So far, the only available information is "the late" father of Elie, Pierre, and Jean. The baptisms of the sons are not found at Moudon, Payerne, or Granges (and the Lucens church records before 1640 are lost). If he is truly the father of Jean Dutoit dit "au Clerc", he might also be the father of the Pernon "Clerq" who married Abraham Dutoit dit Billet.
Apparently a resident of Lausanne prior to his death, but there seems to be no further mention of him in the Church records there, possibly due to a gap in baptisms 1595-1615.
Subject of an interesting passage in the minutes of the consistory of Vevey:
11 jul 1684: "Claude Duthoit appelé pour avoir fumé tabac, ce qu'il auroit advoué, mais avec quelque excuse, disant avoir une incommodité qui l'oblige à fumer quelquefois. Cette excuse nonobstant, il a été condamné au bamp à forme de la Loy. Si pour
tant il peut obtenir de la grâce de la N. Seigneurie Balivale pour la moitié qui revient à LL. EE., Il en pourra prévalloir. Quant à la part de la Chambre et de l'accusateur Il demeure acquitté pour la moitié, si moins subira à forme de la Loy. A quoi
a été satisfait par la prison." (Jules Chavannes, "Commerce et industrie à Vevey au XVIIme et au XVIIIme siècle", Revue historiqe vaudoise, 51:172-184, 1943, published posthumously.)
There are several references, some in his own, awkward hand, that indicate his origin in "Milden", the German name for the town of Moudon. However, his parentage has not been established, and no other relatives are mentioned in the records that involve him. His name is variously given as Glaudo, Claudio, etc., and the surname as "à Tecto", Detecto, Dutoit, von Tach, or von Dach. His descendants opted for von Dach, but often reverted to Dutoit when they strayed into French-speaking areas. A complete descendancy has not been attempted.
We are indebted to a descendant, Michael Kuhn, for additional details. Claude von Dach was appointed pastor first, as far as we know, at Neuenegg about April, 1578 until at least March, 1591, then from 1591 to 1614 at Lyss, and later at Saanen, Lauenen, and Kallnach. He may have been selected for service in these areas, near the French-German linguistic border, because of his knowledge of French. (Certainly his knowledge of German was imperfect. His spelling is very bad, and his German script appears very awkward.)
He married first Sara, who apparently died about 1597. Her surname has not been found. It is the second wife, Elizabeth Meister, who is mentioned in the surviving registers at Lyss.
The registers for his last three posts have not been examined. It is possible that some additional clues might be found if his age were noted on the occasion of his death, presumably at Kallnach.
There are a number of records concerning men from Moudon that have raised our curiosity. For example, in the lists of students enrolled at the University of Basel, we found a "Claudius Decimator Meldunensis" in 1559/60. The Latin name Decimator is equivalent to the German form Zehnder, well known at Bern along with the spellings Zehender and Zeender, but we have no other evidence of a Claude Zehender, let alone one at Moudon. Citations such as this seem strange, but so far we have not found one that can plausibly be transformed into Dutoit.
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His marriage is not found at Neuenegg, where he was minister from about April 1578. Either he was married in a neighboring parish, or possibly at Bern or wherever he was educated.
Her existence is noted in the register of the cour de justice of Chavannes (ACV B i l 264), when Claudine, daughter of the late Abraham Dutoit, presents the testament of her late mother Pernette Veyre, dated 15 apr 1694, for probate. That entry also mentions Claudine's brother Isaac, who wished to protest the terms of the testament. The text of the testament has not yet been discovered, and no further proceedings involving these parties are noted in this register. There is a baptism for a Claudine daughter of Abraham Dutoit of Chavannes dated 10 jun 1666, but if that record belongs to the present Claudine, it raises the possilibity that we have missed several more children from this family.
Baptised as Claudaz, daughter of Jean Dutoit dit au Clerc, and cited as Claudine, daughter of Jean Dutoit dit au Clerc in 1652.
Was she the Claudine who married Balthazard Crausaz in 1658? She could be the one cited as "Claudine fille de Jean Dutoit" at a baptism in 1660. In the latter context, it seems unlikely that she would have been identified this way if she were already married. Were there two Claudines, each the daughter of a different Jean Dutoit? On 25 jan 1664, Antoine Dutoit, who later became the Lieutenant de Chavannes, dictated a report of the verbal testament of Jean Dutoit, leaving the bulk of his estate to his daughter the wife of Balthazard Crausaz. Such a report would normally be made very soon after the death in order to be considered valid, but in this case, it appears Claudine's father had already died by the time she married Balthazard Crausaz in 1658. Antoine would presumably have had an interest in the estate either through blood or marriage in order to have legal standing to make such a report. The report, in a register attributed to the notaries Jean and Abraham Faucherres (ACV DL 40/2), does not tell us much about Jean Dutoit, only that he was from Chavannes. His widow was Jeanne "Pechon", and his sole residual heir was his daughter Claudine, wife of Balthazard Crausaz. Since the Jean Dutoit dit au Clerc was survived by many heirs, the nuncupative testament of 1664 cannot be his.
However, we think it is possible that the Claudine daughter of Jean Dutoit dit au Clerc may have been the one who married Jaques Veyre in 1653. She is identified in 1678 as a "cousin" of Antoine Dutoit Lieutenant de Chavannes, and in 1670 as his brother-in-law. She was the Claudine daughter of Jean Dutoit dit au Clerc who appears as a sponsor at the baptism of Claudine daughter of Pierre Dutoit and his wife Marie Dutoit (a problematic record, since no such couple is known, but possibly this is Pierre Dutoit and Marie Frossard), 03 may 1651. We accept this notion tentatively, but clearer evidence is needed.
Sponsors at her baptism were Jaques Dutoit dit Maillard, Jaques son of Michel Were (Veyre), Claudine wife of Pierre Payouz, and Claudine wife of Samuel Callin.
Identified in her marriage record as the daughter of the late Jean Dutoit, but without further qualification. Long after her death, her husband Balthazard Crausaz settled her estate for the benefit of her children, to prevent confusion with property that would fall to his children by his second wife, Susanne Lescheyres (1688). At that time, Claudine's next of kin were Anthoine Dutoit, Lieutenant de Chavannes, and Jacob Dutoit, Officier de Chavannes, both of them described as her "cousins". Those relationships, though stated in several places, are still mysterious.
The reigsters of Abraham Faucherre (notary at Moudon, ACV DL 40/2), in a document dated 25 jan 1664, show that Antoine Dutoit and Jaques Veyre reported the nuncupative testament of Jean Dutoit. The widow was Jeanne Pechon, and her son-in-law was Baltazard Crausaz. The additional witnesses were Jean Oulevey, Jaques Creaturaz, and Balthazard Porchet. After provisions for the poor and for the widow, the bulk of the estate went to his unnamed daughter, who must have been Claudine Dutoit. Thus she would have been only 15 years old when she married. The widow and the son-in-law both accepted the provisions that were declared by the witnesses, and so agreed not to bring the estate before the cour de justice for probate. Evidently, all of the interested parties are included in the document, so there was no need for further proceedings.
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Witnesses include: Jean Mojougny, Jean Dutoit de Chesalles, Claudine femme de Jaques Vere de Chavannes, Françoise femme d'Anthoine Becholey de Chesalles.
Claudine is mentioned in the testament of her mother in 1650, but not in the settlement among the heirs of Anthoine Dutoit in 1652. However, she appears later in further transactions among the heirs.
Documents relating to this situation follow:
Register of the Cour de Justice of Moudon (ACV Bil 51), 09 mar 1659:
Honnorée Claudine Dutoit vefve du Sr. Calin ayant demandé advist comme elle pourroit estre payée de sa constitution de mariage dont n'a receu aucun Interest de 7 ans, et les biens de son pere estants partagés, nul des parties ne luy en faict aucune satisfaction, ayant besoin de linges et autres choses necessaires.
Ordonné que Monsr. Taverney sera evoqué judicialement pour entendre les plaintes d'icelle, comme aussi le Sr. Abraham Dutoit son frere pour les exhorter à la satisfaire, et les ayant entenduz sera consideré comme on agira.
Pierre Gavin, notary at Moudon, 10 dec 1662:
Honnorable & prudent Jaques Tavernay de Corsier d'une, & honnorable Claude Duthoict vefve du Sieur Samuel Callin d'autre part, scachant etc., Ont faict arrest & traicté comme s'ensuit, En premier ladite Claudine, Considerant les bons devoirs accueils & assistances qu'ils ha receues, recoit & pretend encore recepvoir dudit Sieur Tavernay son beaufrere, assavoir sans contraicte ny seduction, ains de son plein gré, cedé & quitté perpetuellement tant audit Sieur Tavernay qu'à honnorable Jehan Anthoine fils du Sieur Thomas Duthoict son frere, un chescun pour sa juste moitié, assavior tout ce que l'hoirie dudit feu Sieur Thomas Duthoict l'ay peut legitimement devroir pour leur part du restat de son dot [de] mariage. Et pour recompense, ledit Sieur Tavernay luy a laissé & laisse en jouissance pour 3 ans prochains, une maison & jardin auxdits hoirs ....(?) siz dans ladite ville en la rue du pont, outre la jouissance d'une année qu'elle a desja faicte, dont il l'acquitte. Item, a promis de la faire payer de la somme des 200 florings que le Discret Abraham Duthoict son frere est tenu par cognissances (?) judiciales de luy deliverer en des. . . (?) desdits loix (?), et à deffaut de faire ledit payement & sattisfaction precisemment entr'eux (?) la Saint Martin prochaine, Iceluidit Sieur Tavernay s'est contrainct & obligé de le lui faire aux teneur suivans, assavoir 100 florings à la Saint Martin prochaine, & les autres 100 florins à l'autre Saint Martin immediatement suivante, oultre ce ledit Sieur Tavernay a peine de lui subvenir pour son entretien & nourriture de ce qu'il pourra, promettz havoir agreable & o[rdonnée(?)], Daté en presence de Noble Anthoni Zächender le jeune & honnorable Daniel Chambut Sieurs tesmoins.
Another record of the same notary, 01 feb 1671, involves a settlement between Jacob Frossard, guardian of the heirs of the late Thomas Dutoit, and Daniel Nicaty, step-father of the heirs of the late Abraham Dutoit, regarding the testament of the late Claudine Dutoit, widow of Samuel Callin, and aunt of these heirs. As late as 1679, those heirs, including Jeanne Dutoit wife of Sébastian Dubrit junior, were still disputing the terms of the inheritance (registers of the "cour de justice de Moudon", ACV Bil 53, 12 jun 1679).
She makes a sort of donation on 21 feb 1738 (Jean Daniel Crausaz, notary at Moudon), in which her daughter Eve Bralliard widow of Isaac Dutoit agrees to take in her aged and infirm parents. Claudine's relatives mentioned in that document include Antoine Dutoit officier de Chavannes, Jaques Dutoit justicier de Chavannes, and Abraham David Dutoit, their relationships not stated, and her brother Abraham Dutoit.
Later, 23 apr 1742 (Daniel Antoine Jossevel, notary), Claudine Dutoit widow of the late Sébastien Bralliard de Sottens, with authorization of her brothers Daniel and Abraham Dutoit, sells propety to Jean Pierre Metraux. The same brothers Abraham and Daniel Dutoit of Chavannes acknowledge a debt to Claudine 08 oct 1742.
(ID #I11407)