General Louis de Reynaud

Most of the Reno/Reneau family in America can be traced to Louis de Reynaud, a Huguenot and native of Angoumois in the Bordeaux region of France. He entered the military service of the Duc de Crequy whose domains included the area around Bordeaux as well as other extensive fiefs in the north of France around the Pax de Calais. After many campaigns during the Spanish Wars, Reynaud rose to the rank of general, and around 1630, he married Frances d'Hamel de Douvrin. At least three sons were born to this union between 1630 and 1640 at the Reynaud residence in the Chaillot section of Paris.

Sherman Reno's manuscript includes information on the possible origin of the Reynaud family in France prior to 1600, but few records are available and much of the prior history of the family must be based on speculation. Louis Reynaud's ancestry in France is unlikely ever to be established because most of the records seem to have been destroyed. Prior to the nineteenth century, virtually the only records of births, marriages and deaths in France are to be found in the various church registers. These are amazingly complete for the Catholic churches, but because of the civil strife during the Counter Reformation, most of the records of the protestant churches were destroyed.

Children of LOUIS REYNAUD and FRANCES DE DOUVRIN are:

2. i. Pierre2 Reynaud, b. 1632, Paris, France; d. September 11, 1718, Dublin, Ireland.

3. ii. Louis Reynaud, b. Bet. 1630 - 1640, Chaillot section, Paris, France; d. Aft. 1695.

4. iii. Benjamin Reynaud, b. Bet. 1630 - 1640, Chaillot section, Paris, France; d. Aft. April 1712, Currituck, North Carolina.

Two of Louis de Reynaud's sons, Louis and Benjamin, arrived in Stafford County, Virginia by early October 1688. According to the book "Landmarks of Old Prince William" by Fairfax Harrison (1924) and an article by Dollye M. Elliott in the Colonial Genealogist 9(2):58-62, many of the Huguenots who came to the Northern Neck of Virginia did so under a business venture by Nicholas Hayward, who made speculative investments in the English colonies from Virginia to Hudson Bay. Nicholas' brother Samuel Hayward was the Clerk of Stafford County, Virginia, and Hayward, George Brent, Robert Bristow and Richard Foot, four English businessmen, had secured a 30,000 acre proprietorship between Cedar Run and Broad Run in the northern Neck of Virginia from Lord Culpeper that was originally intended as a colony for Huguenot and catholic refugees from England. French expatriates in London were sought out by businessmen with land holdings in the colonies of Virginia and Carolina who offered promises and provisions to entice the Huguenots to settle there (including Letters of Denization, and bounty payments to the settlers). Thus, Nicholas Hayward essentially recruited Louis and Benjamin Reynaud and their families to settle on these proprietary lands in the northern neck of Virginia.

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General Louis DE REYNAUD(5) (206)(4) (2) was born in 1600 in Angoumois, Bordeaux, France. He died in 1665 in Chaillot, Paris, France. He married FRANCES D'HAMEL DE DOUVRIN Abt. 1630 in France. She was born Abt. 1600 in Bordeaux region, France. He has Ancestral File number GQMP-9D.

Children were: Louis DE REYNAUD , Benjamin DE REYNAUD, Peter Louis De REYNAUD.

The origin of the Reno family in America can be traced to religious events in their home country of France which culminated in the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. This Edict had allowed the French Protestants, which were later known as Huguenots, to live relatively free of religious persecution, but persecution of the Huguenots began immediately upon its revocation. Between 1685 and 1700, an estimated 400,000 French Huguenots were driven into exile. It was forbidden, under threat of death or imprisonment as a galley slave, for the Huguenots to leave France, so most who escaped took only what they could carry. Many went to England where they took out letters of Denization which permitted them to remain and to hold land in England or its colonies.

Most of the Reno family in America can be traced to Louis Reynaud, a Huguenot and native of Angoumois in the Bordeaux region of France. He entered the military service of the Duc de Crequy whose domains included the area around Bordeaux as well as other extensive fiefs in the north of France around the Pax de Calais. (source: The Reno Family, ms. by Sherman Reno; The Reno Family, ms. by William L. Reno, Jr. 1975). Sherman Reno's manuscript includes information on the possible origin of the Reynaud family in France prior to 1600, but few records are available and much of the prior history of the family must be based on speculation.

Numerous spelling variations of the Reno name have appeared in records during the past 300 years in America, such as Reno, Reneau, Reynaud, Rheno, Rennoe, Renoe, Rhyno, and others. Many of the records, such as census records, were spelled phonetically and the records themselves cannot be relied upon. However, various documents signed by Renos appear with various spellings over the years, and the variations Reno and Reneau are common to this day. The Huguenot immigrants, having fled France for a British Colony, adopted the anglicized version of Reynaud, and especially during the French and Indian War when the French were the enemies of the British in the colonies it was desirable to dissociate themselves from the French. Lewis Reno wrote his name Reno when he signed a deed in 1711, and deeds from the Northern Neck Grant books and early Prince William County records have original signatures by Lewis Reno, Jr., Thomas Reno, Zeley Reno, and others with the spelling Reno. However, during the Revolutionary War the French became the allies of the colonists, and some family members returned to the French spelling.

The majority of Reno/Reneaus today can be traced to John Reneau and Susannah Thorne, who spelled their name Reneau in the family bible, which was last seen by Isaac Tipton Alexander Reneau in the 1930's (see appendix in Guy Reno ms.). For the purposes of this family tree, family lines that used the surname Reneau into the 1900's are listed under that spelling, but all others in America are spelled Reno even though documents with original signatures may have had an alternate spelling.

Perhaps the most famous member of the Reno family was Jesse Lee Reno, who was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. The city of Reno, Nevada; Reno County, Kansas; and several streets and small towns are named for him. His son, Jesse Wilford Reno, was an accomplished engineer who invented the escalator. In 1896, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the "inclined elevator" invented by Jesse Reno was ridden on by more than 75,000 people when it debuted for two weeks at Coney Island in New York.

Another famous Reno was Marcus A. Reno, a Brigadier General in the Civil War who later served as Major in the 7th calvary under the command of George Custer. Custer's widow tried to brand General Terry, Captain Benteen, and Major Reno as having done less than their duty in order to explain Custer's defeat. A Court of Inquiry into his actions during the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876 exonerated him of any blame, but he was dismissed from the Army in 1880 on a general charge of misconduct related to advances he made on another officer's wife. In 1967, his court martial was reopened and the original verdict of guilty was reversed, and he was restored to his full rank and honors. His body was reinterred in the Little Big Horn National Cemetery.

The Reno name was also made famous by the Reno Gang, a notorious band of train and bank robbers in Indiana just after the Civil War who may have decended from Revolutionary War veteran Zeley Reno (my 5th great-grandfather). The Reno Gang committed the world's first train robbery as well as a series of robberies and other crimes, and three of the brothers were eventually hung by vigilantes, causing a serious strain in relations between the United States and Great Britain because Frank Reno had been extradited from Canada to be tried.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~reneau/Reneau/reneau/d49.h...

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The origin of the Reno family in America can be traced to religious events in their home country of France which culminated in the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. This Edict had allowed the French Protestants, which were later known as Huguenots, to live relatively free of religious persecution, but persecution of the Huguenots began immediately upon its revocation. Between 1685 and 1700, an estimated 400,000 French Huguenots were driven into exile. It was forbidden, under threat of death or imprisonment as a galley slave, for the Huguenots to leave France, so most who escaped took only what they could carry. Many went to England where they took out letters of Denization which permitted them to remain and to hold land in England or its colonies. 

Most of the Reno family in America can be traced to Louis Reynaud, a Huguenot and native of Angoumois in the Bordeaux region of France. He entered the military service of the Duc de Crequy whose domains included the area around Bordeaux as well as other extensive fiefs in the north of France around the Pax de Calais. (source: The Reno Family, ms. by Sherman Reno; The Reno Family, ms. by William L. Reno, Jr. 1975). Sherman Reno's manuscript includes information on the possible origin of the Reynaud family in France prior to 1600, but few records are available and much of the prior history of the family must be based on speculation.

Numerous spelling variations of the Reno name have appeared in records during the past 300 years in America, such as Reno, Reneau, Reynaud, Rheno, Rennoe, Renoe, Rhyno, and others. Many of the records, such as census records, were spelled phonetically and the records themselves cannot be relied upon. However, various documents signed by Renos appear with various spellings over the years, and the variations Reno and Reneau are common to this day. The Huguenot immigrants, having fled France for a British Colony, adopted the anglicized version of Reynaud, and especially during the French and Indian War when the French were the enemies of the British in the colonies it was desirable to dissociate themselves from the French. Lewis Reno wrote his name Reno when he signed a deed in 1711, and deeds from the Northern Neck Grant books and early Prince William County records have original signatures by Lewis Reno, Jr., Thomas Reno, Zeley Reno, and others with the spelling Reno. However, during the Revolutionary War the French became the allies of the colonists, and some family members returned to the French spelling.

The majority of Reno/Reneaus today can be traced to John Reneau and Susannah Thorne, who spelled their name Reneau in the family bible, which was last seen by Isaac Tipton Alexander Reneau in the 1930's (see appendix in Guy Reno ms.). For the purposes of this family tree, family lines that used the surname Reneau into the 1900's are listed under that spelling, but all others in America are spelled Reno even though documents with original signatures may have had an alternate spelling.

Perhaps the most famous member of the Reno family was Jesse Lee Reno, who was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. The city of Reno, Nevada; Reno County, Kansas; and several streets and small towns are named for him. His son, Jesse Wilford Reno, was an accomplished engineer who invented the escalator. In 1896, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the "inclined elevator" invented by Jesse Reno was ridden on by more than 75,000 people when it debuted for two weeks at Coney Island in New York.

Another famous Reno was Marcus A. Reno, a Brigadier General in the Civil War who later served as Major in the 7th calvary under the command of George Custer. Custer's widow tried to brand General Terry, Captain Benteen, and Major Reno as having done less than their duty in order to explain Custer's defeat. A Court of Inquiry into his actions during the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876 exonerated him of any blame, but he was dismissed from the Army in 1880 on a general charge of misconduct related to advances he made on another officer's wife. In 1967, his court martial was reopened and the original verdict of guilty was reversed, and he was restored to his full rank and honors. His body was reinterred in the Little Big Horn National Cemetery.

The Reno name was also made famous by the Reno Gang, a notorious band of train and bank robbers in Indiana just after the Civil War who may have decended from Revolutionary War veteran Zeley Reno (my 5th great-grandfather). The Reno Gang committed the world's first train robbery as well as a series of robberies and other crimes, and three of the brothers were eventually hung by vigilantes, causing a serious strain in relations between the United States and Great Britain because Frank Reno had been extradited from Canada to be tried.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~reynaud/reneau/d49.htm#P1505

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Most of the Reno family in America can be traced to Louis Reynaud, a Huguenot and native of Angoumois in the Bordeaux region of France. He entered the military service of the Duc de Crequy whose domains included the area around Bordeaux as well as other extensive fiefs int he northern part of France around the Pax de Calais. After many compaigans during the Spanish wars he rose to the rank of general, and around 18630 he married Frances d'Hamel de Douvrin. At least 3 sons were born between 1630 and 1640 at their residence in the Chaillot section of Paris, France (source: The Reno Family, ms. by Sherman Reno; The Reno Family, ms. by William L. Reno, Jr. 1975). Sherman Reno's manuscript includes information on the possible origin of the Reynaud family in France prior to 1600, but few records are available and much of the prior history of the family must be based on speculation.

links

• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/d/a/m/Sue-Reneau-Damewoo...
• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~reynaud/reneau/d49.htm#P1505

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From "Genealogy of the Reno Family in America, 1600 -1900 Second Edition 1999" by Steven G. Fancy

The origin of the Reynaud/Reno/Reneau family in America can be traced to religious events in their home country of France which culminated in the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The Reynauds went to England where they took out letters of Denization which permitted them to remain and to hold land in England or its colonies.

Numerous spelling variations of the Reno name have appeared in records during the past 300 years in America, such as Reno, Reneau, Reynaud, Rheno, Rennoe, Renoe, Rhyno, and others. Many of the records, such as census records, were spelled phonetically and the records themselves cannot be relied upon. However, various documents signed by Renos appear with various spellings over the years, and the variations Reno and Reneau are common to this day. The Huguenot immigrants, having fled France for a British Colony, adopted the anglicized version of Reynaud, and especially during the French and Indian War when the French were the enemies of the British in the colonies it was desirable to dissociate themselves from the French. Lewis Reno wrote his name Reno when he signed a deed in 1711, and deeds from the Northern Neck Grant books and early Prince William County records have original signatures by Lewis Reno, Jr., Thomas Reno, Zeley Reno, and others with the spelling Reno. However, during the Revolutionary War the French became the allies of the colonists, and some family members returned to the French spelling.

General Louis de Reynaud - Born about 1600 in Angoumois, Bordeaux, France

Most of the Reno/Reneau family in America can be traced to Louis de Reynaud, a Huguenot and native of Angoumois in the Bordeaux region of France. He entered the military service of the Duc de Crequy whose domains included the area around Bordeaux as well as other extensive fiefs in the north of France around the Pax de Calais. After many campaigns during the Spanish Wars, Reynaud rose to the rank of general, and around 1630, he married Frances d'Hamel de Douvrin. At least three sons were born to this union between 1630 and 1640 at the Reynaud residence in the Chaillot section of Paris.

Two of Louis de Reynaud's sons, Louis and Benjamin, arrived in Stafford County, Virginia by early October 1688. According to the book "Landmarks of Old Prince William" by Fairfax Harrison (1924) and an article by Dollye M. Elliott in the Colonial Genealogist 9(2):58-62, many of the Huguenots who came to the Northern Neck of Virginia did so under a business venture by Nicholas Hayward, who made speculative investments in the English colonies from Virginia to Hudson Bay. Nicholas' brother Samuel Hayward was the Clerk of Stafford County, Virginia, and Hayward, George Brent, Robert Bristow and Richard Foot, four English businessmen, had secured a 30,000 acre proprietorship between Cedar Run and Broad Run in the northern Neck of Virginia from Lord Culpeper that was originally intended as a colony for Huguenot and catholic refugees from England. French expatriates in London were sought out by businessmen with land holdings in the colonies of Virginia and Carolina who offered promises and provisions to entice the Huguenots to settle there (including Letters of Denization, and bounty payments to the settlers). Thus, Nicholas Hayward essentially recruited Louis and Benjamin Reynaud and their families to settle on these proprietary lands in the northern neck of Virginia.