what is this man's correct name at birth, need assistance to determine it [closed]

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Antoine Momet or Moumet dit Lamarche was from la Marche in France, came here as a soldier and got given the dit name La Marche in consequence.  He got entered as Lamarche as LNAB, but this is obviously incorrect.  Have filled in his bio and all the variations of his name I found, no Fichier origine for him, unfortunately.  

Can my friends on the other side of the big pond find anything to determine what is correct LNAB please?  Thanks.
WikiTree profile: Antoine Momet dit Lamarche
closed with the note: baptism found, thanks Kyla!
in Genealogy Help by Danielle Liard G2G6 Pilot (643k points)
closed by Danielle Liard

2 Answers

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Best answer
Hi Danielle. I believe I found his baptismal record in the archives of Creuse. Commune of Gentioux BMS 1682-1740, vue 234.

https://archives.creuse.fr/ark:/22575/s005b355d8fcc0a7/5b355d903c9fe

I believe he was baptized Antoine son of Antoine Meaume and Jeane Salas.  The spelling of Meaume is the same for his godmother Catherine Meaume.
by Kyla H G2G6 Mach 5 (53.8k points)
selected by Danielle Liard
marvelous Kyla, thanks.  :D
+3 votes
People were given Dit names too seperate others with same

names in the same area.Often the Dit name was added

later than birth.So it is difficult too deal with,
by Wayne Morgan G2G Astronaut (1.0m points)
hi Wayne, in this case he got the ''dit'' name as a soldier, common practice of the era in the military, to protect families back home.

In addition to Danielle's common practice fact for the military in Nouvelle France. ..  Another possibility Wayne is his ancestral dit Lamarche name may have also referred to the French medieval  "La Marche" or " Lamarche" a place or region he or his family may have resided and where he migrated from. 

Danielle's point is well established and for example almost all the French dit Lafontaine (and variations) names I've researched in Nouvelle France were of military personal and for the significant purpose of protecting or hiding one's identity. 

Gentioux, where Antoine was born, is located in Marche province, the name Marche designating an intermediate zone between 2 territories (see note). In this case, between English-controlled Aquitaine province and French-owned Berry province.  

It therefore seems highly unlikely that, Antoine was trying to hide his identity via his Lamarche dit name. He was more likely highlighting his origin to Marche province.

Note: According to Wikitionary's etymology of the noun 'Marche': D’une racine germanique marka (« frontière » mais aussi « signe de démarcation de la frontière ») d'où marque {From the gerrnan marka ("frontier" but also "sign of demarcation of the frontier") hence marque}. filae.com uses very similar reference to 'frontier'.

dit names for soldiers were meant to hide identity originally, so there would not be retaliation against families of soldiers.  The practice was maintained long after this was no longer an issue.  Read your 3 Musketeers, Athos, Aramis and Porthos are all ''dit names'' while they were musketeers.

La marche was his place of origin, which is most likely how it was chosen as his dit name, that happened a lot.

What Danielle shared about soldiers and families was definitely a practice in Nouvelle France. There were many cases of soldiers who also meant to hide their own identity in order to hide their own past . A new start in life was very valuable and a strong incentive for soldiers to enlist. 

In regard to anon's share, all my ancestors including soldiers  in France, Nouvelle France and Louisiane used the French dit name to identify regions, places, other family lines and occupations. 

Great share about Athos, Armis, Porthos Danielle ! .. Always learning ....  

We are all in agreement about common practice of soldiers using dit names to hide their identity.

The issue is that using Lamarche for dit name if you came from Marche province does not seem to be the best way to hide your identity.  Hence, the proposed 'frontier' hypothesis alternative.
lol, cousin, so many soldiers got given the province of origin, Picard, Tourangeau, Lamarche......, it's a needle in a haystack trying to identify them from that only.

PRDH lists 9 pioneers born in France between 1615 and 1726 who left descendants with the last name Lamarche (all dit named) in New France. Three of these Lamarche-named pioneers, including Antoine, came from Marche province and Limoges diocese:

  1. ~1660, Jacques, St-Bonnet-de-Bellac
  2. ~1699, François, St-Hilaire-la-Plaine
  3. ~1726, Antoine, Gentioux.

Coincidence?

no, not coincidence, the military mostly had little imagination in giving dit names, except for a few.  One captain in Carignan-Salières regiment gave all his soldiers dit names starting with the letter L.  And there are some fantasy names like ''prêt à boire'' or ''la gachette'' once in a while.  Maybe personal characteristics of the men so dubbed, prêt à boire = ready to drink, did he like his drink that much?  La gachette, could have been trigger-happy.  laugh

Digress:

I think new pioneers to Nouvelle France and Louisiane may have had a bigger incentive to use a French dit name. The French custom of distinguishing between family lines fit perfectly with the use of French dit s. Three of my Barbeau ancestral lines who settled in Nouvelle France and Louisiane distinguished themselves with dit Boisdore, dit LaForest and  dit Poitevin. The research I've conducted  suggests that their use of French dit names increased in Nouvelle France when compared to the same families and same dit names back in France, the French Netherlands and during the same time period. The same French Barbeau dit names were in use in France but not nearly as much as in Nouvelle France. This is just my anecdotal perspective given the significant differences in available records and incentives for dit use to be found.  

I once learned from Danielle and I agree that the clergy may have often involved themselves in the spelling of surnames, sometimes adding names and or writing down just what they heard. It would have been natural for French dit names to be recorded or added and or created for the important identification of the French pioneers settling in different parishes and localities in Nouvelle France. The inviting practice would definitely help define family connections with the same surnames in different locations.

I've remain surprised  by the number of French dit names that were created in Nouvelle France, (not so in Louisiane) and its humorous to me when I have conversation with modern day French genealogists who are aware of the "created" dit names in Nouvelle France and are not happy about the practice ! .. lol .. There were many other "freedoms" the French settlers did in Nouvelle France that conjures chagrin by my learned colleagues across the pond.  lol ..

C'est Bon Magnifique !

For the record, here is etymology of the surname LAMARCHE taken from Les descendants de Justin Lamarche that translates roughly to:

  • Place name derived from the Germanic "marca" meaning "frontier" and that had likely designated villages situated on the border of a country. 
  • 'Medieval march', which means a geographical boundary, a boundary between neighbouring regions or states. 
  • A nickname given to a person who comes from the province of France bearing this name or from one of the localities (or dit-lieux) so named for having been a frontier post. 
  • Soldier’s nickname.

Great Info .. anon .. The French dit Lamarche in this case then might very well be a reference to a family surname connection . 

Several possibilities ... 

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