married Christophle son of Jaques Genève of Bière, and for whom a donation had been made in her marriage contract by her uncle Jaques Monod (27 nov 1570, fol. 148v). However, the three brothers Antoine, Claude, and Jaques may not be sons of a Thivent Monod at all. A similar set of names, though possibly lacking Jaques, is found in the family of Pierre son of the late Claude Monod in the 1580's. This problem will require more evidence, likely from additional terriers.

One indication that we may be on the right track is a reconnaissance dated 04 apr 1608 (ACV Fg 125, fol. 5), involving property of the Mayor family at Mollens, where an adjacent property is described as formerly belonging to Estienne Monod alias Cigoen and Pierre Monod his nephew. "Formerly", in this case, probably refers to a description in the previous terrier for the same jurisdiction, compiled by François Gross (Fg 52). The description continues with the information that the property belonged at an earlier date to the children of Aymonet Mayor—probably a paraphrase of the next earlier terrier, compiled by Aymonet Pollens (Fj 5, 1496). An even more explicit statement is found in Fg 125, fol. 155, buried in a reconnaissance of 29 dec 1607: one of the properties owned by Thievent Coendoz came from "biens par Estienne Monnod aultrement Cigoen homme censier des jadis prieur et convent dudict Romemostier agissant lors tant à son nom que de Pierre filz de Claude qu'estoit filz de Estienne Mayor de Ballens es mains d'Egrège Claude Bessonis luy vivant notaire de Luyns jadis commissaire... (02 mar 1531), et precedemment par Pierre filz de Mondet Mayor agissant pour lors tant à son nom que dudict Claude Mayor son cousin et de ses aultres condiviseurs es mains dudict Expert Aymonnet Pollens". Aymonnet Pollens was the commissaire or compiler for the terrier Fj 5, 1496. (If we have untangled the relationships correctly, this Pierre and this Claude were in fact first cousins once removed.)

Can we untangle this passage? The parties are (ostensibly):

Estienne Monnod aultrement Cigoen, living in 1531
Pierre filz de Claude qu'estoit filz de Estienne Mayor—Estienne Monnod was acting for himself and for this Pierre in 1531, and the actual relationship may have been that this Pierre was the first cousin Estienne Monnod aultrement Cigoen.
Pierre filz de Mondet Mayor—this Pierre had a "cousin" Claude Mayor, and, apparently, other unnamed relatives for whom he was acting in 1496. Who was this Claude? If he was indeed Pierre's first cousin, he would have to be the son of a brother of Mondet. However, we have been unable to establish that Mondet had a brother, but as there are no other known relatives called Claude at this period (still 1496), we must assume that some additional pieces of the family tree remain to be discovered.

Now, if Estienne Monod aultrement Cigoen is an uncle of the younger Pierre, son of Claude son of Estienne/Stephanus son of Aymonetus Mayor, then Estienne Monod/Cigoen must be either a brother of one of Pierre's parents, or else the spouse of a sibling of one of Pierre's parents. The most likely explanation at this point in the research (but advancing this possibility requires that the term "uncle" is incorrect) is that Estienne Monod/Cigoen was the husband of Stephana, daughter of Estienne/Stephanus Mayor son of Aymonetus Mayor.

The original citation from 1531 that was paraphrased in Fh 125 is found in Fg 52, fol. 170v, a reconnaissance by Stephanus Monod alias Cygoen filius quondam Petri Cygoen, et Petrus Monod eius nepos filius quondam Glaudii Mayor alias Monod dez Ballens absentis, per eiundem Stephanum suo proprio et dicti Petri eius nepotis nominibus facta, dated 04 mar 1531, signed by Franciscus Grossi, but a closer reading reveals that the original reconnaissances were recorded by Claudius Bessonis and then compiled after his death, at the request of Their Excellences of Bern, by François Gros of Bière in 1536.

The citation from 1496 is found in Fj 5, fol. 64, Petrus et Michael dicti Mayor de Ballen filii quondam Anthonii dou Verney, 24 jul 1496.

                                             _Cristinus MAYOR ____+
                                            | (1345 - 1416)       
                       _Girard MAYOR _______|
                      | (.... - 1455)       |
                      |                     |_____________________
                      |                                           
 _Stephanodus MAYOR __|
| (.... - 1438)       |
|                     |                      _____________________
|                     |                     |                     
|                     |_____________________|
|                                           |
|                                           |_____________________
|                                                                 
|
|--Stephanus (Estivent, Thivent) MAYOR 
|  (.... - 1496)
|                                            _____________________
|                                           |                     
|                      _____________________|
|                     |                     |
|                     |                     |_____________________
|                     |                                           
|_____________________|
                      |
                      |                      _____________________
                      |                     |                     
                      |_____________________|
                                            |
                                            |_____________________

Early Records from the Districts of Aubonne and Morges, Canton Vaud, Switzerland

Stephanus (Estivent, Thivent) MAYOR (ID #I628)

Sulpice MAYOR (ID #I152)

Sulpisaz MAYOR (ID #I14016)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I3123)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I10978)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I12410)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I367)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I1205)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I2359)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I10971)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I12147)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I14789)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I13352)

Susanne MAYOR (ID #I15771)

Susanne Benigne MAYOR (ID #I12704)

Susanne Gabrielle MAYOR (ID #I9344)

Susanne Gabrielle MAYOR (ID #I12706)

Susanne Louise Adelaide MAYOR (ID #I5601)

Thevenaz MAYOR (ID #I14373)

Thieven MAYOR (ID #I969)

Thieven MAYOR (ID #I220)

Urbain MAYOR (ID #I1651)

Urbaine MAYOR (ID #I1733)

Urbaine MAYOR (ID #I1660)

Vuilliermus MAYOR (ID #I16741)