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

Archive de la Haute-Marne

The Archives de la Haute-Marne are digitalized. The archives contain records of marriages, births, and deaths covering the periods 1586 up until 1912.

In my research, I have come across many names associated with my family. It begins with Chevallier, the name of my great great grandfather, Paul Constant Chevallier. But there are other names to research as well. Paul Constant Chevallier married Anne Marie Richier. Paul's father was Hilaire Chevalllier, who married Marguerite Collin. Then too, there are the surnames Morel, Rouyer, and Ligier, but I will have to come back to these.

Chevallier is a name which is sprinkled throughout the archives for hundreds of years. I have mentioned Paul's father, Hilaire, but there are also the names of Nicolas, Joseph, Paul Achille, Claude, Charles Hippolyte, and more whose relationship is not always clear.


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What follows is a cursory review of the archives for the period 1893 - 1902. This should find a new page.



The Archives of Haut-Marne, births, marriages, and deaths. Select d’état civil. Graffigny today is a village of perhaps two to three hundred souls. The archives suggest that the population has not changed much.

Year	Births	Marriages	Deaths	Arch/Pages
1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901	19 10 10 10 20 14 21 15 x	8 8 10 1 5 9 5 7 x	13 13 10 13 8 22 21 10 x	- - - 60 75 93, 94 112, 113 126 x

Years 1893 to 1895:

Summaries by year of births are found at pages 7, 24, 40

Summaries by year of marriages and divorces are found at pages 15, 30 and 31, 49

Summaries of deaths xx, 35, 52,

Beginning in 1896, births, marriages, divorces and deaths are summarized together. Pages 60, 75,

1896, death of Claude Alexandre Chevallier, born 1810, age 87, son of Hilaire Chevallier and Marguerite Collin, deceased. His wife Marie Genevieve Rouyer, deceased 1889.  Father of Edmond Chevallier, "le premier gendre et le second neveau" (page 56). Note by me, brother of Paul Constant Chevallier.(page 56).

Notes.

1893, Marie Jean-Marcel born 8 May, 1893.son of Marcel Edmond Chevallier and  Eugenie Denise Moirot, both age 33, witnessed by Paul Constant Chevallier, age 70, and Ernest Chevallier, age 44 (page 3).

1893, marriage of Paul Ernest and Marie Hortense Demay April 4, 1893.Paul Ernest, age 46, is the oldest son of Paul Constant Chevallier and Anne Marie Richier. Anne Marie Hortense Demay, age 46, is the daughter of Antoine Demay, deceased, and Marie Collin, age 70 (page 10).

1897. Typewriter used for the first time, although many entries remain handwritten.

1897, Cecile Richier, age 91 deceased. He was born the 27th Brumaire, the 14th of the Republic. Note by me, Brumaire refers to the second month of the French Republican calendar, so named for the fog that often occurs at that time of year. Question, is the scribe repeating the language of Cecile's birth for the year 1805-6? ... Son of Nicholas Richier (died 1853) and Marie Magdeline Quentin (died 1870). Spouse "vuive" ??? of Lemoine Nicholas Antoine. ??? Note by me. I have included Cecile Richier only because of the possible connection with Anne Marie Richier, wife of Paul Constant Chevallier.

1898, Paul Albert Chevallier died 21 October, age 13, son of Paul Ernest Chevallier and Zepherine Douzery (page 90).

Population of Graffigny-Chemin, 1843 - 1952

How has the population of Graffigny-Chemin changed from 1840 to 2010. From 1975 to today, the population has dropped from 329 to 211. Population Graffigny.


We will start with the modern day premise that there are about 19 births per year per 1,000 people. Birth Rate, Wikipedia. Let's see if we can go back in time to the 1840's.

Detail of birth records of Graffigny-Chemin 1845

The Archives de la Haute-Marne 1843 - 1852 record the marriages, births and deaths of the little village of Graffigny-Chemin. In 1843 the register recorded 22 births (page 6 and 9). Using the ratio of 40 births per 1,000 inhabitants, suggested by Fernand Braudel in The Structures of Everyday Life page 71, it is possible that 880 inhabitants lived in Graffigny in 1843. Elisa Constance Emma Chevallier, daughter of Alexander Chevallier, (age 33, lumber merchant), and Marie  Genevieve Roucher, was born that year on May the 4th.

The following year, 1844, 21 births are recorded (page 15). There are no Chevalliers, but there are 3 Collins, another family name. In 1845, 25 births are recorded without a Chevallier listed (page 25). In 1846, only 17 births are recorded (page 29).

On the 4th of April, 1847, Paul Constant Chevallier (my great great grandfather) married Anne Marie Richier. Paul was the child of Hilaire Chevallier and Anne Collin, ages 76 and 65. Paul Constant Chevallier is listed as the oldest son and without a profession, "garcon majeur et sans profession". Anne, his spouse was born in 1829 and is 18 years old at the date of the marriage.She is the daughter of Jean Thomas Richier (deceased) and Jeanne Morel.

Back to the lists of births. In 1847, it is 20 births (page 36). In 1848, it is 25 births including Paul Erneste Chevallier, born on the 17th of February, first son of Paul Constant Chevallier, age 26, proprieter, and Anne Marie Richier , (pages 41 and 44).

In 1849, it is 25 births. In 1850 there are 20 births including Marie Alexandune ? Elmire Chevallier, child of Paul Constant Chevallier and his wife Anne Marie Richier (pages 54 and 59). Aunt Elmire later figures in correspondence with my grandmother Marguerite just after the First World War.

In 1851, it is 28 births (page 68). And in 1852, it is back down to 14 births including Camille Oreste Chevallier, another daughter of Paul and Anne (pages 69 and 72).

Estimating populations from birth records is an inexact science. The number of births in Graffigny for the ten years ranged from a low of 14 births to a high of 25 with 20 births as a statistical norm.

The birth rate today is about 20 births per 1,000. But, I assume the 1840's experienced a higher birth rate with more children per family than today. With that in mind, we need to take a little off the top. And so we can guess at 800 souls in Graffigny in 1840.

Note to self. The list of marriages starts on page 73 of the Archives.

Eglise St Élophe et St Christophe de Graffigny - the church of St Elophe and St Cristopher

Five roads access the village of Graffigny - from the north and the village of Nijon, from the east and highway E21, from the southeast and the village of Chaumont-la-ville, from the southwest along D214 and the village of Mailancourt-sur-ville, and finally, from the northwest along D16 and Bourmont.

Churches of Graffigny-Chemin

Graffigny-Chemin,  a small village of less than 300 souls,  has two churches, the Eglise St Élophe et St Christophe de Graffigny and the Eglise St Nicolas de Chemin.

As the names suggest, the first church serves Graffigny, and the other, the even smaller adjoining village of Chemin. Chemin, in French, means pathway, and the pathway that crosses Chemin is called the Voie Romaine, or Roman Way, that has existed since Roman times.


Eglise St Élophe et St Christophe de Graffigny

The church of St Élophe (St. Adophe) and St Christopher is along the Voie Romaine at the intersection of the Rue du Chene and the Chemin de l'Eglise. The church stands across the square from my grandmother's home. Saint Élophe is a fourth century martyr, decapitated along the Voie Romaine at Solimariaca. St Christopher is the patron saint of travelers.

l'eglise de St Elophe et St Christophe, Graffigny (google maps)

Chemin de l'eglise (google maps)

my grandmother's house (google maps)

The interior of the church reveals a beautiful altar piece. Along the sides leading to the altar are stain glass windows. Two of the windows are donated by the family Chevallier. One is from the family of Paul Constant Chevallier, my great great grandfather. The second is a donation of Madame Charles Hipolyte Chevallier, the older brother of Paul Constant.

Interior of the Eglise St Elophe et St Christophe de Graffigny-Chemin

The two windows can be found on the right hand side of the church as you enter. The window to the left is donated by  Madame Hippolyte Chevallier, the second, on the right, from the family of Paul Constant Chevallier. 

The Family Chevallier


You can view a listing of the marriages in Graffigny-Chemin by clicking here. Find details of the marriage of Paul Constant Chevallier and Anne Marie Richier. Paul was 25 and Anne 18 at the time of their marriage in 1847. Read about Charles Hippolyte Chevallier and Elise Victoire Jounieaux, his wife. Charles did not marry until  1876 at the age of 60. His wife Elise was then 32.


There is a third brother Claude Alexandre Chevallier. He is the oldest of the three. His marriage to Marie Geneviève Royer is recorded in 1838.

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.



Log into the Archives. Or, go directly to the document at page 96 of the viewer. this information is summarized by the Centre Genealogique de Haute-Marne.




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