DU JARRIC, Pierre. Toulouse 2.3.1566 — Saintes (Charente-Maritime) 1617. S.J. French Historian of Mission. Joined Jesuits in 1582. When his hope to become a missionary was not accepted he turned to writing mission history. Ordained priest he taught many years philosophy and moral theology in Bordeaux. Beside mission his work contains…
DECOURDEMANCHE, Jean-Adolphe. Paris 24.3.1844 — Paris 15.10.1916. French Pseudohistorian and Turkish Translator. No details of his life available. Publications: “La légende d’Alexandre chez les musulmans”, RHR 6, 1882, 98-112. – Études sur les racines Arabes, Sanscrites et Turques. 118 p. P. 1898. – Grammaire du Tchingané ou langue des Bohémiens…
CURIEL, Raoul. Cairo 23.6.1913 — Paris 23.2.2000. French (citizen 1947) Indologist, Iranian Scholar, Numismatist and Archaeologist. Son of Daniel C., and his wife Zephira, a wealthy banker, of a Francophone Sephardic Jewish family. In 1933 came to Paris for law study, but also studied Indology (Lévi, Bloch and Foucher), Iranian…
COSQUIN, Emmanuel-Georges. Vitry-le-François (Marne) 25.6.1841 — ibid. 18.4.1919. French Folklorist. Son of a lawyer, himself studied law, but turned to journalist career. The work of Grimm brothers led him to collect and study popular narratives. Corresponding member of A.I.B.L. 1902, from now on concentrated on his studies. Already in his…
CHOUNAVEL, Constant. Socourt, Saint-Dié (Vosges) 9.4.1825 — Borella, Sri Lanka 23.8.1923. O.M.I. French Catholic Missionary in Sri Lanka. Son of Joseph Ch. and Christine Pierron. Studied theology and took the habit in 1849. Ordained 1852 in Marseille and left for Ceylon. In 1852-83 served in Jaffna Vicariate, then in Colombo…
CHENOT, F. 1??? — 1???. Frenchman in India (?), according to Vinson interpreter in Bourbon (Réunion). There are several possibilities. Thus geneanet.org knows one Joseph Dominique Anicet Chenot (Pondichéry 17.4.1800 – 18??), son of François Ch. and Anne Affonço, married 1820 in Pondichéry Adelaide Thomase Laforgue, three daughters and one…
CAUSSIN DE PERCEVAL, Armand-Pierre. Paris 11.1.1795 — Paris 15.1.1871. French Oriental (Arabic) Scholar. Son of Jean-Jacques-Antoine C. de P. (1759–1835, like his son Professor of Arabic at Collège de France) and Catherine Félicité Labroue (d. 1802). In 1833–71 Professor of Arabic at Collège de France in Paris, in 1821–71 also Professor of Vulgar…
BOUCHET, Jean Venant. Fontenay-le-Comte (Vendée) 12.4.1655 — 1732. Father. S.J. French Missionary in Thailand and India. Jesuit novice 1670. First briefly in Thailand, where he arrived with the French embassy in 1688. When the Jesuits were forced to leave in 1688 he entered Madurai mission. Following Roberto de Nobili’s methods…
BLIN, Amédée. 1799? — 18??. French Colonial Officer. Still in Paris, he had some months attended the Hindustani classes of Garcin de Tassy. From 1823 (if not earlier) served in Pondichéry (1831 mentioned as Lieutenant of the Cypahi Battalion). His dictionary is “dédié à Mr. le Ministre de la Marine”.…
BESSE, Léon (Leo). 27.3.1853 — 1919. Father. S.J. French Jesuit Missionary and Historian in India. Joined the S.J. in 1881. Teacher and in 1903-09 Rector of St.Joseph’s College in Tiruchirappalli. Not to be confused with Jean Martial Léon Besse (1861–1920), a benedictine monk, who wrote much about French church history…