Jean Georges (Bezancon) Besançon (abt. 1708 - bef. 1756)

Born about 1708 in Brognard, Doubs, Principauté de Montbéliard, Saint-Empire Romain Germanique

Husband of Jeanne (Unknown) Bezancon — married about 1730 in Principauté de Montbéliard, Saint-Empire Romain Germanique [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before Jan 1756 before about age 48 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

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Biography

Jean Georges (Bezancon) Besançon was a Huguenot emigrant (1540-1790).

The Bezançon family were associated with the Huguenots from Montbéliard^[1]

Many online family trees give Jean-George Bezançon's parents as Jean Bezançon and Marie Danton DeFunte, however this is not supported by the facts. It is based on a marriage certificate found on Ancestry for a Jean Bezançon and Marie-Jeanne JORY in Anglure, which

• occurred several hundred kilometers from the Montbéliard region, between two persons whose birth places are not in Montbéliard
• presumes he used the forename name Jean, rather than the full Jean-George or George, as was the practice and as is shown in the Nova Scotia records, and
• gives a surname to his wife that is not found in any of the sources for this family. Jeanne was a very common name for a woman in this region, and both FamilySearch and Ancestry provide other options for various men named Jean and/or George Bezançon who married various women bearing the forename Jeanne.
• Further, these trees give his birth place as Étobon, but this is not shown on the marriage record showing these names, and the Étobon records don't show any Bezançon records in that place^[2]

Punch gives his parents as Christophe Bezançon and Catherine Gagnebien of Brognard, in Doubs^[3], based on Montbéliard records for this family^{[4] [5]} Wright does not give his parents^[6]

Jean-George Bezançon was age 44 when he emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1752 aboard the Speedwell^[7], with his wife Jeanne and four young children^{[3] [6] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}, including:

1. Marie Catherine ^[6] born circa 1735, who married David Langille on December 3, 1753^{[13][3] [8] [9] [10]}
2. John Nicholas^[6] born circa 1838, who was licenced to marry Mary Richards on October 18, 1761^{[3] [8] [9]}
3. David^[6], who died in Lunenburg 1755/56^{[3][8] [9] [10]}
4. Marie^[6], who was living in 1756^{[3] [8] [9] [10] [11]}
5. Marie Elizabeth^[6], who died between August 1752 and May 1753 at Halifax^{[3] [8]}

His wife Jeanne died in Halifax between August and October 1752 around age 40^{[3] [6] [14]}

On May 20, 1753, he remarried Anne Catherine Boutilier^{[15] [3] [6] [16] [17]}, and their children included:

1. Jean Jacques Jacob, known variously as James or Jacob, a miller, born June 17, 1754^[18], who married Anne Mary Loy 29 October 1776^[19][3]
2. Suzanna Catherine ^[6], born April 5, 1756, who married first Peter Robar in 1784, and second married Joseph Boutellier in 1802^{[20] [3]}

Jean-George Bezanson died in Lunenburg between July and December, 1755^[3]

Note

On July 10, 1988, Pierre Jodry of Audincourt, France (near the city of Montbeliard) unveiled a memorial dedicated to the 431 foreign protestants from the Principality of Montbeliard who landed in Nova Scotia between 1749 and 1752. Many of these Montbeliardians were among the founding settlers of Lunenburg on June 8, 1753. Jean-George and his family are considered founders of Lunenburg and the family name appears on the monument^[21]

Sources

• Montbélliard Emigrations to Nova Scotia, 1749-1752, Terrence M. Punch, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore Maryland, 2014
• Wright, Esther Clark, 1895-. Planters And Pioneers. rev. ed. [Canada: s.n.], 1982
• Lunenburg County GenWeb lunenburg County and Queens County Birth, Marriage and Death Records From Primary Sources, transcribed by Don Shankle
• L'ASSOCIATION Doubs Généalogie 31 rue du Magny - 25250 L'Isle sur Le Doubs
• Mahone Bay Museum Archives
• Bezansons in North America Online Family Tree by Jean Cardinal

See also:

1. ↑ Wikipedia article on the Battle of Besançon
2. ↑ Genealogie des Vosges Saonoises Haute-Saone 70 Depouillement de tables et actes d etat-civil ou de registres paroissiaux showing lack of Bezançon records in this region
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11} Punch: See page 55-6 for Jean-George Bezançon
4. ↑ L'ASSOCIATION Doubs Généalogie 31 rue du Magny - 25250 L'Isle sur Le Doubs 1717 which states Dénombrement population Commune : Brognard; Département : Doubs; Date de l'acte : xx/xx/1717; Intervenant 1 : Nom : BESANÇON Christofle; Sexe : Masculin; Age : 35; Profession : manouvrier; Intervenant 2 : Nom : GAGNEBIEN Catherine; Sexe : Féminin; Age : 33; Références : Commentaire général : George, 8 ans; Françoise, 6 ans; David, 4 ans; Claudine, 1 an 1/2; Cote : AD 25 - EPM 446; Libre : famille 6 - taillable et corvéable; Crédits : ID du déposant : Généalogie Doubs; Gestion :
5. ↑ L'ASSOCIATION Doubs Généalogie 31 rue du Magny - 25250 L'Isle sur Le Doubs : 1723, which states Dénombrement population; Commune : Brognard; Département : Doubs; Date de l'acte : xx/xx/1723; Intervenant 1 : Nom : BESANÇON Christofle; Sexe : Masculin; Age : 41; Intervenant 2 : Nom : GAGNEBIEN Catherine; Sexe : Féminin; Age : 41; Références : Commentaire général : Jean George, leur fils, 15 ans; David, leur fils, 8 ans; Jean leur 3eme fils, 4 ans; Françoise, leur fille, 10 ans; Claudine, leur fille, 6 ans; Cote : AD 25 - EPM 446; Libre : famille 18; Crédits : ID du déposant : Généalogie Doubs; Gestion :
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9} Wright: See page 43 Jean-George Bezançon
7. ↑ Lunenburg County GenWeb Passenger Lists for Ships Carrying the "Foreign Protestants" to Nova Scotia] showing 59 Families 16 May 1752 "SPEEDWELL" Joseph Wilson, Master ... Besancon, Jean George 44 Montbeliard Farmer
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} Lunenburg County GenWeb 1752 Halifax Victualling List; Alphabetical List of Names (A-J), which states:
   • Bezancon David victualled between 30 Oct and 24 Dec 1752 inclusive
   • Bezancon Jean George victualled between 30 Oct and 24 Dec 1752 inclusive
   • Bezancon Maria victualled between 30 Oct and 24 Dec 1752 inclusive
   • Bezancon Maria victualled between 30 Oct and 24 Dec 1752 inclusive
   • Bezancon Maria Elizabeth victualled between 30 Oct and 24 Dec 1752 inclusive
   • Bezancon Nicholas victualled between 30 Oct and 24 Dec 1752 inclusive
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4} HALIFAX VICTUALING RECORDS (Chris Young); 19 Feb to 15 April 1753; A-E, which states BEZANSON ( BEZANCON ) J George ; Marie ; Nicholas ; David ; Marie L'burg Speedwell 1752
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3} Lunenburg County GenWeb 1755 Victual List for Lunenburg From Winthrop Bell's (work sheet notes) MG1 - Vol.113 at PANS. Compiled in alphabetical order by Bryan Keddy on June 29th, 2000, which states BEZANCON - Jean Geo'r, Maria, David, Cathrina, John Jacob [Speedwell 52] (N.W.)-(N.W.)
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Lunenburg County GenWeb 1756 Lunenburg Victualling List; Alphabetical List of Names Compiled by Chris Young; which states BESANSON Susanna; BESANSON Maria
12. ↑ Lunenburg County GenWeb 1757 Lunenburg Victualling List; Alphabetical List of Names; Compiled by Chris Young, which states BEZANZON (BESANSON) Jacob, Susanna
13. ↑ Shankle BEZANSON","Cath","M","1753-12-03",,"Saint John Anglican Church, Lunenburg","Langille, David",,
14. ↑ "Bezansons from Nova Scotia", by Dorothy Evans, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Privately Published, 1986, revised 1991
15. ↑ Shankle BEZANSON", "Jean George", "Married", "1753-05-20" ,, "Saint John Anglican Church, Lunenburg", "Boutelier, Cath"
16. ↑ Winthrop Bell, Winthrop Bell's Notes
17. ↑ Karen Farmer, compiler, GEDCOM file KFarmer.GED citing August 1996 letter from Elaine Hoare (unknown author e-mail, 15 Anderson Street, Dartmouth, NS B2W 2T6).
18. ↑ Shankle BEZANSON", "Jean Jacques", "B", "1754 abt", baptized "1754-06-17", "Saint John Anglican Church, Lunenburg", "Jean George & Cath" ,
19. ↑ Shankle "BEZANSON", "Jacob", "Married", "1776-10-29" ,, "Dutch Reformed Church, Lunenburg", "Anna Maria Ley"
20. ↑ Shankle "BEZANSON", "Susanna Cath", "Born", "1756 abt", "1756-04-05", "SCALE", "John George & Cath" and "BEZANSON", "Susanna Cath", "Married", "1784-03-16" ,, "Saint John Anglican Church, Lunenburg", "Robar, Peter" ,,
21. ↑ http://ns1763.ca/lunenco/montbeliard.html