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French family connections in the
Vosges Mountains
Cheryl L Morgan & Jean Pierre Gasser
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Map of Vosges: La Bresse, Ventron, and Bussang are in the east bordering with Haut Rhin, Alsace. Remiremont west of La Bresse |
Several families came from the other side of the Vosges (the French speaking side): villages like Ventron and La Bresse. These included PIERA - HENRI which name was germanized into HEINRICH: WALDNER (which means forester, was gallicized into VALDENAIRE and then was once more germancized). ARNOLD is the Germanic form of ARNOULD. The Vosges village furthest from Bitschwiller was Gerbeviller near Nancy. Closer to the summit of the Vosges are La Bresse and Ventron. Both of these latter villages link directly over the Vosges mountains to the Valley of the Thur and Bitschwiller. The town of Remiremont is on the banks of the Moselle River west of Haut-Rhin Alsace. Both Remiremont and Bussang - Vosges are today linked to the Valley of the Thur via the N66 motorway.
La Bresse-Vosges Christian PIERA was born around 1645 in La Bresse-Vosges. His son, Jean Jacques PIERA was born around 1670 also in La Bresse-Vosges but emigrated to Linthal in the Canton of Guebwiller around 1695. He married Florentine BERNHARD (b. abt 1670) of La Bresse-Vosges in Lautenbach in 1695. They must have returned to La Bresse-Vosges to have their daughter Anne PIERRA. Subsequently they returned to Linthal where Anne married Nicolas KECH in 1724. The PIERA family is related to the OLANIE's.
Ventron-Vosges. . The earliest ancestor from Ventron - Vosges was Nicolas who died around 1600. His son, Dominique VALDENAIRE (abt 1570 - 1640) was the Bailiff in Ventron-Vosges. His daughter, Bleesat Waldner (abt 1600-1643) married Bartelme SYFFERLIN, Mayor of the High Valley at Oderen in 1617 and they moved to Kruth in Haut Rhin-Alsace. The SYFFERLIN family is related to the ARNOLD/REBISCHUNG's.
Remiremont and Bussang. HENRY Barthelemy (born abt 1565) in Remiremont became the tenancier et franc sergent de l'abbaye (financial manager of the Abbe Remiremont). He lived in Bussang-Vosges and had a son, Jean HENRI (HEINRICH) in about 1580. Jean HENRI was a carpenter by trade. His son, Mathieu HEINRICH (abt 1622 - 1695) lived in Storkensohn. Their daughter, Anne Marie HEINRICH married Jean Thiebaut GRUNENWALD and moved to Mitzach in the Valley of the Thur , Haut Rhin.
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Map of Lorraine: Gerbeviller is located in the District of Meurthe et Moselle southeast of Nancy |
Gerbeviller. Demange ARNOULD was born in Gerbeviller - Meurth et Moselle, near Nancy, around 1600. His wife was named Marie. Their son, Claude ARNOLD (b. 1623) was born in Gerbeviller, but moved to Munster in Haut Rhin, Alsace and married Marie SIFFERLIN of Kruth in 1639. We have no information why Claude ARNOLD would travel such a long way from his birthplace but it may have been due to the disturbances of the Thirty Years War. The ARNOLD family is related to the MUNSCH/GSTALTER/REBISCHUNG's.
created by Cheryl L. Morgan,
last modified: 19 December 2008