SIMONY(de) Alphonse (1805-1874) - Brouthières branch

Hippolyte Blanc's father-in-law, formerly a Lieutenant with the sixth regiment of the line, took part in the taking of Algiers in 1830. He resigned his commission at the time of his marriage in 1835 and devoted himself to good works. Since he lived in Paris, at No. 8 rue Cassette, in the parish of Saint-Sulpice, he arranged for the religious marriage ceremony of his daughter Marie, and Hippolyte Blanc to be performed there on September 2 1858.

Through Saint-Sulpice he knew the Daublaine &Callinet Company that maintained the great organ. He ordered a small organ from them in 1841 for the Garchizy Parish Church. It is still there. His acquisition of the Chamenay property in the township had brought him into the region. The organ was classified as an historic monument on December 17 1991 in recognition of the Simony, Blanc, Cavaillé-Coll and related families.

An amateur organist, Alphonse de Simony was at the organ in Jussey (Haute-Saône) on Whit Sunday, in May 1871 during a visit to his other son-in-law, Alphonse Daumet de Vorges.

Using his influence, he quietly helped the young priest, Pierre Lamazou (1828-1883) - curate of Saint-Sulpice between 1854 and 1859 - at the time of the projected great organ reconstruction by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. The brilliant organ builder had to install an avant garde musical instrument in the XVIIIth Century monumental organ case designed by the architectect, Chalgrin.

Alphonse de Simony was buried in the family grave in the Garchizy Cemetery on May 22 .