Anne Marie Richier

Anne Marie Richier, daughter of Thomas Richier and Jeanne Morel, was born 6 April 1829 in Graffigny-Chemin, France.

Anne Marie Richier, born April 6, 1829

Archives de la Haute-Marne

Anne married Paul Constant Chevallier.

Anne Marie Richier married Paul Constant Chevallier, 21 April 1847

The way they were

The period from 1830 to 1848, roughly the time between the birth of Anne Richier and her marriage to Paul Constant Chevallier, was known as the July Monarchy. France was ruled by a monarch, Louis-Philippe, crowned "King of the French", signifying his popular sovereignty. Louis-Philippe owed his crown to the rising middle class, les bougoises. With the exception of Algeria, Louis-Philippe's policies with regard to business and foreign policy were free of government involvement, laissez-faire.

The records of the Archives de la Haute-Marne, during this period, reference the class and status of the individuals who are born, marry, and die in the villages of France. Thus, one often sees the descriptions marchand (merchant) , proprietor (property owner), laboreaux (laborer), and sans profession (unemployed) in the village records.

During this period, France was experiencing a population splurge with most of the births occurring in the countryside. Even with the deaths that occurred as a result of the Napoleonic wars, France was second in population (behind Russia) in Europe. If we go back briefly in time, Hilaire Chevallier and Margaret Collin, the parents of Paul Constant Chevallier, recorded four births during the short period 1813 - 1822.

detail, births Graffigny-Chemin, 1813 -1822

Paul Constant Chevallier and Anne Marie Richier

In Graffigny, 1847, Paul Constant Chevallier, age 20, son of Hilaire Chevallier and Marguerite Collin, weds 18 year old Anne Marie Richier, daughter of Thomas Richier and Jeanne Morel. Paul and Anne would produce a child, Julie, the mother of Marguerite, my grandmother.

Paul Constant Chevallier and Anne Marie Richier, marriage 1847

The 1840s were difficult times in Graffigny. Elsewhere I write that the Collin's family suffered many deaths in 1844. The Chevallier family had two deaths in 1847.

1847

The potato famine, poor harvest, and social unrest spreads throughout Europe. Industrial expansion fans the flames of revolution.

The following year, Karl Marx publishes the Communist Manifesto; Victor Hugo begins work on a novel about social injustice and misery, Les Miserables; and, King Louis Philippe abdicates  and the Second Republic is established. Three years later, a military coup puts Louis-Napoleon as head of a second French Empire.



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Anne Marie Richier was 18 years old, born in Graffigny in 1829, daughter of Jean Thomas Richier, property owner (proprietaier rentier) and Jeanne Morel.

The marriage was attested to by several parties. these include Alexander Chevallier, 38 and brother of the groom, lumberman (marchand de bois), Claude Thouvaise (?), age 35, brother-in-law and entrepreneur...

A summary of this information is provided at Centre Genealogique de Haute-Marne