Pierre Chevalier (bef. 1672 - aft. 1698)

Born before 9 Jun 1672 in St. Lo, Manche, Basse Normandie, France [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Cornelia (Bosch) Chevalier — married 3 Apr 1697 in NY

Died after 1698 after age 25 in New York, New York Colony

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Biography

French Origins

Peter Chevalier was a Huguenot emigrant (1540-1790).

Pierre (Peter) Le Chevallier was born about 1672, perhaps in St. Lo, a city in the French Province de Normandie (today's departement of La Manche, Basse Normandie). His parents were of the local French nobility: Jean le Chevallier and his wife, Jeanne (de Creguy) le Chevallier [note: the surname spelling used here may be an English corruption based on their British naturalization; the correct French would be "Le Chevalier" - meaning "knight"]. Peter's parents were French Huguenots: Calvinist/Presbyterian Protestant Christians. They are said to have had 5 children (listed in English): John, Peter, Daniel, Elizabeth & Judith. Jean Le Chevallier was naturalized a British subject with his wife and children on 15 April 1687. Two of his sons, John and Peter, then emigrated further west to New York, a British colony.^[1]

2 Marriages

Peter Chevalier, as he was known in New York, is known to have married 2 times.
First, he married a Dutch or Flemish woman, named Belitije Claerhout. They had 2 children, both christened at the Dutch Reformed Church, Manhattan, New York:

1. Catherine Chevalier, christened 17 Dec. 1693
2. Peter Chevalier, christened, 1 Jan. 1695^[2]

Belitije (Claerhout) Chevalier died before 1697.

On 3 April 1697 Peter Chevalier married his 2nd wife, Cornelia Bosch. It is not known if they had any children together.^[3][4]

1697 den 3 apr. Pieter Chavelier, Wedr, Cornelia Bosch, Jd. van N. Yorke, beyde woonende alhier. den 3 april, met een licentie.

Nothing further is known at present concerning the later life and death of Pierre (Peter) Chevalier of New York. He should not be confused with "Peter Chevalier of Philadelphia," who was born ca. 1695 in England. He should not be confused with a (Pierre) Peter Cavalier as that Huguenot family was from Languedoc, in the south-west of France, not Normandy.

Research Notes for his son Pieter Chavalier

Pieter Chavalier [i.e., Peter Chevalier] was born and christened at the Dutch Reformed Church in Manhattan, New York, Province of New York, on 1 January 1695. His parents were Pieter Chavalier [Pierre Chevalier] and his wife Belitje Claerhout. Pierre had been born ca. 1672 in Normandie, France; he was a French Huguenot (Calvinist Protestant Christian) emigrant who had fled his homeland due to religious persecution of Protestants under Roman Catholic French King Louis XIV. His wife was of Dutch extraction and also a Calvinist Presbyterian Protestant Christian. ^[5]

This is NOT the Peter Chevalier who was known as "Peter Chevalier of Philadelphia" - that man was baptized ca. 1 Dec. 1695 in Dartmouth, Devon, England; married Elizabeth Woods in England ca. 1718, and emigrated directly to Philadelphia, with his wife and 2 small children, arriving on 25 November 1719. ^[6] More research about his life, most-likely in New York, is needed.

Sources

1. ↑ Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania Proceedings on Internet Archive.org The Chevalier section begins on pg. 310 with John & Peter's family. His 2 wives' names & 2nd marriage date are given on pg. 311. A list of several primary and 2ndy sources backing this identification is also given on pg. 311.
2. ↑ "New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2HY-C8B : 11 February 2018), Pieter Chavalier, 01 Jan 1695; citing REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH,NEW YORK,NEW YORK,NEW YORK, reference ; FHL microfilm 17,503.
3. ↑ Records of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam/New York - Marriages Marriage Book of the Register of the Persons who are herin recorded, and who were married here or outside the city of New York from the 11th Dec. 1639. Source: The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record published 1890 and 1940.
4. ↑ OneWorldTree
5. ↑ "New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2HY-C8B : 11 February 2018), Pieter Chavalier, 01 Jan 1695; citing REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH,NEW YORK,NEW YORK,NEW YORK, reference ; FHL microfilm 17,503.
6. ↑ Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania Proceedings on Internet Archive.org The Chevalier section begins on pg. 310; A list of several primary and 2ndy sources backing this identification is given on pg. 311.

• Egle, W.H. (1896). Pennsylvania Genealogies: Chiefly Scotch-Irish and German, (pp.27-28 of original) on Archive.org This work discusses Garland Anderson, who married Jane Chevalier, daughter of "Peter Chevalier of Philadelphia," who has been shown not to have been born in New York to Jean Le Chevalier. See GENEALOGICAL NOTE on Jane Chevalier; authoritative source is the Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania Proceedings on Internet Archive.org The Chevalier section begins on pg. 310; A list of several primary and 2ndy sources backing this identification is given on pg. 311. Jane was removed as this man's daughter by Chet Snow, Leader of the Huguenot Migration Project, WikiTree, after research, on 20 Nov 2019.