From http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~geherin/genealogy/piguetweb.htm
Francois Xavier Piguet was born in Mar. 1772, probably near Grandvillars, Belfort, France, and died 4 July 1853, age 81 years and 4 months, at Little France, town of Hastings, Oswego Co., NY. He was a charbonnier, or coalminer, in France, and followed the trade of a farmer in his adopted country. His descendants have spelled his surname in a variety of different ways; the most common variants are Pegar, Piquet, Picquet, and Pequette.
About 1799, probably in the vicinity of Grandvillars, he married Jeanne Baptiste Rigaud; she was born in Sept. 1783 and died 6 Nov. 1863, age 80 years and 2 months, in the town of West Monroe, Oswego Co., NY. Several variations of her name have been found: she is “Jane B. R.” in the petition for probate of FX’s estate, and the inscription on her monument reads “Johnglod” (a corruption of her given and maiden names).
It is not known with certainty where FX Piguet or his wife were born; the earliest record we have of them in their native country is in Nov. 1812, at which time their daughter, Marguerite, was baptized in Morvillars, Belfort (then in the Territoire du Haut-Rhin). In Feb. 1815, Nov. 1818, and Apr. 1827, FX and his family are found in Mezire, Belfort. These locations are indicated in the baptismal records of some of their children. FX’s occupation on each document is given as “charbonnier.” From 1813 to 1821 only 121 infant baptisms were recorded in the Civil Registry of Mezire, giving some idea of its small population. From 1808 to 1812, and again from 1822 to 1826, there are no known births attributed to FX and Jane Piguet, either in Mezire or elsewhere. In the first instance, it could very well be possible that FX had been called away to active duty in Napoleon’s army. Every able-bodied male was at one time or another required to perform military service, and the paucity of births in his family seems to suggest this possibility for FX.
As a charbonnier, FX would have had to endure harsh working conditions in the Alsatian coalmines. Even children were put to work in the mines, carrying in sacks slung around their necks the large coal deposits that had been lifted from deep underground pits. The life of the Piguet family in France was difficult and hazardous, with few rewards.
FX and his family emigrated from France in the summer of 1827. Boarding the ship, “Crescent,” at LeHavre, with John B. Haley, master, they arrived at the port of New York on 12 July 1827. Those of the family who sailed on the voyage, in “steerage,” were “Francis Zeffe Peget,” 55 (farmer), “Joan,” 43, Francis, 27 (farmer), Josephine, 22, Francess, 18, Mary, 11, John Peter, 8, John Lewis, 5, and Anthony, 7/12. Accompanying the Piguets on the voyage was their eldest daughter and her husband, John P. and Joan Vinney, ages 26 and 23 respectively, and John’s mother, Joan. Also sailing were the family of Anthony Heppe, among whom was the future husband of Josephine Piguet, Anthony, Jr. These joined a total of over 140 immigrants seeking a new life in America. Only these few mentioned settled in Little France; the rest of those crowded on board the “Crescent” probably sought their fortunes elsewhere.
On 11 Sept. 1827, consideration $131.58, FX purchased 50 acres on lot #12, town of Hastings, Oswego Co., NY, from James J. Roosevelt, a New York City merchant. This place became the homestead where FX and Jane Piguet lived the remainder of their lives. According to the 1854 Oswego County ownership map, their place was located on the north side of what is now County Route 84, about 40 yards west of the four corners known as Little France.
Census records indicate that both FX and Jane were illiterate. Probate records at Oswego reveal that FX had only a basic understanding of the English language, able only to state “yes” or “no” to certain questions put to him at the time of the drawing of his will. As a natural result of translation difficulties, the family surname evolved into numerous variations, both within the family and in written documentation. At least 32 different spellings have been discovered.
The early history of Little France finds a very tight-knit group of over two dozen families, nearly all originating from towns in the northeast region of France, commonly known as Alsace. There were two groupings of these families, the first arriving about 1827-1832, and the second wave occurring between 1848-1854. Many of the first settlers found employment as farmers and coopers, some living in the village of Salina, Onondaga County previous to settling in Little France. At Salina, many worked as salt boilers in the salt industry, which was located along the north and east banks of Onondaga Lake. Two communities became the centers of French settlement in Oswego County: Little France, on the border of the towns of West Monroe and Hastings, and Colosse, in the vicinity of French St., Mexico. Some families were represented in both communities—the Tackleys, for example.
The site of Little France was chosen for settlement because of the nearby forests, and because of the convenience of Upper Big Bay Creek. The wood from the forests was converted into barrel staves at two sawmills located on the creek bank, across from the burial ground on County Route 37. At its peak in the mid-19th century, Little France boasted two general stores, two cooper shops, three sawmills, a stave mill, a tavern (located in the basement of one of the stores), a post office, a Catholic church, and a schoolhouse. Hired coopers completed barrels in the two larger cooper shops, these being sold to supply the salt manufacturing business in Salina. Many residents had their own small cooper shops, where salt and beer barrels were made.
The first residents of Little France spoke only French. Individual farms were typically small, the barns being connected to the houses in the old European manner. Women worked in the fields alongside the men. The people wore wooden shoes, called sabots, which they made themselves. The women were vigorous and hardy, and often walked to Salina, carrying their produce on one hip and their babies on the other, the latter to be baptized at St. John’s (this in the days before the people of Little France had their own church).
Feeling the need of holding religious devotions locally, the people of Little France joined together about 1835 for this purpose. Meetings were held in various houses at an appointed time, when the rosary was recited and mass prayers were read in French (or occasionally German) by the oldest man present. According to records of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Syracuse, the first mass of the newly organized St. Francis Catholic Church was held in the barn of FX Piguet in 1837. Father Guerdet, of St. John the Baptist in Salina, celebrated this first mass. To assist in the building of a chapel, Anthony Besanson offered an acre of land on the public highway, now County Route 84. The chapel was completed and first used about 1842. In 1854 a religious society was legally incorporated, known as The Catholic Church of Hastings and West Monroe. Anthony Courbat, Joseph Mouhat, and Francis Tackley served as the first trustees.
The will of FX Piguet, dated 12 Jan. 1844 at Hastings, begins with a religious preamble: “I resign my Soul into the hands of Almighty God, hoping and believing in a remission of my sins by and through the sacraments and meditation of Jesus Christ, and my body I commit to the earth, to be buried at the discretion of my family who may survive me.” He devised his entire estate, both real and personal, to his wife “Jane Baptiste.” FX directed that after his wife’s death his estate was to be divided equally among his children or their heirs. He appointed his “respected friend” Joseph Meusy and his son Francis executors, and signed the document with a mark. Witnesses were Joseph Meusy, Etienne Morel, and Peter Devendorf.
The proceedings to prove the will of FX Piguet were held at 10 o’clock a.m., 16 Dec. 1853, at the Empire House in Mexico, NY. Present at this session of the Oswego County Surrogate Court, presided over by J. Brown, were FX’s children and in-laws, Anthony and Peter “Piggit,” Joseph Mouhat, Anthony Heppe, Jane Piggit, widow, and Peter Devendorf, guardian of the children of Francis Piggit, deceased. Devendorf testified that he had known the deceased “for upwards of 20 years immediately previous to his death,” being a resident of the town of Hastings. He stated that it was he who drew the will, and that Joseph Meusy, one of the witnesses, acted as interpreter for FX: “I do not understand French and could only communicate with deceased through an interpreter. But the other two witnesses, together with the deceased’s family, were French. And all who were French but myself understood French, as I believe.”
At this same session, Joseph Meusy testified that he was a resident of West Monroe, and that he was
Well acquainted with the deceased, having lived within half a mile of him from 1837 till his death July 4th last. The French language is my mother tongue. On the occasion of the execution, and before it (the will) was signed at the request of the witness, Mr. Devendorf, I acted as interpreter in communicating the contents of the instrument to deceased. I read it over myself and fully understood its contents, and then explained to deceased its contents and translated it to him in the French language. I do not doubt deceased fully understood the contents of the instrument from my translation of it to him, as above mentioned. At the request of Mr. Devendorf I put to deceased in French the question he dictated in English, which was in substance to deceased whether it was his last will and testament. Deceased answered in the affirmative, both in French and English. Mr. Morel, the other witness, was present and must have heard this as he was near enough to hear it. He is a Frenchman and understands and speaks the French language. The deceased was somewhat feeble at this time in bodily health, but his mind was sound as usual and was competent to transact business and dispose of property. He acted freely and without any apparent restraint in executing will.
A statement was appended to the testimony, which reads: “Francis Piggit, one of the executors named in the will, is now deceased.”
Peter Devendorf stated as a part of his testimony, “I understood [FXP] was naturalized: he voted at election without objection.” The Oswego County Records Center’s Naturalizations Index reveals that proceedings took place for “Francis N. Piquot,” born in 1774 (sic.), on 17 Feb. 1836 at the Oswego Courthouse. Witnesses were Joseph Torrey of Mexico, NY, and John Reymond of Constantia, NY.
After the death of Jane Piguet in Nov. 1863, the heirs of her estate, in order to make an agreeable settlement, auctioned the farmstead. At a special term of the Supreme Court, held 6 July 1864 at Oswego, a judgment “between John P. Peggie and Mary A. Peggie, plaintiffs, against Lewis Peggie, Angeline Peggie, Anthony Peggie, Genette Peggie, Josephine Heppe, Francis Thomas (Tamisiea), Mary A. Mohat, Joseph Peggie, Mary Peggie, Catherine Peggie, John Peter Peggie, Fanny Peggie, Mary Peggie, Francis Peggie, Joseph Vene, Josephine Vene, Julia Pettit, Francis Vene, Alvin Vene, Mary Bezonson, Mary A. Musey, Emilena Smith, Victor Peggie, Sarah Peggie, Elizabeth Peggie, John Peggie, Jane Peggie, Adaline Peggie, Peter Vena & Lewis Vine, minors by Alvin Richardson, guardian, etc.,” ordered that the premises be sold at public auction under the direction of John J. Lamone, court-appointed referee.
In compliance with Court order, the Piguet farm was sold at public auction, 22 Oct. 1864, being “struck off” to the highest bidder, Julius John Baptist Cordier of Hastings. The winning bid was in the amount of $810.00. The premises thus sold were described as being part of subdivision #4, lot #12, beginning at the northwest corner of said subdivision, thence westerly along a line of marked trees to the northwest corner of the said subdivision to a stake seven links southwest from a beech tree marked one, two, three and four, thence southerly by a line parallel with the eastern boundaries of said lot, so far as to make fifty acres. Thence easterly by a line parallel in the northern boundary to the eastern boundary of said lot #12, thence northerly along said eastern boundary to the place of beginning—containing aforesaid fifty acres (103/200).
FX and Jane Piguet are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, County Route 37, about one mile south of the four corners at Little France. These grounds are located upon a small hill, at the foot of Upper Big Bay Creek. In 1848 Anthony Besanson deeded the lands comprising the cemetery to the Little France community members. Some of the grantees are Francois Heppe, John Heppe, Zavier Piquet, Joseph Besanson, Joseph Mohat, Antoine Zepper, Francis Pattat, Auguste Besanson, Antoine Piquet, Francois Piquet, Francois Mohat, Jaques Besanson, George Mohat, James Patta, Martin Bourlier, Francois Besanson, and Jean Jacques Besanson.
Children of FX Piguet and Jeanne Baptiste Rigaud: (Anglicized variants in parentheses):
Francois (Francis) b. 06 Apr 1800 d. 20 Sep 1853
Jeanne Rigaud (Jane R.) b. abt 1805 d. 11 Apr 1855
Josephine R. b. 19 Jul 1806 d. 12 May 1864
Francoise (Frances) b. 23 Dec 1807 d. 02 Apr 1888
Marguerite bp. 15 Nov 1812 d. bef 1827
Marie Anne (Mary Ann) b. 25 Jan 1815 d. 18 Mar 1876
Jacques bp. 01 Nov 1817 d. bef 1827
Jean Pierre (John Peter) b. 14 Nov 1818 d. 29 Aug 1908
Jean Louis (John Lewis) b. 25 Aug 1821 d. 17 Nov 1904
Francois Antoine (Anthony) b. 01 Apr 1827 d. Oct 1872
Jean Pierre (John Peter) Piguet, son of FX and Jane, was born 14 Nov. 1818 (baptized the same day) at Mezire, Belfort, France and died 29 Aug. 1908, age 89, at his daughter Adaline Hepp’s residence in Liverpool, Onondaga Co., NY. He immigrated to New York State with his parents in 1827. Peter’s descendants most commonly use “Piquet” as their surname.
He married Marie Anne (Mary Ann) Mouhat, sister of Paul Joseph Mouhat; she was born 14 Oct. 1815 in Grandvillars, Belfort, France and died 8 Apr. 1890, age 74, in Mallory, NY. They are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France, NY.
When a young married couple, Peter and Mary Ann lived on a farm near Mallory. In 1851 they moved to the town of Cicero, settling on Mud Mill Road, south of Brewerton. By a deed dated 30 Mar. 1869, between the heirs of Frank B. Cushington of the first part, and Peter “Piggie,” of the second part, the latter was granted 57 acres of land on subdivision #5, lot #31, consideration $1.00 (176/106). On 1 Apr. 1869 he purchased 40 acres on lot #s 21 and 30, and 3 acres of land adjoining this purchase on lot #21, from George Shield and wife, consideration $3,000.00 (176/148).
After his wife’s death, Peter moved to his daughter Adaline Heppe’s residence on Oswego Street in Liverpool. At this place, on 14 Nov. 1906, his relatives gave him a birthday party. The article covering the event stated that,
Mr. Piquet is in good health and seemed to enjoy himself immensely in the midst of his progeny. Tall and with a snow white beard and hair his form is but little bowed by years, and he still exhibits the good nature characteristic of his birthplace in France. Every year some one of his children gives a party in honor of his birthday. Mr. Piquet said yesterday that he had no intention of dying for some time yet. Both Mr. and Mrs. Piquet, the latter now seventeen years deceased, were born in Northern France.
Catherine Piguet Clarke, his great-niece, said of him, “I remember him so well—a real lively old man with snow white hair, a pleasant smile for all & a whole arm wave, not just the hand” (Letter, 25 Jan. 1969).
Geherin Ed. Note: According to Landmarks of Oswego County (1895), by John Churchill, the children of Jean Pierre Piquet and Marie Anne (Mouhat) Piquet included Mary Ann Courbat, Adaline Hepp, Frank, Elizabeth Maurer, George and Anthony, Jane Kramer, John, Mathew, Francis and Margaret, now of West Monroe. The 1880 Census lists the Cicero, NY, household of Peter “Piggie”, 63, farmer, Maryann, 65, wife, both born in France, daughter Margret, 29, at home, born in NY, son Francis, 22, laborer, and niece Ida, 4, and nephew George, 6. (Neighbors of daughter Adaline Hepp.) Circa 1886, daughter Margaret Piquet, who was born in March 1852 according to the 1900 census, married Henry Robinson, who appears on the 1880 census as a 22 year old farm laborer living in the Hastings, NY household of his parents.
(Geherin Ed. Note: From this point forward, the narrative concerns Piguet descendants not part of the Geherin family line. However, the research offers many intriguing details—including Civil War service—concerning Piguet family history and 19th century life in upstate New York.)
Francois (Francis) Piguet, son of FX and Jane, was born 6 Apr. 1800, probably near Grandvillars, Belfort, France, and died 20 Sept. 1853, age 53 years and 5 months, at his farm on Morey Road, West Monroe, NY. He immigrated to New York State as a single man, age 27, aboard the “Crescent” from LeHavre, arriving at the port of New York on 12 July 1827. His parents and siblings accompanied him on the journey.
He married, as “Francis Pegg,” in Dec. 1829 at Mexico, NY, Marie Taiclet (Mary Tackley) of Cicero, NY, (Onondaga Register, 16 Dec. 1829), daughter of Jean Baptiste Taiclet and his first wife, Marie Bourguenot. She was born 28 June 1810 at Grandvillars, Belfort, France and died 11 Apr. 1897, age 86, on Morey Road, West Monroe. Mary’s father and step-mother immigrated to Oswego County from the Belfort area about 1827 (though not on the “Crescent”), settling at first in Little France and later near Colosse. Family tradition indicates that Mary was a clairvoyant and a “Spiritist,” who had “wonderful foresight.” “She said some rather strange and wonderful things,” remarked her great-granddaughter, Mabel (Piguet) Merrill.
Francis made his declaration of intent to become a citizen, as “Francis Pigot,” 2 Sept. 1840 at the Onondaga County Courthouse. He swore the Oath of Allegiance on 24 Feb. 1846 and was admitted, character witnesses being Dominick Prudhon and George Cholet. Francis signed the document with an “X.” Present on the latter occasion, to swear his own oath, was “Lewis Pigot,” younger brother of Francis (Onondaga Naturalizations, 1802-1859, Vol. L-Z).
Catherine Piguet Clarke, daughter of Peter J. Piguet, claimed that her grandfather’s full name may have been “John Francis,” although no conclusive proof of this has been found. He is indicated in Churchill’s 1895 History of Oswego County, New York as “Francis V.” (Victor?).
Francis was living in Cicero, Onondaga County before his marriage in late 1829. Mrs. Clarke said that for the first two years after emigrating, her grandfather and his future bride, Mary Tackley, worked for the French owner of the Cicero Hotel, on Route 11. This seems correct, based upon the record. After his marriage, Francis
Worked in the salt works in Syracuse for some time. And his mother & Mary Tackley used to walk up from their homes [in Oswego County], stay all night & walk back, as my Father used to tell us, with a baby on one hip & a jar of butter on the other & bring back what they got for the butter & [return with their] babies the same way (Catherine Clarke letter, postmarked 25 Jan. 1969 from Albany, NY).
For the story of Francis and Mary Piguet’s early married life, we look to the village of Salina, where their first two children were born (and perhaps others). The following paragraphs detailing the history of the salt industry at Salina are from Syracuse Landmarks, ed. Evamaria Hardin (1990, Onondaga Historical Assn.):
Because of salt, Salina is older than Syracuse. As early as 1790, squatters were living on the state-owned land surrounding the lake. They set up clusters of iron boiling kettles to evaporate brine from the salt springs and produce salt crystals. It was a shantytown with temporary dwellings of dried mud or of bark and slabs. There was an abundance of fish and game, but swampland surrounding the settlement, mosquitoes, and “the fever” made for miserable living conditions. The commercial developments motivated the state to lay out and lease manufacturing lots, thus organizing production and land use. The major center of production, commercial trade, and home building focused at the southeast end of Onondaga Lake, which was soon called Salt Point.
Between 1798 and 1799, a village was laid out on the high ground immediately south of today’s Hiawatha Boulevard. Overlooking the salt-boiling operation close to the lake, the new community was called Salina. Although most houses where saltworkers and their families lived have been demolished, some of the Salina homes that belonged to salt manufacturers and administrators still exist. At one time, many salt boilers lived along the easterly stretches of Wolf Street and Hiwatha Boulevard, and in the area between the two streets.
The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the addition three years later of the Oswego Canal were tremendous boosts to the local salt industry. Salt blocks, groups of kettles set into rectangular stone foundations and covered with a wooden structure, began to crowd each other along the Oswego Canal. Beyond the canal, in the area now covered with oil storage tanks and often referred to as Oil City, were thousands of solar evaporating sheds. Making the kettles and barrels for salt operations became an equally important industry. Almost every farmhouse on the roads leading to Salina became a cooperage.
The will of Francis Piguet, dated 24 Aug. 1853 at West Monroe, devised to his wife, Mary, all his estate, both real and personal. His real estate consisted of 76 acres in the western section of lot #78, town of West Monroe. He directed his wife to “educate and provide for my children in non-age, ordering and directing that she shall have the sole control, disposal and supervision” of his property during her natural life. Francis stipulated that should Mary
Choose or think best to again become married during her widowhood, then and in such case her right to sell and dispose the whole or any part of the real or personal estate shall immediately cease and discontinue, but she shall notwithstanding have the care and sole supervision of the aforesaid property during her natural life. Whereas by my father Francis Xavier Piggit’s last will & testament I have become heir to seven and one half acres of land (after the decease of my mother Jane Baptiste) which land is situate in the town of Hastings…Now therefore I will order & direct, that if my said beloved wife Mary should outlive or survive my said Mother, that the said land shall be sold to the best advantage, and the avails to be prudently used by her for the future support of herself & my surviving children, or otherwise to be equally inherited by my children or their heirs.
Francis appointed his wife Mary and Francis Ouden executors of his will; witnesses were Philip Rea and Victoire Ouden (the latter Mary Piguet’s sister), both of West Monroe. The will was proved in open court at the Empire House in Mexico, 28 Oct. 1853. This session of the probate court was attended by the widow Mary Piguet and by Philip Rea, the appointed guardian of the minor children of Francis Piguet.
Mary (Tackley) Piguet married (2) between Nov. 1854 and June 1855, Constant DeGee; he was born in France in 1819, and died 28 July 1884, age 65, on Morey Road, West Monroe. He immigrated to Oswego County about Nov. 1854 (1855 West Monroe census). They lived on the Piguet farm on Morey Road, Mary continuing to live there with her son, Victor, after she was widowed a second time. Catherine Clarke said that Constant had a great love of head cheese, and “always had a pocketful of root licorice to divide with us children.” Mary DeGee is buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France, next to her two husbands.
Children:
Catherine b. 28 Jul 1832 d. 19 Dec 1913
Joseph b. 15 Apr 1834 d. 18 Jul 1864
Peter James b. 15 May 1837 d. 10 Jan 1920
Mary Ann b. 05 Jan 1839 d. 24 Oct 1882
Francis b. 04 Nov 1841 d. 11 Feb 1933
Victor b. 13 Sep 1843 d. 27 Nov 1923
Sarah b. 16 Aug 1845 d. 10 May 1937
Elizabeth b. 08 Jan 1848 d. 06 Sep 1927
Janette Olive b. 29 Nov 1849 d. 30 Apr 1924
Adaline Fidelia b. 14 Sep 1852 d. 13 Oct 1939
Jeanne Rigaud (Jane) (2) Piguet, daughter of FX and Jane, was born about 1805 near Belfort, France and died 11 Apr. 1855, age 49, at Little France, NY. She married Jean Pierre (John Peter) Vinet/Vinney before July 1827 in France; he was born about 1801 and died 17 Apr. 1866, age 65, in Little France. As a young married couple with no children, Jane and John Peter Vinney immigrated to Oswego County aboard the “Crescent” from LeHavre, arriving at the port of New York 12 July 1827. Accompanying the couple were Jane’s parents and siblings. They are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France.
Josephine R. (2) Piguet, daughter of FX and Jane, was born 19 July 1806 near Belfort, France and died 12 May 1864, age 57, at Little France, NY. She married Antoine (Anthony) Heppe, Jr. after 1827 in Oswego County; he was born 5 Feb. 1805 in France and died 30 Apr. 1886, age 81, at Little France. Anthony sailed with his parents aboard the “Crescent” from LeHavre. In 1860 Josephine and Anthony lived in Brewerton, Onondaga Co. They are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France.
Francoise (Frances) (2) Piguet, daughter of FX and Jane, was born 23 Dec. 1807 near Belfort, France and died 2 Apr. 1888, age 80, in Boomer township, Pottawattamie Co., IA. Coming to New York State with her parents in 1827, she married Jean (John) Tamisiea/Tamasy; he was born 30 Nov. 1798 near Belfort, France, and died 4 Dec. 1869, age 71, in Boomer township, IA. In 1850 the Tamisieas were living in the town of Hastings; by 1855 they had settled in Iowa.
Marie Anne (Mary Ann) (2) Piguet, daughter of FX and Jane, was born 25 Jan. 1815 (baptized 28 Feb. 1815) at Mezire, Belfort, France and died 18 Mar. 1876, age 61, at Honey Creek, Pottawattamie Co., IA. She immigrated to New York State with her parents in 1827, and married between 1835-183, Paul Joseph Mouhat/Mohat; he was born 16 Sept. 1807 in Grandvillars, Belfort, France and died 7 Mar. 1887 at Honey Creek, IA. Joseph was one of the first trustees of the St. Francis Catholic Church in Little France, NY. He declared his intention to become naturalized 9 June 1847 at the Onondaga County Courthouse; witnesses were Dominic Prudhon and Peter “Picgot” (Onondaga County Naturalizations, 1802-1859, Vol. L-Z).
Joseph and Mary Ann Mouhat were living in the town of Hastings in 1850; by 1856 the family had settled in Boomer township, IA. They are buried in Bridget Cemetery, Loveland, IA.
Jean Louis (John Lewis) (2) Piguet/Pegar, son of FX and Jane, was born probably at Mezire, Belfort, France 25 Aug. 1821 and died 17 Nov. 1904, age 83, at Sioux City, IA. He immigrated to New York State with his parents when a child of six years of age. His descendants adopted “Pegar” and its variants as their surname.
Under the name “Lewis Pigot” he was admitted a citizen, 24 Feb. 1846 at the Onondaga County Courthouse; witnesses were Dominick Prudhon and George Cholet (Onondaga County Naturalization, 1802-1859, Vol. L-Z). His brother Francis was naturalized the same day.
Lewis married in 1847, probably in Salina, NY, Angeline Emile/Emily; she was born 9 Oct. 1830 Lower Canada (Quebec) and died 10 Sept. 1907, age 76, in Sioux City, IA. Family tradition indicates that Angeline was of part Indian blood, perhaps a “halfbreed.” The family adopted two Indian girls, and posed for a portrait with them, in Sioux City.
In 1850 Lewis and Angeline were living with his parents in the town of Hastings. In 1855 they resided in the town of Constantia; Lewis’s occupation is given as “collier.” The family moved to Dubuque, IA about 1857, and in 1860 they settled in Honey Creek, IA. They moved to Sioux City in 1878, residing at 1812 Omaha Street, where Lewis died. The Pegars are buried in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City.
Francois Antoine (Anthony) (2) Piguet/Piquet, son of FX and Jane, was born 1 Apr. 1827 (baptized 4 Apr. 1827) at Mezire, Belfort, France and died in Oct. 1872, age 45, probably near Dubuque, IA. He immigrated to New York State with his parents when he was less than a year old. Anthony married about 1850 in Oswego Co., NY, Jeannette Rosina Meusy/Musick, daughter of Joseph Meusy of West Monroe, friend and interpreter for FX Piguet (see under account of same). She was born in 1833, probably in Oswego Co., and died in 1919, aged about 76, in Cambridge, Furnas Co., NE. They had eight children. Jeannette married (2) in 1874, Augustine Arthaud of Hazelton, Buchannan Co., IA.
Catherine (3) Piguet, daughter of Francis and Mary, was born 28 July 1832 in Salina, Onondaga Co., NY and died 19 Dec. 1913, age 81, in Hastings, NY. She married before 1850, widower Jacob Xavier Cottet; he was born 1 Sept. 1823 in Grandvillars, Belfort, France and died 19 Dec. 1892, age 69, in West Monroe, NY. He was a cooper and farmer. The Cottets are buried in St. Francis Cemetery.
Joseph (Joe) (3) Piguet, son of Francis and Mary, was born 15 Apr. 1834 in Salina, NY (now the First Ward of Syracuse) and died 18 July 1864, age 30, at “Fort Pocahontas,” Wilson’s Landing, VA. Joe was a cooper by trade. According to enlistment records, he had a fair complexion, stood 5’10”, and had “black” eyes and brown hair.
Joe married 2 June 1855 in West Monroe, NY, Mary Ann (Millie) Jones, daughter of Glaude Jones and Francoise [---] his wife. She was born in France in Aug. 1832 and died 11 Feb. 1903, age 70, at her son William Gearsbeck’s home on Whig Hill Rd., West Monroe. Mary Ann emigrated from France about 1854 (1855 census), probably with her parents. Nothing is known of her father, but her mother, Frances, was born 1798-1799 in France and died 1 Nov. 1870, age 71, in West Monroe, NY. Frances Jones is buried next to her son, Charles Jones, in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France. Undoubtedly, “Jones” is an Anglicized version of the proper surname. Family tradition says that the ship Mary Ann embarked upon was lost on the Atlantic for some time, and the passengers were in danger of starvation.
When first married, Joe and Millie Piguet lived on a small farm on Morey Road, West Monroe, the next place east of Constant and Mary DeGee’s farm. In 1860, as Joseph “Piggar,” he was living in town with his wife and three children. By a deed dated 2 Sept. 1861, from Martin and Victoire Cottet of the town of West Monroe, Joseph “Peggy” of the same place purchased a farm on lot #43, town of West Monroe, consideration $240.00. This purchase consisted of 40 acres, beginning at the southwest corner of said lot, bordering on the east Joseph Bowman’s farm (89/523). Modern directions locate this place on the northwest corner of Dutch Road and County Route 84, West Monroe. The dwelling house sat on the south side of the road, two houses west of Dutch Road.
He volunteered on 14 Jan. 1864 at Dewitt, NY to serve in Company E, 16th Regiment Heavy Artillery, for three years or until the conclusion of the war. This unit, according to New York in the War of the Rebellion (Albany, 1897), was organized at New York City in the early autumn of 1863 by Col. Joseph Morrison. The regiment served as heavy artillery and infantry at Fort Monroe, Yorktown, and Gloucester Point, VA. At the latter place the regiment participated in an engagement, 23 June 1864. From Dec. 1864, companies E and H were part of a separate brigade stationed at Fort Pocahontas. In July 1865 the regiment was again united, being honorably discharged and mustered out, 21 Aug. 1865.
While serving with the Federal batteries along the James River, Joseph contracted yellow fever and died in a camp hospital at Wilson’s Landing. The lowland areas surrounding the James River are fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes. During the war, the cause of yellow fever was not positively known. It was supposed that “swamp miasmas,” or, quite simply, bad air, were the agents spreading this malady, which struck the Northern troops severely. Wilson’s Landing (or Wharf) is located in present-day Charles City County, on the banks of the James River, about 15 miles east of Richmond. Joseph’s brother, Victor, was a member of the same regiment, and was at his side when he died. Several descendants recalled that they had been told Joe died of “homesickness;” however, official records indicate that his death was due to disease—“nature of disease not stated.”
Joseph was originally interred in the camp where he had died, at Wilson’s Landing. His remains were removed, about 1866, with other war dead and reinterred in Glendale National Cemetery, Richmond. The historic battlefields of Glendale and Malvern Hill are nearby. Joseph is buried in section C, grave #302. In May 1995 the compiler visited his gravesite, and observed his headstone, which records his last name as “Piggah.”
Mary Ann (Jones) Piguet married (2) 18 Apr. 1870 in West Monroe, Jacob Gearsbacher/ Gearsbeck; he was born in June 1843 in Baden, Germany and died 16 Nov. 1878, age 35, in West Monroe. Jacob left a will, dated 28 Aug. 1878, excerpts of which read: I Jacob Gearsbacker of the town of West Monroe in the County of Oswego and State of New York of the age of 35 years and being of sound mind and memory, do make & publish this my last will. To my wife, Mary Gearsbacker, all real estate in the town of West Monroe known as my farm, containing fifty acres of land, being the southerly fifty acres of lot #44. I devise to my wife Mary Gersbacker all my personal estate for the term of her natural life. After her decease to be disposed as follows: To Charles Piquet her oldest son the sum of $300.00. To Sarah Piquet & Elizabeth Scouton each one hundred dollars. To son William Gearsbacker all the residue of my estate. I nominate George Alletzhauser to be executor. [Signed] Jacob Gersbacker [L.S.]. Witnesses Wm. Ostrum, West Monroe, and Elias Gersbacker, Cicero.
The person estate of Jacob Gearsbeck was valued at $200.00, and his real estate at $1,500.00. His farm was located on Dutch Road, West Monroe. He and Mary Ann Gearsbeck are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France. From Mar. 1902 until her death, Mary lived with her son, William Gearsbeck, on his farm on Whig Hill Road. She was a pensioned widow due to the wartime service of her first husband.
Children (of Joseph Piguet & Mary Ann Jones):
Alfred b. 06 Jun 1854 d. 1865-1870
Charles Joseph b. 02 Apr 1856 d. 19 Jun 1927
Sarah S. b. 09 Sep 1859 d. 19 Mar 1928
Elizabeth b. 20 Sep 1861 d. aft 1928
Children (of Mary Ann Jones Piguet & Jacob Gearsbeck):
Mary b. 27 Mar 1871 d. 22 Feb 1872
William Jacob b. 14 Feb 1873 d. 1931
Peter James (3) Piguet/Piggah, son of Francis and Mary, was born 15 May 1837 in West Monroe, NY and died 10 Jan. 1920 (gravestone says 1919), age 82, in Syracuse, NY. He married 7 Oct. 1860 in Constantia, Frances Lawton (Fanny) West; she was born 3 Oct. 1843 in Constantia and died 26 Feb. 1909, age 65, in West Monroe, NY.
He volunteered as a private in Company H, 147th NY Infantry, 23 Aug. 1862, serving until the end of the war. He was wounded in action at Gettysburg during the first day’s fighting, 1 July 1863. Thereafter he served in the Invalid Corps, being honorably discharged at war’s end.
Peter’s farm was located at the sharp curve on Pinnacle Road, West Monroe. He and his wife are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France.
Mary Ann (3) Piguet, daughter of Francis and Mary, was born 5 Jan. 1839 and died 24 Oct. 1882, age 43, in West Monroe, NY. She married Louis Rouche/Rushey; he was born about 1840 in France and died 18 Oct. 1912, age 72, at Little France, NY. Louis was a cooper by trade. They are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France.
Francis (3) Piguet, son of Francis and Mary, was born 4 Nov. 1841 and died 11 Feb. 1933, age 91. He married about 1865, Mary Ann Besanson; she was born in July 1843. They lived in West Monroe. Catherine Clarke said of him, “He could not enlist on account of a fever sore he had from 7 years old the rest of his life. He was smaller than the others.” Like his brothers, Francis was a cooper by trade; he lived on Morey Road, West Monroe as a young man. The 1880 Hastings census lists his occupation as “salt barrel maker.”
Victor (3) Piguet, son of Francis and Mary, was born 13 Sept. 1843 in Constantia, NY and died 27 Nov. 1923, age 80, at the home of his nephew, Charles Victor Dick, in Sodus, Wayne Co., NY. Victor is buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France. A cooper by trade, he enlisted with his older brother, Joe, as a private in Company D, 16th NY Heavy Artillery, on 14 Jan. 1864 in Dewitt. He was at his brother’s side when Joe died of yellow fever along the James River. Victor was honorably discharged with his regiment in Aug. 1865 at Washington, DC. He was single.
On 16 Mar. 1886, consideration $150.00, he purchased his father’s farm from the heirs of Francis Piguet. The property described was the west half of lot #78, town of West Monroe, consisting of 19 acres. The grantors were Catherine Cottet, Francis Piquet, Sarah Tucker of Hastings, Peter Piquet, Adaline West, Jane O. Williams, Sarah Dick, Elizabeth Pickney, Charles Piquet, Elizabeth Scouten of the town of West Monroe, all heirs of the late deceased Francis Piguet.
Sarah (3) Piguet, daughter of Francis and Mary, was born 16 Aug. 1845 and died 10 May 1937, age 91, in West Monroe, NY. She married Phillip Dick; he was born in 1841 in Onondaga Co., NY and died 25 May 1917, aged about 76, in West Monroe, NY, a cooper by trade. They are buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Little France.
Elizabeth (3) Piguet, daughter of Francis and Mary, was born 8 Jan. 1848 and died 6 Sept. 1927, age 79. She married Louis Pickney/Piquigney; he was born in France about 1841 and was living in West Monroe in 1892. He enlisted 20 Jan. 1864 in the 16th Regiment of Heavy Artillery, at Dewitt, NY., and was transferred to Company I, 6th Heavy Artillery, 10 May 1864.
Janette Olive (Jane) (3) Piguet, daughter of Francis and Mary, was born 29 Nov. 1849 and died 30 Apr. 1924, age 74, in West Monroe, NY. She married 10 Mar. 1886 in St. Francis Catholic Church, Little France, Eugene C. Williams/Guilliaume; he was born in 1849 in France and died in West Monroe in 1913, aged about 64. They are buried in St. Francis Cemetery.
Adaline Fidelia (3) Piguet, daughter of Francis and Mary, was born 14 Sept. 1852 in West Monroe and died 13 Oct. 1939, age 86, in Brewerton, NY. She married 23 Jan. 1876, Peleg Edwin (Ed) West; he was born 22 May 1847 in Constantia, NY and died 28 Mar. 1942, age 94, in Brewerton. His sister, Frances, had married Peter J. Piguet. Ed enlisted in Co. F, 189th NY Infantry, in 1864. He was employed by the NYC Railroad.
They were living in West Monroe in 1892, and moved in 1913 to Route 11, Brewerton, NY. They are buried in West Monroe Rural Cemetery.
Alfred (4) Piguet, son of Joseph and Mary, was born 6 June 1854 in West Monroe (pension application of Mary Gearsbeck). He poses somewhat of a genealogical problem, for his birth date was nearly a year previous to the marriage of his parents. Census records agree with other documentation concerning the birth date. It may be possible that the marriage date given in Mary Gearsbeck’s application should have read 1853 rather than 1855. Alfred died young, between 1865-1870.
Charles Joseph (Charlie) (4) Piguet, son of Joseph and Mary, was born 2 Apr. 1856 on Morey Road, West Monroe and died 19 June 1927, age 71, at his farm on Dutch Road, West Monroe. He was a farmer and coal-dealer, and was Commissioner of Highways, West Monroe, in 1894-1895. Victoria Rego of West Monroe assisted with his birth, according to Mary Gearsbeck’s application. Rego also assisted with the births of Charles’s sisters, Sarah and Elizabeth.
Charles Piguet, Monroe Fidler, and William Gearsbeck at one time managed the West Monroe charcoal industry. Wood was cut in four-foot lengths and stacked endwise to form a pyramid, which was then covered with dirt. The fire was started with just enough draft to cause the wood to turn to charcoal, but not ashes. Eighteen to twenty cords of wood made 800 to 1000 bushels of charcoal after about three weeks of burning, being then transported to Syracuse in deep-box wagons.
He married (1) Frances A. Fidler; she was born 8 Aug. 1852 and died 2 June 1887, age 34, in West Monroe. He married (2) Catherine R. (Kate) Sly, daughter of Justus P. Sly and Ellen Cronon (see SLY) of West Monroe; she was born 16 Apr. 1868 at Union Settlement, West Monroe and died 24 May 1939, age 71, at West Monroe. Charles is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Mallory, NY, next to his two wives.
Sarah S. (4) Piguet, daughter of Joseph and Mary, was born 9 Sept. 1859 on Morey Road, West Monroe and died, from diabetes mellitus, 19 Mar. 1928, age 68, at Hungry Lane, Hastings Center. She married 22 Feb. 1880, George W. (Mike) Tucker, son of Richard Colston Tucker and Mary Came (see TUCKER) of Hastings Center; he was born 4 May 1858 in the town of Hastings and died 9 July 1929, age 71, in the village of Central Square. They were farmers on Hungry Lane, Hastings Center.
Sarah Tucker was a kind mother, devoted to her family life. Although a Catholic married to a Protestant, she remained faithful to Catholicism and attended mass at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Little France. Her children, however, were raised Protestant, to satisfy her husband. Sarah’s obituary says “she had lived for 47 years in the house where she died.” George and Sarah’s 48th wedding anniversary was celebrated at home during the latter’s final illness; all of her surviving children and their families were present.
Elizabeth (Libbie) (4) Piguet, daughter of Joseph and Mary, was born 20 Sept. 1861 in West Monroe. She married (1) before 1878, [James?] Scouten, and (2) before 1928, [---] Zimmerman. Elizabeth was living in Hastings in 1880 with her son, Charles Scouten, and was residing in Syracuse at the time of her sister, Sarah Tucker’s, death in 1928.
