His testament of 21 nov 1703 (ACV Bg 13bis/2 fol. 52, signed A. Detraz) names the following children: "Fran�ois Elie, Marc Abraham, Paul Louis, Jean Philippe, Jeanne Estiennaz Marie, Poline, et Lidie Mennet ses fils et filles comme aussy celuy ou celle dont sa femme est enceinte". Evidently the sons are listed in order of birth, and probably the daughters as well. But if this is true, we are missing the baptisms of at least two daughters, as well as the presumed son C�sar. Since C�sar is not mentioned by name, he would have to be the unborn child referred to in the testament, assuming he really belongs here. The testament also mentions that his wife's grandmother was the widow of the Banderet de Saussure. The testament was probated 11 dec 1703, so Fran�ois Mennet must have died around the beginning of December, 1703.
He was admitted to higher studies at the Acad�mie de Lausanne, 03 jul 1756 (Livre de Recteur, no. 6357).
He and his first wife were first cousins. They were married at Lyon, and their marriage was later recognized by Their Excellencies of Bern, after payment of court costs. The marriage record (Archives Municipales de Lyon 1GG7 17 ) gives the parentage of both parties, with signatures of various family members, including that of the minister Andr� Fran�ois Boisot, uncle of the bride.
His testament was probated at Lausanne:
[ACV Bg 13bis/18 pp. 100-101.]
[Testament of Fran�ois Elie Mennet, 05 jan 1812.]
L'an mille huit cent douze, et le cinqui�me janvier, environ les trois heures apr�s midi, le Citoyen Fran�ois Elie Mennet, de Lausanne, ancien Secr�taire, a fait appeler le notaire soussign� auquel sans induction appar�e, et jouissant de son bon sens, m�moire et jugement, il a dict� de sa propre bouche, et en pr�sence des t�moins sous nomm�s, sa d�claration de derni�re volont� de la mani�re suivante, et apr�s avoir manifest� les sentimens d'une v�ritable pi�t� :
1o, Il donne aux pauvres bourgeois de la ville de Lausanne cent florins, et au pauvres bourgeois d'Ecublens aussi cent florins, payables trois mois apr�s son d�c�s.
2o, Il d�clare avoir re�u au partage de la petite cassette de feue Madeleine Epars, pour le leg qu'elle avait fait � Samuel Mennet son fils ain�, la somme de cent francs qui doit �tre rend�e � son dit fils ain� et pr�lev�e sur sa succession, son dit fils ain� retirera aussi la cassette qui lui a �t� l�gu�e par la ditte Epars.
3o, Il ordonne que sa ch�re �pouse ait � son choix son logement dans ses maisons de la ville et d'Ecublens pendant sa viduit�. Il confirme si de besoin est, ce qui est �tablie en sa faveur dans leur contract de mariage. Il d�clare avoir pass� � sa ditte �pouse reconnaissance au juridique et sous seing priv�, des sommes qu'elle lui a remis ; il veut que les dittes reconnaissances sous seing priv� soyent aussi vallables en sa faveur que si elles avaient �t� pass�es en justice. Ayant une parfaite confiance dans le caract�re de son �pouse et dans la sage �conomie qu'elle a d�ploy�e pendant leur union, il exhorte ses chers enfans � avoir la m�me confiance, �tant tr�s persuad� que ce ser[t] � leur avantage. Il confirme d'une mani�re sp�ciale la clause de son contract de mariage qui �tablit sa ditte femme m�re tutrice du fils qu'ils ont eu pendant leur conjonction.
4o, Il donne de pr�rogative � son fils Marc Fran�ois Mennet ministre la somme de cent francs par ann�e � dater du 29e mars mille huit cent neuf et jusques � l'�poque du d�c�s du testateur, cette somme annuelle en raison de ce que son dit fils n'a re�u qu'une partie des biens de sa m�re, dont le testateur a conserv� la jouissance.
5o, Il donne � Margueritte Abetat sa servante, dans le cas o� elle serait encore � son service � l'heure de sa mort, la somme de soixante quatre francs en sus de son gage.
6o, Il d�clare qu'on trouvera dans ses papiers un �tat exact des biens paternels & maternels, de ses enfans des premier et second lit, ainsi qu'un d�tail des sommes lev�es aux enfans du 1er lit � compte du bien de leur m�re, � tout quoi ils devront exactement se conformer.
7o, Enfin il institue pour ses vrais et l�gitimes h�ritiers en tous ses biens non l�gu�s, ses quatre chers enfans, savoir Jean Samuel Mennet n� le 20e d�cembre 1774, Jeanne Susanne Marie Andrianne Creux n�e Mennet sa fille n�e le 24e f�vrier 1778, Marc Fran�ois Mennet n� le 6e 9bre 1779, les trois pr�nomm�s ses enfans du premier lict, et Andr� Jean Samuel issue de son second mariage n� le 27e 9bre 1791, tous par �gales portions, et ce � la charge d'acquitter ses dettes et de suporter toutes charges r�sultantes des successions tant paternelles que maternelles, pour ce qui concerne ceux issus de son premier mariage, cassant et r�voquant tous testamens, codiciles, ou autres dispositions qu'il pourait avoir fait, voulant que celui-ci soit ex�cut� en tout son contenu, comme �tant sa derni�re volont�, qu'il a ratifi�e article par article, apr�s la lecture qui lui en a �t� faite, dans sa chambre � Lausanne en pr�sence des Citoyens Gonin juge de district � Lausanne, et Louis Benjamin Dusserre de Renens, demeurant en cette ville, t�moins connus et requis qui ont sign� avec le testateur et moi notaire le sus dit jour 5e janvier 1812.
Sign�s Mennet ancien secr�taire, Gonin juge, Louis Benjamin Dusserre t�moins, Charles Secr�tan [notaire] avec paraphe.
Ce testament a �t� homologu� en justice de paix � Lausanne le 21e 7bre 1813. [signed] Panchaud, greffier.
Descendants of Samuel Mennet, settler at Vevay, have claimed that he was the same person as Jean Samuel, the son of Fran�ois Elie Mennet born 20 dec 1774. While this seems entirely plausible, no one has yet produced any document created at Vevay that gives Samuel's date of birth or even his age, nor any document from Lausanne that establishes that Jean Samuel emigrated to America. Thus, the evidence remains circumstantial.
The birth and baptism are found in the protestant baptisms of Paris, now at the Soci�t� de l'histoire de protestantisme fran�ais. The baptism was also recorded at Orbe, but, apart from quoting dates in the French Republican calendar, that record does not indicate that the birth and baptism took place in Paris. The record at Orbe also alters the order of the names: Caroline Henriette Marie Antoinette.
There are several Mennet burials at Orbe 1760-1787 that suggest there may have been additional members of the family in the area than can be identified from the baptisms and marriages. The burial of "la veuve Barbille Mennet", age 83, in 1787, suggests that the parents of Jean Charles might have lived at Orbe. Jean Charles himself might have been the "Sr. Mennet", age 55, who was buried 04 oct 1771, but if that is true, either he married rather late in life, or else there were additional children born before he arrived at Orbe. Are there any additional Mennets mentioned in the lists of catechumens?
Witnesses for the marriage were Isaac and Francis J. du Roveray, by license. He is the Jean Mennet, son-in-law and associate of Jean Pierre du Roveray, who was involved in a long-running legal action instigated against them by Madame Tarb� de St.-Hardouin of Paris regarding supposed securities offered for sale in England. The opinion of the Tribunal d'Appel of the Canton of Vaud, 16 sep 1841, was published in Le droit: Recueil des jugemens tendant � fixer la jurisprudence dans le Canton de Vaud 3:138-148 (1841). At the time, Mennet appears to have been living in the vicinity of Lausanne.
His origin in Orbe is noted in the record of the baptism of his son Charles Etienne in Paris, 08 jun 1801 and that of his daughter, baptised on the same day. At that time, he was living in the 3me Arrondissement, rue du Faubourg-Poissonni�re. This record is on the FamilySearch web site, digital images provided by the Soci�t� de l'histoire du protestantism fran�ais from their library. The sponsors for these baptisms are noteworthy as well: they included F�lix Oboussier and his wife Marie Louise Amy. From other records, we recognize F�lix as Louis F�lix Oboussier of Lausanne, whose sister married David Louis Gex, the Vevay settler (Louis "Gex-Oboussier"). Letters from Louis Gex to "Jean I. Mennet" at Antwerp, with dates ranging from 1803 to 1823, are among the Gex family papers at the Indiana Historical Society (manuscript collection SC 620). It was Mennet who held title to land now in West Virginia that Gex was supposed to farm, and which turned out to be unsuitable for agriculture.
He is, however, from a completely different family from the one centered in Lausanne who participated in the settlement of Vevay.
A summary of the information in the Gex papers at the Indiana Historical Society was kindly provided by Nancy Emmert, CG: In 1795-6 Jean Mennet, a Swiss merchant in Antwerp purchased lands in the US including 1000 acres in what is now Tyler County, West Virginia. In 1803 he made an agreement with Louis Gex Oboussier to come to the US and look after the land. Louis was to have the right to purchase half and was to cultivate, clear the other half for Mennet. Louis came to the US, found the property but determined that it was not good for cultivation or sale. Over the years (1803 - 1843) he wrote letters to Mennet about the situation. The first letter in the abstract was written 26 Sept 1803 from Switzerland, Ind Terr. Thus, this places his arrival in 1803. Another item in the file is information from Louise Agniel Glover, great grand daughter about the family which indicates that "Lucille Oboussier Gex died on a farm near Vevay Oct. 11 1806. This is the same month and year as in the "American Experienced" letter. Also mentioned in the abstracts is Lucille Oboussier's brother, Felix and his wife Louise who were associated with Mennet in Antwerp.
At the time Mennet acquired the property, the area was part of Ohio County, Virginia. It is likely he obtained the land with the help of an agent in the US. The original deed or patent has not been examined. We did not find Mennet in Sims' Index of land grants in West Virginia, so Mennet presumably purchased the property from one of the speculators who had bought up thousands of acres.
Some records, such as his father's testament, call him Jean Samuel, but the baptismal record says simply Samuel. He is apparently the Samuel Mennet who settled at Vevay, Indiana, but we have found nothing in the United States or in Switzerland that proves they are are same person. The circumstantial evidence (such as the names of the children in Indiana) is striking, but it appears the Mennet family buried their dead on their farm near Vevay (the existence of this private cemetery is noted at generation later), so there is no epitaph. The graves have not been located, and there seems to be no other record in the United States that gives the exact age or parentage of Samuel during his lifetime. Samuel did not leave a will. Likewise, the Swiss records have so far provided no evidence that Samuel had emigrated.
He was admitted to higher studies at the Acad�mie de Lausanne 05 jun 1788 (Livre de Recteur, no. 7237).
Successfully misleading generations of genealogists, Orra Eugene Monnette included this statement, without explanation, in his First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge, Olde East New Jersey, 1664-1714 (1931):
"Samuel Mennet of Switzerland b. Dec. 20th, 1774, son of Francis Elis Mennet, Citizen of 60th. Lausanne, Switzerland, Sec. of N. Justice, and De Mad., and Mrs. Jeanne Suzanne Boiset, his wife; He settled near Lexington, Ky., 1798-1802, and from there to Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana, where colony of Swiss French. Desc. is Dr. Overton H. Mennet, Grand Army of the Republic, Los Angeles, Calif."
Monnette indicates elsewhere that he has encountered many different spellings of his own name, so we suppose that he included this information solely for that reason, and not because of any connection of Samuel Mennet with Piscataway, New Jersey. But the passage is of interest for another reason. It is exactly what would be expected if a 20th Century American found an old document, perhaps an "acte d'origine" that Samuel obtained when he left Lausanne. The unfamiliar script and the abbreviations would have led modern eyes to the above translation, from an original that said something like this:
"Samuel Mennet fils de Fran�ois Elie Mennet, Citoyen et des Cons. de Lausanne en Suisse, Sec. de la N. Justice et de Mad. sa femme Jeanne Susanne Boisot, n� le 20 d�c. 1774."
In the old script, Boisot frequently looks like Boiset, and the name Elie is sometimes indistinct, leading to such readings as Elis.
In 1931, the only way to obtain this information from Switzerland would be to travel there or to correspond with an archivist, but if someone had done this, it is extremely unlikely that the information would have contained these errors. Among other things, the titles of Samuel's father would have been spelled out, and the name Boisot would not have been turned into Boiset! The microfilmed church records were still many decades in the future. Consequently, we are tempted to see in this passage evidence of a document found on American soil that confirms the identity of Samuel Mennet of Vevay, Indiana. This idea seems even more plausible when we learn that Dr. Overton H. Mennet was a grandson of Samuel Mennet.
