Jules J. Hequet

Work, migration and a family left young

The American family of Jules J. Hequet and Leontine Vertefoix included eight children, born across the years of their migration and settlement. The older children would still be young adults when the deaths of both parents changed the household in 1934 and 1935.

Jules was born in France on February 28, 1882, a son of Camille Louis Joseph Hequet and Clémence Aimée Depierre. The family was associated with Biache-Saint-Vaast in Pas-de-Calais, in northern France. He married Leontine and emigrated to the United States. Family recollections place Leontine’s crossing with René and Robert around 1913, but the exact ship and travel dates remain unconfirmed.

Work is recorded in two different ways. Family testimony describes Jules as a coal miner. A 1930 Dallas, Texas, directory index lists him as a baker, with René working as a cook and Robert as a cleaner. These descriptions may belong to different periods of employment. Several members of the Dallas household earned wages.

The family reconstruction, with Deloris and Velora Inez’s exact placements still disputed, names eight children: René, Robert, Deloris, Velora Inez, Abraham, Charles, Daniel and Henry Joseph. Their ages made the consequences of bereavement uneven. Some could work; others were still small children. A granddaughter’s account of Charles’s childhood states that he was raised by his eldest brother René and René’s wife Dorine after their parents died.

Jules died on November 4, 1934 and was buried at Saint Rose Cemetery in Kankakee, Illinois. Leontine died on November 2, 1935. The family account places her in San Diego, California, and her youngest child at five years old. Within a year, the children had lost both parents; the testimony about Charles records an older brother’s household taking over his upbringing.

The fuller family list gives Abraham T., Daniel F. and Henry Joseph “Toby” Hequet.

The burial listing places Jules J. Hequet at Saint Rose Cemetery, Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois, United States.