Her child, born in December 1764, was given the name Jean-Pierre Baret. Baret apparently changed her name to "Jeanne de Bonnefoy" during this period. Shortly afterwards, Baret and Commerson moved together to Paris, where she continued in the role of his housekeeper. She refused to name the father of her child, but historians do not doubt that it was Commerson and that it was Commerson who had also made the arrangements with the lawyer and witnesses on her behalf. Baret's certificate, from August 1764, survives it was filed in a town 30 kilometres (19 mi) away and witnessed by two men of substance who likewise had travelled a considerable distance from their homes. French law at that time required women who became pregnant out of wedlock to obtain a "certificate of pregnancy" in which they could name the father of their unborn child. It is also evident that Baret and Commerson shared a more personal relationship, as Baret became pregnant in 1764. Commerson's wife, who was the sister of the parish priest, died shortly after giving birth to a son in April 1762, and it seems most likely that Baret took over management of Commerson's household at that time, if not before. Relationship with Commerson Īt some point between 17, Baret became employed as housekeeper to Commerson, who had settled in Toulon-sur-Arroux, some 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the south of La Comelle, upon his marriage in 1760. Her first known signature is in 1764, making it more likely she was taught to write by Commerson, perhaps to help him with his work. Danielle Clode, however, notes that Jeanne did not sign the parish register for her father's death (or the birth of her godson in 1756). Another biographer, John Dunmore, suggests that she was taught by the parish priest or taken on as a charity case by a member of the local gentry. One of her biographers, Glynis Ridley, suggests that her mother might have been of Huguenot extraction, a group that had a higher tradition of literacy than was otherwise typical of the peasant classes of the time. One of the mysteries of Baret's life is how she obtained at least the rudiments of an education, as her signature on later legal documents provides evidence that she was not illiterate. Burgundy was at this time one of the more backward provinces of France in terms of the condition of the peasant classes, and it is likely that Baret's family was quite impoverished. Historians agree that some details of the story she gave Bougainville were a fabrication to shield Commerson from complicity in her disguise. Her mother died 15 months after Jeanne was born and her father when she was 15. She later told Bougainville that she had been orphaned and lost her fortune in a lawsuit before taking to disguising herself as a man. Little is known of Baret's childhood or young adulthood. Her father is identified as a day laborer and seems likely to have been illiterate, as he did not sign the parish register. Her record of baptism survives and identifies her as the legitimate issue of Jean Baret and Jeanne Pochard. Jeanne Baret was born on 27 July 1740, in the village of La Comelle in the Burgundy region of France.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |