Champenois Genealogy

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All of the Ancestry we could find so far!

1st Cousin (3 times removed) John Franklin Champenois: Life at Camp Morton, Indiana, 1863-1865

I am Cecil Tolbert Champenois, Jr. Welcome to my web site! Please, feel free to read, print and explore. Perhaps I may inspire you to also research your own family tree, as other family members and I have done and are doing. I have recently noticed that there are some other Champenois who came to America before Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS did in 1801. Some of them are also called Champenois, but some are spelling their surname as Champanois. Some of the Champenois in northern France were Huegenots, who departed France for reasons of desiring to escape religious persecution from the Catholic Church. Peter Isaac Champenois was Catholic.

If you want a head start on your own family's genealogical research, you may search out The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in your local telephone directory and look specifically for the "Family History Center". Give them a call, or go to the web site: For a very nominal cost, you may sit for hours and explore the data that has already been compiled, perhaps even on your own family. The genealogical bug will get you!

The Champenois family line, from which I descend, originated from Beaugency France.

Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS came to America most likely as Pierre Isaac CHAMPENOIS in 1801. Peter departed from Nantes, France, and arrived in Philadephia, Pennsyvlania, according to the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese. I am assuming that his name was Americanized from Pierre to Peter. However, with that said, we now are in doubt as to whether or not Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS changed his name from something else to Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS. We have research which states that Peter's actual name may have been "Pierre-Jean Isaac CHAMPENOIS". If you look at Peter's signature on his U.S. immigration document, it shows "P.J. CHAMPENOIS", which at first was very puzzling, but now makes sense. We have found no birth or baptismal records in Beaugency, France. However, six more children of one family, that of Pierre-Antoine CHAMPENOIS were recently found by Ms. Jacqueline Beaujoin the day after we departed from Beaugency, empty-handed.

Peter Isaac was reportedly born on the 1st day of August 1769 in Beaugency, France. His first place of residence in America was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He married and had three children with Mary BUSH; we assume that Mary BUSH died in April of 1816. We believe that Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS departed Pennsylvania with his wife and three children and went to live on the Island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. See below discussion about possible Pirating by Peter. Peter shows up in 1817 in Mobile, Alabama, where he married again and had another three children, one of whom was my direct ancestor. Since Peter was a Frenchman, he may have moved to Mobile to be among others of French ancestry. It is most likely that Peter learned English, but may have continued speaking French, especially when he relocated to Mobile, Alabama, where the community was French-speaking.

We have recently acquired new information that Peter became a "Pirate of the Caribbean" (or Bahamas) and that his first family with Mary BUSH and their three children were all killed during the Slave Rebellions of April 14, 1816, which originated from the Island of Barbados. This information was recorded by Hattie Pauline (CHAMPENOIS) Coleman before her death at 84 years of age, in about 1957. This was recorded on pieces of paper she put into her Bible. This information was passed on to me in early December 2007 by J. Kevin McVoy, my 3rd cousin who showed me Hattie (CHAMPENOIS) Coleman's Bible entry. We also read that Peter fled to the United States to escape the slave rebellion, after his family was slaughtered. There is also some indication by SHIP records that Peter returned to France and brought a niece back to the United States with him; she is unnamed on the Ship Manifest; he is only mentioned as Mr. Champenois.

During my 2nd enlistment in the Marine Corps, I traveled on orders to Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, where I attended a Marine Corps Aviation Supply Computer Operators Course for a few weeks (5) in the Fall of 1979. I went to the local library and found some old records of various Champenoises back in the 1930 and 1940's, all of whom were related to me. I also went on a hunt through the Meridian Cemetery. I became frustrated after spending quite some time looking but not finding any Champenois headstones. The sun was going down and I feared that I would never be able to locate any of my relatives' resting spots before having to depart Meridian. The sun dropped low in the sky and as I was giving up and ready to depart the cemetery, all of a sudden, the light of the sun shone brightly on a huge headstone. Emblazoned in gold letters on that headstone was the name "CHAMPENOIS". My heart about stopped right there! I walked on over and saw the name of one of my great uncles, Dr. Cecil Champenois and his wife's name, Rose. I wish I had brought a camera and been able to have that photo. If there is someone living near that cemetery, and you get a hankering to take a photo, I'd certainly be pleased to reimburse you for your film.

This web site is intended to present some interesting moments in the lives of my progenitors to my fellow Champenois family members. If I find that anyone is interested, I may continue to present more detailed information, as I am able to discover it. If you see that a date is blank or there is a question mark, then I am not sure what the date should be.

Other family lines include:

THOMAS (Wales), McDonald (Scotland), AKIN (England), PERRY

I will be placing more genealogy on this web site to cover the above family names' genealogy. In addition, I will expand the Champenois family tree to include all members on whom I have data. I have one Great Aunt (Champenois) who is a Cuban, her father having been an American who married a Cuban woman. There is much to explore, isn't there? Get going!

Legend: B: = Birth Date, M: = Marriage Date, D: = Death Date

Peter (Pierre) Isaac CHAMPENOIS B: 1 Aug 1769 in Beaugency, France
M Wife 1: 1811 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

M Wife 2:
Abt 1817 in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, United States
Wife 1: Mary BUSH
B: 1790, D: Apr 1816 San Salvador Island

Wife 2: Drusilla PIPKIN
B: 4 Jan 1804, Green County, Mississippi, United States
Baptized: 9 Apr 1826
D: 19 Jun 1842, Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, United States
Immigration: Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS became a citizen of the United States of America on 16 Oct 1816 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Children of Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS and Mary BUSH:

Mary Louisa Elizabeth CHAMPENOIS
B: 2 Mar 1812 Philadelphia, PA
D: Apr 1816 San Salvador Island

Mary Adelaida CHAMPENOIS
B: 22 Mar 1814 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
D: Apr 1816 San Salvador Island

Stephen Charles CHAMPENOIS
B: 17 Jul 1816 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
D: Apr 1816 San Salvador Island

Children of Peter Isaac CHAMPENOIS and Drusilla PIPKIN:

B: 12 Jul 1818 Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, United States
D: 24 Feb 1881 Shubuta, Clarke County, Mississippi, United States

B: 8 Jul 1825 Mobile, Alabama
Baptism: 8 Jul 1826
D: after 1875

B: 1826 Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, United States
Simon Peter CHAMPENOIS B: Before 1826
Baptism: 8 Jul 1826, Mobile, Mobile Co., Alabama
M: 19 Dec 1848, Alabama, United States
M: 25 Jan 1860, Shubuta, Clarke County, Mississippi, United States
Wife 1: Harriet C. MONK, B: 1829, D: 3 Feb 1859
Wife 2: Sarah (Sallie) PIPPIN, B: Oct 1830, MS
I have a Clarke County record pointer that says that Sallie Pippin married someone named L.T. CHAMPENOIS. Who is L.T. Champenois?
D: (unknown)
Child of Simon Peter CHAMPENOIS and Harriet C. MONK:

T.P. Champenois, B: 1849
Children of Simon Peter CHAMPENOIS and Sarah Pippin:

Hattie Pauline CHAMPENOIS
B: Aug 1871 Meridian, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States
D: 6 Jan 1957 Miami, Florida

Harry Calvert CHAMPENOIS
B: 22 Feb 1875 Meridian, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States
D: Abt. 1952 Blessing, Matagorda County, Texas, United States
Harry Calvert CHAMPENOIS
B: 22 Feb 1875, Meridian, Lauderdale Co., Mississippi


M: 19 Sep 1901, Meridian, Lauderdale Co., Mississippi

Wife: Annie (or Elizabeth) CALLAHAN, B: 1879

D: 1952 or 1964, Blessing, Matagorda Co., Texas

Cecil Calvert CHAMPENOIS


Cecil Calvert CHAMPENOIS

B: 19 Jul 1901, Meridian, Lauderdale Co., Mississippi

Lived in 1921 at 1303 16th Ave., Meridian, Mississippi. 

M: ?

M: 17 Mar 1928, Houston, Harris Co., TX

Wife 1: Zalem CAMPBELL, B: 19xx, Illinois

Wife 2: Tamnice Faye PERRY, B: 22 Sep 1909, Houston, Harris Co., Texas, D: 15 Mar 1987, Houston, Harris Co., Texas

D: 10 Aug 1938, Kerrville, Kerr Co., Texas

(Plane crash)

Child of Cecil Calvert CHAMPENOIS and Zalem CAMPBELL:
Ann Zalem CHAMPENOIS, B: 13 May 1925, Illinois, D: 15 Jul 1990, Fairfield, Illinois

Children of Cecil Calvert CHAMPENOIS and Faye Tamnice PERRY:
Cecil Tolbert CHAMPENOIS, B: 31 Jul 1929, D: 31 Dec 1982
Faye Elizabeth CHAMPENOIS (living)

Cecil Calvert CHAMPENOIS had a couple restaurants in the Houston, Texas, area, probably called "Cecil's Steak House". Then he went into the roofing and sheet metal business with his father.


Cecil Tolbert CHAMPENOIS

B: 31 Jul 1929, Houston, Harris Co., Texas


M: 9 May 1952, Wichita Falls, Wichita Co., Texas

M: 1972, Ft. Worth, Tarrant Co., Texas

Wife 1: Margaret (living), B: Texas

Wife 2: Joyce (living), B: Oklahoma

D: 31 Dec 1982, Hurst, Tarrant Co., Texas

Children of Cecil Tolbert CHAMPENOIS:
Cecil Tolbert CHAMPENOIS, Jr.
John Calvert CHAMPENOIS, D: 12 Oct 2003
Cecilia Marie CHAMPENOIS
Un-named Female Child CHAMPENOIS-Twin with Margaret Ann, Died at Birth
Margaret Ann CHAMPENOIS-Lived 17 days (B: 8 Dec 1958, D: 24 Dec 1958)

Cecil retired as a Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force Reserve. Cecil served initially in the United States Navy Reserve as a young man of 17 years of age and had the opportunity to travel up and down the coast of Central and South America; he also visited Cuba. As an Air Force Sergeant, he was offered the opportunity to become an officer; however, Cecil did not choose to follow that path. Cecil served in the Civil Service and the Air Force Reserve as a Jet Mechanic for the larger transport aircraft. I taxied with my father and my brother once in a Flying Boxcar (C-119) down the Ellington Air Force Base runway in Houston, Texas. Cecil was proud to serve his country and wore his uniform proudly.

Cecil never did complete the ninth grade, yet went on to earn a comfortable living and raised 4 children with his first wife and a couple more with his second wife. He loved to fish, hunt and train his Collie. He also loved to read western novels and watch Western movies, especially those with John Wayne. Cecil liked driving a truck. What Texan doesn't?

Cecil Tolbert CHAMPENOIS died of cancer on the last day of 1982. Five days before he died, I (Cecil Jr.) sat with my father. He apologized to all of us kids and said that if he had hurt us in any way that he would like us to forgive him. Cecil also said: "If I can whip this thing, I'll take all of that back!" Well, he was funny and we laughed, but we cried too. We knew he was going away soon.


Cecil Tolbert Champenois, Jr.

B: (private) 1953 in Texas


M: (private)

Children: (private)

I had a very happy childhood in Houston, Texas. I weathered "Hurricane Carla" in 1961 in Houston. I graduated from Richland High School in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1972. I participated in Army Junior R.O.T.C. during all the Viet Nam protesting. Looking back, that was not a "good" war; we weren't destined to win, because of political reasons, so it was ultimately figured out that we were throwing away our own nation's young people's lives. I did not protest, but believed in my country, right or wrong. Since that time, I served 6 years in the United States Marine Corps, served as a Spanish-speaking "Mormon" Missionary for a couple years in the Arizona Tempe (Spanish) Mission with Elder Jack H. Goaslind, Jr. as our Mission President. I also have served in the United States Navy Reserve as a Supply Officer and retired on April 1, 2001. Total qualifying time in service for retirement is close to 20 years. I was recalled to Active Duty in 1990 through 1991 due to a little incursion from Saddam Hussein's forces into Kuwait. I love God, Family, and Country.

I believe that righteous men were put here by God purposely to form this nation. We have freedom of religion, freedom from tyranny in its many forms. We also have many problems in our country, but if we are true, we can overcome whatever the challenge may be. I believe that we as a people can become much better, if we will listen to that inner voice that tells us what is truth and what is a lie. I believe that we can become a moral people, if we will slow down and look outside of ourselves for a moment and recognize the beauty in the world. This earth is no accident. We are no accident. We have a purpose. What is your purpose in this life? What will you accomplish, my friend?