Lyon: three documented petitions, three rejections. The applications of 15 April 1982, 28 June 1982 and 17 April 1984 seek to add “de Beaupré” to the surname CHEYNET. They are submitted as petitions to correct civil registration records and are all rejected by the Lyon Tribunal de grande instance.
The association’s position on the “decisions” subsequently invoked to justify corrections: “Until proven otherwise, these ‘decisions’ do not exist, because they have never been produced.” None of the petitions invoked in support of the corrections of 1985–1986, nor the separate documents presented as the corresponding decisions, has been provided to the association. Marginal entries, letters referring to them and later court accounts are presented separately from these missing documents.
The petitions and “decisions” invoked for the additions of 1985–1986 are regarded as non-existent until proven otherwise. Their location is unknown. The towns where records are held and the authorities cited in marginal entries or correspondence are not presented as established places of filing or decision.
1. Lyon — first petition to correct civil registration records, 15 April 1982 — REJECTED on 2 June 1982
Three applicants seek to add “de Beaupré” to 68 records. The court rejects the petition: variations in the name and missing documents prevent it from establishing the surname passed down through earlier generations.
Lyon Tribunal de grande instance — order of 2 June 1982, excerpt translated from French:
“We find that, at this stage of the proceedings, the error alleged by the petitioners has not been established, and consequently reject their application to correct the civil registration records produced.”
2. Lyon — second petition to correct civil registration records, 28 June 1982 — REJECTED on 24 November 1982
The new petition relies on a baptism dated 29 December 1765. The court distinguishes the family name from the name of a property and finds that the incorporation of “Beaupré” into the surname has not been established.
The baptismal appendix is missing from the digitised copy. The official Rochemaure register differs from the extracts quoted in the order.
Lyon Tribunal de grande instance — order of 24 November 1982, excerpt translated from French:
“We find and rule that the petitioners’ application to correct errors in the civil registration records of their ancestors and the CHEYNET family is unfounded. Consequently, we reject their application.”
3. Lyon — third petition to correct civil registration records, 17 April 1984 — REJECTED on 12 September 1984
Submitted by 22 people, the petition relies on Constantin Félicien Cheynet’s birth record and concerns 69 records of descendants. The court rejects it: it goes beyond a simple clerical correction and, in the court’s view, requires proceedings concerning civil status before the court deciding the merits. This referral does not prove that such proceedings were subsequently brought or won.
Lyon Tribunal de grande instance — order of 12 September 1984, excerpt translated from French:
“We find that the applicants’ action in fact seeks recognition that the family name, at least since their ancestor Antoine, is CHEYNET de BEAUPRE, and that this falls within the jurisdiction of the Court. Consequently, we reject the petition and refer the applicants to bring their case before the Court.”
4. Location unknown — alleged corrections in 1985–1986 — petitions and “decisions” non-existent until proven otherwise
The dates 5 November 1985, 19 March 1986 and 26 March 1986 are cited in marginal entries, tables or later accounts. None of the corresponding petitions or “decisions” has ever been produced. Until proven otherwise, they do not exist. Their location is unknown.
The letter from the Privas prosecutor’s office dated 2 October 1986 states that a correction has already been made, without providing the petition or the “decision” invoked. Examination of three exhibit lists — Dijon in 2018, Paris in 2020 and 2021 — reveals no identifiable copy of the “decision of 5 November 1985”: 110 listed entries, with no production of that “decision”.
Documents consulted: letter from the Privas prosecutor’s office of 2 October 1986; submissions and exhibit list of 18 October 2018; exhibit lists from 2020 and 14 April 2021. The 110 entries may include documents repeated across proceedings.
5. Location unknown — alleged correction of 8 March 1985 — petition and “decision” non-existent until proven otherwise
Two copies of Marie Angèle Pustianaz’s birth record, held in Ajaccio, refer to 8 March 1985. The marginal entries are dated 15 and 28 March. The petition and “decision” are non-existent until proven otherwise; their location is unknown.
The changes concern, among other things, the name “von Priel”. Reproductions and analysis appear in the Pustianaz and “von Priel” dossier.
6. Lyon — restoration of the surname CHEYNET on the marriage and death records in 1987
The agreement of November 1987 provides for the restoration of CHEYNET on the marriage and death records of Marie Louis Marc Cheynet, which had been amended in 1986.
A second marginal entry is added to the marriage record on 15 December 1987. It cancels the previous entry and cites a decision by the Lyon prosecutor dated 1 December 1987. The restoration is documented; the separate document corresponding to the cited decision is missing from the case file.
Restoration on the death record is confirmed by the lawyer. The restoration concerns these two records, without a general cancellation of the other additions.
Documents consulted: agreement of November 1987; marriage record no. 313 of 1931; correspondence from the lawyer Georges Rieussec.
7. Lyon — ecclesiastical entries in 1988 and correction of the register in 2019
A religious certificate dated 16 May 1988 still bears CHEYNET de BEAUPRÉ. The register is corrected on 8 January 2019 after the corrected civil record is presented. The chancery explains the correction on 28 February 2019 and states that it does not know when the earlier religious entry was added.
See the Diocese of Lyon dossier.
Further reading
The timeline places these steps in the wider case.