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Archiver > HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE > 2001-06 > 0991504191


From: "Herman Labuschagne" <>
Subject: [HWE] Introduction: Labuschagne, Roux, Mesnard, & others
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 19:49:51 +0200
In-Reply-To: <00e401c0eae9$6986dee0$1ee834d1@widget>


Interest: De la Busca(i)gne, Roux, Mesnard, and severalothers...

Greetings!

I'm a new member from South Africa who found this list via the well-known
"Cyndy's List" of genealogical resources. I have been recording family and
genealogical data since I was 12 years old and it will likely be a lifetime
task as I'm adding all I can find to the greedy black hole which is my
family database. I got started in genealogy because of the interesting
family legends and war stories the old folks used to tell. I just found that
combining real life characters to real life history made for an amazing
amount of pleasure.

Being an Afrikaner, I have many Huguenot ancestors and this has always
seemed to be common knowledge in our family. So far I have a fairly complete
record of my Huguenot ancestry up till the very late 1600's and early
1700's, which is when the old folks fled persecution and made their home at
the Cape of Good Hope. Since then they have lived a life involving much
romance and high adventure. Priot to that time period I have very little
information, much to my intense regret.

SURNAMES OF INTEREST:
DE LA BUSCAIGNE/Boscagne/Buscagne, etc -- today: Labuschagne
My direct ancestor was Pieter de la Buscagne, who came as a French Huguenot
and drummer on the ship Duch East India Company ship Verburgh, arrived in
Cape Town in 1710. The spelling varies from the above, to De la Boscanje,
Labuscaigne and the present corruption: Labuschagne. I have found no such
spellings in France, so I imagine that the original name must have been
different. Perhaps Boscagne/Buscagne/Boscaje??? Any ideas? Pieter's parents,
of whom I have no record, must have fled to Enkhuizen, Holland, from France
some years before, because their son grew up in the Netherlands and married
a Huguenot girl, Maria Anna Pavout/Pavoht/Bacot in Enkhuizen. His name
appears in the Walloon Church of Amsterdam, 1718, together with Louise
Teulon. He might have come from Pontacq, between Lourdes and Pau in the
south-western mountains of France.

Legends: There is a vague legend which has it that Pieter's family used to
be special knights in service of the king of France, and that the surname
used to be something involving the word"Bucca," as in "beef," similar to the
British "Beefeaters" who guard the Tower of London. I have been unable to
find a hint of confirmation of this story. Another vague family legend has
it that Pieter's father or uncle or other relative was captured and sentence
to a slave galley. There are two family coats of arms: One bearing three
trees, and the other bearing two sets of crossed-swords and two
fleur-de-lis, set in a quartered shield, with a knight's helmet on top,
sideways. Main colours: gold, black and red.

ROUX/Rousse -- today, "oux"
This family arrived in South Africa about 1690 from France. It appears
likely that part of this family might not only have been Huegenots, but also
of the Waldensians which faith predates the Protestant reformation
substantially.

MESNARD/Meinard -- Today "Minnaar"
Jean Mesnard and Louise Corbonne came to South Africa on the Berg China
after a horrific journey in 1687. Probably place of origin:
Saint-Martin-de-la-Brasque, France, Mérindol, Magdeburg, La Motte-d'Aigues,
Manosque, and Cabrieres-d'Aigues. Other Huguenot names in this family group
besides Mesnard/Meinard names: Honorade Roumanne from Peypin-d'Aigues,
Rousse, Louise Corbonne/Courbon, Marie Anthouarde, etc. This family seemed
to have known many later famous South African Huguenot families and seemed
to have moved a lot during persecution. Some parts of this family may also
have been strongly Waldensian, while others were strongly Catholic, and
others perhaps regular Protestants. The Mesnard family is traced back to the
year 1047 in France.

Legends: A strong family legend has it that somehow one South African
Mesnard branch was directly related to Napoleon's second wife, princess
Marie-Louise von Hapsburg, daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.
Considerable detail is offered, but I have been unable to find how this
connection could have come about. (Papers lost, family member deceased...)
According to legend, one family member was even offered a huge inheritance
from Marie-Louise's estate, some decades ago, which she turned down.

VAGUE LINKS:
Other more distant Huguenot branches include Jaubert/Jauberte/Joubert, De
Villiers, Du Pré/Du Plessis, etc.

MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCK:
Scarcity of online Huguenot/Walloon records in the Netherlands, and
difficulty of obtaining information from France. (I have no knowledge of
French, besides familiarity with some basically familiar root words...) If
any likely connections, thoughts or suggestions regarding the above, I'd be
delighted to swap information or try to answer questions. Any ideas on good
online resources in the Netherlands and France? I've searched a lot, but
have mainly wasted my time.

Sunny regards,
Herman Labuschagne
Hoedspruit, South Africa
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