Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica (1901) gives details: fled from France in 1687 with his nephew Etienne, then aged 11, later to Bern as a merchant, to London in 1698, bringing capital of £8,000. Will proved by nephews Stephen Riou and John Cros (Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 97, Farrant). Mathieu appears at several baptisms as Mathieu LaBrune, notably for Mathieu, son of Mathieu Johannot and Magdelaine Cros, 01 feb 1716 at Morges, where he is said to be from Geneva, joined at that event by Etienne Riou from London.
Additional citations as follows:
1684, 15 apr: Signed testimonial (as LaBruns) with others in favor of the minister [Jean] Cluzel from Vivarais, at Bern. Other testimonials for Cluzel were signed by [Théophile] Blanc, who had been minister at Chalencon, and [Isaac de] Bermond, from Vernoux.
1689: Mentioned (as LaBrun) when acting as host for a travelling minister in London.
17 apr 1692: Mathieu Rioux appears as witness at baptism of Marie Magdelaine Chabannes, daughter of Pierre and Marie Fraise of Annonay at the French Reformed Church of Bern.
02 aug 1697: Matthieu Riou appears as witness at baptism of Françoise daughter of Sr. Poyas, surgeon, and Jeanne Martinet of Vivarais, again at Bern.
From the few citations that have surfaced so far, the dates in the published pedigree do not seem correct in every detail.
The nephew John Cros (alias La Nove) is evidently the John Lanove who was naturalized 17 apr 1728 as "son of James Lanove by Elizabeth his wife, born at St. Maurice, Vivarets, France."
Eugène Arnaud, in his Histoire des protestants du Vivarais et du Velay (1888) relates the history of various insurrections against the Catholic authorities in 1683, centered around Vernoux, that resulted in the imprisonment of a number of people, including four Riou brothers from Laroue in Velay (one called Mathieu — this is on page 502 of the Slatkine reprint edition of 1979). In his account of a separate incident about the same time (see pp. 503-516), Arnaud mentions two brothers called La Brune, and specifies that one went to Lausanne and became very wealthy, dying in Lausanne and leaving his estate to two nephews that he brought with him, and that the other brother went to Neuchâtel. As the official lists of those charged in this affair (quoted by Arnaud) do not mention the surname La Brune, we are led to the conclusion that our Mathieu Riou dit La Brune is the same person as the man who was imprisoned and later escaped from France in 1683 under the name Mathieu Riou. Arnaud evidently did not know, or was not clearly told, that Mathieu Riou dit La Brune actually died in England, but the rest of the story fits perfectly. Again, assuming that most of Arnaud's account is correct, we can conclude that Mathieu must have been a few years older that we had thought, in order to be considered an adult in 1683. Thus, we estimate his year of birth at about 1658.
On the web site, "La Base de Données du Refuge Huguenot", we found an entry that may reveal something of the movements of the several sets of Riou brothers. An entry from the assistance rolls of Neuchâtel, 1661-1687, mentions the following Riou family members from St. Voy: Jean Pierre, Félix, and Mathieu, as well as a Pierre from Silhac and a Jean from Chambon, student of theology. Further, the assistance rolls of Zurich (1583-1686), posted on the same site, show Mathieu, Pierre, Jean Pierre, and Félix Riou, as well as a Henry. This is apparently not the family from Vernoux, but we can clearly see several of the brothers from Laroue.
Will of Mathieu Riou:
Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 97, Farrant - Will of Matthew Riou alias LaBrune
"Translated out of ffrench
"In the Name of God Amen, I Matthew Riou alias Labrune Merchant living in London being by the Grace of God of sound mind do make my Testament and Disposition of Last Will in manner following, In first place I recommend my soul to God the ffather Almighty beseeching him to be Gracious and mercifull unto me in the name and through the merritts of his most dear and only Son Jesus Christ my only saviour and redeemer, leaving my Body to the Earth in hopes of the most blessed Resurrection, And as to the worldly Goods which it hath pleased God to bless me with I dispose thereof as followeth Item Primus I give and bequeath to the Elders and deacons of the ffrench church in Threadneedle Street London the two following sums to witt two hundred pounds sterling for the use of the poor of the said church and one hundred pounds sterling for the maintenance of their school, the said two sums payable by my Executors hereafter named immediately after my death. Item I charge my said Executors to distribute immediately after my death the sum of one hundred pounds sterling among such poor bashfull Persons as they shall think proper at their discretion. Item I bequeath to Josuah Rissoan Apothecary living near the Seven Dials in Soho the sume of ffive hundred pounds sterling which shall be paid to him by my Executors immediately after my death and he shall keep the said sume for his son Matthew Rissoan my Godson to be dilivered to him when the ffather shall think his son capable of making good use of the same and I order that the said Matthew Rissoan shall not give any trouble to his ffather on that account nor dispute the payment which my Executors shall make thereof to the said Joshua Rissoan of the said sume for which my said Executors shall remain duely discharged and the Inttrest of the said sume shall belong to the said Joshua Rissoan the ffather during the time he shall keep the same, the Management whereof I leave to his discretion and if the said Matthew Rissoan should dye before his ffather the said sume of five hundred pounds sterling shall remain and belong to his said ffather. Item I give and bequeath to my Nephew John Cross alias Lanove living at Southampton besides what I have heretofore given him the sume of four thousand pounds sterling payable immediately after my death and I do moreover give unto him the house which I have at Southampton and its appurtenances to enjoy and dispose thereof as absolutely as I myself have a Right to do for the time and title which I have therein which present legacy I make to my said Nephew John Cros alias Lanove on the following condition, and I do charge him to give and pay to my sister Isabell Riou alias Cros widdow his Mother the yearly sum or pension of fifty pounds sterling for and during her natural life and after the death of his said Mother to pay the yearly sume or pension of twenty five pounds sterling to his sister the Wife of Matthew Janot for and during her natural life for her sole proper and separate use and on the proper Receipt of her or her Attorneys independently of her husband who shall not have any share direction or mannagement. And for all the Remainder of my Goods Moveables Immovables Rights credits Effects and other things without exception which shall be found belonging to me at the time of my decease as well in this Kingdon of Great Britaine as elsewhere whatsoever the same may consist in I give bequeath and leave the said residue to my Nephew Stephen Riou Merchant in London to enjoy use and dispose thereof at his Will and pleasure. I name and constitute the said Stephen Riou and John Cros alias Lanove sole Executors of this my Testament ordering that my debts if any should be found be paid out of the said residue of my Estate and that the Legacies hereabove specified be discharged in the manner hereabove sett forth. I revoke annull and make void all former Testaments and dispositions and order this to be and stand as my Last Will and Testament, In Witness whereof I have signed and sealed my said Testament at London the sixteenth day of September in the Year of Grace one Thousand Seven hundred and twenty six, M. Riou Labrune -/- signed sealed pronounced and declared by the said Matthew Riou alias Labrune to be his Last Will and Testament in the presence of us who have signed in presence and at the request of the said Testator -/- D. Senesse Geo Schutz Isaac Delpech Notary Public -/- Substantialitor translatum est London duodecimo Aprilis 1727 per me Ph. Crespigney Notary Public"
[Note: a short Latin section relating to the probate has not been transcribed. We are aware that the adjectives "his" and "her" do not exist as such in French, and so are sometimes uncertain in the English translation. In particular, the bequest to the sister of John Cros who married Matthieu Janot (Johannot) could equally well be interpreted as a bequest to the sister of the mother of John Cros. In the former case, the legatee would be Magdelaine Cros, wife of Matthieu Johannot, at the baptism of whose son Matthieu Etienne Riou and Matthieu LaBrune appeared in 1716. In the latter case, the legatee would be Marie Riou, first wife of Mattieu Johannot, father of the first Matthieu. But Marie Riou died in 1683, a fact that could not have been unknown to the rest of the Riou family, thereby ruling out this possibility. Therefore, it appears the translation recorded at Canterbury is correct in its use of "his" and "her".]
______ RIOU _________
|
_Estienne RIOU ______|
| (1600 - 1641) |
| |_____________________
|
_Mathieu RIOU _______|
| (1620 - 1681) m 1641|
| | _____________________
| | |
| |_Isabeau JARJAT _____|
| (.... - 1641) |
| |_____________________
|
|
|--Mathieu (dit LaBrune or Lebrun) RIOU
| (1658 - 1727)
| _____________________
| |
| _Pierre REBOUL ______|
| | (.... - 1641) |
| | |_____________________
| |
|_Magdelaine REBOUL __|
(1625 - 1675) m 1641|
| _____________________
| |
|_Anne PEYRON ________|
(.... - 1641) |
|_____________________
_Jean (dit Lebrun) RIOU _+
| (1652 - 1676) m 1673
_Etienne RIOU _______|
| (1676 - 1740) m 1716|
| |_Jeanne ROUX ____________+
| (1656 - ....) m 1673
_Etienne (Stephen) RIOU _|
| (1720 - 1790) m 1757 |
| | _________________________
| | |
| |_Madelaine BAUDOUIN _|
| (.... - 1771) m 1716|
| |_________________________
|
|
|--Philip RIOU
| (1759 - 1817)
| _________________________
| |
| _____________________|
| | |
| | |_________________________
| |
|_Dorothy DAWSON _________|
(.... - 1801) m 1757 |
| _________________________
| |
|_____________________|
|
|_________________________
In Eugène Arnaud's Histoire des protestants du Vivarais et du Velay (1888), a Pierre Riou de Laroue, listed as a "garde", was accused and imprisoned in connection with a confrontation between the embattled churches of the Vivarais and the provincial authorities, along with his three brothers Jean Pierre, Félix, and Mathieu. These are supposed to have arrived at Geneva toward the end of 1683, but they seem to have headed to Neuchâtel and Zurich. Also involved, according to the same account, were a Charles Riou, and an Antoine Riou, notary. It seems likely that a mention of "the two brothers La Brune" involved in a separate incident that year actually refers to two of the Riou brothers from Vernoux, a different family.
In the "Huguenot census" of Bern, 1693, there is a Pierre Rioux from Vivarais, possibly the same one who escaped in 1683. However, no further information about the one in Bern has been located, so we are unable to establish whether he is connected in any way to the the incident reported by Arnaud.
It seems unlikely that the four brothers of the Riou de Laroue family mentioned in 1683 are directly connected to the family at Vernoux.
However, the Pierre who married in 1674 to Marie Peyron certainly belongs to the branch at Vernoux, as his parents are given on that occasion as Mathieu Riou and Magdelaine Reboul of Dunière, St. Jean Chambre, and he is accompanied by his brothers Etienne and Jean of the parish of St. Maurice (-sous-Chalencon) and uncles Pierre Riou and Pierre "Taboul" — the latter possibly the result of confusion, because the bride's mother is listed as Magdelaine Taboul, written very differently from Reboul (the surname of Pierre's mother), in the same record! However, it must be noted that the Registres d'Insinuations are copies, not original records, and so it is possible that Taboul results from a misreading of a lost original.
Apart from the record of his marriage and the baptisms of the three children, we have no further details of this family. In particular, they have not turned up in the Catholic records after 1685, nor in Switzerland.
[14842]
Date of contract, Registre d'Insinuations B-37, 17 feb 1674.
______ RIOU _________
|
_Estienne RIOU ______|
| (1600 - 1641) |
| |_____________________
|
_Mathieu RIOU _______|
| (1620 - 1681) m 1641|
| | _____________________
| | |
| |_Isabeau JARJAT _____|
| (.... - 1641) |
| |_____________________
|
|
|--Pierre RIOU
|
| _____________________
| |
| _Pierre REBOUL ______|
| | (.... - 1641) |
| | |_____________________
| |
|_Magdelaine REBOUL __|
(1625 - 1675) m 1641|
| _____________________
| |
|_Anne PEYRON ________|
(.... - 1641) |
|_____________________
Death recorded at Chalencon (protestant) reported by his brother-in-law Jean Reboul and his nephew Estienne Riou. Pierre's age is given as 48 at that time.
__
|
______ RIOU _________|
| |
| |__
|
_Estienne RIOU ______|
| (1600 - 1641) |
| | __
| | |
| |_____________________|
| |
| |__
|
|
|--Pierre RIOU
| (1627 - 1675)
| __
| |
| _____________________|
| | |
| | |__
| |
|_Isabeau JARJAT _____|
(.... - 1641) |
| __
| |
|_____________________|
|
|__
Mentioned as the uncle of Jean Riou son of Estienne Riou in the marriage contract of Jean Riou 02 aug 1653, Registre d'Insinuation B-19 p. 347.
__
|
__|
| |
| |__
|
______ RIOU _________|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|
| |
| |__
|
|
|--Pierre RIOU
| (.... - 1653)
| __
| |
| __|
| | |
| | |__
| |
|_____________________|
|
| __
| |
|__|
|
|__
Witnesses at the baptism were Pierre Peyron (or Peyroz) and Magdelaine Reboul.
_Estienne RIOU ______+
| (1600 - 1641)
_Mathieu RIOU _______|
| (1620 - 1681) m 1641|
| |_Isabeau JARJAT _____
| (.... - 1641)
_Pierre RIOU ________|
| m 1674 |
| | _Pierre REBOUL ______
| | | (.... - 1641)
| |_Magdelaine REBOUL __|
| (1625 - 1675) m 1641|
| |_Anne PEYRON ________
| (.... - 1641)
|
|--Pierre RIOU
| (1674 - ....)
| _____________________
| |
| _Pierre PEYRON ______|
| | |
| | |_____________________
| |
|_Marie PEYRON _______|
m 1674 |
| _____________________
| |
|_Magdelaine TABOUL __|
|
|_____________________
______________________
|
_____________________|
| |
| |______________________
|
_Jean Scipion RIOU-DE-LA-ROUE _|
| (1734 - 1764) |
| | ______________________
| | |
| |_____________________|
| |
| |______________________
|
|
|--Alexandre RIOU-DE-LA-ROUE
|
| _Etienne LÉORAT ______+
| | (1672 - ....)
| _Alexandre LÉORAT ___|
| | (1704 - ....) |
| | |_Marie CHOMEL ________
| |
|_Claire LÉORAT ________________|
|
| _Mathieu JOHANNOT ____+
| | (1682 - 1744) m 1706
|_Anne JOHANNOT ______|
|
|_Marie Claire PERRIN _+
(1679 - 1753) m 1706
[3342] age at death given as about 30 years.
At the time of her marriage, Louise and her family were living at Noyer, parish of Vernoux. In the marriage contract, she was represented by Matthieu Léorat, father of her mother. The record is on FHL film #0728920, very difficult to read. It mentions François Johannot, cousin of the groom, and another cousin François Simeon Plancheon.
______________________
|
_____________________|
| |
| |______________________
|
_Jean Scipion RIOU-DE-LA-ROUE _|
| (1734 - 1764) |
| | ______________________
| | |
| |_____________________|
| |
| |______________________
|
|
|--Louise RIOU-DE-LA-ROUE
|
| _Etienne LÉORAT ______+
| | (1672 - ....)
| _Alexandre LÉORAT ___|
| | (1704 - ....) |
| | |_Marie CHOMEL ________
| |
|_Claire LÉORAT ________________|
|
| _Mathieu JOHANNOT ____+
| | (1682 - 1744) m 1706
|_Anne JOHANNOT ______|
|
|_Marie Claire PERRIN _+
(1679 - 1753) m 1706
[14843] Date of contract, Registre d'Insinuation B-31, p. 137.
__
|
__|
| |
| |__
|
_Isaac RISSOAN ______|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|
| |
| |__
|
|
|--François RISSOAN
|
| __
| |
| __|
| | |
| | |__
| |
|_Marguerite RIGNAL __|
(.... - 1667) |
| __
| |
|__|
|
|__
_________________________
|
__________________________|
| |
| |_________________________
|
_David RITTER _______|
| |
| | _________________________
| | |
| |__________________________|
| |
| |_________________________
|
|
|--Agnes RITTER
|
| _________________________
| |
| _Edward TOWN _____________|
| | (1756 - 1830) m 1793 |
| | |_________________________
| |
|_Margaret TOWN ______|
|
| _Ronald MCDOUGALL _______+
| | (.... - 1821)
|_Nancy (Agnes) MCDOUGALL _|
(1775 - 1850) m 1793 |
|_Euphemia (Effie) _____ _
(1740 - 1822)
still living - details excluded
still living - details excluded
still living - details excluded
_________________________
|
__________________________|
| |
| |_________________________
|
_Charles ROBBINS ____|
| |
| | _________________________
| | |
| |__________________________|
| |
| |_________________________
|
|
|--Courtney Diane ROBBINS
|
| _________________________
| |
| _Howard Corbett CLEMONS __|
| | |
| | |_________________________
| |
|_Mary Beth CLEMONS __|
|
| _Gilbert Arthur GILLETT _
| | m 1910
|_Fannie Bernelle GILLETT _|
|
|_Bertha Mary BOCKOVEN ___+
(1890 - 1955) m 1910
This may be the Hellen McDoogle age 40 with daughter Anna living with the Leroy Potter family in Easton, Washington Co., NY, in the 1880 census (p. 74C).