du Plessis, Jean Prieur (Ancestor) (Dr )

  General Notes:

The du Plessis family in South Africa
The founding father of the du Plessis family in South Africa, Jean Prieur du Plessis, arrived in the Cape in 1688. He was a French Huguenot who fled France to Holland before coming to South Africa with the Hugenuets.

Probably the most famous (infamous?) of the du Plessis name was Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu (September 10, 1585 - December 4, 1642), the villian of a number of books and movies, including The Three Musketeers.

The du Plessis family name traces back to around 1200 with Guilaume du Plessis, seigneur (lord) of Breux and seigneur of La Vervolière.

While the first Duke of Richelieu was a member of the du Plessis family there is no indication that he (as a celebate clergyman) or his brothers were direct ancestors of Jean Prieur du Plessis. In fact, the chances are slim as the title passed to his sister's grandson, Armand Jean de Vignerot was given the du Plessis de Richelieu family name and title with permission of the king.

Jean Prieur probably decended from an uncle or even further back down the family line.

Jean Prieur du Plessis, founding father of the du Plessis' in South Africa had three sons:

Charl Prieur du Plessis (mother Magdalene Menantau)
Jean-Louis du Plessis (mother Magdalene Menantau)
Pieter du Plessis (mother Maria Buisset)
who established the family name in South Africa.

Most of the information traced relates to the decendents of Charl Prieur du Plessis. Very little is known of the decendents of Jean-Louis and Pieter.

Jean Prieur du PLESSIS, gebore in Poitiers in Poitou in 1638, was 'n Franse Hugenoot en chirurgh. Hy het in 1688 met sy vrou Madeleine MENANTEAU ook van Poitiers op die Oosterlandt na SA gekom met een kind wat op die vaart gebore was. Hy het egter in 1694 teruggekeer na Europa op die skip Sir Jansland, omdat hy gesukkel het om 'n bestaan te voer as boer. Sy tweede vrou was Maria BUISSET van Sedan, met wie hy getrou het in Jan 1700 in die Domkerk, Amsterdam, en met wie hy weer na die Kaap teruggekeer het. Sy was 'n vroedvrou. Hy was gevestig in Kaapstad en het 2 kinders van sy eerste huwelik, en 5 van sy tweede huwelik gehad

Jean married Jeanne Sanzeau in 1674 in Poitiers, Poitrou, France. (Jeanne Sanzeau was born in 1655 in France.)

Jean next married Madeleine Marie Menanteau in 1687 in St Thomas (US Virgin Islands), Netherlands. (Madeleine Marie Menanteau was born in 1660 in Poitiers, Poitrou, France and died in 1694 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.)

Jean next married Marie Buisset on 1700 Aug 29 in Dom Kerk, Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Marie Buisset was born in 1676 in Sedan, Flanders, Belgium and died in 1757 in Sedan, Flanders, Belgium.)