Juliette Sophie Georgine VILNAT

  General Notes:

The story of Juliette Vilnat (Mamy Juliette for the family) starts in 1889 when she was born in the little town of Foëcy in the Loire valley, near Bourges (France). Foëcy is famous for its artistic porcelain factory where her father Jules-Eugène Vilnat was working. Unfortunately, he died when she was only 6 years old (he was only 32) leaving her mother Françoise a young widow.
Françoise (born Margueritat) was 31 then and having to support her daughter went back to what she was doing before her wedding, being an "institutrice" (teacher) in The Netherlands. How she got there originally, we do not know, but she frequently returned to The Netherlands, leaving Juliette in the care of relatives in Foëcy. The family tradition claims she was a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen of Holland, but this is unlikely. She was more likely the tutor of a noble family's children.
Juliette told her Grand-son René that she was quite lonely and sad as a young girl. Juliette had a deformity of her back and yet was remarkably beautiful with a Marlene Dietrich - Greta Garbo look…
In 1911 she married Armand Kuntz, who was a student in Paris. Armand was the son of a magistrate Frederik Kuntz, who was at the time "Avocat General à la cour d'appel" in Bourges (Public Prosecutor at the appeal court) and was born near Bourges. Born in 1886 he enrolled in the army as a volunteer for 3 years in 1905 (he was 19 years old and already studying law) and was promoted to the rank of Sous-Lieutenant as a reservist in 1910. In the meantime, he was studying not only Law (he obtained a Doctorate in Law) but also Theology at the Protestant Faculty of Theology of Paris. Juliette and Armand lived in the V^th arrondissement in Paris, in the "Quartier Latin". He was continually active in the Protestant students' circles, became the General Secretary of the of the Association of Protestant Students in Paris and was also a leader of the French YMCA / YWCA.
When the war started, he was immediately recalled as a Lieutenant in the 295^th Infantry Regiment on August 1^st, 1914 leaving Juliette pregnant of their first child. Their son Jean was born in Foëcy on January 27^th, 1915, but he probably never even saw him as he was killed in action at the head of his battalion near Calais on June 19^th, 2015.
Juliette and her baby went to live with Armand's parents. Armand's father Frederik Kuntz had been promoted to State Attorney in Rouen, in Normandy and they lived in Bihorel, a suburb of Rouen at the time.
Armand Kuntz and Pierre Bouscharain, both practicing Protestants (Calvinist) had most probably met through the Association of Protestant Students in Paris and became close friends, recognizing each other's superior intelligence. The family tradition says that Armand, Juliette and Pierre had made a pact before leaving for the war, that Pierre would offer to take care of their child, and if Armand died, she would marry his best friend, Pierre. She, at the urging of the mayor, and as she explained not really in love, agreed to marry Pierre and went on to have three more children.
Quoting her Grand-son Gerard Bouscharain: "I remember she said "not in love but had great affection for Pierre". Mamy was rude to Pierre, upset by his lack of aptitude for practical things. Papy was an intellectual, highly educated, English style with no practical sense of day-to-day life, he never succeeded to pass his driving licence, he made a lot of "bêtises" (foolery?), we have a lot of funny stories in New York, France, Switzerland, Italy.... They lived in Geneva while he worked at the League of Nations and ended in Foëcy.
As Jeanine (Bouscharain / Fiechter) explained and grandmother confirmed proudly, Juliette led a rather wild life. But she was quite active, taking care of Pierre the intellectual, and all the Fiechter and Bouscharain families, travelling from Switzerland and France to US and back to Europe, many times (2 times with me on the Normandy SS). Juliette died on 15 March 1975 at la Tronche hospital, near to Grenoble, she was living with us at this time, Patricia (note: Gerard's sister-in-law, wife of his brother Erik Bouscharain) and I we were students at the Grenoble University. She could not stay alone at Foëcy and we proposed for her to come with us with her dog (gerik= Ger (ard) and (Er)ik). We took care of her until the end....
We loved Papy, but also as much Juliette; by 1955, my parents were very seriously injured in Haïti in a car accident, both in a coma, Erik safe and I slightly wounded. Mamy Juliette immediately take care of all: repatriation by plane of my parents to New York, then they spent 2 years at the hospital, Erik stayed with the Fiechter cousins in New York, I stayed with Mauce and Jean Kuntz in Paris. Mamy organised all, paid all expenses, she event sold a flat they had in Cannes. Bravo Mamy! "



Tables décenales Vierzon-Villages 1883-1892, Cote 3E 5330, indique Juliette Vilnat née le 9 Fevrier 1889, mais l'acte de naissance n'existe pas dans le registre des naissances de 1889! En fait, son acte de naissance est à la cote 3E 5498, Foëcy 1888-1902 Acte nº 8 de 1889.

veuve, domiciliée à Bihorel, Seine Maritime en Décembre 1915, avec ses beaux-parents Kuntz (acte de décés d?armand Kuntz)

Juliette married Lieut. Armand Felix KUNTZ, son of Frederic Henry KUNTZ and Marie-Thérése Isabelle JAEGER, on 23 Sep 1911 in Paris V, France. (Lieut. Armand Felix KUNTZ was born on 5 Aug 1886 in Premières, Côte d'Or, France, died on 19 Jun 1915 in Bully Les Mines, Pas de Calais, France and was buried in Bully Les Mines, Pas de Calais, France.)

  Marriage Notes:

Date and place difficult to read on birth certificate

Juliette next married Pierre Hippolyte BOUSCHARAIN, son of Pierre Philippe BOUSCHARAIN and Augustine Suzanne VILLARET, on 20 Dec 1917 in Paris 17, France. (Pierre Hippolyte BOUSCHARAIN was born on 10 Jan 1891 in Anduze, Gard, France, died on 20 Jun 1967 and was buried in Foecy, Cher, France.)