Alsace Lorraine - Palatinate
Robert Weinland
At 12:21 20/02/1996 -0800, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I too have just begun to explore my family roots. A distant relative
>visited Allsace-Lorraine about a decade ago and did sufficient work that
>I know that my 6X great grandparents were Gustavus Reeb and Anna
>Margaretha (Stroh) Reeb from Bischroff-sur-Saar (then Pisdorf). Gustavus
>died in 1748 and his wife apparantly in 1758.
>
>I have additional lineage backwards from this pair for a few generations,
>but am interested in how I can find out more about the family's evidently
>German roots and how and when they arrived in Allsace.
>
>Secondly, one of thier children, Johann Jacob Reeb was 9 years old when
>he was orphaned in 1758. We believe we've found him again as an adult in
>Colonial America, but don't know how he got here.
>
>Decendants of Jacob believe he was a soldier recruited by Layfayette to
>fight in the American revolution, deserted and stayed.
>
>All they have been able to find is a reference work of Soldiers of the
>French army who fought in the American revolution with a listing of a
>Simon Vital or Anton Vital with an obscure notation that his real name
>was Rape (an anglicized spelling of Reeb).
>
>Is there a way to look for a Vital family who might have adopted young
>Jacob Reeb?
>
>Since this Vital connection is shaky, where might I go to find a listing
>of French volunteers in the American Revolution?
>
>Any guidance would be appreciated.
>
France first took part in the American Revolution when Admiral d'ESTAING's
fleet left Toulon on April 13th 1778, and later when the land troops of
ROCHAMBEAU's army left Brest on April 12th 1780 and then achieved the surrending
of Yorktown on October 19th 1781. The french troops were sent back to France
in 1783 and so the last french soldiers left Baltimore on October 5th.
In addition to the officers and sailors of the Count d'ESTAING's and Admiral de
GRASSE's fleets, to the infrantry troops aboard their ships and to the seven
infantry regiments that took part in the siege laid to Yorktown, several other
units have to be added, like those that stayed in the Antilles and that were
involved, with Admiral de GRASSE's fleet, in the siege laid to Savannah in 1779.
From the registers of these regiments, some information about the soldiers who
took part in the American Revolution can be found.
***See***:
'Les combattants francais de la guerre americaine, 1778-1783', published by
the French ministry of foreign affairs, Paris, 1903, in which lists of soldiers
can be found.
The regiments:
Regiment de Bourbonnais, created in 1597, got its name in 1673, left Brest on
April 7th 1780, took part in the siege laid to Yorktown, was sent back to France
in March 1783, became 13th Infantry Regiment in 1791.
Regiment de Soissonnais, created in 1630, left Brest on April 6th 1780 with
ROCHAMBEAU's army, took part in every campaign until the siege to Yorktown,
stayed in Hampton until March 1783 when it left for France, became 40th
Infantry Regiment.
Regiment de Saintonge, created in 1684, left Brest on April 10th 1780, took
part in the whole campaign and distinguished itself in Yorktown, stayed in
the US for the next winter and was sent to the Antilles in 1782, was sent back
to France in July 1793, became 82nd Infantry Regiment in 1791.
Royal Deux-Ponts, foreign regiment created in 1757 by the Duke de DEUX-PONTS,
left Brest on April 4th 1780, was one the ROCHAMBEAU's army regiments, became
99th Infantry Regiment in 1791.
Regiment d'Agenois, created in 1776, was in the Antilles in 1779 and took part
in the siege laid to Savannah, was sent to Martinique in 1781 to reinforce
ROCHAMBEAU's army and took part in the battle of Yorktown, was sent back to
Martinique on November 5th 1781, became 16th Infantry Regiment in 1791.
Regiment de Gatinais, created in 1776 from some parts of the Regiment
d'Auvergne, was in Saint-Domingue island in 1779, left to join Admiral
d'ESTAING's fleet and was involved in the siege laid to Savannah, was sent in
1781 to reinforce ROCHAMBEAU's army, then was sent back to Saint-Domingue after
Yorktown, was called Royal-Auvergne in 1782, became 18th Infantry Regiment in
1791.
Regiment de Touraine, created in 1625, left France on April 12th 1780 with the
Count de GRASSE's fleet to reinforce ROCHAMBEAU's army, took part in the siege
laid to Yorktown, was sent back to Martinique and then to Saint-Christophe
island,was involved in the fall of Bristone-Hill and came back to France in
1783, became 33rd Infantry Regiment in 1791.
Regiment de Hainaut, created in 1651 as the Regiment de Vendome, was called
de Hainaut in 1762, one of its battalions left France in 1779 with the Count
d'ESTAING's fleet and distinguished itself in the fall of Grenade, took part in
the siege laid to Savannah, was sent back to Martinique, became 50th Infantry
Regiment in 1791.
Regiment de Foix, created in 1684, one of its battalions joined the Admiral
d'ESTAING's fleet in 1779 and took part in the fall of Grenade, in a naval
fight against Admiral BYRON on July 6th 1779 and in the siege laid to Savannah,
was sent aboard the ship "La Magnanime" and took part in fights against Admiral
RODNEY in 1782, was sent back to France when the peace had come, became 83rd
Infantry Regiment in 1791.
Regiment de Dillon, scottish regiment.
Regiment de Walsh, scottish regiment.
Regiment d'Auxonne, artillery regiment created in 1765, its 2nd battalion
was sent with Count of ROCHAMBEAU's army in the beginning of the American war,
came back to France in 1783, became 3rd Artillery Regiment in 1791.
Regiment de Metz, artillery regiment created in 1765, its 2nd battalion was sent
to the Antilles in 1777, then two companies joined them in 1780 and 1781, ten of
its companies were part of ROCHAMBEAU's army, they came back to France in 1784,
became 19th Artillery Regiment in 1791.
...and some french books to learn more about this subject:
'Marins et soldats francais en Amerique pendant la guerre d'independance des
Etats-Unis (1778-1783)', Vicomte de NOAILLES, Paris, 1903
'Dictionnaire des officiers de l'armee royale qui ont combattu aux Etats-Unis',
Capitaine Gilbert BODINIER, Vincennes, SHAT, 1982
'Les Francais sous les treize etoiles (1775-1783)', Andre LASSERAY, Paris, 1935
'Dictionnaire des ingenieurs du Roi', Anne BLANCHARD
'Une Amerique francaise', Jacques-Donat CASANOVA, Quebec, 1975
'Les Lorrains en Amerique du Nord', Jean HOUPERT, Sherbrooke, Quebec, 1985
******************************************************************************
* *
* The above informations come from an article written by Alain PETIOT *
* entitled 'Meusiens dans la guerre d'independance americaine (1778-1783)' *
* which was published in 'Genealogie Lorraine', issue #86 of December 1992. *
* *
******************************************************************************
Hope this helps!
Robert WEINLAND
rwe...@alex.union-fin.fr
Robert Weinland
Just a correction to a typing error I made in my previous message:
>Regiment de Saintonge, created in 1684, left Brest on April 10th 1780, took
>part in the whole campaign and distinguished itself in Yorktown, stayed in
>the US for the next winter and was sent to the Antilles in 1782, was sent back
>to France in July 1793, became 82nd Infantry Regiment in 1791.
----
This regiment was sent back to France in July 1783 (not 1793)!
Robert WEINLAND
rwe...@alex.union-fin.fr
http://alex.union-fin.fr/usr/rweinl/index.htm
Henry Grunder
Zweibru:cken area - should never overlook the possibility that
those ancestors emigrated there from SWITZERLAND. At the end of
the Thirty Years' War (Peace of Westphalia 1653) the local
princelings, their lands depopulated, solocited the immigration
of Swiss peasants, mostly from the Kanton of Ba:rn. These
princeling states spilled over both present-day France
(Bas-Rhin) and present-day Germany. Much of this emigration
went through Mulhouse (Muhlhausen), which was a _Swiss_ city from
1515 to 1793.
I can be of some help in this. Email direct.
Robert Weinland
I have some ancestors in the Blieskastel area (in Saarland but near
Zweibruecken) who came from Switzerland after the end of the Thirty
Years War:
Anton SIEBER 'aus der Schweiz', d. before 1721, secondly married
Feb 2 1705 to Susanna LEYM
Kilian GORTNER 'aus der Schweiz', d. Mar 11 1707 Wolfersheim
Ulrich SUDER, 'Leinenweber aus Kattikon, Schweiz' (linen weaver from
Kettikon, Switzerland)
Henry Grunder
to America from the Northern Alsace_, Camden ME: Picton Press,
1993 (a volume in the PA German Society series). Hope I got
that exactly right - I'm at work (pls don't rat me out!) & all
my genie stuff is at home. Book good for more than just 18th
Century emigrants, because names of a lot of other people are
in it incidentally.
Janet Nichols
moved from Switzerland to the Alsace-Lorraine area. They are very famous
glassmakers and I have found information that the Stenger family was
supposedly originally from Switzerland - but how do I find out where? My
Betz family (also very famous glassmakers) were supposed to have been in
Hall, Austria and moved to Lorraine (Bitche) about the time of the Thirty
Year War. I would really like to know more about the emigration from
other areas to the Lorraine area. Can you give me any hints on what the
times were like - and what was going on at that time? Would appreciate
any help.
Thanks
-
JANET NICHOLS BBK...@prodigy.com
Ernest Thode
There is a book called _Family Name Book of Switzerland_. It lists Swiss
surnames with the places where people of that surname have rights of
citizenship. I find STEMPFLI, STEMPHELET, STENGEL, STENGELE, STENZ,
STENZLER, STEPHAN, etc.
No STENGER, unfortunately.
I also tried the A" or AE form: STAEMMELI, STAEMPFLI, STAENZ, STAERKLE,
STAETZLER, STAEUBER. No STAENGER, either.
The closest surname I find is STANGA from Roveredo, Canton Grisons,
Switzerland. Could that be your STENGER?
Ernest THODE
--
Ernest Thode, Washington County Public Library,
Marietta, OH 45750-1973
bs...@freenet.carleton.ca
Janet Nichols
>surnames with the places where people of that surname have rights of
>citizenship. I find STEMPFLI, STEMPHELET, STENGEL, STENGELE, STENZ,
>STENZLER, STEPHAN, etc.
>
Thanks so much for your reply. I'll have to check out the suggestions
that you made. I really appreciate your help.
-
JANET NICHOLS BBK...@prodigy.com
stephen kurtzman
bs...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA writes:
>There is a book called _Family Name Book of Switzerland_. It lists Swiss
>surnames with the places where people of that surname have rights of
>citizenship.
Where might one find that book?