I am trying to find any information about my great-uncle who lived in Cape Ferret, St Jean, AM France from 1927 until 1971 when he died. He lived in a Villa near the Zoo and next door to Somerset Maugham. His name was William Forsythe Sherfesee. The Villa is still standing and called Villa Bontoc. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it.

Hi

have you googled him??

http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/photo/377236

Suzanne

I'm the one who posted the marriage certificate. Just about everything posted about the Sherfesee family was posted by me. But I've not been able to get much about his death. I even have his work history while he worked for the US forestry department, his Yale alumni file, and several letters he wrote to family members. Also data on his marriage to Emily Ryerson (who just happened to be a survivor off the Titanic - now that's a book in its self).

Hi

The trouble with French law as far as family History research goes are the privacy laws. To get any info on anyone within the last 100 years you have to present yourself in person at the right Town Hall with the docs to prove that you are a direct descendant.
If he has descendants I would do what I did - look in the French on line tel directory + write/email everyone
http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/trouverunnom/RecherchePagesBlanche...
At the moment it's crashed so I can't check
I also suggest you go to fil d'Ariane
http://www.entraide-genealogique.net/index.php
If you don't speak French there is a flag which translates. Go to the right département + post a request for help. (anyone who's French + reading this please don't be offended) Be very polite, write in French if at all possible, someone will be bound to help you - but just be prepared to wait as the French interest in their ancestors is increasing like a sunami wave - which is fantastic for the likes of you + me
But trying to find anything online is a steep learning curve as nothing is centralised, nothing in alphabetical order, no 10 year censuses from 1841 as in the UK, in addition 2 world wars + the French Revolution to boot all make things easier said than done.
Have you found the house on Google Earth? If it's still there you could always write to that house?

Suzanne
btw I am the same Suzanne as before - heaven knows why this machine sometimes signs me on with a dirrerent name!

My great-uncle had no children. By the time he married Emily, she was too old be bear children. I took a look at the website. I think I can get my son's French teacher to assist me in the composition. Thank you for your assistance. Oddly enough, French was my 1st language. We moved there when I was 6 months old and left when I was 5, but alas, no one spoke French to me after we returned to the states, so......, but boy howdy, I can roll my R's like a frenchwoman! Thanks again.

Hi

solution - internet radio - put the radio on French radio + I'm sure it will come back - you will have the advantage of a perfect accent for a start............

Good luck!

Suzanne

Hello
I think you can get your great uncle death certificate directly from the town hall of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. There are no restrictions for the delivery of death certificates.

Below is a sample letter in French for this purpose. Fill in your name/address/date/signature, and send it to France together with a return envelope with your name/address on it. It might be a good idea to put an international stamp on it (ask your post office)

I hope this helps
Cordialement
M.P. Coast (France)

Sample letter :

Address : Archives Municipales - Hôtel de Ville 21 avenue Denis Séméria
06230 SAINT-JEAN-CAP-FERRAT


Le xx Octobre 2007

Madame, Monsieur,

Je vous serais reconnaissant de bien vouloir m'envoyer une copie intégrale de l’acte de décès de mon grand-oncle William Forsythe SHERFESEE, décédé en 1971 à Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, probablement à la Villa Bontoc où il demeurait.

Ci-joint une enveloppe pour la réponse.

D'avance je vous remercie et vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, mes salutations distinguées.




(signature)




NAME


P.J. enveloppe

end of sample letter

Now I've been signed in as Birltes again - odd

If you intend to do a lot of letter writing to French Town Halls etc then do what I do - ask someone who is travelling to France to buy you French stamps for the return envelope. You must always enclose a return envelope - it's great that French bdm entries are free.
I'm just thinking tho - was he a French national or a foreigner? If he held a foreign passport then his death would have been recorded in the country of his passport as well. Come to that - do you know if he died in France?

Suzanne

He was a US Citizen, but lived in France from 1927 until his death in 71. There is no record of his death here in the states. He traveled under a US Passport. Since he had lived in the US since about 1909, I have no idea WHERE the death would of been recorded in US. When he was with the US Forestry Dept he was in the Phillipines, then when he left forest dept, he became finincial advisor for the Peking Goverment. Then when he Married Emily Ryerson, travel all over the world until Villa Bontoc was ready, but continued to travel extensively all over the world. He was always on the go until the late 50's.

Hi

He sounds a high flyer + living in an area like that I would have thought his death/funeral invite would have appeared in the local paper?? - once again I'd go to Fil d'Ariane - they will help you I am sure. If you email in French saying something along the lines of 'excuse me for the dreadful French' then someone will probably reply to you in English.
Just a thought does a US passport have to be cancelled on the death of the holder?? also - I'm not in the US - what about a US social security no? Did he go back to the US during WW2?

Suzanne