Jaques Valier (or in Latin, Valerius/Valerii) was the first reformed minister at Aubonne (about September, 1537), mentioned often in the collected correspondence of the French reformers. At the time of his appointment as minister at Aubonne, he had "recently" been appointed deacon and schoolmaster at Vevey. He was appointed second minister at Lausanne in June, 1546, where he served in this capacity until 1559, when he and Pierre Viret, along with many of the professors of the Académie, left Lausanne as a result of a famous dispute with Bern about the authority of the ministers in matters of doctrine and discipline. When the exiles were established in Geneva, Valier was sent to Rouen, but returned to Geneva in 1560. He is recognized as the founder of the Valier family at Aubonne. His testament is recorded by Ragueau, notary at Geneva, 15 jun 1560 (vol. 3 p. 499), naming his wife Béatrice Pierre, and his son Jean, bourgeois d'Aubonne. The testament was witnessed by his close friend, the famous reformer Pierre Viret. According to correspondence of Théodore de Bèze, Valier died soon after, during the summer of 1560 (letter to Ambroise Blaurer, 22 jan 1561).
He was a native of Briançon, according to many historians of the Reformation, but on what authority, we have been unable to discover. He was a priest and schoolmaster in 1534 when he was accused of Lutheran ideas at Privas. As a priest, he probably did not marry until after he arrived in Geneva. His testament mentions only one child, his son Jean Valier, bourgeois d'Aubonne. Jaques Valier would have been eligible to acquire citizenship at Aubonne as a consequence of his appointment to the ministry there in 1537, and that citizenship would be transmitted to his descendants. The entry regarding his citizenship in the minutes of the town council of Aubonne, is dated 30 jan 1546 (thanks to Charles E. Valier for this discovery).
Catherine Minck, also a descendant, kindly copied the testament for me at the Archives d'Etat de Genève. The script is clear for the period, and the notary even took care to show that his name is indeed spelled Ragueau:
[AEG Notaire Jean Ragueau, volume 3, pp. 498-500.]
Testament.
Au nom de Dieu sachent tous qui ces presentes lettres verront, livront et ouvront, que l'an mil cinq cens soixante et le quinzieme jour de Juing par devant moy Jehan Ragueau notaire public et bourgeoys juré de Geneve soubzsigné et les tesmoingz soubznommés, a esté present en sa personne Spectable Jacques Vallier ministre du sainct evangille, lequel estant en bonne disposition d'espoir par la grace de Dieu combien qu'il soit debité de corps, a dict et declaré qu'il vouloit faire son testament et ordonnance de denière volonté, et m'a requis icelle mestre et rediger par escript, et ce faisant a dict et declaré qu'il rendit graces à Dieu des biens et benefices qu'il luy a faictz, et singulierement de ce qu'il l'a appellé à la cognoissance de son sainct evangile, et par iceluy donné à congnoistre le vray moyen de son salut qui est par Jesus Christ nostre seul saulveur et mediateur devers Dieu son père, lequel il supplie de continuer et augmenter ses graces en luy jusques ad ce qu'il lui plaise l'appeler en son repoz eternel qu'il a preparé à tous ses fideles du nombre desquelz il s'asseure estre par sa pure grace et misericorde. Plus a dict qu'il veult et ordonne son corps estre inhumé apres son deces en attendant le jour de sa resurrection, et quant aux biens teriens que Dieu luy a donnés en a disposé et ordonné comme s'ensuyt, et premierement a dict et declaré luy avoir est baillé en depost par la classe des ministres de Lauzanne, la somme de quatorze escuz soleil, laquelle somme appartient au filz de feu Spectable Jehan de Betancourt qui fut ministre en la classe de Neufchastel, lequel il ne cognoist aultrement, et veult et ordonne estre rendue et restitué audict de Betancourt, et en son absence ou default aux seigneurs commis et administrateurs de la bourse des pauvres estrangers de ceste cité pour la restituer audit de Betancourt. Item, a legué et donné apres son deces à la bourse des pauvres estrangers de ceste cité la somme de six escuz pour une foys payer apres son deces. Item, a legué et donné au college de ceste cité la somme de troys escuz soleil pour une foys payer apres son deces. Item, a legué et donné apres sondit deces semblable somme aux pauvres d'Aulbonne. Item, veult et ordonne que apres son deces honeste Beatrix Pierre sa femme jouysse sa vie durant de tout ce que se trouvera à luy testateur estre deu en ceste cité de Geneve par quelque personne et à quelque tiltre et moyen que ce soyt. Et quant au surplus de tous et chascungs ses biens desquelz il n'a disposé soient meubles ou immeubles, ledict testateur de sa propre bouche a nommé et institué et par cestuy present son testament nommé et institué son heritier universel, asçavoir Jehan Vallier son filz bourgeoys d'Aulbonne à la charge et condition toutesfoys de soy entretenir et nourrir avec luy ladicte Beatrix sa mere, et au cas que ledict Jehan Vallier ne se puisse compatir et vivre avec sadicte mere ou sadicte mere avec luy, en ce cas veult et ordonne ledict testateur que ladicte Beatrix se puisse separer d'habitation d'avec sondict filz, et que tant qu'elle vivra elle jouysse et prene la moictyé des fruictz et profictz de tous et chascungs les biens à luy testateur competans et appartenans par quelque tiltre et moyen que ce soyt, soient meubles ou immeubles, renonçant, cassant et anullant tous aultres testamens et ordonannces de dernière volonté qu'il pourroyt avoir faict par cy devant si aulcune s'en trouvoyt, voulant aussy que cestuy testament vaille et sorte son effet soit par forme de testament nuncupatif, codicille, donation à cause de mort, fidecommis, partage, et aultrement, à la meilleure forme et manière qu'il pourra valloir tant par droict que coustume, et que d'iceluy en soit faict un instrument public ou plusieurs si besoing est et autant de clauses qu'il sera requiz et necessaire, lesquelz en puisse dicter et amender par l'adviz de gens doctes et expers en ce sans toutesfoys nier la substance, et pour l'exeqcution de cestuy present son testament a nommé et nomme Spectable Pierre Viret et Theodore de Besze et chascung d'eulx en l'absence ou default de l'aultre, et les prie de ce faire, priant aussy noz magnificques et souverains seigneurs de Geneve et tous aultres seigneurs et magistratz de justice de cestuy present son testament faire metre et souffrir estre mys à exeqcution selon le contenu cy dessus. Faict et receu par moydict notaire les jour et an susdictz en la chambre d'habitation dudict Spectable testateur située en la Tacconerye, presens ledict Spectable Viret, Claude Vuillelme citoyen de Geneve, Jehan Lausserand et Anthoine Marchant citoyens de Geneve, Pierre Pulvé mercier bourgeoys de Geneve, André Arnault, Pierre Paul Espagnol, habitans de Geneve, tesmoingz ad ce requis et appellés.
(signé) J. Ragueau.
In 1875, a copy of Pierre Viret's Institution chrestienne et Somme générale de la Doctrine, published in Geneva in 1556, was donated to the library of the Société de l'histoire du protestantisme français, in Paris. It is still there. A notice in the Bulletin of the Société (vol. 24, pp. 287-288) reports the following: "Ce dernier présent est d'une valeur exceptionelle; non-seulement il est fort rare, comme toutes les oeuvres de Viret, mais il a passé par des mains illustres avant de venir reposer sur nos rayons. Il porte à la première page la signature de Jaques Valesius et la date de 1559, avec l'annotation suivante : 'Je puis vous affirmer que l'exemplaire qui est entre nos mains à réellement appartenu à Jaques Valier de Briançon, qui fut le collègue de Viret pendant plusieurs années à Lausanne et quitta cette ville en 1559. Herminjard.' Et plus bas nous lisons cette autre note : 'Ce volume était du petit nombre de ceux que Paul Rabaut laissa à ses héritiers. Il m'a été donné par M. Alizon, petit-neveu de Rabaut-Tachard.' N'est-ce point le cas de répéter une fois de plus, Habent sua fata libelli? " (The volume in question is entitled Instruction chrestienne, not Institution chrestienne, as indicated in the Bulletin. We read the inscription as "Ex libris Jacobi Valerii Lausannensis 1558 Januarius".)
There may be more to the story of the Valier family. The name Valier is found occasionally in records of the 14th and 15th Centuries in the area west of Lausanne. There is even a terrier AVL C 233 compiled by several notaries and covering the period 1455-1539, one of these notaries being Jaques Valier notaire et bourgeois de Lausanne (not yet examined). However, it now appears that the Jaques Valier or Vallier who was a notary was also the curial at St. Prex, and that he died about 1517. It seems extremely unlikely that Jaques Valier the pasteur was related in any way to this man, since there is no evidence that the pasteur held either citizenship or property that came from the notary.
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Career summarized in Vuilleumier's Histoire de l'Eglise Réformée du Pays de Vaud, vol. 4, 738-739. After he and Viret were dismissed from Lausanne (1559), he briefly served as minister in Rouen before returning to Geneva, where he died.
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Native of Briançon, according to citations in La France Protestante (1st edition). While surname is traditionally Valier, some in this family signed "Vallier", inviting possible confusion with the family from Cressier.
This would seem to be the same Jean Valier whose son Benjamin appears in various capacities in Aubonne as early as 1584 (Jean Barral, notary). He acquired property in his own name as early as 1564, and had thus apparently reached the age of 25 by that date. He was alive in 1574, when he is mentioned as a neighboring land owner in an otherwise undecipherable document of Claude Mayor, notary, 21 feb 1574. It was at his house in Aubonne that a "reconnaissance" for a vineyard of Noble Jean Goumoens of Lausanne was signed 15 jun 1581 (ACV Fh 158 fol. 74-77v). In 1591, he is referred to in the marriage record of his daughter Marie as the late Jean Valier, in his lifetime Châtelain of Aubonne. The Valier genealogy (Olivier Dessemontet, 1970, typescript at the Archives Cantonales Vaudoises) gives citations from the terriers of Aubonne in 1568, 1578, and 1588 (ACV Fh 153, 163, and 164). In the first, he is noted as "Discret Jehan Valier, bourgeois d'Aubonne, fils de proveable Jaques Valier, vivant ministre de la Parole de Dieu". In the others, he is identified as "Egrège", in other words, a notary.
While the surname is usually spelled Valier or Vallier in old records, and the context generally makes it clear we are dealing with the descendants of Jaques Valier, and not some branch of Vallier de Cressier from Neuchâtel, the surviving register of Urbain Campod, a notary working in the area of Lavigny 1573-1578, poses a problem. Lavigny is a sort of suburb of Aubonne, but do the references to descendants of "Jean Valliez" of Lavigny also pertain to Valier?
If "Jean Valliez" were, as we initially supposed, the same Jean Valier son of Jaques, the register of Urbain Campod implies the following:
Jean "Valliez" was alive as late as 14 jan 1574, dead by 02 may 1574. His children included sons Pierre, André, Claude, and Nicolas, and daughter Bernarde, all of whom appear as adults in documents 1573-1575. So far, we see no mention of minor heirs or an administrator of the estate of "Jean Valliez". However, the children listed do not match any of the names in the corresponding generation in the records of Aubonne.
The terriers of Aubonne and other records agree that the children of Jean Valier of Aubonne were Louis, Benjamin, Pierre, Marie, and probably Susanne. There is no record of a testament or other proceedings that could be interpreted as a complete list of his heirs. It might be useful to examine the terriers for Lavigny, in hopes of understanding the origins of the "Valliez" family.
Even more suggestive of additional complications in the Valier genealogy is the discovery that the Châtelain de St. Prex during the years 1514-1520 (new style) was one Jacques Valier! In this office, he would probably not have been a priest. The Châtelain is mentioned several times in an account of the prosecution of Claude de Pitigny for the murder of the notary Pierre Pilantin; see E. Dupraz, "Condamnation à mort d'un gentilhomme vaudois au commencement du XVIe siècle", Revue historique vaudois, 24:289-309, 1916). At least in the terriers of Aubonne, there seems to be no mention of this person nor any indication that the minister Jaques Valier had inherited any property there from him.
Jean might have died late in 1588, because the terriers of Aubonne also refer to property acquired by Pierre Valier, his son, as the result of an exchange 30 dec 1588. The name of his wife is known only from a reconnaissance by his son Louis, 19 jan 1606 (ACV Fh 171 fol. 410). Jean was certainly alive about 1585 when the terrier Fh 34 was compiled— at that time, he owned a number of parcels of land at Gimel jointly with his "children", the sons Louis, Pierre, and Benjamin. The reason for this joint ownership has not been determined, but it might relate to property of his wife.
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He was "bourgeois d'Aubonne" in 1560 at the time of his father's death, thus surely at least age 25 by that date.
A possible parentage listed in secondary sources: daughter of late Louis Valier of Aubonne, married Claude D'Amaron 17 apr 1615 (date of contract, Claude Mayor, notary). IGI has this marriage 12 jul 1612 at Vufflens-le-Chateau (=Denens). This parentage is ruled out by the discovery that the widow of Claude D'Amaron remarried and moved to Lausanne. That leaves, as far as we know, only Pierre Valier, brother of Louis, as a possible father of the Jeanne Valier who married Benjamin Favre. The heirs of the third brother, Benjamin, seem firmly established and do not include a Jeanne.
First mention is with her husband at the baptism of their first known child Susanne, at St. Livres 29 sep 1626. Her parentage has not been proved. However, there appear to be only three possible fathers: Benjamin, Pierre, and Louis, sons of Jean Valier son of the minister Jaques Valier. Benjamin's estate went to his son Imbert and his daughter Antheine, wife of Benjamin Bégoz; there do not seem to have been any other children who survived. Louis left several sons and a daughter Jeanne who married first Claude d'Amaron and second Louis Domenjoz. Unless Louis had two daughters named Jeanne, he, too, can be ruled out as the father of the present Jeanne. That leaves Pierre Valier as the likely father of Jeanne Valier. The connection is perhaps even more likely because Pierre was Châtelain de Gimel, and Benjamin Favre's family had extensive property and prestige at Gimel.
Nothing significant has yet surfaced regarding the estate of Pierre Valier. It seems very likely, however, he would have given his daughters property as part of their dowries, so it is possible that something will be found in the terriers. For the moment, as there do not seem to be any other possibilities, and we show Jeanne as the daughter of Pierre Valier.
Birthdate estimated from mention in 1591 as (adult?) neighbor of Benjamin Valier in documents of Claude Mayor, notary, and identified as Benjamin's brother in a document of 1598. His wife was apparently Françoise Rebut, but there is at least one record (1615) that calls her Françoise Robert. An accident of the old script could easily cause this transformation, but there was a Robert family (alias Gadel) at nearby Féchy.
Further, the known children include five sons who were all minors in 1612 and 1623 (thus, the youngest of these presumably born no earlier than about 1607), plus a daughter Jeanne who was married in 1612, and a daughter Judith. It is possible these are all children of the same mother, but no document has surfaced that either states or implies this. There may have been other children.
However, since he already had a daughter Jeanne who married first Claude d'Amaron and then Louis Demenjoz, he is apparently not the father of the Jeanne Valier who married Benjamin Favre.
Curiously, both Marie Valier widow of Jean Bulard and Marie Valier widow of Félix Mayor and later of Philippe Mayor are found lending money in the records of the notaries around Ballens. It is possible some of these records are confused. Or, perhaps they are all one person!
(ID #I26564)