Cecil CHAMPENOIS Family

Champenois Family Genealogy
John and Bubba 1956
Champenois Family 1980
Champenois Children 1986-Field of Bluebonnets

Recall to Active Duty-1990
Cecil & Armida Photos
Los Angeles Temple 1996
Family Photo 1997

Alma 17 - King Lamoni - Peru
LCDR Champenois 1998
Family Photo 2000
Michael Western 2002

Harry Calvert Champenois - 1875-1952 (or 1964?)
Cecil Calvert Champenois - 1901-1938

This is the CHAMPENOIS Family Website. Welcome! Please, have a look around and see if there is any information that might interest you.

Why all the flags? These flags represent some of only a few nations and states from which I and my ancestors descend. If you would like, you may save them by using your mouse and right-button click the "save picture as..." and then save the picture with the default name into your desired directory on your own computer's hard drive. I "borrowed these "flying flags" from another web site and you should only use these on personal web sites. Do a search on "Flying Flags" on: www.yahoo.com and you will find them quickly. And by the way, these flags use a lot of CPU time, so your screen may paint slowly when you come to this web site depending on your PC's CPU and memory.

There are several variations of the Champenois name in America. I have seen, even in my own family line, the spelling of "Champanois", but that was a mistake written on a document, because succeeding generations in my own family line have continued to spell it as the French do to this day, "CHAMPENOIS". There is also another variation, "Champenoy". This spelling is the way that I and my family used to pronounce our surname. The name "Champenois" for our group means "from the fields".

Years ago, as a young United States Marine Corps Private in Naval Air Station Memphis (Millington), Tennessee, as I was departing my taxi for the Memphis Airport, a French Taxi Cab driver, saw my Marine Corps SeaBag and asked me how I pronounced my "nomme". I responded phonetically, "Shampenoy". I don't know how many times he said "No, No, No" to me, but it was enough to get my attention. He said that my name is a French name and "You should be proud of your name and pronounce it correctly!" The Frenchman then proceded to tell me how to pronounce my name. He said, "SHAMPENWA", phonetically. Since he was from France and was so insistent, I felt that he must know what he is talking about. Since that day, I have "usually" pronounced my surname in this manner.

My 3rd Great Grandfather, Peter (Pierre) Isaac CHAMPENOIS, departed Nantes, FRANCE, in 1801 and arrived in the Port of New York; he resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Peter married Mary BUSH in 1811 and had three children, Mary Louisa Elizabeth CHAMPENOIS (b: Mar 2, 1812), Mary Adelaida CHAMPENOIS (b: Mar 22, 1814) and Stephen Charles CHAMPENOIS (b: Jul 17, 1816).

Peter departed the United States for a short trip back to France in 1816. He returned to the US from Nantes on 4 October 1816 with his niece, but we do not know her name. Peter came through the Philadelphia Port on a ship called the "South Carolina". This claim is backed up by the WTA Index Passenger List of Aliens on the ship "South Carolina". Peter was officially immigrated, or was naturalized as a US citizen to the United States of America on 16 October 1816; his name was probably "Americanized" to Peter at this time. I received a copy of Peter's Naturalization certificate from Bill Bohne, my cousin.

See below link for the Naturalization Paper.

SLAVE REBELLION OF 1816 IN BARBADOS:
I suspect that Peter's wife, Mary BUSH, died around 1816. We have information from Kevin McVoy, also a descendant of Peter Isaac Champenois, through his ancestor Hattie Pauline (Champenois) Coleman. Hattie wrote in her own handwriting that Pierre was a Pirate in the Caribbean and that Mary Bush and her children, were killed during the slave rebellions on San Salvador in April of 1816; however, the only slave rebellions at that time were on Barbados in 1816.

Peter then moved to Mobile, Alabama, probably in 1816 or 1817 where he soon met and married Drusilla PIPKIN (or TIPKIN)in mid to latter 1817.

Peter and Drusilla had three children:

Isaac CHAMPENOIS b: Jul 12, 1818
Simon Peter CHAMPENOIS (baptized: Jul 8, 1826)
Martha Maria CHAMPENOIS who may have also been born or baptized in 1826 (twin? I don't know.).

Peter died "reportedly?" June 19, 1842 in Mobile, Alabama. My direct ancestor was Peter Issac's son, Simon Peter CHAMPENOIS.

We have information that Peter divorced his wife 29 May 1844, which means he divorced her two years after he had died. Okay, so that must be a mistake, right? More investigation is required, obviously. See "Divorce Decree 1844" below.

Pierre Isaac becomes a U.S. citizen and is known as Peter Isaac Champenois
Naturalization of Peter Isaac Champenois
Letter from the Archives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Archives
Letter from the Archives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama Archives - Page 1
Mobile, Alabama Archives - Page 2
Divorce Decree from Mobile County, Alabama, 29 May 1844
Divorce Decree 1844

My cousin, W.Bohne, is also pursuing his family line, as his mother is a CHAMPENOIS decended from Isaac Champenois.