Adolphe Jean Baptiste COURAGEUX was born on May 4th, 1819, in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais. He was the fourth child of Marc Augustin and Eugénie COURAGEUX. Edouard Jean Baptiste, my ancestor, was Adolphe’s brother and was born three years later.
Belonging to the class of 1839, Adolphe joined the 46th Line Infantry Regiment in 1840. Pursuing a military career, he steadily rose through the ranks, becoming Corporal in 1841, Quartermaster Sergeant (a non-commissioned officer responsible for distributing provisions and arranging soldiers’ accommodation), Sergeant and Quartermaster Sergeant in 1843, Sergeant Major in 1844, Adjutant in 1847, Second Lieutenant in 1848, and Lieutenant in 1853.
On March 18th, 1854, he joined the 71st Line Infantry Regiment and embarked from Toulon for Africa. He took part in the Great Kabylia campaign in Algeria from 1854 to 1857, participating in the Battle of Sebaou, the Battle of Chellada, and the Battle of Aït Aziz.
Holding the rank of Captain, he was sent to Italy in 1859, where he remained only a few months.
On September 25th, 1859, he was awarded the rank of Knight of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour.
I have found no information concerning his life between that year, 1859, and his death six years later. He died on March 2nd, 1865, in Marseille.
There are many errors in his death record. I assume he had spoken to his neighbors about his parents and his family who had remained in Pas-de-Calais, but memory is not always reliable, and when they had to declare his death, they were unable to provide accurate information.
A rebrousse temps généalogie 