The Swiss Settlement of Vevay, Indiana: The settlers, their relatives, their associates
François MENNET (ID #I986)
(male)
Father: Abraham MENNET (b. 1635, d. 1688)
Mother: Esther FRANÇOIS (d. 16 MAY 1717)
Family 1
:
Françoise Salomé TACHERON (dates unknown)
- François Elie MENNET (bp. SEP 1689)
- Marc Abraham MENNET (bp. 29 DEC 1691)
- Jeanne Etienne Marie MENNET (bp. 09 JAN 1694)
- Paul Louis MENNET (bp. 28 DEC 1697)
- Jean Philippe MENNET (bp. 20 FEB 1700)
- Pauline MENNET (dates unknown)
- Lidie MENNET (dates unknown)
- +César MENNET (d. 21 JUL 1771)
His testament of 21 nov 1703 (ACV Bg 13bis/2 fol. 52, signed A. Detraz) names the following children: "François Elie, Marc Abraham, Paul Louis, Jean Philippe, Jeanne Estiennaz Marie, Poline, et Lidie Mennet ses fils et filles comme aussy celuy ou celle dont sa femme est enceinte". Evidently the sons are listed in order of birth, and probably the daughters as well. But if this is true, we are missing the baptisms of at least two daughters, as well as the presumed son César. Since César is not mentioned by name, he would have to be the unborn child referred to in the testament, assuming he really belongs here. The testament also mentions that his wife's grandmother was the widow of the Banderet de Saussure. The testament was probated 11 dec 1703, so François Mennet must have died around the beginning of December, 1703.
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_George MENNET ______|
| m 1629 |
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_Abraham MENNET _____|
| (1635 - 1688) |
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| |_Judith SOLLIARD ____|
| m 1629 |
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|--François MENNET
| (1666 - 1703)
| __
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| _____________________|
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|_Esther FRANÇOIS ____|
(.... - 1717) |
| __
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|_____________________|
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François Elie MENNET (ID #I185)
(male)
- TITLES/'DIT' NAMES/OCCUPATIONS: Secrétaire de la justice inférieure de Lausanne
- BAPTISM: 16 OCT 1741, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- DEATH: 1813, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Father: César MENNET (d. 21 JUL 1771)
Mother: Marianne BOISOT (d. NOV 1786)
Family 1
:
Jeanne Susanne BOISOT (b. 18 APR 1753)
- MARRIAGE: 09 AUG 1773, Lyon, France
- Jean Samuel MENNET (b. 20 DEC 1774, d. abt 1819)
- Jeanne Susanne Marie Andrienne MENNET (b. 24 FEB 1778)
- +Marc François MENNET (b. 06 NOV 1779, d. 1844)
- Jeanne Marie Françoise MENNET (b. 02 JAN 1776)
Family 2
:
Susanne Françoise FRANÇOIS (dates unknown)
- MARRIAGE: 14 JUL 1789, Prilly, Vaud, Switzerland
- André Jean Samuel MENNET (b. 27 NOV 1791)
- Françoise Eliane Susanne MENNET (b. 12 FEB 1794)
He was admitted to higher studies at the Académie de Lausanne, 03 jul 1756 (Livre de Recteur, no. 6357).
He and his first wife were first cousins. They were married at Lyon, and their marriage was later recognized by Their Excellencies of Bern, after payment of court costs. The marriage record (Archives Municipales de Lyon 1GG7 17 ) gives the parentage of both parties, with signatures of various family members, including that of the minister André François Boisot, uncle of the bride.
His testament was probated at Lausanne:
[ACV Bg 13bis/18 pp. 100-101.]
[Testament of François Elie Mennet, 05 jan 1812.]
L'an mille huit cent douze, et le cinquième janvier, environ les trois heures après midi, le Citoyen François Elie Mennet, de Lausanne, ancien Secrétaire, a fait appeler le notaire soussigné auquel sans induction apparûe, et jouissant de son bon sens, mémoire et jugement, il a dicté de sa propre bouche, et en présence des témoins sous nommés, sa déclaration de dernière volonté de la manière suivante, et après avoir manifesté les sentimens d'une véritable piété :
1o, Il donne aux pauvres bourgeois de la ville de Lausanne cent florins, et au pauvres bourgeois d'Ecublens aussi cent florins, payables trois mois après son décès.
2o, Il déclare avoir reçu au partage de la petite cassette de feue Madeleine Epars, pour le leg qu'elle avait fait à Samuel Mennet son fils ainé, la somme de cent francs qui doit être rendûe à son dit fils ainé et prélevée sur sa succession, son dit fils ainé retirera aussi la cassette qui lui a été léguée par la ditte Epars.
3o, Il ordonne que sa chère épouse ait à son choix son logement dans ses maisons de la ville et d'Ecublens pendant sa viduité. Il confirme si de besoin est, ce qui est établie en sa faveur dans leur contract de mariage. Il déclare avoir passé à sa ditte épouse reconnaissance au juridique et sous seing privé, des sommes qu'elle lui a remis ; il veut que les dittes reconnaissances sous seing privé soyent aussi vallables en sa faveur que si elles avaient été passées en justice. Ayant une parfaite confiance dans le caractère de son épouse et dans la sage économie qu'elle a déployée pendant leur union, il exhorte ses chers enfans à avoir la même confiance, étant très persuadé que ce ser[t] à leur avantage. Il confirme d'une manière spéciale la clause de son contract de mariage qui établit sa ditte femme mère tutrice du fils qu'ils ont eu pendant leur conjonction.
4o, Il donne de prérogative à son fils Marc François Mennet ministre la somme de cent francs par année à dater du 29e mars mille huit cent neuf et jusques à l'époque du décès du testateur, cette somme annuelle en raison de ce que son dit fils n'a reçu qu'une partie des biens de sa mère, dont le testateur a conservé la jouissance.
5o, Il donne à Margueritte Abetat sa servante, dans le cas où elle serait encore à son service à l'heure de sa mort, la somme de soixante quatre francs en sus de son gage.
6o, Il déclare qu'on trouvera dans ses papiers un état exact des biens paternels & maternels, de ses enfans des premier et second lit, ainsi qu'un détail des sommes levées aux enfans du 1er lit à compte du bien de leur mère, à tout quoi ils devront exactement se conformer.
7o, Enfin il institue pour ses vrais et légitimes héritiers en tous ses biens non légués, ses quatre chers enfans, savoir Jean Samuel Mennet né le 20e décembre 1774, Jeanne Susanne Marie Andrianne Creux née Mennet sa fille née le 24e février 1778, Marc François Mennet né le 6e 9bre 1779, les trois prénommés ses enfans du premier lict, et André Jean Samuel issue de son second mariage né le 27e 9bre 1791, tous par égales portions, et ce à la charge d'acquitter ses dettes et de suporter toutes charges résultantes des successions tant paternelles que maternelles, pour ce qui concerne ceux issus de son premier mariage, cassant et révoquant tous testamens, codiciles, ou autres dispositions qu'il pourait avoir fait, voulant que celui-ci soit exécuté en tout son contenu, comme étant sa dernière volonté, qu'il a ratifiée article par article, après la lecture qui lui en a été faite, dans sa chambre à Lausanne en présence des Citoyens Gonin juge de district à Lausanne, et Louis Benjamin Dusserre de Renens, demeurant en cette ville, témoins connus et requis qui ont signé avec le testateur et moi notaire le sus dit jour 5e janvier 1812.
Signés Mennet ancien secrétaire, Gonin juge, Louis Benjamin Dusserre témoins, Charles Secrétan [notaire] avec paraphe.
Ce testament a été homologué en justice de paix à Lausanne le 21e 7bre 1813. [signed] Panchaud, greffier.
Descendants of Samuel Mennet, settler at Vevay, have claimed that he was the same person as Jean Samuel, the son of François Elie Mennet born 20 dec 1774. While this seems entirely plausible, no one has yet produced any document created at Vevay that gives Samuel's date of birth or even his age, nor any document from Lausanne that establishes that Jean Samuel emigrated to America. Thus, the evidence remains circumstantial.
_Abraham MENNET _____+
| (1635 - 1688)
_François MENNET ___________|
| (1666 - 1703) |
| |_Esther FRANÇOIS ____
| (.... - 1717)
_César MENNET _______|
| (.... - 1771) m 1736|
| | _____________________
| | |
| |_Françoise Salomé TACHERON _|
| |
| |_____________________
|
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|--François Elie MENNET
| (.... - 1813)
| _Paul BOISOT ________+
| | m 1650
| _Jean Paul BOISOT __________|
| | |
| | |_Etiennaz PECOLET ___+
| | m 1650
|_Marianne BOISOT ____|
(.... - 1786) m 1736|
| _____________________
| |
|_Françoise ROMAY ___________|
|
|_____________________
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Jean Charles MENNET (ID #I3469)
(male)
Father: Pierre Louis MENNET (dates unknown)
Family 1
:
Jeanne Esther BOURGEOIS (dates unknown)
- Louise Marie MENNET (bp. 16 SEP 1762)
- George MENNET (bp. 11 FEB 1764)
- +Jean Isaac MENNET (b. 08 NOV 1765)
- Emanuel MENNET (bp. 17 OCT 1767)
- Jean Jaques Philippe MENNET (bp. 30 SEP 1770)
There are several Mennet burials at Orbe 1760-1787 that suggest there may have been additional members of the family in the area than can be identified from the baptisms and marriages. The burial of "la veuve Barbille Mennet", age 83, in 1787, suggests that the parents of Jean Charles might have lived at Orbe. Jean Charles himself might have been the "Sr. Mennet", age 55, who was buried 04 oct 1771, but if that is true, either he married rather late in life, or else there were additional children born before he arrived at Orbe. Are there any additional Mennets mentioned in the lists of catechumens?
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_Pierre Louis MENNET _|
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|--Jean Charles MENNET
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|______________________|
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Jean Isaac MENNET (ID #I311)
(male)
- BIRTH: 08 NOV 1765, Orbe, Vaud, Switzerland
- BAPTISM: 23 NOV 1765, Orbe, Vaud, Switzerland
Father: Jean Charles MENNET (dates unknown)
Mother: Jeanne Esther BOURGEOIS (dates unknown)
Family 1
:
Sophie Jackson DU ROVERAY (b. 02 APR 1771)
- MARRIAGE: 17 AUG 1795, St. Helen's Bishopgate, London, England
- Sophie Caroline Félicité MENNET (b. 25 SEP 1796)
- Charles Etienne MENNET (b. 03 FEB 1799)
- +Henriette Caroline Marie Antoinette MENNET (b. 04 OCT 1800, d. 1831)
Witnesses for the marriage were Isaac and Francis J. du Roveray, by license. He is the Jean Mennet, son-in-law and associate of Jean Pierre du Roveray, who was involved in a long-running legal action instigated against them by Madame Tarbé de St.-Hardouin of Paris regarding supposed securities offered for sale in England. The opinion of the Tribunal d'Appel of the Canton of Vaud, 16 sep 1841, was published in Le droit: Recueil des jugemens tendant à fixer la jurisprudence dans le Canton de Vaud 3:138-148 (1841). At the time, Mennet appears to have been living in the vicinity of Lausanne.
His origin in Orbe is noted in the record of the baptism of his son Charles Etienne in Paris, 08 jun 1801 and that of his daughter, baptised on the same day. At that time, he was living in the 3me Arrondissement, rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière. This record is on the FamilySearch web site, digital images provided by the Société de l'histoire du protestantism français from their library. The sponsors for these baptisms are noteworthy as well: they included Félix Oboussier and his wife Marie Louise Amy. From other records, we recognize Félix as Louis Félix Oboussier of Lausanne, whose sister married David Louis Gex, the Vevay settler (Louis "Gex-Oboussier"). Letters from Louis Gex to "Jean I. Mennet" at Antwerp, with dates ranging from 1803 to 1823, are among the Gex family papers at the Indiana Historical Society (manuscript collection SC 620). It was Mennet who held title to land now in West Virginia that Gex was supposed to farm, and which turned out to be unsuitable for agriculture.
He is, however, from a completely different family from the one centered in Lausanne who participated in the settlement of Vevay.
A summary of the information in the Gex papers at the Indiana Historical Society was kindly provided by Nancy Emmert, CG: In 1795-6 Jean Mennet, a Swiss merchant in Antwerp purchased lands in the US including 1000 acres in what is now Tyler County, West Virginia. In 1803 he made an agreement with Louis Gex Oboussier to come to the US and look after the land. Louis was to have the right to purchase half and was to cultivate, clear the other half for Mennet. Louis came to the US, found the property but determined that it was not good for cultivation or sale. Over the years (1803 - 1843) he wrote letters to Mennet about the situation. The first letter in the abstract was written 26 Sept 1803 from Switzerland, Ind Terr. Thus, this places his arrival in 1803. Another item in the file is information from Louise Agniel Glover, great grand daughter about the family which indicates that "Lucille Oboussier Gex died on a farm near Vevay Oct. 11 1806. This is the same month and year as in the "American Experienced" letter. Also mentioned in the abstracts is Lucille Oboussier's brother, Felix and his wife Louise who were associated with Mennet in Antwerp.
At the time Mennet acquired the property, the area was part of Ohio County, Virginia. It is likely he obtained the land with the help of an agent in the US. The original deed or patent has not been examined. We did not find Mennet in Sims' Index of land grants in West Virginia, so Mennet presumably purchased the property from one of the speculators who had bought up thousands of acres.
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_Pierre Louis MENNET _|
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_Jean Charles MENNET _____|
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| |______________________|
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|--Jean Isaac MENNET
| (1765 - ....)
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| ______________________|
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|_Jeanne Esther BOURGEOIS _|
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|______________________|
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Jean Philippe MENNET (ID #I1068)
(male)
- BAPTISM: 10 APR 1679, Pully, Vaud, Switzerland
- BURIAL: 10 DEC 1760, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Father: Abraham MENNET (b. 1635, d. 1688)
Mother: Esther FRANÇOIS (d. 16 MAY 1717)
Family 1
:
Susanne Françoise DESCOMBES (dates unknown)
- MARRIAGE: 28 APR 1705, Pully, Vaud, Switzerland
Family 2
:
Marie DE MONTET (b. abt 1701, bur. 01 OCT 1762)
- MARRIAGE: 01 JAN 1720, Pully, Vaud, Switzerland
- Jeanne Gabrielle MENNET (bp. 17 OCT 1721)
- Susanne Françoise MENNET (bp. 02 APR 1723)
- Susanne Marie MENNET (bp. 06 SEP 1725)
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_George MENNET ______|
| m 1629 |
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_Abraham MENNET _____|
| (1635 - 1688) |
| | __
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| |_Judith SOLLIARD ____|
| m 1629 |
| |__
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|--Jean Philippe MENNET
|
| __
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| _____________________|
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|_Esther FRANÇOIS ____|
(.... - 1717) |
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|_____________________|
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Return to Index
Jean Samuel MENNET (ID #I186)
(male)
- BIRTH: 20 DEC 1774, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- BAPTISM: 26 DEC 1774, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- DEATH: abt 1819, Vevay, Switzerland Co., Indiana
Father: François Elie MENNET (bp. 16 OCT 1741, d. 1813)
Mother: Jeanne Susanne BOISOT (b. 18 APR 1753)
Some records, such as his father's testament, call him Jean Samuel, but the baptismal record says simply Samuel. He is apparently the Samuel Mennet who settled at Vevay, Indiana, but we have found nothing in the United States or in Switzerland that proves they are are same person. The circumstantial evidence (such as the names of the children in Indiana) is striking, but it appears the Mennet family buried their dead on their farm near Vevay (the existence of this private cemetery is noted at generation later), so there is no epitaph. The graves have not been located, and there seems to be no other record in the United States that gives the exact age or parentage of Samuel during his lifetime. Samuel did not leave a will. Likewise, the Swiss records have so far provided no evidence that Samuel had emigrated.
He was admitted to higher studies at the Académie de Lausanne 05 jun 1788 (Livre de Recteur, no. 7237).
Successfully misleading generations of genealogists, Orra Eugene Monnette included this statement, without explanation, in his First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge, Olde East New Jersey, 1664-1714 (1931):
"Samuel Mennet of Switzerland b. Dec. 20th, 1774, son of Francis Elis Mennet, Citizen of 60th. Lausanne, Switzerland, Sec. of N. Justice, and De Mad., and Mrs. Jeanne Suzanne Boiset, his wife; He settled near Lexington, Ky., 1798-1802, and from there to Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana, where colony of Swiss French. Desc. is Dr. Overton H. Mennet, Grand Army of the Republic, Los Angeles, Calif."
Monnette indicates elsewhere that he has encountered many different spellings of his own name, so we suppose that he included this information solely for that reason, and not because of any connection of Samuel Mennet with Piscataway, New Jersey. But the passage is of interest for another reason. It is exactly what would be expected if a 20th Century American found an old document, perhaps an "acte d'origine" that Samuel obtained when he left Lausanne. The unfamiliar script and the abbreviations would have led modern eyes to the above translation, from an original that said something like this:
"Samuel Mennet fils de François Elie Mennet, Citoyen et des Cons. de Lausanne en Suisse, Sec. de la N. Justice et de Mad. sa femme Jeanne Susanne Boisot, né le 20 déc. 1774."
In the old script, Boisot frequently looks like Boiset, and the name Elie is sometimes indistinct, leading to such readings as Elis.
In 1931, the only way to obtain this information from Switzerland would be to travel there or to correspond with an archivist, but if someone had done this, it is extremely unlikely that the information would have contained these errors. Among other things, the titles of Samuel's father would have been spelled out, and the name Boisot would not have been turned into Boiset! The microfilmed church records were still many decades in the future. Consequently, we are tempted to see in this passage evidence of a document found on American soil that confirms the identity of Samuel Mennet of Vevay, Indiana. This idea seems even more plausible when we learn that Dr. Overton H. Mennet was a grandson of Samuel Mennet.
_François MENNET ___________+
| (1666 - 1703)
_César MENNET _______|
| (.... - 1771) m 1736|
| |_Françoise Salomé TACHERON _
|
_François Elie MENNET __|
| (.... - 1813) m 1773 |
| | _Jean Paul BOISOT __________+
| | |
| |_Marianne BOISOT ____|
| (.... - 1786) m 1736|
| |_Françoise ROMAY ___________
|
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|--Jean Samuel MENNET
| (1774 - 1819)
| _Jean Paul BOISOT __________+
| |
| _Jean BOISOT ________|
| | (1720 - ....) m 1752|
| | |_Françoise ROMAY ___________
| |
|_Jeanne Susanne BOISOT _|
(1753 - ....) m 1773 |
| _Samuel VIVIAN _____________
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|_Antoinette VIVIAN __|
m 1752 |
|_Susanne LANGIN ____________
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Legend: Vevay settler. Protestant minister.
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