Christophe Vuillaumes efterslægt - Christensen, Erichsen ...

Mangin Willaume, Christophe Vuillaume); 19,20,21 Ducoudray-Holstein fortæller i artiklen “Memoirs of
my life. By an old soldier” om sin fødsel og opvækst: 22
I was born in a chateau; my father was neither Monsieur le Baron de Tundertentronk, nor were the windows of
his chateau without panes of glass. His large mansion had all the conveniences and brilliancy of the elegantest
castles of the Duchy of H-.
The 23d of September, 17**, was a troublesome day for our family; my father had sent for the most famous
physician from the capital, besides his own who resided with him, and attended the inhabitants of his vast
domains. Both were destines to assist my entrance in this world ―of sufferings and misery,‖ as my good
grandmother exclaimed daily, with her twenty thousands a year, and living in splendour and luxury.
Some dozen old and young aunts, cousins and other relations, claiming anxiously the honor of their alliance
since the fifteenth century, had assembled before the arrival of the doctor. My parents were often much
amused with the manner in which the endeavoured to prove the degrees of their affinity with our family. Two
powerful reasons excited in them this anxiety of relation: vanity and avarice. The former was flattered by the
acknowledgment of that kindred, and as my father and mother possessed great wealth, these legions of dear
cousins, and cousines, lived in the charitable hope, ―that God might relieve my parents soon from this world of
sin and misery, and not forget them in their will‖! They, my cousins, had but a scanty six thousand a year, and
thought themselves poor and miserable. What a pity!
Twenty-four hours had scarcely expired after my entrance in the world, when the evil spirit, etiquette, came to
trouble the satisfaction of the house. My grandmamma, and the whole host of aunts and cousins, spoke of
nothing else to my very weak and suffering mother, than ―who should have the honor of being the godfather
and godmother of a little baby,‖ twenty-four hours old! Each of them proposed her candidate, whom each one
supported with great loquacity and noise, and sometimes the discussion became so warm and obstinate, that
my mother entreated them in vain, to trouble her not at the present with such matters; she would settle this with
my father at another time. They stopped for a while, but soon commenced again, in spite of all the urgent
entreaties of my parents and the doctors. My father was at last obliged to recur to the following stratagem. He
ordered secretly that various notes should be brought, addressed to the most troublesome of our visitors, by
which the one received the news that her husband had broken an arm in falling from his horse at the hunt; the
second that her friend, the countess R***, was dangerously ill, and requested her immediate presence; a third
was expected home by her dear brother, just arrived from Italy, &c. The bustle was great, and the chateau soon
cleared of all those loquacious females.
My father silenced all controversy, by inviting the reigning prince of Anhalt Dessau to be my godfather, and to
choose himself the godmother. This prince was a friend of my father, one of those rare sovereigns who wished
the happiness of their subjects; he governed and examined by himself and not through his ministers. He wrote
a letter of excuse saying, that his duty going before his friendship and affection, he was unable to absent
himself, but that he would send with his daughter the Gen. Count de Lottum, to represent him at the ceremony
of christening.
My parents decided that I and my brother Charles, fifteen months older, should be educated together. The
19
Oplysninger, Henning Kristensen.
20
Ron & Kate's Genealogy Home Page, URL
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/a/l/Katherine-T-Walter-VA/index.html. Herefter citeret som
Kate Walter.
21
H. L. V. Ducoudray Holstein, "Anecdotes of Bonaparte," The Zodiac (1837). Herefter citeret som
"Bonaparte."
22
H. L. V. Ducoudray Holstein, "Memoirs of my life. By an old soldier," The Zodiac (1837). Herefter citeret
som "Ducoudray Memoirs."
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