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Jean "John" Bellenfant was probably born in approximately 1750 in Marseilles-lès-Aubigny, Cher, Centre-Val de Loire, France. No authoritative link to his birth in Marseilles, France has been established, but it has been frequently surmised that his parents may have been Joseph Bellenfant (1694 - ) and Catherine Desmontes (~1695 - ~1750).
Jean reputedly came to America with the Marquis Lafayette in 1776 and served in the American Revolution with Lafayette. One story is that Jean was a sailor on the ship that brought LaFayette to America and perhaps served in the Navy during the war. So far, no one has documented any “official” record of his service – only references in county histories, in the Bellenfant Bible, and by family tradition, as well as the prevalence of the name Lafayette in Jean's descendants, . "Henry Turner of North Carolina and Joseph Ballanfant [Bellenfant] of Tennessee, and Their Families" by Alvy Ray Smith, FASG, (https://docplayer.net/86351330-Henry-turner-of-north-carolina-and-joseph-ballanfant-bellenfant-of-tennessee-and-their-families.html)
Jean Bellenfant married Louisa Yeoman (1767 - 1797) in about 1785 in Virginia, USA.
Their children were.
Jean was granted U.S. citizenship on August 16, 1787 in Halifax Co, Virginia and moved to the Dan River Valley of Tennessee in the 1790's.
According to family lore his first wife, Louisa (Yeoman) Bellenfant (1767-1797), died while giving birth at sea in 1797 on the way home from visiting Jean's parents in Marseilles, France. Their newborn daughter, Corinne Mourning (Bellenfant) McClaran (1797 - 1881), survived, and was named "Mourning" to commemorate her mother's death.
Jean married Sally Ray (1768 - ), and she raised the seven children from his first marriage.
Jean purportedly died fighting a fire in May, 1802 at the age of 51. His body was interred at Rockingham, North Carolina. https://christiancomogenealogy.org/index.php/family-histories-2/item/20-johnstons-the-johnstons-from-caskieben-to-missouri "The Johns(t)ons from Casekieben to Missouri"] by Randy McConnell)
In 1808: Jean 30 years of age ... value $275 Alley 13 years of age … value $160 Suckey 6 years of age … value $160 Kate 3 years of age … value $100 Patt 28 years of age… value 300 Abram 10 years of age … value 300 Lucinda 8 years of age … value 200 Bellofen-2 Charles 7 years of age Saml 5 years of age … value150 Edmond 2 years of age … value120
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Jean is 24 degrees from Herbert Adair, 21 degrees from Richard Adams, 16 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 19 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 33 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 18 degrees from Sam Edwards, 14 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 15 degrees from Marty Krofft, 15 degrees from Junius Matthews, 15 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 16 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
B > Bellenfant > Jean Bellenfant
Categories: Rockingham County, North Carolina, Slave Owners | Rockingham, North Carolina