A little bit of Vifquain History

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• Grandma Alma Phillip - Alma Mary Vifquain b 4/19/1891 Springview NE, d 1/3/1975 Alliance NE

• Father – Elmer Francis Vifquain, b 6/20/1861 Crete NE, m 3/1/1886, d 5/1/1917 Springview NE

• Mother – Alma Theresa Hamblet, b 11/26/1868 Omaha NE, d 8/3/1948 Puebelo CO (car accident), buried Valentine NE

• Grandfather – Jean Baptiste Victor Vifquain, b 5/20/1836 Brussels, Belgium, m 9/1/1857 Tipton MO, d 1/7/1904 Lincoln, NE (see newspaper article below) Footnote 3 – Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 97th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Blakely, Ala., 9 April 1865. Entered service at: Saline County, Nebr. Birth: Belgium. Date of issue: 8 June 1865. Citation: Capture of flag. Found at this site http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwarmz.html Also more information on Victor at this site, check out Parts 1, 2, and 5 for info. http://www.kancoll.org/books/andreas_ne/saline/saline-p1.html and here http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/manuscripts/family/vifquain.htm

• Great Grandfather – Jean Baptiste Vifquain,

• b 6/24/1789 Turmay France (now Belgium), d 8/31/1854 D Irvi France (near Paris) enlisted in Napoleons Calvary 1804 at age 16, decorated "Knight of Legion of Honor" 1833, built first railroad from Brussels to Liege. Footnote 1 - enlisted in Napoleons Calvary 1804 at age 16, decorated on battlefield near Eylan France by Napoleon I as "Knight of Legion of Honor" for acts of bravery. In 1812 at Waterloo was decorated "Officer of the Legion of Honor". In 1833, built first railroad in Europe from Brussels to Liege. Was Inspector General of Bridges and Boats. Other military honors – "Belgium Officer of the Order of Leopold the First", Chevalier of the Lion Merlansois", and "The Red Eagle of Prussia". It was written "that he served his country long and untiringly with his talent and skills and left as monuments his numerous public works" . Found one web page that shows him designer of the Wissekerke Castle Footbridge http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0020524

• Great Grandfather – John Frances Veulemans, b 2/24/1800 Cappelen Belgium, m 5/24/1824 Kersbeck Belgium, d 1/23/1853 Tipton MO Emigrated from Antwerp Belgium in 1835 to New York. Cambe by boat up the Hudson River through Erie Canal to the Ohio River, then up Red River, Louisiana to Natchitoches. Stayed until 1840 when three youngest children died due to climate. Went to Versailles and then Round Hill (Cooper County) near Tipton MO. Died of Pleurisy.
  
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General Vifquain's Charmed Life article mailed to Sharon in about 1964 by Grandma Alma Phillip.

Sharon got these next three items while in Salt Lake City.

Description of Victor, and signature

Documents dated 1/31/03

Document dated 1/31/03, document lists Victor as Dead on this one, but shows he died 1/7/1904 at the bottom of the form.