Vincent Alexandre Chenet

Vincent is born on 6 October 1679 in Batiscan, and is baptized Vincent Tinchenet the next day in Champlain[1], son of Alexandre Tinchenet (also Techené orTechenay) and Marie Bouillou (also Bouillon).

Note: His being called Vincent Alexandre as would appear to be the case is a common occurrence at the time, sons were often also called by their father's name. The dit Chenet appears to be a deformation of the name Techené, the two sound very similar. Since 'dit' names were very frequent in this era, likely someone thought this was the case for him.

Vincent Alexandre dit Chenet [2]

Timeline:

1698: France made preparations for an expedition to establish a settlement in Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico. Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d'Iberville, was selected by Louis XIV, to lead the expedition. Pierre was born in Canada and was a sailor and explorer with military experience in Acadia and Newfoundland. 24 October 1698: A fleet of two ketches and two frigates left Brest, France. December 1698: The fleet arrived in Santa Domingo after 41 days at sea. 31 December 1698: Fleet left Santa Domingo 31 January 1699: The fleet anchored off Mobile Bay and from there move between Cat Island and Ship Island, Mississippi. 8 April, 1699: construction began on a fort on the eastern shore of Biloxi Bay, near present-day Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The fort was called "Maurepas". Conditions were poor at this location and a new fort was established in a different location named Fort Louis. It was the capital of the Louisiana region until 1711. January 1702: Vincent Alexandre Chenet and some 80 others who had remained at Fort Maurepas, were relocated to Fort Louis. The men at the fort were given lots for houses. Description of the houses: "The majority of houses built by the colonists consisted of vertical posts set upright in the groupnd with timbers notched and nailed between the framework A mortar compound of damp clay, sand and oyster shells was packed between the spaces in the timber." 1706: Jean Preau, a carpenter, who had sailed to Fort Louis from France on the ship Aigle along with his wife Anne Prevost, and their four daughters died. He was 48 years old. One of their daughters married a Canadian Vincent Alexandre. Life was harsh with very little support from the French government. Vincent Alexandre dit Chenet moved downstream along the river and began to plant tobacco. [This is the first time records show Vincent Alexandre being referred to using the "dit Chenet" name.] February 1708: The Colony leader was ordered by the King of France to remove the Canadians who had come with Iberville to Fort Maurepas from the payroll. The Canadians were understandably perturbed on receiving notice of their dismissal. Many of them such as Gilbert Dardenne and Vincent Alexandre, dit Chenet were married and doing their best to provide for their families. An arrangement of sorts was made and some of the Canadians traveled downstream to the southwesternmost corner of the bay near where the same Riviere-aux-poules forked to form an island. Vincent Alexandre, dit Chenet, recently married to Marie Preau, moved with her to this vicinity. [3] 11 March 1709, Marie Preau and Pierre's daughter Anne was born, named after her grandmother Anne Prevost Preau. Abt. 1710: son Vincent Alexandre Chenet II was born. 1711 Marie Maguerite Alexandre Chenet, was born on Dauphin Island. Abt. 1719: Francois Alexandre Chenet was born. Vincent Alexandre dit Chenet died between 1719 and 1721. 25 June 1721: Marie Preau is listed as "Widow Alexandre" on the census of the Habitants of Fort Louis of Mobile. She had four children and six animals. 18 September, 1724: Marie Preau, widow of Chenet, married Jean Baptiste Hervieux from Quebec. They had at least two children: Jean Baptiste II born 1 July, 1726 Marie Jeanne, born 16 March 1728. 16 February 1733: Marie married a third time to Jean Baptiste Louis Braguet de Seben. No known children at this time. 1740s: the Chenet and Hervieux children and Marie Preau were living in the New Orleans area. 1749: Marie Preau died in New Orleans. Research Notes http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vial/chenet.htm Vincent Alexandre was listed in a census of May 25, 1700 as a resident of Biloxi and a Canadian. In 1709 he was a habitant of Fort Louis at Mobile when his daughter Anne was born. He fathered at least four children by Anne Marie Praux:

Anne March 11, 1709 Vincent ca. 1710 Marie Marguerite ca. 1711 (estimated) Married Francois Rilleux François ca. 1719 [Marriage Record 1724-1786]; Mob. bb I:54b-1; September 18, 1724 (Three usual banns announced?) Jean Baptiste Hervieux,1 native of Quebec. Marie Praux,2 widow of (Vincent Alexandre dit) Chenet.3 Witnesses signing were: (Jean) Bon,4 stepfather of the bride as husband of her mother, Anne Perrot; (Marguerite Praux), the widow Colon dit La Violette; Robert Talon, brother-in- law of the bride as husband of Jeanne Praux; Arriaud, perhaps François. 1. Later, this groom signed the 1726 marriage of his stepdaughter, Anne Alexandre Chenet, as <jan batishervieux>. A Canadian gunsmith of that name was at Biloxi in 1699 (Maduell, Census, 1,4). 2. This bride, whose name was sometimes written as Anne and as Anne Marie, is easily confused with her sister, Marie Anne Praux. The only truly legible letter on the original is Father Claude’s strange <e>.< BR> 3. The Alexandre and Chenet names were used interchangeably as surnames.