La Fayette's Servants - Part 1
I have previously made some posts about servants of the La Fayette family, and I felt like this would be a good time to shine some more light onto these people. I originally intended to cover several of the servants in one post since you typically do not find much about their origin, family and age – but in the case of one gentleman this was very different, and I found documents relating to him in not one but two archives. :-)
Jean-Baptiste Machillot Desplaces
Desplaces, as he was commonly referred to, was one of La Fayette’s valet de chambre. I believe that Desplaces was already “somewhat advanced” in age by the time of the American Revolution. I believe so based on editorial notes in La Fayette’s Memoirs and because by the time La Fayette travelled to America, Desplaces appears to have been in the service of the Marquis’ family for some time. Either that or La Fayette very quickly took a shine to Desplaces. But more about their relationship in a bit.
Desplaces had married a woman by the name of Jeanne Pierrette and together they had at least one son (and I believe that this son was their only child). He was born on March 16, 1772 and baptized Marie Paul Joseph Roch (Yves) Machillot Desplaces. He was born in Paris and the archive there holds his birth certificate. In the document it is also noted that the child’s father worked for the Marquis:
Paris Archives, État civil reconstitué (XVIe-1859), Cote 5Mi1 45, p. 19-20, 08/03/2023.
The young Desplaces himself was married on July 1, 1806 to Marie Françoise Fretin, daughter of Pierre Fretin and Gabrielle Clerc, in Matour in the Department of Saône-Et-Loire. The archives there still have the official documents relating to that wedding:
Archives départmentales de Saône-et-Loire, Matour, Publicatiosn de mariage, 1803-1812, p. 101, 142, 08/03/2023.
You have to look closely, but in the handwritten paragraph at the bottom of the page we see that the couple had a child before they married. Their son Pierre Laurent was born on August 31, 1803.
This second document especially gives us some interesting insights. Although Jean-Baptists’ age is nowhere given, we see that he lived as a “rentier” in 1806 in Paris. A rentier is a person who draws their money from investments, such as insurances, contracts, real estate, stock market, shares in companies, investment funds and much more. A rentier often is, though not necessarily, an elderly person who made these investments with their life savings in order to live comfortable in old age.
We also see that the family still lived in Paris and since the young Desplaces was also born there, it raises the question why the marriage was held at Matour. His wife came from the region around Rhône. Maybe the young Desplaces was drawn to Matour by a great job opportunity or something along this line and took his little family with him. Maybe, and this is pure speculation on my part, his family, although now living in Paris, came originally from Matour. Matour is relatively close to Chavaniac, La Fayette’s ancestral home, and this could have contributed how Desplaces came into La Fayette’s employ in the first place.
What was the relationship between Desplaces and La Fayette? Desplaces, although a servant, was someone La Fayette loved very affectionately. Proof of that is not only his language, but also his timing. On May 17, 1777 La Fayette began writing a long letter, trying to explain to his wife Adrienne his actions and motives and trying to apologize for having abandoned her, their infant daughter and their unborn child. It was the first letter he wrote since leaving France. During this tumults and uncertain time La Fayette did not neglect to think of Desplaces. The letter was written in several sitting over the span of six weeks. In his paragraph from June 7, 1777, he writes:
Also let my old friend Desplaces know that I am in good health.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 59.
Then, on October 1, 1777, while recovering from his wound after the Battle of Brandywine, he inquired after Desplaces:
Give news of me also to M. Margelay, Abbe Fayon, and Desplaces.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 118.
And this relationship was not a one-sided one. On December 18, 1777, La Fayette reported to Henry Laurens that he had received a letter form Desplaces:
I received letters from France but indifferent ones. The last one is from a valet de chambre of mine who speaks much about the good health of my family but nothing about war-however you think that such a man can not be as well acquainted with the projects of the Governement as one of my friends could be. He promises me several letters by the same occasion which I did not receive-perhaps they will come. The letter of that valet de chambre is dated the 7 september.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 196.
He also wrote to Adrienne on January 6, 1778:
The other day I received a letter from Desplaces that mentioned an earlier one, but the capriciousness of winds and fleets, not to mention encounters with the English, often disturbs the order of my correspondence. For several days I have been concerned about the Vicomte de Coigny, whom I have heard was getting worse, but that letter from Desplaces, which did not mention him, and which told me that everyone was well, has reassured me. I have also received some others that do not mention his health. When you write to me, dear heart, please send me plenty of news about all the people I love, and even about society.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 225.
In these next to letter to his wife Adrienne, La Fayette’s language in particular make it clear how dear Desplaces was to him. On September 12, 1778 he wrote:
Also greet Abbé Fayon, and say something for me to my dear Desplaces.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 2, April 10, 1778–March 20, 1780, Cornell University Press, 1979, p. 176.
And on October 10, 1780:
Remember me, too, to my good Desplaces.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, p. 196.
There is one last letter where Desplaces gets mentioned by La Fayette. He wrote on October 10, 1784 during his third stay in America:
As for the minor domestic arrangements, I hope you will have brought my aunt back with you, and you will do well then to get our friend Desplaces established.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 5, January 4, 1782‑December 29, 1785, Cornell University Press, 1983, p. 262.
I am honestly a bit at a loss where Adrienne should Desplaces help to establish himself – but it is clear that La Fayette took care of the people in his employ – what leads me to the last point I would like to raise. We already had a look at Desplaces status as a rentier in 1806 and we know that he must have had enough money to make the necessary investments. But working for La Fayette generally must have paid off for in 1778 Desplaces was able to lend the sum of 4000 Francs to a Monsieur Le Maire for one month. When Desplaces did not get his money back after the aforementioned month he turned to Benjamin Franklin for help.
Le nommé J.B. Machillot desplaces Valet de Chambre de Mr. le Mquis. de lafayette suplie Son Exelence d’avoir la bonté de le faire payer de la somme de 400 l.t. qu’il a prêté a Mr. le Maire pour un mois seulement, le tems que Son Exelence devoit lui faire rembourcer les avances qu’il avoit fait pour Elle. Sans le connoître que pour l’avoir vû chez Mdme. La Mquise. de lafayette, J’y ai été de bonne foie en lui accordant la demande qu’il me fit, aprésent je ne peu le ravoir sans le Scour [secours] de Son Exelence. Mdme. La Mquise. de la fayette m’a chargée de vous faire ses complimens. J’ai l’honneur d’être avec un très profond respect Son Exelence Votre très humble et trés obeissant Serviteur
Machillot displaces
“To Benjamin Franklin from Jean-Baptiste Machillot Desplaces, 26 September 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 27, July 1 through October 31, 1778, ed. Claude A. Lopez. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1988, pp. 465–466.] (08/04/2023)
And even if the loan was intended as a short term one and Desplaces definitely wanted the money back, it is nevertheless quite telling that Desplaces was in a position to lend Le Maire such a large sum.
I have no information about Desplaces life during and shortly after the French Revolution or how he reacted to La Fayette’s flight and imprisonment, but the families servants in general and as a whole proofed to be very loyal and Adrienne tried her utmost to do right by them, even as her own family was struggling. And if Desplaces felt for La Fayette like the Marquis evidently felt for Desplaces, he must have been touched by the families hardships.
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