The Wagner Genealogy and Relation

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Person Page 226

Jean Baptista "Duke" DeMers

M, #226, born 1771, died 1796
ReferencesJean Bapista DeMers (The Duke)
People of Interest
Pedigree Link

Family: Marie Wildewald

SonJean Baptista DeMers+ (born 1793, died 1853)
Barrels 001

Biography

Jean Baptista "Duke" DeMers was born in 1771 in Alsace-loraine, France. He married Marie Wildewald in 1789. He died in 1796 in Canada.
Jean Baptista "Duke" DeMers had reference number 301. Some records, letters and memories indicate Aunt Mae DeMers Broadhead has preserved the history of this Grand Duke, Jean Baptista DeMers, in her written document dated February 17 1954. She relates that Jean DeMers was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France in the Year 1771.

The course of the French Revolution was being laid about the same time and this lad - born of royalty was easily one
of the fore seen casualties of the coming events.

Aristocracy was being killed off (17,000 guillotined) in large cart loads. This little boy (maybe age twelve) was put
into a hogshead (small wooded barrel) and placed on the docks for shipment out of the country (in hopes a passing ship would pick him up) - can you imagine! At some point, he was picked up and ended up in Eastern Canada, where at age twenty-one he married a Swiss lady named Marie Wildewald. The two of them had one child.

After the revolution, the Queen of England ordered all Canadian subjects return to England and register their property or it would revert to the crown. At the age twenty-six, Jean Demers returned to France to claim the families properties. Unfortunately, on the return, ship was lost at sea and all the riches were lost!

Jack Wagner Sr.
9/19/92.
Last Edited9 January 2021 07:51:57