Hi Tim,

Does your message "fight for independence" mean that he fought with Governor Galvez's troops against the British? I've wanted to establish if this was a fact.

I've not had a post to my inquiry in quite a while, but when last I did, I got some interesting info. I'll have to send you more on this, but it seems his parents were from Pistoia, Italy, an ancient town north of Florence. I actually visited Chambery, France, where the French naval documents say he is from, but I had it on the best authority there that he and the family were not from that area. How he came to be in the French marines is a mystery.

Unfortunately, I recently moved and my things are still packed and I'm not sure I can put my hands on things right away.

I live in New Rochelle, NY, and work on Wall Street. Was an eyewitness to the events of 9/11. Been in NYC 22 yrs, but born in Ft. Worth. My father was from The Big Thicket, where my great grandfather homesteaded and changed the family name to "Marcontell", not sure why.

If I don't get back to you soon, please drop me a reminder. All best, Paul