Notes for: Alard Bidin

I found information on the Bidin family as I was looking for traces of the Bodin family in the area of Bethune, France. Jean Bodin was said to be a young man from near Bethune in the record of his marriage to Maria Crocheron on Long Island, New York. They were married there on January 11, 1680.

If I remember correctly, There were many Bodins listed in the records around Lille, France, but I could not find any Bodins in or near Bethune. As I looked around at different towns nearby, I did find a Bidin family in Beuvry. Beuvry is a small town just a few miles East South East of Bethune. I believe some books I saw seemed to link the Bidin and Bodin names; however, that is far from a sure bet. There may be some link from the Bidin family to the Bodin family or there might not. One other interesting connection to the Bidins is that many of the first names found in this family are very common among the Bodins, too: Jacob, Peter, John, Francis, etc.

The information I have gathered here comes from the birth, marriage, and death records from the Parish of Beuvry. These records were transcribed by the Genealogical Association of the Pas-de-Calais (Maison des Societes, 16 rue Aristide Briand, 62000 Arras, France). I found them in the Centre Georges-Besnier where genealogical records are stored for the Province of the Pas-de-Calais. The address there is 12 place Jean-Moulin (in the place de la Prefecture), 62018 Arras. All the dates and places that I have cited for this family come from those records.

In addition to copies of the transcriptions, I have the following:

- Several copies of the original death record for Jacques Bidin (October 4, 1687).
- Several copies of some other early Bidin document which I can't discipher at the moment.