52 Ancestors: #34 The Malambré Brick Wall

Gerard MALAMBRÉ first turned up in the baptismal record of his daughter Susanna, my 4th great-grandmother, on 7 November 1772.[1]

1772 Baptismal Record of Susanna Malambré[1]

Before this date, there is no evidence of his existence. If I am to trust the information in the family book of Ernzen where he lived from this time, he died on 7 September 1808 at the age of 80.[2] Where can I find him between his birth around 1728 and the birth of his daughter in 1772? If his age at the time of death is correct, he was 44 years old when Susanna was born and baptized. After Susanna’s birth, six more children were born to Gerard MALAMBRÉ and his wife Barbara BIESDORF between 1775 and 1788.[3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]

This is a moot point to make but, as no record has been found prior to the baptism of Susanna in 1772, no marriage record has been found for Gerard and Barbara.

Susanna was likely their second child of eight. Her sister Anna Maria, whose date of birth and baptism are not known, was the first to marry in 1792[9] which makes me suspect she was their first born. Anna Maria was seen as a godmother in 1786.[10] If she was 16 at the time she would have been born about 1770. How young could a godmother be?

The baptismal records of Susanna and her other siblings were found in the Echternach parish to which Ernzen was affiliated. As already mentioned, they were born between 1772 and 1788. The 1788 baptismal record of their youngest daughter Maria Catharina brought new information to light.[8]

1788 Baptismal Record of Maria Catharina Malampreux[8]

The record not only includes the place of residence of Gerard and Barbara at the time of the baptism of their youngest child but also where they hailed from. Barbara BIESDORF’s town of origin was Dickweiler.

1766 Luxembourg Census for the household of Hubert Bisdorff which included two families. His own with his wife and children and a Hubert Wildanger and his wife.[11]

Now, this is where my newest not so secret new tool comes into play. The 1766 Luxembourg census. Dickweiler was a part of the parish of Rosport. Only one BIESDORF family lived in Dickweiler in 1766 and it included Anna Barbara who was 14 years or older.[11] Also in the household were three siblings (the census does not indicate this relationship) who were godparents of her children in 1772, 1775, and 1777. Thomas Webers’ family book of Rosport includes the BIESDORF family. Anna Barbara was born in 1744[12] and was 22 years old at the time of the census. Her parentage has been proven with her baptismal record[12] with secondary evidence coming from the baptismal records of her children who had her siblings as godparents. Case closed?

The 1788 baptismal record[8] was the case cracker for the child’s mother’s parentage but what of the father? Gerard MALAMBRÉ was from “Ramrig” per the record. This is likely Rambrouch, also known as Rammerech in Luxembourgish, a commune and small town in western Luxembourg, in the canton of Redange. It lies close to the border with Belgium. The 1766 census for the parish of Rambrouch did not have any families with a name similar to Malambré, Malampré, or Malampreux. It is a rare surname not even mentioned in the Dictionary of Luxembourgish Family Names.[13]

I searched the 1766 census in several other villages I thought Gerard might have lived in but without an index, this is hit and go. Two Melampré siblings married in Hemstal in 1758. By 1766 the male was deceased without issue and his wife had remarried. Their place of residence at the time of marriage was Pletschet on the marriage record. Pleschette is a village in the Medernach area. The 1766 census for the parish of Medernach did not yield any results. A family book of Helmstal published in 1907 gives the place of residence as Pascheterhof which was part of the parish of Consdorf. Once again this did not produce any new leads. My next attempt may be to look through all the villages in the parish of Echternach.

The names MALAMPRÉ, MALAMPREUX, and MALAMBRÉ fascinate me and I would like to get past this brick wall. The name has not, as far as I can tell, been passed on to very many descendants.

Beautifully tended graves of Malambré descendants in the church cemetery of Ernzen.

Gerard (d. 1808) had only one son Christian (1775-1811) who had only one son Matthias (1807-1884) who had only one son Michael (1840-1912) who had a son Albert Peter (1878-1952) who had eight children between 1909-1928. These children have descendants with the Malambré name. Albert Peter also had a son who married in Saarbrücken where the name may also have been passed on.

Let me now bring the attention back to Susanna who was born and raised in Ernzen where she brought up her children from two marriages.

A view of the village of Ernzen

My Ancestor Susanna MALAMBRÉ

Susanna MALAMBRÉ was born on 7 November 1772 in Ernzen (present-day Germany) to Gerard MALAMBRÉ and Barbara BIESDORF. She was baptized the same day in the parish of Echternach. Her godparents were Susanna BIESDORF, her maternal aunt, and Hubertus VILLAR, both from Dickweiler.[1]

Susanna MALAMBRÉ’s First Marriage

Susanna married Bernard WEYMANN before 1796. A marriage record has not been found. In 1795 the Duchy of Luxembourg became the Département des Forêts following its surrender after a siege of over seven months by French Revolutionary troops. The anti-religious policy of the new government is one of the reasons a marriage record may not be found for Susanna and Bernard.

According to Rob Deltgen, President of Luxracines and owner of deltgen.com, the people rebelled against the new laws continuing to be married by their priest, even if it meant having the ceremony performed in the kitchen, and refusing to have a civil record of the marriage recorded. When the Napoleonic Code was introduced in 1804 all persons were required to be married in a civil ceremony. Couples who had only been wedded by a priest since the introduction of civil records had to be married in a civil ceremony to legitimize their children’s births. The children’s names were listed in the margin of the marriage record.

1763 Baptismal Record of Bernard Weyman[14]

Susanna’s first husband Bernard was born and baptized on 15 August 1763 in Ernzen.[14] The son of Nikolaus WEYMAN and Maria Katharina HUSS, Bernard was my 4th great-grandfather. In the 1766 Luxembourg census, he was seen in his maternal grandfather’s household with his father and siblings, an older sister and brother.[15] His mother, the daughter of Hubert HUSS, had died the previous year and his father would remarry in the census year.

1766 Luxembourg Census for the household of Bernard Huss with his widowed son-in-law Nicolas Weimann[15]

Susanna and Bernard had the following children:

1. Anna Maria WEYMANN was born and baptized on 28 January 1796 in Ernzen.[16] She married Bernard RAUSCH on 11 February 1823 in Sankt Markus Catholic Church in Ernzen. Bernard was born in 1797 in Geichlingen, Bitburg-Prüm, Germany. They were the parents of seven children. Anna Maria died on 8 July 1852 in Ernzen and was buried two days later. Her widower Bernard died on 28 March 1855 in Ernzen and was buried three days later.[17]

Before their next child was born, Susanna’s mother Barbara BIESDORF died in 1804 in Ernzen.[2]

2. Hubert WEIMANN was born and baptized on 13 July 1805 in Ernzen.[18] He married Elisabeth WELTER, daughter of Anton WELTER and Anne Catherine HENNES, on 11 February 1835 in Ernzen. Elisabeth was born and baptized on 31 January 1807 in Ernzen. Hubert and Elisabeth had seven children of whom only three lived to adulthood. Hubert died on 29 October 1872 in Ernzen and was buried two days later. Elisabeth died on 24 September 1877 in Ernzen and was buried three days later.[19] They were my 3rd great-grandparents and their story can be found here.

3. Elisabeth WEIMANN was born and baptized on 20 August 1807 in Ernzen.[20] It is not known if she lived to marry or when she died.

Bernard WEYMANN died on 2 January 1807 in Ernzen.[21] He left his wife Susanna with Anna Maria nearly 11 years old and Hubert a year and a half old. Bernard and Susanna may not have known they were expecting another child when he died. Nearly eight months later Susanna gave birth to their daughter Elisabeth.[20]

Susanna’s father was still living at the time of her husband Bernard’s death. Gerard MALAMBRÉ died 7 September 1808 in Ernzen.[2]

Susanna’s Second Marriage

Two years after the death of her first husband and five months after the death of her father, Susanna married Matthias WELTER, son of Johann WELTER and Magdalena MEYER, on 13 February 1809 in Ernzen.[22] Matthias was born and baptized on 3 May 1772 in Ernzen.[23] He was not only my 4th great-grandmother’s second husband, he was also my first cousin six times removed. His grandparents Mathias WELTER and Anna Margaretha Elisabetha HUSS were my 6th great-grandparents. Further, Susanna’s first and second husbands were second cousins through Peter and Catharina HUSS, my 7th great-grandparents.

Susanna and Matthias had the following children:

1. Nicolas WELTER was born and baptized on 20 November 1809 in Ernzen.[24]

2. Joannes WELTER was born and baptized on 4 May 1812 in Ernzen.[25] He died on 4 December 1812 in Ernzen at the age of seven months.[26]

3. Matthias WELTER was born on 4 November 1813 in Ernzen.[27] He was baptized the following day. He died on 29 May 1814 in Ernzen at the age of nearly seven months.[26]

4. Magdalena WELTER was born and baptized on 16 September 1815 in Ernzen.[28] She had a son Michael in 1848 whose father was unknown. Magdalena married Dominik FABER on 13 February 1861 in Ernzen. Dominik was born on 26 June 1797 in Consdorf (Luxembourg). He was previously married and had eight children with his first wife. Magdalena and Dominik had a son born the same year they were married. Dominik died on 11 December 1871 in Ernzen and was buried two days later. Magdalena died on 25 January 1879 in Ernzen.[29]

Matthias WELTER died on 3 April 1830 in Ernzen.[26] Susanna MALAMBRÉ likely had three to four of her children still at home. Her oldest daughter Anna Maria WEYMANN had married in 1823 but her son Hubert WEIMANN and daughter Magdalena WELTER were unmarried and likely living at home. Nothing is known of the life of her son Nicolas WELTER who would have been 20 years old at the time.

Susanna lived nearly two more decades, dying on 5 December 1848 in Ernzen. She was buried two days later.[26] She’d lived to see the births of 15 grandchildren but also the deaths of six of these. One more grandchild would be born a dozen years later.

The Problem Remains

This article’s focus should have been mostly on my 4th great-grandparents Susanna MALAMBRÉ and Bernard WEYMANN, however, the missing information on her father Gerard MALAMBRÉ compelled me to do more research on her paternal side of the family. By discussing the steps I took to search for Gerard in the 1766 census I hope someone will notice what I may have missed. Still, Gerard MALAMBRÉ will have to wait for someone, perhaps one of my readers, to find the key to open the door in his brick wall.

Sources:
[1] Luxembourg, registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Echternach > Baptêmes 1761-1797 > image 60 of 131. 1772 Baptismal Record, right page, first entry. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32399-13007-31?cc=2037955 : accessed 12 November 2016).
[2] Richard Schaffner, compiler, Familienbuch 2 der Pfarrei St. Marcus Ernzen bei Irrel, Daten bis 1798 aus den Kirchenbüchern der Pfarrei Echternach (damals fur Ernzen zuständig); mit: Ernzen-Hof, Fölkenbach und teilweise auch Prümzurlay (Häuser der rechten Flußseite) 1680-1899 (compiled in 2000), p. 137, Family #453 . Malambré-Biesdorf.
[3] Luxembourg Church Records, Echternach > Baptêmes 1761-1797 > image 72 of 131. 1775 Baptismal Record (left page, 4th entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L971-1XJ8?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-PY3%3A1500937901%2C1501065634 : accessed 18 October 2017).
[4] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes 1761-1797 > image 83 of 131. 1777 Baptismal Record (right page, 3rd entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8971-1X4C?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-PY3%3A1500937901%2C1501065634 : accessed 18 October 2017).
[5] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1779-1783 > image 24 of 177. 1779 Baptismal Record (left page, 1st entry for October). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-M6MR?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-YWT%3A1500937901%2C1500939202 : accessed 19 October 2017).
[6] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1779-1783 > image 114 of 177. 1782 Baptismal Record (left page, 1st entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-MDHS?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-YWT%3A1500937901%2C1500939202 : accessed 18 October 2017).
[7] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1784-1788 > image 21 of 172. 1784 Baptismal Record (left page, 2nd entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-MDMJ?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-Y4W%3A1500937901%2C1500960252 : accessed 18 October 2017).
[8] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1784-1788 > image 155 of 172. 1788 Baptismal Record (left page, last entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-M6DG?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-Y4W%3A1500937901%2C1500960252 : accessed 18 October 2017).
[9] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1788-1797 > image 150 of 331. 1792 Marriage Record (right page, 2nd entry).(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WM-9C2S?cc=2037955&wc=STHZ-4W5%3A1500937901%2C1500937902 : accessed 20 October 2017).
[10] FB Ernzen, p. 214, family #764. Tossing-Adam.
[11] Luxembourg, Dénombrement, 1766 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Archives Générales du Royaume, Bruxelles), Film/DGS 1781975 > Film # 008198977 > Decanat de Bittbourg v. 1 A-K > Dicksweiler (paroisse de Rosport) > Image 587 of 753. Hubert Bisdorff household. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLL-M7XM-D?i=586&cat=1184675 : accessed 19 October 2017).
[12] Luxembourg Church Records, Rosport > Baptêmes 1740-1779, 1795-1796, confirmations 1740-1765, mariages 1778-1779, 1795-1796, sépultures 1779-1797 > image 6 of 79. 1744 Baptismal Record (right page, 2nd entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WM-SNH?cc=2037955&wc=STHZ-HZ6%3A1501108227%2C1501108228 : accessed 19 October 2017).
[13] Kollmann, Cristian, Peter Gilles and Claire Muller. Luxemburger Familiennamenbuch. 2016. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. (http://www.degruyter.com.proxy.bnl.lu/view/product/449765 : Retrieved 26 April 2016)
[14] Luxembourg Church Records, Echternach > Baptêmes 1761-1797 > image 16 of 131. 1763 Baptismal Record, right page, 4th from bottom. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32399-13080-33?cc=2037955 : accessed 12 November 2016).
[15] Luxembourg 1766 Census, Film/DGS 1781975 > Film # 008198977 > Decanat de Bittbourg v. 1 A-K: > Feischveiler (paroisse d’Echternach) > Image 246 of 753. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLL-M7DL-T?i=245&cat=1184675 : accessed 14 October 2017).
[16] Luxembourg Church Records, Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1788-1797 > image 286 of 331. 1796 Baptismal Record (left page). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WM-9CST?cc=2037955&wc=STHZ-4W5%3A1500937901%2C1500937902 : accessed 15 October 2017).
[17] FB Ernzen, p. 171, family #590. Rausch-Weymann.
[18] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 / Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462714. Hubertus Veiman, christened 13 Jul 1805 at Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia; father Bernardi Veiman; mother Susannae Malampre. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFD4-PYH : accessed 15 October 2017).
[19] FB Ernzen, p. 232, Family #822. Weimann-Welter.
[20] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898. Elisabetha Weiman, christened 20 Aug 1807 in Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia; ftaher Bernardi Weiman; mother Susannae Malampre.
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NTJ5-T78 : accessed 15 October 2017).
[21] FB Ernzen, p. 243, Family #858. Weymann-Malambre.
[22] Germany Marriages, 1558-1929 / Deutschland, Heiraten, 1558-1929, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462,714. Mathias Welter md. Susanna Malampre on 13 Feb 1809 in Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JH8P-DQL : accessed 15 October 2017).
[23] Luxembourg Church Records, Echternach > Baptêmes 1761-1797 > image 57 of 131. 1772 Baptismal Record (left page, 2nd to last entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9971-1X61?cc=2037955&wc=STHC-PY3%3A1500937901%2C1501065634 : accessed 14 October 2017).
[24] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898, FHL microfilm 462714. Nicolaus Welter, christened 20 Nov 1809 in Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheiland, Germany; father Mathiae Welter; mother Susannae Malampre. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFD4-L2L : 28 November 2014).
[25] Ibid., FHL microfilm 462714. Joannes Welter, christened 04 May 1812 at Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia; father Mathiae Welter; mother Susannae Wayman. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2CB-FBF : accessed 18 October 2017).
[26] FB Ernzen, p. 239, Family #844. Welter-Malambre.
[27] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898, FHL microfilm 462714. Mathias Welter, 05 Nov 1813 at Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia; father Mathiae Welter; mother Susannae Wayman. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NTJ5-5G9 : accessed 18 October 2017).
[28] Ibid., FHL microfilm 462714. Magdalena Welter, 16 Sep 1815 at Sankt Markus Kathalisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Germany; father Mathiae Welter; mother Susannae Malampre(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2CB-N1S : accessed 18 October 2017).
[29] FB Ernzen, pg. 238, family #841. Faber-Welter.

© 2017, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.