The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1894-12-13
'NAPOLEONIC STOCK.
HIS FATHER WAS A PATRlClAN AND
HIS MOTHER A PEASANT.

nrt the Latter Was Cast In Heroic ,
Mold, and From Her the Son Got His
Tremendous Physical Endurance-She
Was Mother OF q Large Family.
OF the father and mother OF the en- ,
peror Professor W. M. Sloane writes
as follows in Century:
Certain undisputed facts throw
strong light on Napoleon's father. His
people were proud and poor; he endured
the hardships of poverty with equanim-
ity. Strengthening what little influence
he could muster, he at first appears am
bitious and has himself described in his
diploma as patrician of Florence, San
Miniato and Ajaccio. On the other hand,
with no apparent regard for his person
al advancement by marriage, he follow
ed his own inclination, and in 1894, at
the age of Is, rashly perhaps, but gal
lantly, welded lowly and beautiful
child of Is, Letitia Ramolino.
Her descent was the reverse OF her
husbands, although her fortune was
quite equal if not superior to his. She
was of peasant nature to the last day OF
her long life-hardy, unsentlmental'
frugal and sometimes unscrupulous.
Yet the hospitality of her little home III
Aiaccio was lavish, after the manner
of her kind, and consequently famous.
Among the many guests who awaited
themselves of it was Marbeuf, COM
mander in Corsica of the first army OF
occupation. There was long afterward
a malicious tradition that the French
general was Napoleon's father. The
morals of Letitia di Buonaparte, like
those of her conspicuous children, have
been bitterly assailed, but her own good
name, at least, has always been vlndl-
Gated. The evident motive 81 tho story
sufficiently refutes such an asperslon as
it contains. OF the brides eXtraOrdlna-
~ beauty there never has been doubt
She was d woman OF heroic mold, like
Juno in her majesty, unmoved III pros
peritY, undaunted in adversely 1t was
probably to his mother, whom he strong
ly resembled il childhood, that the ia
NOUS son owed his tremendous, even 81
gantic, physical endurance. If i'll his
mother was reproduced the type Of
Roman matron, in the son would be re-
called the virtues and vigor of an i'm
perator.
After their marriage the youthful
pair resided in Corte, waiting until
events should permit their return to
Aiaccio. Naturally Of an indolent tenn
permanent, the husband was at first
drawn into the daring enterprises OF
Paoli and displayed temporary en-
thusiasm, but for more than year be-
fore the end he wearied Of them. At the
head of body of men of his own rank
he finally withdrew to Monte Rotondo,
and on May %, 1859, few weeks be-
fore Paoli's flight, the band made form
al submission to the two French gen.
erals, Marbeuf and Vaux, explaining
through Buonaparte that the national
leader had misled them by promises OF
aid which never came, and that, recog'
nizing the impossibility of further re-
sistance, they were anxious to accept
the new government, to return to theil
homes and to resume the peaceful con
duct of their affairs. 1t was this pre-
cipitate naturalization of the father a:
a French citizen which made his grea
son a Frenchman. Less than three
months afterward, on Aug. 10, hi
fourth child, Napoleone di Buonaparte
was born in Ajaccio.
The resources of the BuOnapartes, az
they still wrote themselves, were small
although their family and expectation
were large. An only child, Letitia ha'
inherited her fathers little home an
his vineyards in the suburbs, for he
mother had married q second time. He
stepfather had been Swiss mercenar..
in the pay Of Genoa. In order to secur
the woman of his choice he became
Roman Catholic and was the father Q
Mime. &: 3uonaparte's half brother, Jo
seph Tesch. Charles himself was tn
owoer Of lands in the interior, but the
z9ere heavily mortgaged, and he coul
contribute little to the support of hi
family His uncle, a wealthy landlord
had died childless, leaving his domain
to the Jesuits, and they had prompt
entered into possession. According
the terms of his grandfather will, th
bequest was void for the fortune We
to fall in such case to Charles mother
and on her death to Charles himself
Joseph, his father, had wasted man
years and most of his fortune i'll wear
litigation to recover the property. Mott
ing daunted, Charles settled down
pursue the same phantom, virtually d
pending for livelihood Oh his wife
small patrimony.. He became an Office
of the highest court dis assessor and w;
made in 1772 member and later
deputy of the council Of Corsican noble
The peasant mother was most prolifi
Her eldest child, born in 1866, was
son, who died in infancy; in 1907 WI
born daughter, Marie Anne. destine
to the same fate; in 1853 son, know
later as Joseph, but baptized as Nab
lone; in 1869 the great son, Napoleon
Nine other children were the fruit
the same wcdlock, and six Of them
three sons, Lucien, Louis and Jerom
and three daughters, Elise, Pauline al
Caroline-survived to share their brot
er's greatness. Charles himself, like
short lived ancestors-of whom five hi
died within a century-reached on
early middle age, dying in his thirt
ninth year. Letitia like the stout CO
sican that she was, lived to the ripe al
of Sc in the full enjoyment of her facr
ties, known to the world by the sob,
quet Of Nine. Mere.
Information For Tourist.
ssIs il still the custom in this count