The Guillon LeThière Family

I'm now quite satisfied that the 'Baron Saint Leger' and Auguste Guillon LeThière (1796-1865), the husband of Adèle Sophie Bizet d’Egville, are the same person. His father was Guillaume Guillon LeThière (1760-1832) but I'm unsure of the identity of his mother. It wasn't the mother of Guillaume's youngest son Lucien, Marie-Joseph Honorée Vanzenne (1763-1832), as they didn't marry until 1799.

Guillaume Guillon supported the revolution and was a friend of Jaques-Louis David, who provides a tenuous connection to James Harvey d'Egville. Guillaume was renowned for his quick temper. When he believed some soldiers had insulted his moustache he drew his sword and several soldiers were killed in the brawl. Lucien Bonaparte intervened and as a result Guillaume was appointed director of the French Academy in Rome.

While in Rome members of the Guillon family were vividly portrayed in pencil by Jean Auguste Ingres. His draughtsmanship is crisp but Ingres' paintings almost breathe so it is great pity that none of this family became his subjects on canvas.

Guillaume Guillon LeThière

Madame Guillon LeThière

The Alexandre Guillon LeThière Family

Auguste Guillon LeThière

The Baron Writes His Last Words From Italy

The Sardegna Digital Library has a collection of letters in the matter of the Baron Guillon Saint Leger. This extends to over 500 pages of manuscript in both French and Italian.

Their Baron shares his name with Roma Guillon LeThière's father and also has a daughter who is named in one letter as Madame Lescot. Guillaume Guillon LeThière's son Auguste had a naturel daughter named Ea (1821-1902) who married Charles René Lescot in 1840.

Helen C. Black in Pen, Pencil Baton and Mask: Biographical Sketches by Helen C. Black (1896) describes Roma's father as a civil engineer. The Sardegna collection has much correspondence referring to a mining venture. So there seems to be some correlation between this Baron and the man who married Adèle Sophie Bizet d’Egville.

The legend that Adèle's husband was the son Guillaume Guillon LeThière is increasingly credible. While the letters have at least one reference to Madame Lescot's health there is no obvious concern expressed for his wife and daughter. But I still have some hundreds of pages of manuscript to read.

What is certain is the Baron suffered an attack of paralysis and his associates had to contribute towards the cost of his care. In the twenty five years that have elapsed since his imprisonment as a debtor nothing much has changed.

The Baron's final signature included in a letter dated 11 March 1864