Hail to the King

Nobility are well documented.  It is a way for members of a family to be legitimized and false claims to nobility debunked.  Only a few of the French noble class are known to have immigrated to New Canada.  There are 2 of these ancestors (“gateway” ancestors) in our family history and from them we connect to a number of historical nobles.  The one I will focus on here is Charles the Great, better known as Charlemagne, King of the Franks, the first Holy Roman Emperor (748-814); he is my 39^th and 41^st great-grandfather.

Our 2 “gateway” ancestors that have proven pedigree back to Charlemagne are Jeanne Le Marchand and Anne Couvent; both are my 10^th great-grandmothers.  In order to claim Charlemagne as a direct ancestor, documentation is needed that connects the family line back to each of these ancestors.  This involves verifying all grandparents back to my 9^th great-grandfather, Michel Le Neuf, Jeanne Le Marchand’s son, and to Mathieu Amiot Sieur De Villeneuve, Anne Couvent’s son, and my 9^th great-grandfather.  I have done all of that work. 

These connections are not always easy to make and it is even easier to make mistakes in the process.  I’ve tried multiple times over the last several years to correctly connect people and most recently I ended up deleting 133 incorrect people from my tree.  It makes me appreciate the work that others have already done to construct a goodly portion of the ancestral lines to Charlemagne.

Without further ado, I present to you our family’s 4 lines of ascension to Charlemagne; 2 on the Peltier side of the family and 2 on the Vadnais side of the family. 

(Notation explanation: g denotes my grandparents, 1g my 1^st great-grandparents…)

First Ascending Lineage from Ellen Lucy Peltier to Charlemagne

1 Ellen Lucy Peltier + Adlore Joseph Vadnais g

2 Albert Joseph Peltier + Marie Celestine Derosier 1g

3 Matilda Carice Domitille Garceau + Charles Joseph Peltier 2g

4 Marie Anne Gingras + Jean Garceau 3g

5 Joseph Gingras + Marguerite Beliveau 4g

6 Jean Francois Gingras + Marie Francoise Hebert 5g

7 Joseph Gingras + Marie Therese Prou (Proulx) 6g

8 Jean Baptiste Gingras + Marie Madeleine Lefebvre Angers 7g

9 Marie Francoise Amiot Villeneuve + Charles Gingras 8g

10 Mathieu Amiot Sieur De Villeneuve + Marie Miville dit Lesuisse 9g

11 Anne Couvent +  Philippe Amiot 10g

12 Antoinette De Longueval + Guillaume Couvent 11g

13 Louise de Joyeuse Dame of Sivry + Charles De Longueval Ecuyer Seigneur de Sivry et de Vuallicourt 12g

14 Jean de Joyeuse Seigneur des Champigneulle + Nicole des Ancherins 13g

15 Francois de Joyeuse Seigneur de Champigneuelle + Nicole Francoise de Beauvais 14g

17 Francois de Barbancon + Francoise de Villers 16g

18 Jeanne de Sarrebruche + Christophe de Barbancon Seigneur de Cany 17g

19 Robert de Sarrebruche Seigneur de Commercy + Jeanne de Roucy et de Braine (de Pierrepont) 18g

20 Marie de Chateauvillain +Seigneur de Commercy et Venisy Ame (Aime) III Comte de Sarrebruche et de Commercy 19g

21 Jeanne de Grancey + Jean IV de Chateauvillain 20g

22 Yolande de Bar + Eudes VI de Grancey 21g

23 Marie de Dampierre + Thibault de Bar 22g

24 Marie d’Artois + Jean de Flander Comte de Namur 23g

25 Philippe d’Artois Comte d’Artois + Blanche De Bretagne 24g

26 Robert II, Comte d’Artois + Amicie De Courtenay 25g

27 Robert “the Good,” Comte d’Artois + Mathilde van Brabant 26g

28 Louis VIII “the Lion” King of France + Blanche de Castille Reine Consort de France 27g

29 Philippe II Auguste King of France + Isabelle de Hainaut Reine de France 28g

30 Louis VII “the Young” King of France + Adele de Champagne 29g

31 Louis VI “the Fat” King of France + Adelaide de Savoie de Maurienne 30g

32 Philippe Capet King of France + Bertrada of Montfort Queen Consort of France 31g

33 King Henri I of France + Anna of Kiev Queen Consort of the Franks 32g

34 Robert II Capet “the Pious” King of the Franks + Constance of Arles Queen Consort of France 33g

35 Hugues Capet, King of France + Adelaide of Aquitaine 34g

36 Hugh “Magnus” of Paris, count of Paris, Duke of the Franks + Hedwige of Saxony 35g

37 Beatrice De Vermandois + King Robert I of France (Count of Poitiers, Count of Paris and Marquis of Neustria and Orleans) 36g

38 Heribert I Seigneur de Senlis, de Peronne & de Saint-Quentin + Beatrice de Morvois de France 37g

39 Pepin II Seigneur de Senlis, de Peronne & de Saint-Quentin + Adelramm Comte De Troyes 38g

40 Bernard King of Italy + Cunigunda of Laon 39g

41 Pepin Carloman King of Italy + Rothais De France 40g

42 Charles I, Charlemagne, King of the Franks & Emperor of the West + Hildegard of Vinzgau 41g

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The 2^nd Peltier line to Charlemagne differs only from lines 19 through 24 in the above line of ascent.  Sisters, Catherine and Marie D’Artois, (one is shown on line 24 above & the other on line 24 below) married into two separate branches and the branches rejoined when Marie’s 4^th great-granddaughter married Catherine’s 4^th great-grandson (both shown on line 18 above); a marriage of 4^th cousins.  This is an example of pedigree collapse.

Second Ascending Lineage from Ellen Lucy Peltier to Charlemagne

(Lines 1-18 same as above)

19 Jeanne de Roucy et de Braine (de Pierrepont) + Robert de Sarrebruche Seigneur de Commercy 18g

20 Jean VI comte de Roucy et de Braine + Isabelle de Montagu 19g

21 Blanche de Coucy Dame de Montmirail + Hugues II de Pierrepont Comte de Roucy 20g

22 Jeanne d’Harcourt dame de Montmirail + Raoul de Coucy Seigneur de Montmirail 21g

23 Blanche de Ponthieu Comtesse d’Aumale + Jean V Comte d’Harcourt 22g

24 Catherine D’Artois + Jean II de Ponthieu Comte d’Aumale 23g

(Lines 25-42 same as above)

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First Ascending Lineage from Adlore Joseph Vadnais to Charlemagne

1 Adlore Joseph Vadnais + Ellen Lucy Peltier g

2 William Vadnais + Eugenia (Jennie) Baillargeon 1g

3 Tharsile Mary Hus-Lemoine + Francois Vadnais 2g

4 George Hus Lemoine + Marie Felicite Gautron dite Larochelle 3g

5 Barthelemy Hus Dit Lemoine + Marie Ursule Blette 4g

6 Marie Josephe Dutremble + Louis Hus Paul Lemoine 5g

7 Antoine Desrosiers + Marie Anne StYves (St Agne dit St Yves) 6g

8 Jean Baptiste Desrosiers dit Dutremble + Francoise Petronille Dandonneau 7g

9 Anne Le Neuf + Antoine Desrosiers dit Dutremble 8g

10 Michel Le Neuf 9g

11 Jeanne Le Marchand + Mathieu Le Neuf, Sieur Du Herisson 10g

12 Stevnotte de Saint-Germain + Gervais Le Marchand, Sieur De La Bellniere 11g

13 Oliver II de Saint-Germain Du Post + Francoise De Breul 12g

14 Francois de Saint-Germain, Lord Du Post + Helene de Corday 13g

15 Oliver I de Saint-Germain Sieur du Post + Jean de Rouelle 14g

16 Jeanne de La Poterie + Jean de Saint-Germain 15g

17 Jean de La Poterie, Seigneur de La Nocherie + Perrette de Roussel 16g

18 Almaric de La Poterie + Philippote de Lignon 17g

19 Perrette Rousee, Dame de La Nocherie + Jean de La Poterie 18g

20 Jeanne de Vassy + Robert Rousee, Seigneue of La Nocherie 19g

21 Isabelle Tesson + Roland III de Vassy, Seigneur of La Foret-Auvray 20g

22 Jean II Tesson, Seigneur de Subligny + Thomasse de La Courbe 21g

23 Jean I Tesson, Seigneur de Subligny + Unknown de Chantelou 22g

24 Petronille de Montfort Dame of Rambouillet, Countess of Bigorre + Raoul “dit Tesson” Paynel Seigneur de La Roche-Tesson et de Subligny 23g

25 Guy de Montfort Comte de Bigorre + Petroinille de Comminges Countess du Bigorre 24g

26 Alix de Montmorency + Simon IV de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester 25g

27 Bouchard V, Lord of Montmorency + Laurette of Hainaut 26g

28 Alix FitzRoy + Lord Mathieu Bouchard Herve I de Montmorency 27g

29 Henry I “Beauclerc” King of England + “Unknown Mistress” 28g

30 Mathilda of Flanders + William I “the Conqueror” FitzRobert Duke of Normandy, King of England 29g

31 Baldwin V “de Lille” Count of Flanders + Adela of France Countess of Flanders 30g

32 Baldwin IV “the Bearded” Count of Flanders + Ogive of Luxembourg 31g

33 Arnulf II “the Young” Count of Flanders + Rozala (Suzanne) of Lombardy (Italy) 32g

34 Baldwin III Count of Flanders + Mathilde of Saxony Countess of Flanders 33g

35 Arnulf I “the Great” Count of Flanders + Adele de Vermandois 34g

36 Baldwin II “the Bald” Count of Flanders + Aelfthryth of Wessex 35g

37 Judith of France + Baldwin I “Iron-Arm” 1^st Margrave of Flanders 36g

38 Charles II “the Bald” Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire +  Ermentrude of Orleans Queen of the Franks 37g

39 Louis I, the Pious + Judith of Bavaria (Altorf) 38g

40 Charles I, Charlemagne, King of the Franks & Emperor of the West + Hildegard of Vinzgau 39g

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The 2^nd Vadnais line to Charlemagne differs only from lines 1 through 8 in the above line of ascent. 

Second Ascending Lineage from Adlore Joseph Vadnais to Charlemagne

1 Adlore Joseph Vadnais + Ellen Lucy Peltier g

2 Eugenia (Jennie) Baillargeon + William Vadnais 1g

3 Genevieve Giguere + Albert Norbert Baillargeon 2g

4 Victoire Laferriere + Joseph Giguere 3g

5 Francois LaFerriere + Marie Genevieve Jacques 4g

6 Andre Laferriere + Genevieve Laventure 5g

7 Marie Genevieve Desrosiers Lafreniere + Francois Aure Laferriere 6g

8 Antoine Desrosiers Lafreniere + Marie Renee Lepelle Desmarais 7g

(Lines 9-40 same as above)

In the Vadnais lineage the first line leads to William Vadnais, my great-grandfather, while the second line goes to Jennie Baillargeon, my great-grandmother.  They, of course, are my grandfather Adlore’s parents.

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I hope I’ve not bored you with all of the ancient family history.  Hopefully you’ll find the following portrait gallery of some of these ancestors more interesting.

Peltier & Vadnais direct ancestors

Peltier direct ancestors

Vadnais direct ancestors

According to AncestralFindings Family History podcast, “Some interesting mathematical models show every one of European descent having a common ancestor who lived in about the year 1400 somewhere in Europe.  If you go back a bit farther, to Charlemagne’s time, the model shows twenty percent of Europeans alive at Charlemagne’s time have no descendants living today… they either did not have children, or their children’s lines died out.  The other eighty percent alive at Charlemagne’s time in Europe DO have living descendants today.”

Studies of DNA have proven this mathematical model to be true.  Using common DNA segments among Europeans to determine their most recent common ancestor shows that everyone who was alive during Charlemagne’s time who had any descendants has living descendants today.  Since Charlemagne was known to have had much progeny from a few different wives, this means every European from Turkey to England alive today is a descendant of the great, historically famous, and royal Charlemagne.

So, that royal ancestry you’ve been dreaming about and hoping to find, you have it.  You are royal.  We all are.  Go back far enough, and the whole planet is descended from royalty in some part of the world or other.  The only question is… if you want to join a royal descendants lineage society… can you prove it on paper?  You now know the answer: “YES we can!”

Thanks for visiting, come back soon,
Cindy

© 2022 Copyright by Cynthia Vadnais, All Rights Reserved

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Footnotes for Hail to the King post