André Robert dit Lafontaine.

Breuilaufa.

André's home town was Breuilaufa; a fanciful belief that the town's name came from the moniker for a fairy forest still pervades. The small village was about 18 miles north of Limoges. It was there that Léonne Rembault married a laborer, Pierre Robert, soon after the turn of the 17th century. At least two boys were born, our ancestor ANDRÉ around 1607 and Jacques.

André stood as witness to his brother Jacques' wedding to Jeanne Bordier on 20 December 1637. Their father Pierre had died by this time but their cousins, Jean Rambault and Jean Debrevin, a merchant, were present. Jacques was a laborer and Jeanne had been in service in the home of Charles Bonnet, Sieur de La Chapronnière, counselor and prosecutor of the king.

Was André a Soldier?

The evidence is circumstantial but suggests that André may have served l'armée royale during the the Siege of La Rochelle. He was about 20, took a dit name as did most soldiers, and the witnesses who stood at his wedding were all in the military. His parents, origin and profession were not named in the marriage record.

The Siege.

From September 1627 to October 1628 France, under the command of Cardinal Richelieu, laid siege to La Rochelle. The town's allegiance swung between Catholic France and Protestant England over the years. It was eagerly sought by both sides because the port was well positioned along the Atlantic coast for trade, and the marshes nestled around the city yielded "white gold" - salt - that was crucial to preserve food. Richelieu's intent was to defeat the rising Protestant tide that had swept through the influential city and secure it for France in the King's vision of having a unified state.

Our ancestors Suzanne Rocheteau and Pierre Veillon were among the Huguenots who resided in that town.

The Army.

In the image French soldiers from that period are depicted. The man in the red hat is holding a musket rest that was used to steady the heavy weapon and served to dampen its recoil when fired.

In the background the man in yellow is wielding a long pike. A line of soldiers would dig the back end in and face the approaching army, hoping the threat of impalement on the sharp ends would slow the charge of foot soldiers and cavalry alike. The cumbersome weapon obviously did not serve well in close combat.

An army of 30,000 was summoned under the auspices of d'Aumont, Maréchal de France. Soldiers manned the wall they built linking 11 forts which encircled the city. A seawall, almost a mile long, was constructed over the skeletons of sunken vessals to shut off the harbor.

The English sent a fleet of ships in support, but they were thwarted from resupplying the beleaguered townsfolk by the highly effective blockade. La Rochelle fell after 14 months. Only a small portion of the population survived. From that time forward the Atlantic port city remained under French rule.

Out of the Ashes.

The enlistment period for the Royal Army was for three years. Just a few months after the surrender André Robert dit LaFontaine married Catherine Bonin in the Catholic chapel of Sainte-Marguerite in La Rochelle. The witnesses to the union on 20 February 1629 were military personnel: Pierre Audmont and Jean Boguoin were both sergeants, and Paul Fougue was a tambour or drummer. Audmont and the curé were the only two who could sign the record.

André was not to have a military career however.