Our French Ancestors
.........including a duke, a baron and an archbishop, too!
A grand tour of Nauvoo's known and public cemeteries reveals a host of Datin Family members whose large and small monuments dot the tree-shrouded grounds. All of whom are descendants of the d'Antin Family of France whose earlier ancestors comprise a duke, a baron, and yes, an archbishop, etc.
Foremost of the d'Antin ancestors is "le duc," the Duke d' Antin, only son of the Marquis and Marquise de Montespan. His mother, the Marquise de Thianges, Athenais de Rochechouart, famously known as Madame de Montespan in numerous history books, became the second of three mistresses to Louis XIV, King of France. She bore the King seven children, despite the fact she remained married to her husband. Her only legitimate son, born in 1665 as Louis-Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, the Marquis d'Antin, who eventually became a favourite of the Court of Louis XIV at Versailles. |
As the king's second known mistress, the performances of Athenais-Francoise de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan, have been topics of many books, including the first English version of her autobiography published in London in 1895. She fell out of favor with Louis XIV about 1684 and retired. With her passing in 1707, she left her son the country estate of Petit-Bourg, which Louis XIV had earlier awarded her the land, plus her Paris residence, the Hotel d'Antin.
In the years to come, it was at Petit-Bourg, located directly south of Paris, that emerged as the only private chateau which Louis XIV permitted himself to spend a night or two. After several owners, and years later, the castle was occupied by the German army during their invasion of France and destroyed by them in 1944 prior to General Patton's army of liberation. Under the king, d'Antin became the Director of the Royal Gardens as well as Director-General of Buildings, Arts and Manufactures by the year 1708, succeeding the famed Jules Hardouin Mansart.
In the years to come, it was at Petit-Bourg, located directly south of Paris, that emerged as the only private chateau which Louis XIV permitted himself to spend a night or two. After several owners, and years later, the castle was occupied by the German army during their invasion of France and destroyed by them in 1944 prior to General Patton's army of liberation. Under the king, d'Antin became the Director of the Royal Gardens as well as Director-General of Buildings, Arts and Manufactures by the year 1708, succeeding the famed Jules Hardouin Mansart.
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Three years later, Louis XIV bestowed the title of Duke to d'Antin. Married to Julie-Francoise de Crussol in 1686, she gave him four sons -- all of whom passed away before their father. Though he died in 1736, le duc is still remembered for his many accomplishments by a number of Paris streets and quarters; namely the Rue de la Chaussee d'Antin, the Avenue d'Antin which he laid out in 1723, but renamed years later to honor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Other Paris entities are: cite d'Antin, Impasse d'Antin, Rue d'Antin and the Saint-Louis d'Antin church.
His grandson, Louis de Pardaillan de Gondrin was born Oct. 9, 1707 at Versailles and became the second duc d'Antin. He succumbed Dec. 9, 1743. The title passed to his son, Louis de Pardaillan de Gondrin who was born in Paris Feb. 15, 1727. He died Sept. 13, 1757 in Bremen, without any male heirs -- he never married! What little remained of the d'Antin domain was inherited by his three sisters. And as a consequence, for those of us of the Datin Family in this country, we are not related directly to our famous ancestors of France, unfortunately. |
The Datin Family Genealogy (as prepared by Richard C. Datin, Jr., Reno NV)
Contact info: M. Datin, [email protected]
Contact info: M. Datin, [email protected]