Person:Jacques Sordelet (4)

[Sordelet Family .FTW] The birth document for Jacques Sordelet read, in part, as follows: "....On April 8, 1830, I Victor Bernard, Mayor and Officer L'etat of the Commune of Courchaton, Canton of Villersexel, Department of Haute Saone, France, announce that Nicolas Sordelet, age thirty-seven, BAPTISM"...farmer, resident of Courchaton, presented a male infant that was born at his house and declared that his wife, Jeanne Claude Chiquelin Sordelet, age thirty-nine, was the mother of the child and that they wish to name the infant Jacques. Witnesses to this presentation were Pierre Multon, tax collector, age sixty-five, and Jean Francois Chiquelin, age forty-three, and a vine dresser, and they have signed this document...." Jacob is the Englishname for the French given name Jacques, so from here on he will be refered to as Jacob Sordelet.

OBITUARY Jacques Sordelet, a pioneer resident of Jefferson township, the county, died Tuesday morning at the age of eighty years, three-fourths of which years he had spent in Allen County. Mr. Sordelet was born in France, May 10, 1830, came to America in 1847, settled near Buffalo, N.Y., on a farm, where he remained a few years. Then removed to this county, where he had been a continuous resident. He was married to Augustine Huguenard in 1849. She died in the year 1855. Of this marriage there is one daughter, Mrs. Mary Rorick, of Jefferson township. In 1856 he was married to Armonce Dupont, of Perry township. To this union were born the following children: frank, of Columbus, O; Mrs. Clara Clutter, of this city; Mrs. Louise Haines of Aboite township; Charles of Pueblo, Colo.; Mrs. Ida Pio, of Hobart, Ind.; Edward, of Eel River township; John, of Jefferson township, and Mrs. Allene Bickel of Huntington, Ind. One son, Jacob, died at the age of nineteen. Mr. Sordelet was a devout Catholic and a very estimable citizen, whose friends were numbered by his acquaintance. Funeral services will be held at Besancon Friday morning at 9:30. This is the second death in the family during the year, Mrs. Sordelet having preceded him June 9.

NATURALIZATION Jacob Sordelet, declaration date 25 May 1866, native of France, in America 37 years, embarked from Havre, arrived in New York on 1 May 1847, Ship Camille. Bk. 4, p. 216. When Jacques was 17 years years old, he was caught up inthe trend of emigrating form France and going to the United States. His cousins, the Richard Sordelet family, were already in the United States. He arrived at the Port of New York on about 1 May 1847.. The countryside around Buffalo, NY was so beautiful and inviting that many immigrants, weary of traveling, stopped and made their home in that area. Also, there were jobs available. Jacob Sordelet married Augustine Huguenard at Tonawanda, New York, in the year of 1853. Augustine was a native of France. The couple had one child, Mary. Augustine died at Tonawanta, NY in 1855 and she was buried in Tonawanda. After the death of his first wife, Jacob moved to Allen County, IN to the area about 6 miles north of fort Wayne and called "New France". Here he rejoined some of his old friends and relatives, Courchaton people. On 4 March 1856, Jacob Sordelet married Armonce Dupont. The wedding ceremony was held at St. Vincent's catholic Church on the Auburn Rd. in Washington Twp. Armonce was the daughter of Peter Dupont and his wife, Mary, both natives of France. Armonce Dupont was born in France on 24 Sep 1838. She came to the US in the early 1840's. After Jacob and Armonce were married, they lived on a farm in Perry Toiwnship, Allen Co. IN.

LAND/DEEDS On June 24,1860, Jacob Sordelet and Armonce sold half, the undivided half, of a thirty-five acre tract of land in the sounth west quarter of Sec. 36 in Perrry Township to Marcellus Dupont, the brother of Armonce Sordelet, for the sum of $250. This thirty-five acres was part of the estate of Peter Dupont. On 20 Oct 1860, Jacob Sordelet and his wife, Armonce Sordelet purchased from Peter Parrot and his wife, Julie Parrot, in consideration of one hundred dollars, a forty acre tract of land, the southeast quarter of the SE quarter of sec 11 in Jefferson Twp. Allen County, IN. This forty acre farm was home for Jacob and Armonce for the remaining years of their lives. On 13 June 1861, Steven Coullardot and his wife, Virginia, for the sum of 600 paid to him by Jacob Sordelet, warrant and convey the following real estate, to wit" the north west quarter of the SW quarter of Sec 14, Jefferson Twp., Allen Co. IN Twenty years later Jacob and Armonce sold this same forty acres to Paul Mowery for eleven humdred and twenty five dollars.

DIRECTORYIn the 1869-1870 Allen County, IN directory, Jacob Sordelet was listed as a farmer and a landowner in Jefferson Twp, Post office address was New Haven. His location was twelve miles from Fort Wayne, one mile north of the Van Wert Road.

CENSUS

1850 Erie County, NYJacob and Louis Sordelet were among 6 farm laborers who lived and worked on the John Simpson farm with John Simpson, his wife, Frances, four minor children, and a young married couple Benjamin and Mary Fry.

1870Jacob sordelet family still living on the same forty acre farm in Sec 11 of Jefferson Twp. In the Agricultural Census, Jacob Sordelet reported 25 acres of imporoved land and 55 acres of woodland. The value of the farm was listed at $800 and the farm implements were valued at twenty dollars. He owned 2 horses, 2 milch cows, 2 other cattle, ten sheep and seven swine. The value of all the livestsock was reported at two hundred and fifty[seven dollars. The farm produced two hundred bushels of wheat, fifteen bushels of rye and ten bushels of buckwheat. The sheep sheared 25 lbs. of wool. The grasslands produced six tons of hay. They made 12 gal. of molasses. The estimated value of the farm animals slaughtered that year was fifty dollars. The estimated value of all farm products was reported as fifty dollars. The value of all farm products including betterments and addition to livestock was listed at 4445 dollars. 1878 was a very sad year for the Jacob Sordelet family. Jacob Sordelet, Jr., son of Jacob and Armonce, died on 7 March 1878. He was a few months over 18 years old. Funeral services were held at St. Louis Catholic Church at Besancon, and burial was in the parish cemetery. 1880 still lived on the 40 acre farm in sec 11 of Jefferson Twp.1900 All children are gone except John and his wife, Melanie (Emma) Kline.

    Jacob and his wife were devout catholics and were members of St. Louis Catholic Church at Besancon for fifty years. They rented pew #4 all of this time.  In 1869 a new church was begun to accodomate the growing settlement.  Each parishioner was asked to donate a calf.  As each calf was born, Father Adam went to see it and branded it.  Then each was asked to feed it for three years.  Thie prime herd thus formed was sold at auction and paid for the new church.  The timber, furnished by the parishioners was white ash and the remainder of the church was made of red brick in the French Gothic Style.  It cost approximately ten thousand dollars.

GUARDIANSHIP25 June 1910 [right after Armonce died; her obit stated that Jacob was critically ill]Albert E. Thomas, Prosecuting Attorney appeared to state that Jacques Sordelet is of unsound mind and unable to manage his own estate. He waived a jury. Joseph N. Mason filed a general deniel of these words. The court heard the proofs and found Jacque Sordelet of unsound mind. Edward A. Sordelet was appointed guardian.

    Armonce Dupont died of pneumonia on 9 June 1910 in Jefferson Twp. She was 71 years old.  Funeral services were held at St. Louis Besancon and burial was in the parish cemetery at Besancon.  jacob was 80 years old.
    Jacob died on 15 November 1910, at age 80.  He is buried next to Armonce in the St. Louis Catholic Church, Besancon cemetery.

PROBATE Book 30:341 12 Dec 1910Edward A. Sordelet is appointed administrator of the estate of Jacques Sordelet, deceased. Book 30:432 23 Jan 1911The following were notified but did not appear in court: Mary Rorick, Clara Clutter, John B. Sordelet, Alliene Bickel and Louise Haines. Edward filed an inventory [not included] and appraisement of the real estate in his petition for sale of real estate. The personal asssets of Jacques were insufficient to pay debts; order real estate sold at public auction for not less than 2/3 of apraised value. Personal property consisting of household furniture, farming implements, harness, ect. will also be sold. Book 30:590 21 Mar 1911Proofs of publication were provided by Edward A. Sordelet and estate was sold to Frand D. Pio and Ida Pio for $4400.

    11 March 1911 the Jacob Sordelet heirs sold the forty acres that was the home of Jacques and Armonce for fifty years.  This forty acres, was sold to Frank Pio and his wife, Ida (Sordelet) Pio, for the sum of forty four hundred dollars.  This same forty acres was purchased by Jacob and Armonce for one hundred dollars in 1860.

The birth document for Jacques Sordelet read, in part, as follows: "....On April 8, 1830, I Victor Bernard, Mayor and Officer L'etat of the Commune of Courchaton, Canton of Villersexel, Department of Haute Saone, France, announce that Nicolas Sordelet, age thirty-seven, farmer, resident of Courchaton, presented a male infant that was born at his house and declared that his wife, Jeanne Claude Chiquelin Sordelet, age thirty-nine, was the mother of the child and that they wish to name the infant Jacques. Witnesses to this presentation were Pierre Multon, tax collector, age sixty-five, and Jean francois Chiquelin, age forty-three, and a vinedresser, and they have signed this document...."

1. ↑ Jacques Sordelet Entry, Allen County Naturalization Records
   Book 4, P. 216.
2. ↑ Guardianship, Jacques Sordelet, Book 30, Allen County Courthouse, Fort Wayne, IN, p. 171.
3. ↑ Allen County Deeds, Book 39:339, Allen County Courthouse, Fort Wayne, IN.
4. ↑ Allen County Deeds, Book 41:80, Allen County Courthouse, Fort Wayne, IN.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7} Sordelet Family .FTW.
6. ↑ Translated by Father Charles Banet, C.P.P.S. Baptismal Records, St. Madeleine's Catholic Church, Courchaton, Hoate Saone, France.
7. ↑ Jacques Sordelet Obituary, Journal Gazette, 16 November 1910, Fort Wayne, IN
   page 2, column 3.
8. ↑ Jacob Sordelet Entry, Allen County Deaths.
9. ↑ Jacob sordelet entry, Harper & Sons Funeral Home, New Haven, IN.
10. ↑ Probate for Jacques Sordelet, Book 30, Allen County Courthouse, Fort Wayne, IN, pages 341, 432, 590.
11. ↑ Sue Pio Kratzman and Judy Pio Schroff. St. Louis Besancon Catholic Church Old Cemetery. (Fort Wayne, IN).
12. ↑ Jacques Sordelet Entry, Allen County Naturalization Records
    Book 4, P. 216.