Visiting an Ancestral Town in France

As anyone who lives either in St. Louis or New Orleans knows, the beginning of March is the time for all of us to dig deep to find some French roots as Mardi Gras approaches. (Or we can just enjoy celebrating, no matter what our ethnicity!) Regardless of where your ancestors are from, we hope you will enjoy a bit of a travelogue this week, as one of our members, Joan Koechig, who does have roots in France, shares an interesting research experience in the land of her ancestors. Thanks, Joan, for writing this week's post! Perhaps Joan's experience in France will motivate you to travel to your own ancestral cities! Joan writes . . .

Trying to do family genealogy research in a foreign country can be a daunting task; language barriers and time differences in research center opening hours are just a few of the problems.

I was recently in Montbéliard, France, and visited their archives. What a treat! Not only do they have a staff eager to help, but many speak English, and they have books dating back to the fourteenth century. As Montbéliard and Saint Charles, Missouri, are coming together to pursue various partnerships, genealogy tourism has attracted attention. Regardless of where one lives, genealogy tourism can benefit the person seeking information as well as the area where the ancestor came from. I live in Missouri, but my French ancestors lived near Montbéliard and migrated to the state of Indiana. If one does research, one soon realizes that people were very mobile!

Montbéliard is in eastern France, about thirteen kilometers from the Swiss border. It has a long and rich history, since it was first mentioned in documents as early as 985. Today, the city's population is about 26,000, and there is a historic district that is easily accessible on foot. Montbéliard Castle, also called the Castle of the Dukes of Württemberg, rests on a rock and dominates the city. It was declared a historic site of France in 1996. The origins of the castle date back to the thirteenth century. Montbéliard is also part of the agglomeration of the Pays de Montbéliard which represents 140,000 inhabitants. The Pays de Montbéliard has a unique history marked by four centuries of Germanic influence. The princes of Württemberg reigned over this territory and introduced the ideas of the Reformation, educating the population who retained their French language and culture.

(Montbéliard Castle: photo courtesy of the Montbéliard Tourist Bureau; used with permission)

By the mid-eighteenth century, the lands of the Pays de Montbéliard could no longer be cultivated to feed everyone, and there was a strong religious pressure in the predominantly Protestant area. At that time, a man named John Dick encouraged people to leave. He promised better living conditions and his “recruiters” launched a mass migration of European Lutherans. Four hundred and thirty-one French Lutherans from Montbéliard-Württemberg took up the challenge of leaving their homes to go to unknown territory in North America. Sadly, some died because of the conditions during the crossing. Upon arrival, others were forced to help build St. Mary’s Basilica in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is estimated that more than 60,000 Nova Scotians today are descended from the original Montbéliard settlement. A monument was erected in Lunenburg to commemorate the 431 individuals who emigrated there between 1749 and 1752 and who were among the founders of the Canadian town on 8 June 1753.

But that is just one part of the Montbéliard story. Many others left France and came directly to the United States. At least forty-nine individuals from the Pays de Montebéliard are known to have ended their journey in the state of Missouri. They settled in the city of St. Louis and the following counties: St. Louis, Osage, Buchanan, Moniteau, Boone, Vernon, Cass, Lafayette, Scott, Dunklin, and Johnson. Surnames include: Fallot, Bonnot, Chevraux, Petit, Besançon, Prevot, Marain, Laude, Nardin, Chavey, Bourlier, Boillot, Maire, Pourron, Dauphine, Ogier, Euvrard, Cantin, Jeand'Heur, Jonte, Simon, Lagarce, and Sandoz.

(The city of Montbéliard today: photo courtesy of the Montbéliard Tourist Bureau; used with permission)

It is a wonderful thing to be able to visit the area that an ancestor left for a better life. If your ancestors are from Montbéliard, and you would like to follow in their footsteps, the tourist office and genealogical society can help. They can book a hotel, show their extensive research collection, and explain which cemeteries might be the final resting place of those who remained on French soil or of previous generations.

The following information could help you start your research:

• CEGFC-Genealogical mutual aid in Franche-Comté: email cegfc.montbeliard@cegfc.net
• Tourist Office of the Pays de Montbéliard: https://www.paysdemontbeliard-tourisme.com/en
• Email address: accueil@paysdemontbeliard-tourisme.com

I hope this article will encourage individuals to explore their French ancestry. You can find out amazing things! 

[Joan Koechig is the president of the board of the St. Charles County Historical Society in Missouri and has done extensive research on her family as well as some of the families of Montbéliard who lived in the state of Missouri.]