Pfalzgraf was likely Huguenot (French Protestant)
I live in Canada but have direct family connections to Canada, USA, France, Germany, Norway, and indriect connections to Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Finland, Russia, and - God knows. I also can read and understand about 12 languages well enough to find out how to get answers.
I strongly suspect this name has a connection to the Huguenot (English = HEW-gen-oh) or French Protestants who were repeatedly persecuted by the Catholics, esp. in France between 1572 and 1700, and who evntually came to USA and 'melted' into the population within one generation.
Protestant emigration from France began as early as the 1520s, but the term "Huguenot" was not applied until about 1560. Huguenot migration from France continued until the latter part of the 18th century and peaked in three main periods: the 1560s/70s; the 1670s/80s; and again in the 1740s/50s. The largest outflow occurred in the 1680s, during the reign of Louis XIV and following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (which a century earlier had eased religious persecution). At a conservative estimate, some 10,000 Huguenots settled in Ireland during the 1680's and in Dublin, at least four sizeable French congregations came into being.
"Huguenot Ancestry - Noel Currer - Briggs & Royston Gambier", 1985, says: "Relatively few Huguenots fled to England during the 16th century; the major influx only began after the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre in Paris in 1572. Most of the immigrants were from Brittany, Normandy and Picardy, the provinces nearest the English Channel. The big migrations began after 1680 during Louis XIV's anti-Huguenot policy.
A lot of French Huguenot ancestors came from northern France, French Flanders and the area around Lille. The area L'ALLOEU means "free earth" and in former times LAVENTIE was the capital of that region which included Fleurbaix, Sailly-sur-la-Lys and La Gorgue. Laventie is about 23km/14mi west of Lille. These ancestors left France around 1650 because of their religion (Calvinist), some as late as 1680. They settled for more than one generation in the German Palatinate (KURPFALZ in those days), around the area of Mannheim and Landau.
King Louis XIV of France tried to conquer the German Palatinate after 1685, so the Huguenots fled first to Hessen, and after a few years moved on to the Uckermark. The Prussian Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, called "der grosse Kurfürst", invited them and granted them land and financial help to set up a business or for farming. He needed people because his land was devastated by the 30 Years War, plague and another war against Sweden. In some areas of the Uckermark, only 10% of the population had survived. So he had plenty of empty houses and farms to give to the newcomers. The French colonists got their own churches, schools and even own law with own judges. They had the right to keep their French language, customs and of course religion. These separate French colonies existed for over a century. The families kept to each other and married within each other's families. In some families, the first to marry a German in Strasbourg only did so as late as 1873. Before that date, the lines were almost completely French on both sides.
The French Huguenots who came in 1691 from Palatinate (Pfalz) came by way of Hessen into the Uckermark. Straßburg, Uckermark in Germany is now a part of Mecklenburg Vorpommern (Pomerania in English). They are mentioned in the article by von Wilhelm BEULEKE: "Ursprungsheimat, Zwischenaufhalte und Verbleib der Hugenottenfamilie FOUQUET", in Archiv für Sippenforschung, H. 59, 1975. The families of de la BARRE, de la CROIX, de FRENE, DESMARETS, FIERET (FIERÈ), LEDOUX, MAILLEFERT (Prenzlau), NEUVEGLISE, SALOMÈ, SY und YOLIN, all around 1690-1700 in Straßburg, Uckermark, are connected to the FOUQUET families.
Huguenots took up American colonization to alleviate their miserable exile in Europe. The Huguenot exodus occurred just as a late 17th-century colonization boom was beginning in America, and colonial entrepreneurs quickly advertised among the Huguenot refugees. Agents for William Penn and the proprietors of the Carolinas circulated pamphlets in the Huguenot refugee centers advertising their colonies, and their pamphlets proved intriguing in one special regard: even to the Huguenots they appealed more to their material than their spiritual interest in America. Penn and the Carolina proprietors touted their commitment to religious toleration. But most of their pamphlets also stressed the material gain possible across the Atlantic.
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Try some of the following sources of info:
ALSACE-LORRAINE
Jacky Paul Bentzinger - [email protected] - says the best genealogical web site for Alsace is - http://www.genealogy.tm.fr/index.htmhttp://www.genealogy.tm.fr/index.htm - The site is all in French.
Another very good Web adress for Alsace genealogy is - http://member.aol.com/robtbehra/AlsaceA-Z/AlsaceM.htmhttp://member.aol.com/robtbehra/AlsaceA-Z/AlsaceM.htm - which has new and old names for cities. Strasbourg (French spelling) or Strassburg or Straßburg (German spelling) lies in Bas Rhin, Alsace (the German spelling is Elsass or Elsaß). The town of Metz is located in the Département (province) of Lorraine, France.
For more information about the history of the region of Alsace which was sometimes French and other times German (1870-1920) see - http://www.karolus.org/anglais/alsace.htmhttp://www.karolus.org/anglais/alsace.htm -
For a map of Alsace-Lorraine under the German Empire see - http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~feefhs/maps/gerw/gw-alsac.htmlhttp://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~feefhs/maps/gerw/gw-alsac.html -
For a listing of the communities of Alsace and more historical and geographical info see - http://members.aol.com/robtbehra/AlsaceA-Z/GenInfoEng.htmhttp://members.aol.com/robtbehra/AlsaceA-Z/GenInfoEng.htm -
For a listing of towns by their German (Deutsch), French (Français), Alsacian dialect/Roman Names see -http://www.geocities.com/~bfel/ortsnamen_m.html - ERROR 404 N/A
Centre Départemental d'Histoire des Familles
5, place Saint-Léger
68500 GUEBWILLER (ALSACE)
FRANCE
Tél: (+33-3) 8962.1240
The director is Monsieur A. Ganter
E-mail: - [email protected] - ask him first if your enqiry should go through France or Germany. Website - http//cdhf.telmat-net.fr/ - Please contact him directly by e-mail or post, he hasn't enough time to look at the forum. Don't forget to buy and send the International Reply Cards for the postal reply from your post office.
"The Huguenot Settlements in Ireland" by Grace Lawless Lee, first published February 1936 and reprinted in 1993 for Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc, Baltimore, MD - lists many French Huguenot (Protestant) names in the Burial Register of St. Mary's, Youghal, Cork. Encouraged no doubt by the English who wanted more Protestants in Ireland, many went to Ireland to escape from religious persecution in France. The French Huguenots greatly influenced the manufacture of textiles, and the work of goldsmiths, silversmiths and glassmakers in Ireland. Many of the French names were soon anglicized.
A History of the Huguenots in France is at -http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07527b.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07527b.htm ?
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes is described at - http://history.hanover.edu/early/nonantes.htmhttp://history.hanover.edu/early/nonantes.htm -
For European Huguenot research, you can contact:
Huguenot Library
University Library
Gower Street
London, WC1
Tel: (+44-20) 7380-7094
Some Huguenots ended up in England. To get them out of their hair, and provide a greater Protestant base in Ireland, the English encouraged these refugees to emigrate there. There is a chance that these "Irish" families did originate in France.
You can also contact:
Centre de généalogie protestante
54, rue des Saint-Pères
75007 PARIS
FRANCE
with this kind of letter:
Madame/Monsieur:
Je suis à la recherche des origines de la famille (place SURNAME here), qui peut être originaire de France. Pouvez-vous m'indiquer si vos fichiers contiennent des informations sur ce patronyme ou des formes approchées (write SURNAME and VARIANT SPELLINGS here) ? Avec mes vifs remerciements.
Mes meilleurs salutations,
(place YOUR SIGNATURE
& PRINTED NAME here)
Don't forget to include up to 5 IRC (International Reply Cards) for the research and response. You can buy these at any postal outlet. THEY WILL NOT ANSWER YOUR REQUEST WITHOUT THESE. THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL CHARGES AFTER THE FIRST SEARCH IF YOU REQUEST MORE DETAILS. In 2000, Canada Post charged CAN $3.50 per card.
- http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/huguenot/default/index.htmhttp://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/huguenot/default/index.htm -
or E-Mail @ - [email protected] -
ALLEN, ANDERSON, ANDREWS, ARNO/ARNAUD (>Norse "arn"=eagle),
BARBA/BARBEE, BARKER, BENNETT, BETTGER, BEUS,
Balew, Balleau, Ballieul, Balliou, Ballou, Belieu, Belew, Billiou, Bilyea, Bilyeu, Boileau (bwah-LOW), and even Billings
One Belyea site - members.tripod.com/~Cleadie_B/mfb/links.htm -
- the Bellew family originated in Northern France, taking a local place name for their surname. "Bel ewe" is old Norman French for "Good Water". Modern French is "Bel eau". Balleau may be another version. The original Bellews were knights who came to England in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. Some of them went to Ireland with the conquest of that country in 1170 and their descendant, Lord Bellew, still has a castle there.
BOYCE, BRO(U)WER, BROWN, BRUMLEY, BRUNNER, BUNKER, BURROW,
CAMPBELL, CARLSON, CHADWICK, CHIDESTER,
*D'AUGE (dozh), *DELOZIER, DEPEW, DONOHOO, *DOZIER (*same name ?), de la BARRE, de la CROIX, de FRENE, DESMARETS
In the 1780s-1790s, Depues (Depews) were listed as "good husbandmen" and settled on the West Bank of Niagara across from Fort Niagara. They followed the Secords, Showers, Lutes and Dolsons from Lewiston NY to Niagara Falls. There is also a Depew street in Niagara Falls.
ELDER, ELMER, ERICKSON,
FALCONER / FAULKNER, FLETCHER, FILLEUL / FILIEU[X],
FOUQUET, FIERET (FIERÈ),
GIBSON, GILBERTSON, GILL, GLINES, GOASLIND (GOSSELIN ?), GAUDWIN/GODWIN/GOODWIN, GRIFFIN,
HARDY, HARRIS, HOLMES, HYDE,
JESSUP,
LARZALERE, LAHEW/LA HUE/LEHEW, LEDOUX, LI(P)SCOMB, LUCAS, *LOZIER, LUNDELL,
MAILLEFERT (Prenzlau), MANLEY, MARAVILLA, MARKHAM, MARLET, MARLETT, MARSHALL, MATTATALL,
MEADOWS, MOORE, MORGAN, MORRISON, MOSHER/MOSIER/MOYSER
MCCURDY, MCKENZIE, MCOMBER/? MCCUMBER,
NEUVEGLISE, NISWENDER, NORTON,
O'NEILL, O'NEILL-MEADOWS, OLSON, OVIATT,
PACKER, PERRIN, PETERSEN, PETERSON, PINAUD/PINEO/PINNEO, PREVAT[TE]/PREVET[TE], PRITCHARD,
QUINN,
REDD, REYNOLDS, RICH, RIGGS, ROLLINS, ROBERT (later ROBERTS)
SALOMÈ, SCERANKA, SCHAUFERT, SCOTT, SEATON, SECOR(D ? or SECOURS ?), SEVERE (SEVIER ?), SEVERSON, SEYBOLDT, S(C)HEIBEL, SIMKINS, SNOW, SPACKMAN, STRATTON, SY TAYLOR, THORN, TIFFANY, TIMOTHY, TRIM, TRIPLETT,
VANNOY[T}, VAN WORKMAN, VIDITO (aka Videt, Videto, Vidette, Vedite, Vedette, Viditne, Videto, Vedite, Veditoe, Videtto, Viddito, Vittitoe)
WALL, WATKINS, WILKERSON, WILLIAM, WILLSON, WILSON, WINEGAR, WORKMAM, WORKMAN, WORKMANN, WORTHEN
YOLIN
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The records of the Old Dutch Reformed Church at Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York, A.D. 1714. The founders of the New Amsterdam Dutch Church are described in "The records of New Amsterdam from 1653 to 1674", edited by Fernow 1897; "Collections New York Genealogical and Biographical Society", Vol. I; "Marriages Dutch Church, New York"; vol II, "Baptisms from 1689-1730, in the Reformed Dutch Church".
Check Vital Records of: Long Island New York, especially of Jamaica, Oyster Bay, Huntington, Williamsburg, and Brooklyn; of later New York City; of Milford and Trumbull, Connecticut; of Tyringham, Mass; The many VR at the State House, Boston, Mass; VR of North Yarmouth, Maine; and of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia.
"History of Yonkers" by Rev. Charles Elmer Allison (c. 1984; reprint of 1896 Edition) gives information about Peter NODINE, who was evidently a descendant of the Huguenot NAUDIN who had been an original settler of the Huguenot colony at New Rochelle, NY, between 1695-1710.
The journals of The Huguenot Society on "The Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, which are called The Huguenot" will provide a great deal of information.
"Huguenot Emigration to Virginia" by R. A. Brock (1886) is also very helpful about VA settlements.
A FTW search (CD#354) is "The Trail of Huguenots in Europe, the United States, South Africa and Canada"; London, Frederick Muller Ltd, 1963, reprinted by the Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1972.
And also STAPLETON, AMMON. "General list of Huguenot Immigrants to Pennsylvania" Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1969.
Capt Thomas Cooper of Boston and his brother Capt William Cooper of London (?) England brought many Huguenot families over to the USA in the early 1700's; many ended up in SC or VA. After the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, about 500,000 fled France. Many came to the American Colonies. Charleston VA was founded by 5,000 Huguenots and large numbers settled in Virginia. Many also settled in Florida and South Carolina. Capt Thomas Cooper of Boston and his brother Capt William Cooper of London (?) England brought many Huguenot families over to the USA in the early 1700's; many ended up in SC or VA.
Visit - http://members.aol.com/lesamidon/amidon.htmlhttp://members.aol.com/lesamidon/amidon.html - Check the date of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the list of inhabitants during the Siege of La Rochelle, France.
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And for families with Huguenot links to other countries:
CANADA
The English encouraged non-Catholics to join its army to fight the French in Canada during the 18th century. Many people were also lured by grants of land to settle in the New World, where they would produce non-Catholic children to counteract the French influence which had been pervasive since 1600. Between 1750 and 1800, much of the new settlement in North America was non-French or at least Protestant, both in Canada and the USA.
SOUTH AFRICA
Write to the Huguenot Museum in Franschoek. They have extensive records on the French Huguenots. In 2001, it may cost you R50+ (50 Rand or more) for your whole family's history.
Pieter du Toit - [email protected] - wrote August 15, 2000: I created a "du Toit" web page - http://www.geocities.com/elene_za/http://www.geocities.com/elene_za/ -
The Du Toit family in South Africa started with François du Toit (1664-1731's) who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope with his brother Guillaume in 1686. They were Huguenot (Protestant) refugees from France, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which had previously allowed religious toleration.
February 1999: A week ago, Pieter Eduard du Toit VII was born. Pieter Eduard du Toit I was born in 1817, the son of François Phillipus & Maria Magdelena Swanepoel.
Gerhardus Johannes Du Toit married Anna Francina Vijoen at the turn of the 20th century. Wife Ouma was interned in the Mafeking Concentration Camp. Their sons included Prof. G.J Du Toit, at one point the rector of the Pretoria Onderwys Kollege. The other son Jan was once the principal of the Waverly Hoer Skool, and one son Louis a "plaas boer". Four sisters were Onderwyser's and about four were housewives, including Anna Francina who was the only one to marry an Englishman by the name of Harry A. Peach.
Jean Jourdan, his brother Pierre & their mother Martha were part of a group of French Huguenots who came to South Africa in March 1688 on board the ship "Berg China". It seems that a certain Thesan family in the south-west of France in a town called Béziers took on the family name "Jo[u]rdan" in the year 970. They later (1232) moved to the Pellice valley that is today situated in northern Italy. The Jourdan family name was first used in 1495 following the [promulgation of the] Founders Act of Cabrières-d'Aigues. It is from these Pellice Valley Jourdan's that the above-mentioned Jean Jourdan came. In South Africa, and more specific under the Afrikaner community, the family name Jordaan is used.