Marin Duval

[duanej...@gmail.com]

Was Marin Duval, French Protestant granted arms: Gules, a chevron between, in chief two mullots and in base a battle-axe argent? Marin was a Gateway to Maryland. If he was granted those arms, when and where was he granted them?Were they described in a Visitation? Were they described in Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, by Schelesinger Freres, Paris, 1865? I don't think they were listed in Planches de l'Armorial General, by Johannes Baptiste Rietstap. Any suggestions/corrections are appreciated.
Duane Jones

[celticp...@gmail.com]

On Monday, January 1, 2018 at 9:00:50 PM UTC-7, duanej...@gmail.com wrote:
> Was Marin Duval, French Protestant granted arms: Gules, a chevron between, in chief two mullots and in base a battle-axe argent? Marin was a Gateway to Maryland. If he was granted those arms, when and where was he granted them?Were they described in a Visitation? Were they described in Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, by Schelesinger Freres, Paris, 1865? I don't think they were listed in Planches de l'Armorial General, by Johannes Baptiste Rietstap. Any suggestions/corrections are appreciated.
> Duane Jones

Duane ~

His name was Mareen Duvall. He resided in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. As far as I know, his origins are unknown. He has many modern descendants, including the actor Robert Duvall, the actress Shelley Duvall, Presidents Harry S. Truman and Barack Obama, and yours truly.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

[duanej...@gmail.com]

Thank You for the information. I was interested for two reasons. I understand descendants use currently Mareen's arms I described in another post. I wondered if the arms were actually his; and, if so, when did he receive them. Also, my first Duvall surnamed ancestor was Sophia who m. Henry Bayne. Thanks, again!
Duane Jones

[christoph...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at 4:00:50 AM UTC, duanej...@gmail.com wrote:
> Was Marin Duval, French Protestant granted arms: Gules, a chevron between, in chief two mullots and in base a battle-axe argent? Marin was a Gateway to Maryland. If he was granted those arms, when and where was he granted them?Were they described in a Visitation? Were they described in Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, by Schelesinger Freres, Paris, 1865? I don't think they were listed in Planches de l'Armorial General, by Johannes Baptiste Rietstap. Any suggestions/corrections are appreciated.
> Duane Jones

Another descendant of Mareen Duvall here, and yes, his origins are unknown; he has been given a likely fictitious pedigree that makes him son of Thomas, seigneur Du Val by Nicola Stagard (the name Thomas does not appear among Mareen Duvall's children or descendants in the first several generations, which makes this rather suspect).

[Chuck Owens]

Mareen Duvall is my ancestor as well.

[tkdu...@gmail.com]

Hi Duane.

You are right, his real name was Marin Duval (changed to Mareen Duvall in America). In my research (which included consultations with a genealogist in France), there has yet to be any definitive proof of Marin's parentage.

I did find a reference to Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Duvall (he used DuVal as his spelling later in life) who discussed using the coat of arms (this is gong several years back in research, so I could be fuzzy on my memory of this). He was a great grandson of Mareen and may have been told about its validity from his father or grandfather.

I don't think there is anything official. However, the genealogist in France told me this:

"The [important] information, for me, is that [Marin] was schooled in letters. In France, at this period, around 10-15% of men can sign. It is a indication of bourgeois or nobility origins."

So he was fairly certain that he had a noble background...so a coat of arms could be consistent with that perhaps.

Sadly, as Marin was a Huguenot, birth records were spotty or nonexistent at that time. There are some protestant temples with birth records in regions near to where he was rumored to have been from; but I didn't have time to look them up and do further research. My genealogist was not confident it would be worth the trouble for the off chance I would get lucky. I may pick it up again someday, though.

[Paul Gifford]

According to H. W. Newman, _Mareen Duvall of Middle Plantation_, (if I recall), the arms are traditional, found on a descendant's silver, or something like that. I've looked at various French sources, and the given name Marin is common in different branches of the du Val family. Paul Gifford

[Andrew Lancaster]

On Monday, January 29, 2018 at 11:22:47 PM UTC+1, tkdu...@gmail.com wrote:

> "The [important] information, for me, is that [Marin] was schooled in letters. In France, at this period, around 10-15% of men can sign. It is a indication of bourgeois or nobility origins."

...

> So he was fairly certain that he had a noble background...so a coat of arms could be consistent with that perhaps.

The quote says "bourgeois or nobility". Bourgeois meant the equivalent of a businessman today. Even in the middle ages, such people could be "self made" or simply the result of many generations of bourgeois.

Andrew

[robinh...@gmail.com]

On Monday, January 1, 2018 at 11:00:50 PM UTC-5, duanej...@gmail.com wrote:
> Was Marin Duval, French Protestant granted arms: Gules, a chevron between, in chief two mullots and in base a battle-axe argent? Marin was a Gateway to Maryland. If he was granted those arms, when and where was he granted them?Were they described in a Visitation? Were they described in Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, by Schelesinger Freres, Paris, 1865? I don't think they were listed in Planches de l'Armorial General, by Johannes Baptiste Rietstap. Any suggestions/corrections are appreciated.
> Duane Jones

The following is from the book Early Landowners of Maryland, Vol.1: Anne Arundel County 1650-1704, by Robert W. Hall, 2003, p. 67, citing Patent Liber 4, folio 259, microfilm SR 7346 (at Md. State Archives):
Patent for tract named Lavall, 1658, by Marin Duvall, in South River Hundred. William Burges was the transporter of Duvall to this Province to inhabit. John Covill was the owner of Duvall's indenture of servitude. Tobias Butler was the assignor of land rights. Author's note: "Duvall, a prisoner during the English Civil War being held in Scotland was transported into this Province by Burges who assigned (sold) his service indenture to John Covell" Hope this helps!
Ron Cofiell

[duanej...@gmail.com]

Thanks for your inciteful post! I had never read of this account. It sounds a little similar to Alexander Innes who was a prisoner in Scotland and then sold as an indentured servant, but not to Maryland. He ended up in Lynn, Massachusetts by abt. Jan. 1651. Seems as if he or a descendant ended up within a few years on Block Island, where several of my Dodge ancestors lived. Too bad we may never know of Duvall's ancestry. As the old saying goes, If it wasn't written down, it didn't happen.
Duane

[sba...@mindspring.com]

On Friday, June 8, 2018 at 11:44:34 AM UTC-5, duanej...@gmail.com wrote:

> . . . As the old saying goes, If it wasn't written down, it didn't happen.

And there are far too many cases where it was written down and still didn't happen.

Stewart Baldwin

[Peter Stewart]

Except that most of human history is a case where the old saying is patently illogical - unless nothing ever happened in pre-literate societies, including the discovery of writing.

Peter Stewart

[ch...@dickinson.uk.net]

That wouldn't be my understanding.

Beourgeois were nobility - urban nobility. In France, the sale of titles was common, as the Crown sought to raise money. The practice got especially wild during the French Wars of Religion.

Perhaps the best English equivalent to the bourgeois nobility are/were the top people in the City of London. Businessmen, yes, but not in the sense of a middling flax trader in York.

Chris