THE CHAUDOIN FAMILY HISTORY
The CHAUDOIN FAMILY INCLUDES THESE KNOWN VARIANTS OF THE SURNAME:
SHAD-OWENS, SHADOWING, etc.
CHAUDOWEN(S), CHADDOAN, CHADDOEN, CHAD-OWENS, etc.
and
other surnames, said to be variants or possible variants:
Chadaine, Chadeayne
Chattenau, Chaudenay, Chaudenet, Chaudenez,
Chaudenait, Chaudenais, Chaudenays, Chaudenaits,
Chaudenets, Chaudnay, Chaudnet, Chaudnez, Chaudnait,
Chaudnais, Chaudnays, Chaudnaits, Chaudnets, de Chaudenay
This web page is dedicated to all members of the various families and descendants of Francis CHAUDOIN & his wife, Sarah WEAVER.
Your contributions, data, stories, additions, & corrections are solicited and welcomed. Your input is greatly appreciated, so please feel free to contact me. Original sources/copies/articles (birth certificate, Bible record, land record, letters from others, etc.) are needed to bring authenticity to our history. If you are blessed to have any of these items in your collection, please share your finds with us. Transcribe the document with its original spellings, etc., mail to me, and I will add the HTML code to the document and give you credit as the transcriber.
If anyone would like to provide me with an original copy of a record or a picture/record/article that can be scanned, we can put it on this history page. If you have a scanned picture/article, you can send it to me as an attachment, and I would hope to put it on the website.
If you have your own stories that you would like to share with all of us, I would be happy to put these on the web and give you credit for the information. However, you will need to transcribe this, and I will do the rest in readying it for the internet.
Audrey (SHIELDS) HANCOCK,
1130 Dogwood Drive, Portage, MI 49024
RETURN TO CHAUDOIN FAMILY HOMEPAGE
WARNING!
To date the parentage of our immigrant CHAUDOIN ancestor back to France is not known and is not proven, even though some records and genealogies state that a Francois CHAUDRON born 27 May 1720 in France is our own Francois CHAUDOIN for whom the same birthdate is given in many family histories. However, Francois CHAUDRON according to a French record as born 27 May 1720 is later recorded in French legal records as dying at age 2, so he would not have been alive to immigrant and become Francois Chaudoin.
The rest of the story...
A very early researcher of French records was aware of this information and used "Francois Chaudron" and his birth date in France as a marker to track his/her research and to hopefully prevent stealing of his/her research in the likelihood of writing a copyrighted book. If the name and date of Francois Chaudron was used in another's genealogy presentation, then this early researcher knew the information came from his/her lineage accounting, since there was no factual basis. This was before the advent of computers, the internet, etc. which created the atmosphere for the rapid spread of his/her invented CHAUDRON ancestor. People continued to share with so many others that the original researcher was unable to stop the spiraling spread of this false ancestral family connection that he/she created. A number of early researchers (myself included) were told privately of this dilemma. Different attempts were made but all were fruitless in halting the spread...as evidenced on family files within IGI (LDS files), WorldConnect, etc. where this falsehood continues to spread.
To perpetuate this fallicy is doing an injustice to yourselves and your family lineage. Not one of our seasoned researchers has ever produced the research of facts to validate the parentage of our immigrant, so please heed the warning. We welcome any research that can open the door to reveal the true ancestors of our immigrant, FRANCOIS CHAUDOIN, based upon factual evidence.
At the present it is not known whether FRANCOIS CHAUDOIN was the first generation CHAUDOIN who came to America, or whether he arrived earlier by himself or with a father or other family member. It is understood that the CHAUDOIN surname can be found in earlier French records, so at this time it appears to stand separate from the CHAUDRON surname given by so many others.
In 1982, Jeter Grimsley (dec'd), an early CHAUDOIN researcher asked R. S. Sanders (dec'd), another early CHAUDOIN researcher, in a letter if they should consider the possibility that CHAUDOIN could have been a variant of the French surnames of CHADAINE or CHADEAYNE. He also questioned whether or not we should be looking at early New York for clues to earlier CHAUDOINs before Francois CHAUDOIN was in Virginia. ASH |
FRANCOIS / FRANCIS CHAUDOIN, said to be the French Huguenot Ancestral Immigrant
In 1700-1701 over 300 French Huguenot refugees under colonial authorities settled on the southern bank of the James River in King William Parish, named for the 10,000 acres donated by King William III, & located in Manakin (Town), Goochland Co., VA. Manakin is about 15 mi. west of Richmond, Henrico Co., VA on Rt. 6 (Patterson Ave.) & River Road. A bridge across the James River on River Road in the West-End of Richmond is called the Huguenot Bridge.
(Source: Jeter GRIMSLEY, 1993 [now deceased]; Robert RIGHTER, Aug 1997 [now deceased]; R. S. Sanders [now deceased])
It was into this environment that our first known ancestor is said to have arrived. Francois CHAUDOIN, b ca 1718 France, was our first known ancestor in America. However, it is not really known whether he arrived as a child with a father, mother, or other relative or perhaps later by himself. He was identified in a book of early Virginia Baptists. Although Francois was not an original land holder in Manakin Town as many of the first Huguenot refugees were, he did own 50 acres and a town lot. He owned various amounts of land in various Cumberland County, Virginia locations.
(Source: Jeter GRIMSLEY, 1993 [now deceased]; Robert RIGHTER, Aug 1997 [now deceased]; R. S. Sanders [now deceased])
In 1739, one "Francis CHADELL", possibly Francis CHAUDOIN, was listed in Book 3, p. 268.
(Source: JONES, W. Mac., The Douglas Register, J. W. Fergusson & Sons, Richmond, VA , 1928, p. 389)
Francois/Francis Chaudoin probably married ca 1750 to Sarah WEAVER. Sarah was the daughter of Samuel WEAVER and a believed first wife.
(Source: Jeter GRIMSLEY, 1993 (now deceased))
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[Note: "Elizabeth Williams was wife #2 AFTER Sarah Weaver was married to Francis Chaudoin, but before the Guerrand/Guerrant family came into the picture." Elizabeth Williams thus could not have been Sarah's mother. BCT] |
24 January 1757 Cumberland Co., Va Court Orders "Ordered that Francis Chaudoin be summoned to appear here to answer the complaint of his apprentice Higginson Hix, this day exhibited against him for misusage and that he suffer him to come here at the next court to make good his complaint and do not presume to beat or abuse him on this account" [Note: No account of his appearance on the next court day is recorded. Perhaps the complaint was resolved out of court. BTC] |
About September 1757, Francois/Francis CHAUDOIN deserted the Virginia Militia during the French & Indian War. His & others' names appeared on a Virginia Gazette WANTED newpaper poster [page 2] dated September 1757 with the about 39 year old Francis Chaudoin being dark-complexioned, a 5'4" Frenchman with the occupation listed as barber. A bounty of 40 shillings was the price placed upon his head, but there is no evidence that he was ever apprehended. Governor DINWIDDIE formed the militia with promise of land bounty and money to join, but when his promises didn't materialize many deserted. DINWIDDIE was loyal to the Crown at that time, but others were not.
(Source: Brad COLLINS, Aug 1997 as received from Sheila CHAUDOIN; Robert RIGHTER [dec'd])
Page 2: Francis Chaudoin
Courtesy of: Sheila Chaudoin
Perhaps about 1998
24 January 1757 Cumberland Co., Va Court Orders Cumberland Co., Va Court Orders |
On 16 November 1761 a marriage of Francis "SHODOANG" to Sarah WEAVER was recorded, although the actual marriage date is deemed to be earlier.
(Source: JONES, W. Mac., The Douglas Register, J. W. Fergusson & Sons, Richmond, VA 1928, p. 117: Marriage Record)
[Note: The recording in Rev. Douglas's "Register" probably took place at the baptism/christening of sons, John and Andrew (said to have been twins), who were said by some to have been born 6 November 1761. However, frequently in those early years, many children of a family were baptized/christened at the same time, when a traveling circuit minister appeared in their community or when the family traveled to where relatives and a minister resided .
- Lewis/Louis Weaver CHAUDOIN
- Reuben/Reubin CHAUDOIN
- Francis CHAUDOIN (Jr.)
- John CHAUDOIN (said by some to be a twin of Andrew)
- Andrew CHAUDOIN (said by some to be a twin of John)
- Jesse/Jessie CHAUDOIN
- David CHAUDOIN
Revised: 20 July 2007