Pierre Douville (1745-1794)
Born in Havre-Saint-Pierre in île Saint-Jean, Pierre Douville was deported in 1758 to Saint-Malo. In 1775, during the War of Independence, he joined the American navy. His service was well-rewarded, as in 1784, he was a founding member of the Society of Cincinnati, which rewarded those who particularly stood out during that war. Settled in Providence, Rhode Island, he married Cynthia Aborn, daughter of a Colonel and delegate of the former colony. In 1787, he rejoined his extended family in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, where he established a lucrative trade with the West Indies. During the French Revolution, which started in 1789, he joined the French navy. Wounded and imprisoned by the British troops, he died in 1794 in a Portsmouth prison. As he was considered an American Revolutionary hero, his dead body was brought back to Rhode Island, where a monument was erected in his honour.
