Complex sentence: Stephen Rochefontaine (born Etienne Bechet, Sieur de Rochefontaine near Reims, France in 1755) came to America in 1778 after failing to gain a position in the French Royal Corps of Engineers.
Split into simpler sentences: Stephen Rochefontaine (1755--January 30,1814) (born Etienne Bechet, Sieur de Rochefontaine) was born near Reims, France. Rochefontaine came to America in 1778 after failing to gain a position in the French Royal Corps of Engineers.