Search for content in message boards

De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 6:49PM GMT
Classification: Query
Hello it has been a hard journey finding out anything about my blood family and im looking for any info on my great great grandfather Armand De Fourchet De Montrond. I am looking to find any information, Stories that i can find about him or his family in France. One of my cousins says he has family in Paris but i know he was born in the Rhone Alps of Grenoble France.

Re: De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 8:07AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 29 Sep 2014 12:30AM GMT
Surnames: Fourcheut de Montrond
Hi!

I was able to find quite a bit about your great-great-grandfather and he was a very interesting and wonderful sounding man. His full name was François Louis Armand de Fourcheut de Montrond and I'm attaching a copy of his birth record. Here's a translation of it:

"The 8th of January 1844 at 3 in the afternoon, in front of me, Cesar Loupartharde of Miribel, Mayor of Grenoble and officer of Vital Statistics, appeared Marie Casimir Clément Ernest Fourchent de Montrond, engineer of bridges and roads, age 38, who presented a male child born the day before yesterday (the 6th) at 10 in the morning in his home on the rue de France (France Street), son of the declarant and Augustine Valérie de Senovert, his wife, age 27, and that the infant has been given the name François Louis Armand. He gave this declaration and presentation in the presence of Mr Joseph Philogene Detremont, age 35, and Auguste Ritaly, age 30, foreman of bridges and roads, both living in Grenoble, who have all signed with me after reading this."

Armand's father became the Chief Engineer of Bridges and Road and became a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 7 August 1858. I have found a lot of his ancestors and have made a quick family tree - one of his father's side and one of his mother's side - which I'm attaching. If you want more details about these people let me know.

About two years ago a French director named François-Xavier Noulens did a documentary film about Armand called "Odjo Branco". I'm not sure where you might be able to find a copy and I don't think that it's been translated to English.

Armand came from a distinguished and titled family. He learned a lot about engineering from his father and he attended medical school at the University of Grenoble. He became very disillusioned with the French political situation and was always very interested in the Americas. He decided to go to Brazil in search of a new life where he could practice his philanthropic philosophy. On the way, in 1872, he stopped off at Grande São Vincente in Cape Verde and fell in love with the place. After touring the islands he decided to settle on the island of Fogo.

He used his wealth and medical and engineering knowledge to make all sorts of improvements. He provided health care and imported medicinal herbs to grow on the island. He oversaw the construction of roads including the one from São Filipe to Mosteiros, wells and other structures, many of which are still used today. He imported vines from France that started Cape Verde's wine production.

He returned to France twice: once to buy construction and other materials and the last time when his mother, Augustine, died.

He was quite the ladies man and had several Island wives: Clementina, Camila, Demitilia, Josepha, Antonia and Guelhermina Jesuina - maybe others. With those wives he had about 20-30 children, and adopted two, which is why most of the Islanders have light hair and blue eyes and the surname Montrond. Many of his descendants moved to France and the US.

In the autumn of 1900, when he was just 56, he was thrown from his favourite horse and broke his leg. An infection set in and he died on 7 November. He is highly regarded in Cape Verde and there are many stories and legends about him.

I'm adopted too so I know what a great feeling it is to be able to do your birth family tree. Please let me know if I can help with anything. I used to live in Sacramento (Arden Park) in the 70's and one of my grand-nephews still lives there. Small world.

Cheers,

Soosi

Attachments:

Re: De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

Posted: 1 Oct 2014 4:32PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: DeMontrond, Monteiro
Hi there,
and thank you again for giving me this information. I was adopted when i was a baby. Who are you related to in Sacramento from the Montronds side of the family? I am Georgina Monteiro and Alfred DeMontrond grandson out of the 5th i am the 3rd born out of the brothers who was adopted in 1986 to a Portuguese family with the last name Gomes which is funny because i have birth family with my adopted last name who knows maybe we could be cousins lol. I am also looking too see which Wife Armand married that was my grandfathers mother, his name is Alfred DeMontrond and ive heard i have alot of my Grandfathers traits and talents that i got from him from what my mother Renee tells me. My grandmother Georgina wont show me any pictures of my grandfather Alfred and i don't know why i guess its a mystery and hopefully one day i will see a picture of him. The only problems i've been having on here is my grandfather Alfred was white but every time i try to search a record on him it comes up as African which i know i do have little bit of African in my ancestry but my mother said my grandfathers side was white so ive been having problems finding information about him as well. I would love too see my great great grandfather and grandmothers family tree if that's possible please email me the link if you can i would greatly appreciate it. By the way my birth name is Frederick Michael Allen , my birth father is Allen and my mother is a Demontrond and Monteiro, my adopted name is Matthew Allen Gomes. Thank you so much again and i look forward to hearing from you

Re: De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

Posted: 2 Oct 2014 11:41AM GMT
Classification: Query
I'm not related to the Montronds - sorry if I gave that impression.

I've done some searching and can tell you that your grandfather Alfred was probably not black but mulatto. All his records say he was either black or "other", which usually meant mulatto.

Cape Verde was uninhabited until it was discovered by the Portuguese in 1456. After they settled it they brought African slaves to the islands to work the plantations. Most Cape Verdeans are mulattos (often referred to as mestiço, Crioulo or Creole). There is also a large African minority (mostly the Fulani, Balante, and Mandyako peoples). Then there's a small population of Europeans, mostly of Portuguese descent but also Italians, French and English. There is also a large number of Sephardic Jews who came from the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.

Here's what I've been able to find and confirm. I'll attach some records as well.

The first information is about your grandfather Alfred Michael Montrond who married Georgina Moneiro on 26 January 1951 in Sacramento. He was born 27 April 1922 in Providence, Rhode Island to Miguel (Michael) Santos Montrond and Lucinda Mendonça. You can request his birth certificate from Rhode Island.

Lucinda Mendonça, your great-grandmother, was born in Portugal (possibly the Azores) in 1894 to Francisco Mendonça and Antonia Brasa. She came to the US about 1914. She died 12 January 1934 in Providence, Rhode Island. She is listed on documents as black although she was probably mulatto.

Michael Santos Montrond, your great-grandfather, was born 2 February 1892 in Santa Catarina, Fogo, Cape Verde. His mother's name was Maria dos Santos but so far I haven't been able to find his father's first name. Michael sailed on the ship "Indiana" and arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts on 3 August 1914. He was listed as African and Black and was a barber. He told Customs & Immigration that he was going to his uncle, Leopoldo Montrond, also a barber, who lived on Water Street in New Bedford.

Michael and Lucinda Montrond had five children, all born in Providence, Rhode Island:

Gertrude born 10 December 1918
Antonia born 17 May 1919
Mary born 1921
Alfred, your grandfather, also called Frederick, born 27 April 1922
Michael junior born 30 June 1924

Leopoldo Montrond, the uncle your great-grandfather Michael went to when he arrived in Massachusetts, was born 8 November 1875. His parents were Armand Montrond and Demitilia Gomes. Because Armand Montrond had so many wives, Leopoldo was probably Michael's half-uncle. I've not been able to find out if Armand and Demitilia had more than one child and I haven't been able to find all of Armand's children and which were born to which wife. I can tell you that all of Armand's wives were black or mulatto so all of his children were mulatto. So, despite what your grandmother says, Alfred Montrond was mulatto.

If I were you I'd send off to Cape Verde for your great-grandfather's, Michael Santos Montrond, birth records. Here is a form to copy and send to them. It only costs $10. You can put that he was born 2 February 1892 in Santa Catarina, Fogo and that his mother's name was Maria dos Santos. They should be able to give you his father's name. You should add a request for them to check which one of Armand's wives was Michael Santos Montrond's grandmother. Hopefully they can send you quite a bit of information.

http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/greqform.ht...

Best of luck. Let me know how you do and if I can be of any more help.

Cheers,

Soosi






Attachments:

Re: De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

Posted: 6 Jul 2015 2:07AM GMT
Classification: Query
Armand was my great grandfather. My grandfather was Antonio Montrond son of Armand. My father knows a lot of our family history. I found out a lot of family history online and called my dad and he said he already knew it all lol. He remembers his dad telling him all of our history.

Re: De Montrond Or Montrond my great great grandfather Armand

Posted: 6 Jul 2015 5:21AM GMT
Classification: Query
Oh wow that's amazing I would really like to here all about I would like some stories that I need to put in my book i want to write and would love all the info I can get from any of the family, here is my email stregone1986@hotmail.com and cell phone is 916 534 4700
per page

Find a board about a specific topic