The ARNOULTS from GERBEVILLER till 1632

4 novembre 2007

The ARNOULTS from GERBEVILLER till 1632

Hereafter we will study the name ARNOULT with the help of our cousin Claude GEWISS.

This name was widespread in the area on the last century. Archives of Beaupré (Arch. Nancy H350) show that from 1568 a Johan ARNOULT in Saint-Rémy-des-Bois at about 12 kilometres in the South-West from GERBEVILLER is mentioned about a "piece of field". It may be the same Jehan discovered at the date of 1552 by our family genealogist Richard ARNOLD who was the first to find the birth certificate of Claude ARNOLD in the old archives of the village.

We find also in the census of FRAIMBOIS, for the year 1568, the "Receipts by Brother Nicolas from Lunéville" "holders of a debt of 10 Gros, 6 Deniers, Didier ARNOULT from Chenevière" (village at 10 km on the East of Gerbéviller) and Jean ARNOULT at the same village...». Other debts concerning Didier against Claude, priest of FRAIMBOIS are also mentioned, and "on the meadow called Tabourat – also called Tabourin - Didier ARNOULT with other heirs".

On 1603 we can read for the same area:

"On May the 3rd the most honourable Georges TAQUENAIRE, valet of Duke of Bar and Officer of Beaupré, promises to lease out by the prior of Beaupré, and recognizes the meadow for 9 years called "Claudon ARNOULT" to Didier ROBERT living in LUNEVILLE, for him, Valence his wife (a very rare first name that we find for the eldest sister of our ancestor).

We also find this meadow in a deed written on September the 5th of 1635: "Leasing for 6 years by Beaupré to Jean GAILLARD innkeeper living in Villé, takers his heirs a meadow called Claudon ARNOULT, near of Montcel"

On June the 21rst of 1611 appears in a deed a man called Balthazar ARNOULT :

"M. Tréman is pushing the bidding?? The meadow of the high bank of Beaupré near of Moncel holding two days and ¾ and a half nine acres, for nine years beginning on next year to Fleurant ESLOY a worker living in Moncel and paying every year for Saint-Rémy day fourteen francs without caution were obligors for Balthazar ARNOULT Jean REZEL inspectors of .???...., witnesses"

During the period 1614-1632, twenty nine deeds vouched for the fact of the existence of 10 men, 8 women and 10 children called ARNOULT, appearing on a board drawn up by Claude GEWISS.

This board gathers many technical comments:

The most of indications are only in the register about baptisms of GERBEVILLER. Families who had a child baptized in the parish had to live in the same village but we have doubts about persons we just see one time and about godfathers and godmothers.
Without any information about registry office in FRAIMBOIS- as the registers began in 1642 – or of VAIMBOIS (hamlet which has disappeared today) we don’t know anything about ARNOULTS’s children corresponding to.
As there are no registers about weddings and deaths, it is impossible to establish any family tie between persons and any date and we can’t know if a baby lived or was stillborn.
Spouses’ names are unknown!
There is no research for Jeanne and Mansuette’s husbands and about their children.
We have some information in the accounts books which authenticate that some men called ARNOULT lived in the area, also in religious archives, as for example in the register belonging to priest Anthoine. In the Notaries Public we can find from 1632 information about ARNOULT in the same area.

Birth certificate of Valente ARNOULT Claude’s sister on April the 6th of 1622 godfather Jean Bronille godmother Barbe Brichoux

In GERBEVILLER we find information for five persons as:

Jeanne spouse of Jean CHERIER a provost who died around 1632 and who had 2 children.
Mansuette spouse of Humbert FROBILLOT a very rich trader, they had 2 sons.
Jean a builder.
Demange (who is our ancestor and the father of Claude ARNOULT). He lived with Marie his wife and their children.
Dieudonné who was a builder too.

Sometimes we find in GERBEVILLER:

Simon
Anne may be a single woman or a widow!

In AMAS-AUX-BOIS at around 12 km from GERBEVILLER we find: Anthoine who is a priest of the village. In FRAIMBOIS and VAIMBOIS we find :

Nicolas
Florent
Didier

And in some villages as HAUSSONVILLE - SERANVILLE and DOMPTAIL around 6 to 15 kms from GERBEVILLER three other persons:

Claudon as mentioned
Mougin
Another Demange who comes may be from Domptail-en-l'Air.

Picture Catherine Tomat

The chapel in front of the castle of GERBEVILLER

What can we think about all these ARNOULTS? At first the most of ARNOULTS we found were living during 1614-1632. Only the 5 above may be considered as ARNOULT from GERBEVILLER and may be too Anne and Anthoine who was the priest of DAMAS (Dommus Medardus in Latin). For Anne it is very strange, we may suppose she was a single mother.....

The ARNOULTS from FRAIMBOIS and VAIMBOIS, and also Simon and Anne, are probably "cousins".

By the way of chronology of the deeds we found we can suppose that Mansuette is the oldest: We can imagine through their names that Anthoine is her brother. For an other generation Dieudonné who was a builder is not the father during this period but after he will be the father of a girl and we find that: Jeanne is his sister may be the younger child. Jean that we found very often with Dieudonné may be his youngest brother.

Demange, Claude’s father, was younger than the previous ARNOULTS. We don’t know how we can associate him with the others. Claude’s birth certificate is the only proof we have which tells us he was living in GERBEVILLER. We have also discovered 2 twins Dieudonnée and Claude who were born on January the 2^nd of 1627 and who were Claude’s sisters.

Demange from Domptail is a namesake. The place of residence of the one from GERBEVILLER is certified over 1632. What is also important is the way oh writing sometimes the name ARNOULT or ARNOULX or ARNOULD!

ARNOULTS from GERBEVILLER are not numerous may be because they just arrived in the area. They may be also poor a reason if there is not a family development.

On the board we also found Adam ARNOULT (witness in 1618 of the building of the convent of Carmes). He is a member of the Council of State living in MIRECOURT and had been ennobled by the way of a letter patent of Duke of Lorraine on September the 8^th of 1609. He had 4 children: Jean - Anne who will marry with the Intendant of Claude of Lorraine - Christine and Jeanne. Sometimes we find him in some deeds concerning GERBEVILLER, as on April 1619 "godfather" in the name of Sir of REMOVILLE (of BASSOMPIERRE), Squire and Bailiff of Vosge or in 1628 witness for a baptism, as the Intendant of His Grace the Marquis..." He died between February the 5^th and April the 29^th of 1645 (from the accounts books of the town in 1645)..

His brother Nicolas ARNOULD, was a member of the Council of State of His Grace the Duke, auditor of the accounts of Lorraine, and has been ennobled on July the 16^th of 1618. They are not relatives of the ARNOULTS from GERBEVILLER.