Philibert Charlois (1665 – 1719)
28 May 2020
The history of the Charlois group took root for over three and a half centuries in the Bertranges forest with the stave maker Jacques Charlois (? – 1688). Throughout his life, Jacques Charlois had at least 5 children with his first wife, Perrette, including Philibert (wood splitter and direct-line ancestor of Sylvain Charlois). Here is how I describe his past: Philibert Charlois, who also appears as Philbert in some certificates, was born on 1st May 1665. Son of a wood splitter, it is quite naturally that he follows his father’s way. One of the first certificate mentioning his activity is the birth certificate of his first son, Jacques, born on 18th October 1689. By tracing the Charlois genealogy, we note that first names are commonly used from generation to generation, as was formerly the custom.
Philibert, son of the late Jacques Charlois and Perrette Légaré, married on 30 June 1688 Anne Rondeau, daughter of Jean and Marie Rondeau, from the parish of Saint Martin in Nevers where his father settled as a carpenter. Marriage was celebrated in Chaulgnes a few weeks after the death of Jacques Charlois, with the presence of Pierre, Philibert’s brother, and Anne’s brothers; for those the marriage certificate indicates that they are carpenters in Pougues-les-Eaux. Following the alliance between Jacques Charlois (? – 1688), wood splitter, and Perrette Légaré, daughter of a coal-maker and sister of wood splitters and hoop makers, wood seems to guide once more this union and to bring together those two families from the Nièvre.
Philibert Charlois died on 12 November 1719 at the age of 54 years, a few years before his wife Anne (1664 – 1725). They had at least 2 sons, Jacques and Claude. Jacques (1689 – 1733), direct-line ancestor of Sylvain Charlois, also became wood splitter and continued to perpetuate the tradition and the know-how of the Charlois family in the Bertranges forest.
A story of a man, Jacques, and a family story, a third generation of wood splitters, I will tell you about in the weeks to come.
Guillaume Tozer.
Picture: Birth certificate of Jacques Charlois (18 October 1689) © Archives départementales de la Nièvre
