Tag: L-Obercorn

The Ancestors: Jean Schmit of Hautcharage and Eva Ducker of Differdange

On 6 November 1756 Joannes SCHMIT of Oberkerschen (also known as Hautcharage) married Eva DUCKER of Differdingen (also known as Differdange).1 No other information was given in the three short lines written in the Obercorn parish register. Differdange at the time belonged to the Obercorn parish.

1756 Marriage Entry in the Obercorn parish register. Courtesy of FamilySearch.

Time for a little Latin lesson

The word Octobris (or October) was marked out and corrected with 9bris in the marriage entry above. Nine does not designate the number of the month, but rather the name of the month in Latin when September, October, November, and December were the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months. Nine was novem in Latin, making 9bris the month November, and not September the 9th month as we know it today. The suffix -bris or -ber indicates the number is to be spoken and pronounced as the standard names.

While searching for records, if you are using dates abstracted by someone who unknowingly assumed the number referred to the month as we number them today, this is likely what may be tripping you up. If you cannot find a record abstracted as July, it may be dated 7ber or September.

The children of Jean and Eva

Jean and Eva, my 5th great-grandparents, made their home in Niedercorn, a village in the parish of Obercorn. Their seven known children were born in Niedercorn and baptized in Obercorn.

Nicolaus SCHMIT (1756-?)

Jean and Eva cut it close when they married. Their first child, a son, was born less than a month after their marriage. Nicolaus was born and baptized on 1 December 1756. His godparents were Rdus (Reverendus or reverend) Dominicus SCHMIT of Oberkerschen and Catherine DÜCKER of Rodange, formerly of Differdange.2 No further record was found for this child.

Franciscus SCHMIT (1758-1814)

The second child of Jean and Eva was baptized on 27 September 1758. His godparents were Franciscus SCHMIT and Maria SCHMIT, both of Niedercorn.3 Franciscus was married twice. He married(1) Elisabeth KETTENMEYERS on 8 January 1788.4 Elisabeth gave birth to two children5,6 before dying on New Year’s Eve in 1792.7 Franciscus married(2) Magdalena NOEL on 20 November 1793.8 They had at least two sons, one born in 17959 and a second in 1804.10 Franciscus died on 7 April 1814 at the age of 55.11 Magdalena died on 8 November 1820 at the age of 63.12

Marianne SCHMIT (1760-1824)

The first daughter and third child of Jean and Eva was my 4th great-grandmother Marianne SCHMIT. She was born and baptized on 21 December 1760. Her godparents were Frederico SCHAUS of Niederkorn and Maria DECKEN (a variation of DUCKER) of Differdange. Her baptismal name was Maria.13 Later, when she married, had children, and died her name was seen as Marianne. She married Pierre FOURNELLE (1748-1816) on 1 April 1783.14 Marianne was 22 and Pierre was 34. They were the parents of ten children. Their oldest lived only a little more than a year. Eight of the nine children married. One son has not been traced after his baptism in 1791. Marianne’s husband Pierre died on 17 October 1816 at the age of 67.15 Marianne died on 14 Jun 1824 at the age of 63.16 More about this family can be read here: 52 Ancestors: #40 The Fournelle-Schmit Family of Rodange.

Jean SCHMIT (1762-aft. 1821)

The fourth child of Jean and Eva, Jean was born and baptized on 19 Sep 1762. His godparents were Jean REDING from Reding and Margaritha THILTGES from Niedercorn.17 He married Françoise MARTIN on 6 February 1792 in Rodange.18 Jean was 29 and Françoise, a widow, was 50. Witnesses to the marriage were the bride Françoise’s father Jean TONNELIER (he was her step-father) and her son Pierre VAUDOIS, and the groom Jean’s brother François SCHMIT, and his brother-in-law Pierre FOURNELLE. Jean TONNELIER had married Françoise’s mother Angélique MUSQUIN following the death of his wife Catherine DUCKER. Catherine was the sister of Jean’s mother Eva. Therefore Jean TONNELIER was Jean’s uncle by marriage and became his step-father-in-law. Jean and Françoise likely didn’t have children due to her age at the time of the marriage. Françoise was 79 years old when she died in Thil, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France, on 29 October 1821 at the home of her husband Jean SCHMIT.19 A death record after 29 October 1821 was not found in Thil for Jean.

Marie SCHMIT (1765-aft. 29 Nov 1803)

Jean and Eva’s 2nd daughter and 5th child, Marie was born and baptized on 30 March 1765. Her godparents were Peter LIPPERT and Maria SAMPSON, both of Niedercorn.20 Marie married Antoine MAUER on 10 February 1789 in Obercorn.21 They were the parents of five children born between 1789-1803. No trace of this couple or their children was found after the birth of their last known child and only daughter Maria on 29 November 1803.22

Magdalena SCHMIT (1766-1785)

The third daughter and 6th child, Magdalena was born and baptized on 14 October 1766. Her godparents were Michael LORANG and Magdalena DECKES (a variation of DUCKER), both of Niedercorn.23 Magdalena never married. She died on 17 May 1785 at the age of 18 while visiting or living with her sister Marianne in Rodange. Her brother-in-law Pierre FOURNELLE was present at her funeral and signed the burial notice.24

Susanne SCHMIT (1769-1819)

Jean and Eva’s youngest child was a daughter Susanne born and baptized on 5 March 1769. Her godparents were Michael GRUND and Susanna BASSENDORF.25 Susanne was likely the mother of a natural child born and baptized on 22 October 1789 in Rodange. The child was named Angelique SCHMIT. Her godparents were her uncle Pierre FOURNELLE and Angélique MUSQUIN, wife of Jean TONNELIER (her mother Eva’s brother-in-law).26 By elimination, only Susanne could have been the mother. Angelique died at the age of two months on 2 January 1790. The entry in the parish records for her death and burial does not name her parents. The death was witnessed by her godfather/uncle.27 Five years later, Susanne married Joseph PHILIPPART on 23 January 1795 in Rodange.28 Joseph was the brother of my 5th great-grandfather Jacques PHILIPPART. Susanne and Joseph were 25 and 30 when they married. They were the parents of six children born between 1796-1809. Susanne died on 17 September 1819 at the age of 50.29 Her husband Joseph died at the age of 63 on 19 January 1828.30

Death on Wedding Anniversary

The marriage of Jean SCHMIT and Eva DUCKER lasted exactly 21 years. Jean died on their anniversary, 6 November 1777 in Niedercorn. He was buried the following day in the cemetery of Obercorn.31 He was a sexagenarian at the time of his death, i.e. born before 1717.

Eva, 50 years old, was left with two sons and four daughters aged between 9 and 19 years.

Eva died fourteen years later on 18 March 1792 in Niedercorn. She was buried the following day in the cemetery of Niedercorn. Her oldest son Franciscus was a witness who signed the death/burial record. Her funeral was said by J. B. NEUERS of the parish of Obercorn, the same priest who had celebrated her husband’s funeral.32 Eva had lived to see four of her children marry. Two children predeceased her.

Research Manager

Jean SCHMIT and Eva DUCKER’s names were found in the 1783 marriage record of my 4th great-grandparents Marianne SCHMIT and Pierre FOURNELLE. When I wrote about Marianne and Pierre in December 2017, I mentioned the family book for the village of Obercorn.33

Eva’s parents were Peter DUCKER, formerly of Mamer, and Maria SCHMIT of Niedercorn, They raised their family of eight children in Differdange. While Eva’s parents and siblings were found and documented with the help of information found in the family book of Obercorn, a few questions remain.

As Eva’s mother and husband shared the SCHMIT surname, were they related? Who were the parents of Jean SCHMIT from Oberkerschen or Hautcharage?

SCHMIT is the number one most common family name in Luxembourg. Without any finding aids, it’s nearly impossible to research a person named Jean SCHMIT or John SMITH.

Baptismal records for Hautcharage are available from 1713-1793 on FamilySearch and Matricula. Marriages and burials are not available until 1779. Marriages before 1779 can be inferred from the baptismal records of the children of married couples.

Jean SCHMIT died in 1777 and was a sexagenarian, i.e. born before 1717. There were two SCHMITT men in Hautcharage having children with their wives around the time Jean SCHMIT was born: Henricus and Jacobus. A third man Joannes who used the surnames MERCIENIUS, SCHMITT, and MORITZ at the time of three daughters’ baptisms is also a candidate.34 More records than the baptismal entries of the children of these three SCHMITT men will be needed to prove if any of them were the father of Jean SCHMIT of Oberkerschen.

This research will be saved for another day. The subjects of my next post will be Marianne SCHMIT’s parents-in-law Pierre FOURNELLE and Jeanne NEU.

Genealogy Sketch

Name: Jean SCHMIT of Hautcharage
Parents: Unknown at this time
Spouse: Eva DUCKER of Differdange
Parents of spouse: Peter DUCKER and Marie SCHMIT
Whereabouts: Niedercorn, Luxembourg
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: 5th great-grandparents

1. Jean SCHMIT and Eva DUCKER
2. Marianne SCHMIT and Pierre FOURNELLE
3. André FOURNELLE and Marie Catherine PHILIPPART
4. André FOURNELLE and Odile Lucie SCHLOESSER
5. Jean Joseph FOURNELLE and Catharina FRANTZ
6. Marie Marcelle FOURNELLE and Nicolas WILDINGER
7. Living WILDINGER and Fred Roosevelt DEMPSEY
8. Catherine Ann “Cathy” DEMPSEY and Living MEDER
9. Our children

© 2021, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

  1. Luxembourg, registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Obercorn > Mariages 1727-1770, sépultures 1727-1737, 1740-1778 > image 68 of 96. 1756 Marriage Record (left page, 7th entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-9T2?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-44M%3A1500974001%2C1501083590 : accessed 9 July 2021). ↩
  2. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 45 of 103. 1756 Baptismal Record (left page, 4th entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-9ZCS?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  3. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 48 of 103. 1758 Baptismal Record (left page, 9th entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WS-9ZRD?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  4. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 240 of 407. 1788 Marriage Record (left page). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WS-9HYH?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  5. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 257 of 407. 1789 Baptismal Record (left page, first entry).(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WS-9HR1?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  6. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 324 of 407. 1791 Baptismal Record (left page, entry).(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-9H2Z?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  7. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 371 of 407. 1792 Death Record (left page, first entry).(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-9ZFG?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  8. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 385 of 407. 1793 Marriage Record (left page and top right). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WS-9894?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  9. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1704-1727, 1746, 1794-1797, 1800-1805, mariages 1795-1797, 1800-1807, sépultures 1794-1797, 1802-1807 > image 110 of 296. 1795 Baptismal Record (right page, 2nd entry).(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WS-9SCB?cc=2037955&wc=STHZ-N3T%3A1500974001%2C1500974302 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  10. Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1662-1941 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Differdange > Naissances 1796-1806 > image 37 of 166. 1804 (12 Prairial An XII) Birth Record (right page).
    (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LVQ-XRG?cc=1709358&wc=9RYQ-JWG%3A129627401%2C130102702 : accessed 5 November 2021). ↩
  11. Ibid., Differdange > Décès 1813-1858 > image 29 of 591. 1814 Death Record No. 46. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6X1T-D6?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-GP6%3A129627401%2C129627402 : accessed 5 November 2021). ↩
  12. Ibid., Differdange > Décès 1813-1858 > image 103 of 591. 1820 Death Record No. 31. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6X19-9PY?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-GP6%3A129627401%2C129627402 : accessed 5 November 2021). ↩
  13. Luxembourg Parish Records, Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 51 of 103. 1760 Baptismal Record (right page, 2nd to last entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-9Z4Y?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  14. Ibid., Rodange > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 35 of 108. 1783 Marriage Record. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32463-14058-91?cc=2037955 : accessed 13 November 2015). ↩
  15. Luxembourg Civil Records, Pétange > Naissances 1878-1886 Mariages 1796-1890 Décès 1796-1858 > image 1190 of 1497. 1816 Death Record No. 13. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12305-1045-93?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LZB:n289380544 : accessed 23 March 2010). ↩
  16. Ibid., Pétange > Naissances 1878-1886 Mariages 1796-1890 Décès 1796-1858 > image 1246 of 1497. 1824 Death Record No. 14. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12305-1419-81?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LZB:n289380544 : accessed 23 Mar 2010). ↩
  17. Luxembourg Parish Records, Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 57 of 103. 1762 Baptismal Record (left page, first entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WS-9ZPG?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  18. Ibid., Rodange > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 98 of 108. 1792 Marriage Record (top, left page). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WS-3FF3?cc=2037955&wc=STHD-W3G%3A1501084779%2C1500913302 : accessed 5 November 2021). ↩
  19. Archives départementales de Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), browsable images of microfilm collection of parish and civil records (online http://www.archives.cg54.fr/), Villerupt 1799-18475 > Mi 579/R 2 > image 310 of 935. New terms of use: En application du règlement sur la réutilisation des données publiques adopté par le conseil départemental de Meurthe-et-Moselle (délibération de sa commission permanente n°17, en date du 16 janvier 2017), je m’engage à mentionner la source du document téléchargé (Arch. dép. de Meurthe-et-Moselle, [suivi de la cote complète]), en cas de réutilisation. 1821 Death Record (bottom left, and middle right page).
    http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ede2e95/54aeac3faff03 : accessed 12 November 2021). ↩
  20. Luxembourg Parish Records, Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 61 of 103. 1765 Baptismal Record (right page, 6th entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-9ZZJ?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  21. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 267 of 407. 1789 Marriage Record (right page). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-9HFM?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  22. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1704-1727, 1746, 1794-1797, 1800-1805, mariages 1795-1797, 1800-1807, sépultures 1794-1797, 1802-1807 > image 179 of 296. 1803 Baptismal Record (right page, last entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-9S7Y?cc=2037955&wc=STHZ-N3T%3A1500974001%2C1500974302 : accessed 4 November 2021). ↩
  23. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 64 of 103. 1766 Baptismal Record (right page, 4th entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-9CKY?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  24. Ibid., Rodange > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 55 of 108. 1785 Death Record (left page, 1st entry). (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32463-14223-8?cc=2037955 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  25. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1728-1778 > image 69 of 103. 1769 Baptismal Record (left page, 4th entry).(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-9CK4?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-HZW%3A1500974001%2C1501099482 : accessed 18 June 2020). ↩
  26. Ibid., Rodange > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 78 of 108. 1789 Baptismal Record (left page, first entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WS-3FB3?cc=2037955&wc=STHD-W3G%3A1501084779%2C1500913302 : accessed 7 November 2021). ↩
  27. Ibid., Rodange > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 75 of 108. 1790 Death Record (right page, 3rd entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-3N6S?cc=2037955&wc=STHD-W3G%3A1501084779%2C1500913302 : accessed 7 November 2021). ↩
  28. Ibid., Rodange > Baptêmes 1767-1777, 1779-1796, confirmations 1791, mariages 1767-1777, 1779-1795, sépultures 1767-1777, 1779-1797 > image 83 of 102. 1795 Marriage Record (left, bottom and right, top). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-3NFN?cc=2037955&wc=STHD-W32%3A1501084779%2C1501084780 : 9 January 2015). ↩
  29. Luxembourg Civil Records, Pétange > Naissances 1878-1886 Mariages 1796-1890 Décès 1796-1858 > image 1210 of 1497. 1819 Death Record No. 13. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-62QW-J5N?cc=1709358&wc=9RY3-168%3A130201201%2C130563401 : accessed 30 June 2011). ↩
  30. Ibid., Pétange > Naissances 1878-1886 Mariages 1796-1890 Décès 1796-1858 > image 1270 of 1497. 1828 Death Record No. 1. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12305-6384-83?cc=1709358&wc=M9QN-BMX:n289380544 : accessed 30 Jun 2011). ↩
  31. Luxembourg Parish Records, Obercorn > Mariages 1727-1770, sépultures 1727-1737, 1740-1778 > image 55 of 96. 1777 Death Record (right page, first entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WS-99S9?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-44M%3A1500974001%2C1501083590 : accessed 3 November 2021). ↩
  32. Ibid., Obercorn > Baptêmes 1779-1793, 1797, mariages 1790-1793, 1796-1797, sépultures 1779-1793 > image 367 of 407
    . 1792 Death Record, part 2 (left page, first entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WS-9Z8P?cc=2037955&wc=STH8-4W1%3A1500974001%2C1500974002 : accessed 3 November 2021). ↩
  33. Armand Logelin-Simon, Livre de famille de Obercorn, Tables familiales manuscrites de la localité de Obercorn d’après les registres paroissiaux. Période: 1637-1804 – Pages: 278 – Langue: Français/Latin (Digitized by Luxracines asbl), page 201, family 81. ↩
  34. Robert Wagner, Dépouillement de Hautcharage, Dépouillement des naissances, mariages et décès à partir des registres de la paroisse de Hautcharage. Inclut la filiale de Linger. Période: 1713-1797 – Pages: 48 – Langue: Français (Digitized by Luxracines asbl). ↩

Françoise FOURNEL (1678-1729) and Jean COURTOIS (1684-1745)

This is the 4th in a series of posts on my earliest FOURNELLE ancestors. After setting up the stage, introducing the main characters and supporting cast, I am now discussing each of the children of my 7th great-grandparents Jean FOURNEL (1655-1721) and Catherine SETON (1657-1702). All posts written to date are listed at the end of this post.

During the next few weeks, I will analyze and write about the seven children of Jean FOURNEL (1655-1721) and Catherine SETON (1657-1702) who married and had children.

In this post, I will go into the life of their oldest known child, Françoise FOURNEL (1678-1729).

1678 Baptismal Record of Françoise FOURNELLE. Image courtesy of Archives départementales de Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), 5 Mi 259/R 1 vue 19 de 529.

Françoise, my 6th great-grandaunt, was born on 18 March 1678 in Saulnes and baptized the same day. Her godparents were Guillaume DASSIS and a lady by the first name of Françoise.1 Her parents, Jean FOURNEL and Catherine SETON had likely married the previous year. As mentioned in previous posts on her parents, the spelling of the surname FOURNEL varied and was seen as FOURNELLE in this record.

Françoise was five years old when her brother Nicolas was born on 30 September 1683 in Saulnes.2 Other siblings were born when she was 8, 10, 12, 13, 18, and 20 years old. Her mother Catherine died on 21 September 1702 in Saulnes when Françoise was 24 years old.3

As a young single woman, Françoise became the godmother of two children born in her village. Etienne DELVA and Françoise LOUIS chose her to be their son Jean’s godmother on 26 September 1697 when she was 19 years old.4 Jean DROUET and Jeanne REMY requested her to be the godmother of their son François on 27 September 1705 when she was 26 years old.5

1708 Marriage Record of Jean COURTOIS and Françoise FOURNEL. Image courtesy of Archives départementales de Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), 5 Mi 259/R 1 vue 300 de 529.

At the age of 29, Françoise became the wife of Jean COURTOIS. They were married on 23 January 1708 in Saulnes. Jean was 23 years old and the son of Jean COURTOIS and Barbe FRANÇOIS. Witnesses to the marriage were Jean’s step-father Henry STRAUT and his older brother Bernard COURTOIS as well as Françoise’s father Jean FOURNEL and her good friend Laurent BOULANGER.6

The groom, Jean COURTOIS lost his father at the young age of four months. His father died in Verdun while traveling in February of 1685.7 This was mentioned in the Herserange church records. I searched through the church records of Verdun but was unable to find a mention of the death. Verdun was a large city at the time with more than a half dozen parishes. Jean’s mother must have remarried as a step-father is named in her son’s marriage record. Further research is necessary to confirm the spelling of the step-father’s name.

Françoise and Jean’s first child was born ten months after their marriage on 14 October 1708. Their son Jean was baptized two days later on 16 October. His godparents were Jean BOULANGER and his maternal aunt Jeanne FOURNEL (seen as FOURNY on the record).8

When Françoise was eight months pregnant with her second child, her brother Nicolas married in Réhon to Barbe AGARANT on 29 June 1710.9

A daughter, Sébastienne COURTOIS was born on 26 July 1710 and was baptized the following day. The second child of Françoise and Jean had as godparents Jean DROUET and her maternal aunt Sébastienne FOURNEL (seen as FOURNY on the record).10

The third child of the couple was named Jean, born on 20 February 1712 and baptized the following day. His godparents were a young boy named Jean SMELER and a young girl named Catherine DASSIS.11 It is not unusual for more than one living child of a couple to be named the same. No death record nor other record has been found for the first son named Jean born in 1708. It’s possible the first son did not survive.

Françoise was pregnant with her fourth child when the next of her siblings married. Her brother Jean FOURNEL married on 22 January 1713 a young lady named Jeanne BERKIN in Rodange (present-day Luxembourg).12 Jean and Jeanne are my direct ancestors, my 6th great-grandparents.

A little over three months later, a daughter named Françoise was born on 2 May 1713 and baptized on 3 May 1713. Jean CHOLOT and Françoise HUGREL were named as her godparents.13 Per records found, all children of Françoise and Jean COURTOIS were born in Saulnes except for Françoise. Her birth/baptismal record was recorded in Larimont, a farm located northeast of Mexy, a village that was burnt down by the Swedes during the Thirty Years War. Herserange, the parish these villages belonged to, lies between Saulnes and Mexy.

The fifth child of this couple was born on 19 June 1715 and baptized the following day. The baby girl was named Barbe after her godmother Barbe DROUET. Her godfather was her maternal uncle Henri FOURNEL (seen as Henry FOURNY on the record).14

On 3 February 1717 Françoise gave birth to her last child, a son named Jacques. He was baptized the following day in the presence of his maternal aunt and uncle, Jeanne FOURNEL and Jacques FOURNEL.15

When Françoise was 42 years old, two of her sisters married. Jeanne FOURNEL married Jérôme PETRISOT in Obercorn, Luxembourg on 28 July 1720.16 Sébastienne FOURNEL married Jean FRANÇOIS on 24 November 1720 in Saulnes.17

A year after her sisters’ marriages, Françoise and her siblings lost their father, Jean FOURNEL who died 3 September 1721 in Saulnes.18

Françoise’s baby brother Jacques FOURNEL married Anne LAUNOIS before 1724. This was likely the last of her siblings she would see married as she died on 13 October 1729 at the age of 51 years. Her husband, who reported the death, gave her age as 45.19

Jean COURTOIS remarried less than two months later on 2 December 1729.20 He chose as his bride Catherine DASSIS, likely the young girl who served as the godmother of his son Jean in 1712. They would have four children during their first decade of marriage. Jean COURTOIS died 30 May 1745 at the age of 60.21

Of the six children of Françoise FOURNEL and Jean COURTOIS, only one has been found to have married and continued the line.

Sébastienne COURTOIS (1710-1766) married Dominique LUX (1706-1766) about 1735. This is a rough guestimate. They had five known children. Baptismal records for three of the five (born in 1745, 1750, and 1752) and marriages and death records for all five were found. The years of birth for the two children with missing baptismal records have been estimated from their age at death. They were born about 1736 and about 1741, i.e. the estimated marriage in 1735.

The two youngest children, Nicolas LUX and Michel LUX married their second cousins Catherine PETRISOT and Marie Jeanne FOURNELLE, both great-grandchildren of Jean FOURNEL and Catherine SETON, taking the family full circle.

1766 Death Record of Anne Sébastienne COURTOIS. Image courtesy of Archives départementales de Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), 5 Mi 259/R 1 vue 412 de 529.

Sébastienne, in later years, was known as Anne Sébastienne, the name on her death record. She died on 20 February 1766 at the age of 55.22 The record names her as the daughter of the deceased Jean COURTOIS “dit la fleur” and wife of Dominique LUX. The only other record I found that refers to Jean COURTOIS as “La Fleur” was the death record of his second wife, Catherine DASSIS the following year.23

Anne Sébastienne’s husband Dominique died a week later on 27 February 1766 at the age of 60.24

Françoise FOURNEL and her husband Jean COURTOIS raised their family in Saulnes where her parents had raised her and her siblings. In my next post, we will see her brother Nicolas FOURNEL marry in a nearby village and raise his family in yet another village.

Going Back to the Earliest Fournelle Ancestor (Part 1)

Going Back to the Earliest Fournelle Ancestor (Part 2)

Going Back to the Earliest Fournelle Ancestor (Part 3)

Françoise FOURNEL (1678-1729) and Jean COURTOIS (1684-1745)

Nicolas FOURNEL (1683-abt.1748) and Barbe AGARANT (abt.1678-1758)

Jean FOURNEL (1686-1749) and Jeanne BERKIN (1683-1759)

Henri FOURNEL (1688-1753) and Anne LAUNOIS (1692-1758)

Jeanne FOURNEL (~1691-aft. 1756) and Jérôme PÉTRISOT (~1680-1761)

Sébastienne FOURNEL (~1692-1752) and Jean FRANÇOIS (~1681-1741)

Jacques FOURNELLE (~1699-1774) and Marie JACOB (1695-1758)

© 2020, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

  1. Archives départementales de Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), browsable images of microfilm collection of parish and civil records (online http://www.archives.cg54.fr/), Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 19 of 529. New terms of use: En application du règlement sur la réutilisation des données publiques adopté par le conseil départemental de Meurthe-et-Moselle (délibération de sa commission permanente n°17, en date du 16 janvier 2017), je m’engage à mentionner la source du document téléchargé (Arch. dép. de Meurthe-et-Moselle, [suivi de la cote complète]), en cas de réutilisation. 1678 Fournel, Françoise baptismal record (middle of right page under Sosne).(http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538075b0db : accessed 7 July 2020). ↩
  2. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 28 of 529. 1683 Baptismal Record (right page, 5th entry). This document is in poor condition. (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538075f780 : accessed 2 July 2020). ↩
  3. Ibid., Herserange  1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 333 of 529. 1702 Death Record (right page, last entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538082e2f7 : accessed 7 July 2020). ↩
  4. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 370 of 529. 1697 Baptismal Record of Jean Delva, son of Etienne Delva and Françoise Louis (right page, 3rd entry).(http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538084ad28 : accessed 7 July 2020). ↩
  5. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > images 347+348 of 529. 1705 Baptismal Record of François Drouet, son of Jean Drouet and Jeanne Remy (right page, bottom and left page, top). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380838767 : accessed 7 August 2020 and http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380839331 : accessed 7 August 2020). ↩
  6. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 300 of 529. 1708 Marriage Record of Jean Courtois and Françoise Fournel (right page, last entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380814b5d : accessed 7 July 2020). ↩
  7. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 39 of 529.  1685 Death Record (left page, 6th entry). “Sonne…. février 1685 est mort Jean Courtois … de Verdun étant en voyage, est inhumé dans le cimetière de La Haye du dit Verdun.” (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380764a6b : accessed 21 August 2020). ↩
  8. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 303 of 529. 1708 Baptismal Record (right page, 2nd to last entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380816b4f : accessed 8 August 2020). ↩
  9. Ibid., Réhon 1710-1792 > 5 Mi 450/R 2 > image 373 of 767. 710 Marriage Record (right page, 2nd entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10eca1233/54b0f2e7a367b : accessed 7 August 2020). ↩
  10. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 284 of 529. 1710 Baptismal Record (left page, bottom entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380807750 : accessed 8 August 2020). ↩
  11. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 276 of 529. 1712 Baptismal Record (left page, first entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380801422 : accessed 15 August 2020). ↩
  12. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 >  image 266 of 529. 1713 Marriage Record of Jean Fournel and Jeanne Berkin (right page, top). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53807ed8f7 : accessed 2 July 2020). ↩
  13. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 270 of 529. 1713 Baptismal Record (left page, last entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53807f0933 : accessed 16 August 2020). ↩
  14. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 253 of 529. 1715 Baptismal Record (right page, 1st entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53807dfa71 : accessed 16 August 2020). ↩
  15. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 234 of 529. 1717 Baptismal Record (left page, 1st entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53807d29ad : accessed 8 August 2020). ↩
  16. Luxembourg, registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Obercorn > Baptêmes 1704-1727, 1746, 1794-1797, 1800-1805, mariages 1795-1797, 1800-1807, sépultures 1794-1797, 1802-1807 > image 6 of 296. 1720 Marriage Record (left page, 4th entry from bottom). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-9SK3?cc=2037955&wc=STHZ-N3T%3A1500974001%2C1500974302 : accessed 12 July 2020). ↩
  17. Archives Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), Herserange > 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 178 of 529. 1720 Marriage Record of Jean François and Sébastienne Fournel (left page, 2nd entry).(http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53807b09bb : accessed 8 July 2020). ↩
  18. Ibid., Herserange > 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 183 of 529. 1721 Death Record (left page, first entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53807b3cf3 : accessed 7 July 2020). ↩
  19. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 114 of 529. 1729 Death Record (left page, 3rd entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b5380788d8e : accessed 7 July 2020). ↩
  20. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1> image 129 of 529. 1729 Marriage Record of Jean Courtois and Catherine Dassis. (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538079078d : accessed 8 July 2020). ↩
  21. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 503 of 529. 1745 Death Record (left page, first entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b53808bfaf1 : accessed 8 July 2020). ↩
  22. Ibid., Herserange 1668- 1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 412 of 529. 1766 Death Record (left page, 3rd entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538086dcc5 : accessed 8 August 2020). ↩
  23. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773 > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 410 of 529. 1767 Death Record (left page, first entry). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538086c273 : accessed 21 August 2020). ↩
  24. Ibid., Herserange 1668-1773) > 5 Mi 259/R 1 > image 412 of 529. 1766 Death Record (bottom left and top right). (http://archivesenligne.archives.cg54.fr/ark:/33175/s0054ad10ea3e74c/54b538086dcc5 : accessed 18 August 2020). ↩