Count Pierre De Ruffieu

"date and place of birth"
My Father was born in 1888 in Lyon, France. (see below, marked area)

click on pic to enlarge

Translation Page 45:

V11 th. Degree : Jean-Baptiste-Hippolyte-Emile Compagnon, Comte de Ruffieu.[Celine's Grandfather]

Born in 1863, died in 1912, Officer Cadet of the St-Cyr military academy in 1884, lieutenant in the 5th Infantry Regiment, then Captain.
Married in St-Genis-Laval, Oct 17 1887 to Anne-Marie-Celine Dumenge, born in St-Genis in 1870, died Dec. 30 1894.
Daughter of Leon- Dumenge and Julie-Josephine Rodet.

Widowed, He remarried in Paris June 1900 with Suzanne-Charlotte-Henrietta from the court of Bretteville , divorced from Guy-Marie-Joseph Lempereur.
Daughter of Leonard-Marie-Ferdinand and Marie- Amedee-Zenaide Chretien. Their first child: Pierre-Leon-Julien-Marie-Emile, second child: Louise-Jeanne-Marie-Leonie, born in Vienna (Isere) April 30 1890, married to M. Lemaire.

V111 th. Degree: Pierre-Leon-Julien-Marie-Emile Compagnon Comte de Ruffieu [Celine's Father], born in Saint-Genis Aug 22 1888.
Decorated with de medal from Morocco, Sergeant in the African Hunters regiment and Sergeant in the Spahis Regiment, detached to Morocco until 1912

V th. Degree: Jean-Francois-Alexis Compagnon Comte de Ruffieu, born March 1-1810, died June 8-1884 etc.

V1th. Degree: Justin-Alexis Compagnon Comte de Ruffieu Born March 1-1857, Cavalry officer, buyer of the Chateau. Etc.

INTRODUCTION

It is an honor to introduce you, the reader, to a man I knew and still love dearly, my father: Pierre Leon Julien Marie Emile Compagnon de Ruffieu the last man to carry the noble title of Count de Ruffieu.

Born into a family of French nobility and society he had available to him advantages in education and lifestyle. His noble ancestors were all accomplished military officers and graduated from the French military academy at St. Cyr, the French equivalent to America’s West Point.

It is a mystery to me why then in 1908, at the age of twenty, my father entered France’s African army in Algeria as an enlisted man in a fierce horse-mounted cavalry unit, the Chasseurs d’Afrique.

North Africa during that era was primitive at best, but also disease ridden. The military was strict with harsh and cruel punishments for offenders. The desert battles, waged in the ‘Saharan regions,’ were hard fought and bloody. Father rose to the rank of Marechal des Logis, a non-commissioned officer, then entered the ranks of the battle-hardened Spahis units..(click on Military see livret ,Spahis).

Much of the early information about my father, prior to what I remember, is derived from a military Livret/booklet, issued by the French army officially detailing his military dates of service and campaigns.
Only the data contained in genuine, verifiable documents is used to present the information I offer.
An early biography written by a member of my aunt’s family to update the information about the Compagnon de Ruffieu family in a nobility dictionary states that father was reported missing at the completion of a mission in Morocco.
The account says that he ‘reappeared’ after being held prisoner for several months by the Arabs. He was decorated with the Military Medal of Morocco and the livret mentions ‘several commendations.’ (click on Military to read: Letters of Congratulations, etc).

The regiments in which father served were respected and honorable, however coming from an aristocratic family it would have disgraced the family to serve as an enlisted man instead of continuing the long-standing military traditions of the family. Why did father rebuke the privileges of rank and family?

What is known is that after completing his military service in 1912 father did found an academy of horseback TRICK RIDING, (Voltige in French) and school of gymnastics and athletics in Tangiers, Morocco.
My distinct memory of some comments my Father made to Mother are as follows: "when I was captured by the Moors, I performed for them TRICK RIDING (Voltige in French) hanging from the saddle appearing to be dead, and other tricks.
I looked up Trick Riding, and hanging from the saddle is called: The Knack.
Father also commented (Im not too sure on this).. he had played Polo and Roman Riding....but a horseman like Father may have done it.
There is a great Festival in June in Marrakesh, (Maroc). The Fantasia Festival, they have charging horses, TRICK RIDING, and Berber Horsemen. These men are great "riders".

My father undoubtedly possessed great knowledge of human fitness and physiology. The skills that he demonstrates in the pictures, such as hanging by his neck from a noose, are achieved only at advanced levels of training in arts such as Shaolin Kung-Fu (click on Pictures, Feats of Strength).
The outbreak of World War One did end his academy, and the livret indicates that he returned to France and entered the campaign against Germany.
In a letter father wrote, He states that he served in a Hussars regiment.
Reader, if you can find the Hussar's Regiment my Father served in First World War and the battlefield these extraordinary soldiers served I will be very grateful to you.
This letter also states all the sports Father participated in while he was in France, including record holder of France in various sports.

Little is known about father’s life during or after World War I but, undocumented information extracted from his mother’s lineage and presumed to be factual tells that he married in 1915 and his wife died as a result of an automobile accident.
The family also asserts that during this era he had become a devotee to the game of roulette in Monte Carlo. Post war life for the former Spahi, now a rich young widowed Count/Comte do not appear to have been bad, father married a second time in 1924.

His life may have been good but his luck was not. His tabs in the casinos of Monte Carlo indebted him heavily and in 1926 my grandmother’s brother offered to settle the gambling debts with the condition that my father quit France and live the rest of his life in exile.

This much is certain, father accepted the terms of his exile but his wife would not and he honorably embarked alone on a ship, destination Mexico. Political unrest in Mexico caused him to remain onboard the ship until its next port of call, Havana, Cuba.

My Father’s lack of luck continues after He arrived in Havana and married a “lovely girl” 20 years his junior.
She turned out to be a mean spirited woman and caused him a lot of grief.
. Father had a lovely home, a cook and a girl to look after me.
He does not seem to have continued “gambling”.
He had only a very few close friends, such as the Ambassador from Italy, who gave me a lovely painting of a Panther, and Madame Chang-Kai-Chek was also one of his good friends.
She was one of the most Influential women in the World. Madame Chang-Kai-Chek Died January 18 2004 at the age of 105, in New York City.

Readers, if it was not for Eusebia in Havana, Cuba, (you can view her Photo on the Exile Page). The little old lady and her brother helped my Father till the end of his life.
Im very much indebted to the information she sent me after two interviews on tape about what a wonderful man my Father was.
These tapes are very touching and you can have them at no price to you.

. Eusebia says that Father had gained a lot of weight. I know that Father would not want that.
Father started to make tea from the Cundiamor/Cundeamor vine that grows wild. Father started to loose weight, this tea is suppose to make a person loose weight. Eusebia would say to Father:"Pierre, no se puede beber tanto Cundiamor !!!".
"Pierre, you cant drink so much Condiamor".
Eusebia said Father got thinner and thinner, until he looked like a skeleton!!. The way she speaks in the latest interview would break your heart in two pieces, he could barely walk. Was that my Father? the picture of health and physical fitness?

I researched the "Cundiamor/Cundeamor", the dosage: not exceed more than TWO OUNCES DAILY OF THIS TEA, or the person would develop : "headaches, arrhythmias, (an alteration in rhythm of the heartbeat), and will induce.....COMA !!!".

Father knew his tropical plants well as he used to make perfume from the Jasmine flowers and other flowers, and had given Eusebia some perfume at some point.
He had a Perfume Factory, lipstick: “Celine”, (About me Page)…but the business did not thrive.

Father died at 6:50 A.M. September 13, 1949 in Calixto Garcia Hospital about 22 miles from his "retreat". I was 13 years old.

Go to About Me Page for more information.
In About Me Page scroll down and you will see a photo of a man with a riffle, he is not my Father. Look beyond the man over the mangroves, see a little elevation of what may look to you like the tip of a tent, the house was there with beautiful gardens and other animals.

Father worked the land himself unlike a man of his lineage would do,
Father made "coal" for cooking, and other conveniences in the wilderness, back in 1949 when he died, there was no electricity, or roads that a car could be driven, there was only a two person trail, and lots of tropical life.

Father always carried a "machete" in case it was needed to cut the bushes. Father built an outdoor shower and the rain water gathered in an open tank and the shower was put together with Father's ingenuity.

The hens/roosters had their own barn made out of rocks that Father had removed from the ground, he had plaintain banana trees, Papaya trees, other fruit and beautiful vegetable garden.
He built a smal pond for the geese. Father was indeed a man that would use his resources.

He also hunted, and at night we would go to the place where the man with the rifle was standing, and right there where the man stood, was an "ojo de agua" a spring water-hole that ran into his property thus we had good water all the time.

We catched at night a fish called "guasabaco", most delicious, the fish, when the tide was high it would come in and would remain behind in the rocks you see when the tide went down.
Father also caught giant crabs, called "Cangrejos Moros", and they were delicious. Sometimes at 3 a.m. Father and I would go fishing in the center of the river you see in Exile Page, the river was called Santa Ana.

He hunted for ducks in the early evening. See the little boat he is sitting on About Me Page?....that boat would go thru the mangroves until it reached the river, that was about one mile long.
As you went out there, there were small sand bars.

One time as we were passing that area in the early morning hours, a school of sharks were passing by and my Father's face turned white as snow.
It was first time I ever saw my Father show fear, he said: "Celine dont move, I looked down and there was a shark passing by.
Those sharks could have turned the small boat over easily, Father passed on to me his love and respect for Nature.
See more on About me Page.

Eusebia's house and Father's were almost ONE MILE, from each other, the road was a two person trail back in 1949. Imagine my Father walking that distance when he was dying.
Eusebia says that sometimes her brother used to bring Father his groceries and Father would ask him: "Por favor, quedate conmigo, no te vayas". "Please, stay with me, dont leave me", how sad and tragic.

In the photo of Father you see on the Intent Page, his last photo, age 60, his beautiful clear crystal blue eyes are distant and sad, unlike any of the photos on Pictures, Ancestry and Family, you can observe, Faher was a man full of the "JOY OF LIFE"

Father died without his beloved Family, Friends, and, Country, and even without me at his side, his “baston de vejez” as he would say to me…”Celine, someday you will be my cane of old age”.

I am honored, that I have been the daughter of this fine man, my Father, and I hope you feel the same as I do.
Celine

Below some pictures of my father's last restingplace
My Father waited from 1952 to the present, September, 2003, to have his name on his place of rest
located in Colon Cementery, Ciudad Havana, Cuba. 4 Street, between I.& J. V.N.E. a 42.05 North and 6.50 East.

The first two are photos of Julia and Antonio Muina when they were young.
They had a wonderful life together and had a wonderful great-grandson who sent me these lovely photos of his great-grandparents whose love reaches us all. Im grateful to you. 11-11-05 ...Celine

I thank Milagros and Potototo, in Havana, Cuba, for the beautiful flowers, and the book with Father's name. Thanks to Julia and Antonio Muina ( my grand-uncle) for their kindness in letting my Father, a great man, rest here.

Click on pic to enlarge