How his family came to Switzerland is not entirely clear. Two of his daughters were married at Stettlen, Bern, in 1743 and 1746. Another daughter, Catherine, died in Geneva in 1726 (death/burial record says 10 jun 1726), age about 6 years.
__ | _____________________| | | | |__ | _Antoine FLÉCHIER ___| | (.... - 1723) m 1716| | | __ | | | | |_____________________| | | | |__ | | |--Catherine FLÉCHIER | (1720 - 1726) | __ | | | _Jean GAUSSARD ______| | | (.... - 1720) | | | |__ | | |_Françoise GAUSSARD _| (.... - 1723) m 1716| | __ | | |_Françoise MÉNAGER __| | |__
Both she and her sister Magdelaine were married at Stettlen, in the Canton of Bern, by permission of the Suprême Consistoire of Bern. These marriages were in 1743 and 1746. What was the connection of the Fléchier family with Stettlen? The village, now more of a suburb, is about 4 miles east of the heart of the city of Bern. The testament of Magdelaine mentions a (maternal?) grandmother "Gaussard née Françoise Ménagés". This information is sufficient to work out the pedigree of Françoise and her sister, since we find the couple Gaussard-Ménager and their daughter who married Anthoine Fléchier in François Rouvière's Les religionnaires des diocèses de Nîmes, Alais, et Uzès et la révolution française (Paris: Fischbacher, 1889). On pages 120-124, we find the following account of proceedings against Françoise Ménager and her daughter, Magdelaine Gaussard:
Ménager Françoise, femme de Jean Gaussard, et Gaussard Magdeleine, sa fille, de Calvisson.
Jean Gaussard et Françoise Ménager, mariés, eurent une fille, Françoise Gaussard, qui épousa Antoine Fléchier le 25 avril 1716.
Devenue veuve, Françoise Ménager quitta le royaume ; ses biens furent saisis et la régie les adjugea à Renouard moyennant 43 livres de rente.
Françoise Gaussard et Antoine Fléchier eurent un fils, Marc-Antoine, qui se maria avec Marie Rolland le 18 juillet 1755. Quatre enfants furent le fruit de cette union, savoir : Jacques-Auguste, baptisé le 24 mai 1752, César-Antoine, baptisé le 30 juillet 1764, Marie-Catherine-Olympie, baptisée le 9 février 1766, et Françoise-Marie, baptisée le 9 février 1772.
Ces quatre derniers obtinrent du tribunal de Sommières, le 2 décembre 1791, la main-levée de la saisie des biens de Françoise Ménager qu'ils représentaient.
— Le 7 juin 1720, Françoise Ménager, veuve de Jean Gaussard, vendit à Jean Reboul une terre qu'elle possèdait près Calvisson, au quartier du pont de la Lèque.
Cette terre fut comprise dans la saisie des biens de Françoise Ménager opérée par la régie, bien que la saisie fut postérieure à la vente.
Jean Reboul eut un fils, Jean Reboul 2e qu'il institua pour héritier.
Jean Reboul 2e eut à son tour un fils, Pierre Reboul, habitant de Bizac, lequel obtint du tribunal de Sommières, le 28 septembre 1791, la main-levée de la saisie en ce qui concernait la terre vendue à Jean Reboul son grand-père.
— Par acte du 6 avril 1723, Françoise Ménager, veuve de Jean Gaussard, de Nîmes, vendit à Antoine Reboul une vigne au terroir de Calvisson, quartier du grand Poujoulas.
Cette vigne fut comprise dans la saisie générale des biens de la fugitive (notification du 30 mars 1744).
Antérieurement à cette saisie, le 18 novembre 1736, Antoine Reboul légua à Jeanne Roux, son épouse, la jouissance de la moitié de son héritage, et institua Antoine Reboul 2e, son fils, pour héritier. Antoine Reboul 2e avait un frère, Nicolas, baptisé le 7 septembre 1721, qui était mort au moment de la Révolution (procès-verbal du 24 mai 1787).
Jacques Reboul, laboureur, habitant de Bizac, fils de Antoine Reboul 2e, obtint du tribunal de Sommières, le 28 septembre 1791, la main-levée de la saisie en ce qui concernait la vigne vendue à Antoine Reboul, son grand-père.
— Le 7 juin 1723, Françoise Ménager, veuve de Jean Gaussard et sa créancière d'une somme de 1000 livres, montant de sa dot, — Antoine Fléchier, père et légitime administrateur des biens de ses enfants et de ceux de feue Françoise Gaussard, celle-ci créancière dudit feu Jean Gaussard, son père, de la somme de 500 livres, — et demoiselle Magdeleine Gaussard, autre fille de Jean et sa créancière de pareille somme, — vendirent à Jaques Lombard, bourgeois de Nîmes, une maison sise dans cette ville, rue Régale, au prix de 1800 livres ; il leur en paya le prix, savoir : 800 livres à Françoise Ménager et 500 livres à chacune des demoiselles Gaussard.
Le fermier des biens des religionnaires fugitifs fit déclarer par l'intendant du Languedoc, le 22 février, la nullité de cette vente et ordonner que les sommes dues à Françoise Ménager et à Magdeleine Gaussard, sa fille, fugitives, sur les biens de feu Gaussard, leur mari et père, seraient acquises à la régie. La maison fut en conséquence saisie le 2 mars 1745, et la dame Boudet, veuve et héritière de Jacques Lombard, acquéreur, se soumit au payement d'une rente de 75 livres à la régie.
Jacques Lombard, marié à Marie-Suzanne Bouget, eut une fille, Suzanne, née le 2 mai 1739 et mariée à Louis Caucanas.
De ce mariage naquirent : Paul Caucanas, docteur en médecine de la faculté de Montpellier, habitant Saint-Jean-du-Bruel, et Françoise Caucanas, baptisée le 12 février 1764, mariée à Pierre Patus-Dadre, homme de loi et notaire royal à Saint-Hippolyte, lesquels obtinrent du tribunal de Nîmes, le 9 septembre 1791, la main-levée de la saisie opérée sur la maison vendue à Jacques Lombard, leur grand-père.
— Un nommé Paul Gaussard, homme de loi, habitant Nîmes, demanda aussi la main-levée des biens saisis par la régie à Françoise Ménager, veuve de Jean Gaussard.
Il prétendit que ces derniers avaient eu un fils appelé Jean qui épousa Françoise Valentin et eut à son tour un fils nommé Pierre ; que Pierre Gaussard épousa Marie Dussuel : c'étaient le père et la mère du requérant.
Mais il n'établissait pas que Jean Gaussard marié avec Louise Valentin fut fils de Jean Gaussard et de Françoise Ménager. Le contraire résultait même des actes remis, puisque ledit Jean Gaussard, né en 1693, n'avait pu avoir en 1702 un fils en état d'être marié.
En conséquence, le procureur général syndic. se prononça pour le rejet de la requête de Paul Gaussard (18 août 1791).
__ | _____________________| | | | |__ | _Antoine FLÉCHIER ___| | (.... - 1723) m 1716| | | __ | | | | |_____________________| | | | |__ | | |--Françoise Elizabeth FLÉCHIER | (1717 - ....) | __ | | | _Jean GAUSSARD ______| | | (.... - 1720) | | | |__ | | |_Françoise GAUSSARD _| (.... - 1723) m 1716| | __ | | |_Françoise MÉNAGER __| | |__
Her testament reveals her ancestry. The reference to her grandmother's estate probably means that she was aware of efforts to recover property from her grandparents that had been confiscated under the ancien régime in France as a result of her family's adherence to the protestant religion and their flight from France. By 1790, the legal climate had changed, and it was now possible for the descendants to reclaim these estates. Whether she or her estate ever received a settlement is not clear.
__ | _____________________| | | | |__ | _Antoine FLÉCHIER ___| | (.... - 1723) m 1716| | | __ | | | | |_____________________| | | | |__ | | |--Magdelaine FLÉCHIER | (1720 - 1791) | __ | | | _Jean GAUSSARD ______| | | (.... - 1720) | | | |__ | | |_Françoise GAUSSARD _| (.... - 1723) m 1716| | __ | | |_Françoise MÉNAGER __| | |__
__ | _____________________| | | | |__ | _Antoine FLÉCHIER ___| | (.... - 1723) m 1716| | | __ | | | | |_____________________| | | | |__ | | |--Marc Antoine FLÉCHIER | | __ | | | _Jean GAUSSARD ______| | | (.... - 1720) | | | |__ | | |_Françoise GAUSSARD _| (.... - 1723) m 1716| | __ | | |_Françoise MÉNAGER __| | |__
__ | __| | | | |__ | _Jean Antoine FLEURET _| | | | | __ | | | | |__| | | | |__ | | |--Lucrèce FLEURET | | __ | | | __| | | | | | |__ | | |_______________________| | | __ | | |__| | |__
First mentioned at Annonay in the record of his marriage in 1657. So far, only one other document has been found there, a donation from the mother of Claudine Crozet in 1669. At that time, Anthoine Fleureton was living at Paviot, parish of St. Jean, mandement of Voiron (Isère). This is the same place mentioned as the birthplace of his son Anthoine. It is possible that the family was never actually in Grenoble, but at the nearby town of Vizille, from which they departed in 1687. Identified with son of Zacharie.
Antoine and his wife are mentioned once in the protestant church records at L'Albenc, 22 dec 1669, as sponsors for the baptism of Marie, daughter of Claude Francillon and Sara Tondard. Antoine is described in this record as a papermaker living at Paviot.
[3332] Possibly died about 1686, as there is a published mention of "Pierre Fluriton" succeeding his father at the paper mill of Rives in that year (no source given, unfortunately).
__ | __| | | | |__ | _Zacharie FLORETON __| | (.... - 1642) | | | __ | | | | |__| | | | |__ | | |--Anthoine FLEURETON | (1621 - 1701) | __ | | | __| | | | | | |__ | | |_Sibille VALENSON ___| | | __ | | |__| | |__
Paviot is in the parish of St.-Jean-de-Moirans, mandement of Voiron. Marriage record at Prenzlau gives parentage and birthplace, lists mother's name as Claudine Croset. Death record indicates, inexplicably, native of "Albin" (=L'Albenc) in the Dauphiné, occupation brasseur, bourgeois of Prenzlau, and gives his age as 70 years. All other records indicate his birthplace was Paviot.
__ | _Zacharie FLORETON __| | (.... - 1642) | | |__ | _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | | __ | | | | |_Sibille VALENSON ___| | | | |__ | | |--Anthoine FLEURETON | (1664 - 1734) | __ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |__ | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| (.... - 1701) m 1657| | __ | | |_____________________| | |__
__ | _Zacharie FLORETON __| | (.... - 1642) | | |__ | _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | | __ | | | | |_Sibille VALENSON ___| | | | |__ | | |--Esther FLEURETON | | __ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |__ | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| (.... - 1701) m 1657| | __ | | |_____________________| | |__
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _François FLEURETON _| | (.... - 1709) m 1686| | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--François FLEURETON | | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Marie NICOLAS ______| (1665 - 1737) m 1686| | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
Whereabouts: Grenoble area, bef.1687; Southampton, England, 1690; Eynesford, England, 1692; Prenzlau, Germany, 1695. Possibly also temporarily in Hamburg and Magdeburg from at least 1695 until his death. One listing shows wig-maker, but all others indicate paper-maker. From his relationship with other Fleureton's in England and Germany, we infer his parentage. Biographical sketch of Moyse Fleureton indicates the family left Grenoble about 1687, thence to Holland, England, Holland again, and finally Germany.
Tollin's Geschichte des Franzosichen Colonie von Magdeburg, especially Bd. 3, Div. 1-A, p. 655, recounts the family story as follows, after correcting for various errors of names:
Anthoine Fleureton and his wife [Claudine] Crozet had a paper mill at Vizille near Grenoble. His son François, with his wife and children and his brother Théophile, left Vizille in 1687. They settled in Prenzlau. When François died in 1709, Théophile became the supporter of his widow and children. After the death of his sister-in-law Marie Nicolas, widow of François, Théophile lived with his brother-in-law the pastor Crozet at Potzlow, and moved with them to Braunsberg. But after Moyse, son of François, settled in Magdeburg in 1740, Théophile moved there and remained until his death.
The identity of the brother-in-law Crozet needs to be determined; he must surely be a relative of Claudine Crozet, wife of Anthoine Fleureton.
[3597] Died two days after an accident with a vat of hot cooking water, according to biographical sketch of his son Moyse Fleureton. The register at Prenzlau does not give his age or parentage.
__ | _Zacharie FLORETON __| | (.... - 1642) | | |__ | _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | | __ | | | | |_Sibille VALENSON ___| | | | |__ | | |--François FLEURETON | (.... - 1709) | __ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |__ | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| (.... - 1701) m 1657| | __ | | |_____________________| | |__
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _Anthoine FLEURETON ___| | (1664 - 1734) m 1701 | | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--François Charles FLEURETON | (1702 - 1706) | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Elizabeth CONSTANTIN _| m 1701 | | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
The baptism at Southampton was witnessed by Anthoine Fleureton, and his sister Magdelaine Fleureton. We believe Magdelaine was the future wife of André Johannot, and that both were siblings of François Fleureton.
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _François FLEURETON _| | (.... - 1709) m 1686| | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--Frederic FLEURETON | (.... - 1695) | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Marie NICOLAS ______| (1665 - 1737) m 1686| | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
Son of Baptiste, according to marriage record.
_Anthoine FLEURETON _+ | (1621 - 1701) m 1657 _François FLEURETON _| | (.... - 1709) m 1686| | |_Claudine CROZET ____ | (.... - 1701) m 1657 _Jean Baptiste Gustin FLEURETON _| | (1701 - 1773) | | | _____________________ | | | | |_Marie NICOLAS ______| | (1665 - 1737) m 1686| | |_____________________ | | |--Henri Guillaume FLEURETON | | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_________________________________| | | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
Register at Prenzlau notes a record of the baptism was given to Jaques 19 sep 1720. Perhaps that was when he left for Berlin and joined a church there.
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _Anthoine FLEURETON ___| | (1664 - 1734) m 1701 | | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--Jaques FLEURETON | (1703 - 1741) | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Elizabeth CONSTANTIN _| m 1701 | | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
Death record in Prenzlau does not give birthplace. It might be Vizille, where the family is supposed to have departed for Holland in 1687. Baptism located by Lionnel Ferrière shows witnesses Jean Nicolay, son of late Jean of Grenoble, and Esther Fleureton daughter of the late Anthoine.
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _François FLEURETON _| | (.... - 1709) m 1686| | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--Jean FLEURETON | (1686 - 1696) | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Marie NICOLAS ______| (1665 - 1737) m 1686| | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _François FLEURETON _| | (.... - 1709) m 1686| | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--Jean Baptiste Gustin FLEURETON | (1701 - 1773) | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Marie NICOLAS ______| (1665 - 1737) m 1686| | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
Age at death given as about 8 months.
_Zacharie FLORETON __ | (.... - 1642) _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | |_Sibille VALENSON ___ | _François FLEURETON _| | (.... - 1709) m 1686| | | _____________________ | | | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| | (.... - 1701) m 1657| | |_____________________ | | |--Jean François FLEURETON | (1695 - 1696) | _____________________ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |_____________________ | | |_Marie NICOLAS ______| (1665 - 1737) m 1686| | _____________________ | | |_____________________| | |_____________________
Marriage record says Fleueretton, a name we recognize as an attempt at Floreton, a name found also in Annonay, where at least two of this surname are identified as paper makers. There are several others of this surname in English records, with adults François (of Grenoble, wife Marie Nicolas) and Anthoine (with his sister Marguerite) mentioned at the French church of Southampton in 1690. Death record at Eynesford says "widow".
The same François Fleureton is listed in a census at Prenzlau (Breslau) 31 dec 1698 as a paper maker from Grenoble with his wife, two children, and four domestics (cited by E. Arnaud, Histoire des Protestants du Dauphiné, vol. 2, p. 345).
In many areas of France, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes was accompanied by mass conversions to catholicism, often recorded in the catholic parish registers. Children above the age of 7 were often noted (with ages) in these records. Therefore, it may be that the whole family can be reconstructed if such an entry can be found. The problem is to determine where they might have been in 1685. There are mentions of the area around Voiron (Paviot, in the parish of St.-Jean-de-Moirans) as late as 1670, as well as (perhaps very non-specific) mentions of Grenoble and Vizille (1671). It may be necessary to search registers throughout the area. Since it is now clear that at least one papermaker from Annonay was active around Grenoble at that time, it is possible that such a search would uncover members of the Johannot family as well.
[3615] Probate records of Peculiar Deanery of Shoreham, Kent, ENG.
[3616] Eynesford parish register.
[14689] "Both french and living in ye parish of Ainsford and were married by a licence."
__ | _Zacharie FLORETON __| | (.... - 1642) | | |__ | _Anthoine FLEURETON _| | (1621 - 1701) m 1657| | | __ | | | | |_Sibille VALENSON ___| | | | |__ | | |--Marguerite FLEURETON | (1662 - 1739) | __ | | | _____________________| | | | | | |__ | | |_Claudine CROZET ____| (.... - 1701) m 1657| | __ | | |_____________________| | |__