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From: "Howard Swain" <>
Subject: Re: [HWE] LEMAITRE/DUBOIS
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 17:23:24 -0800
References: <001201c2e295$7f449240$16355141@oemcomputer>


Hi all,

From: "Laurel" <>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 1:32 PM


> Hello! I have been reading the archives for a while but this is my first post to the list, I hope I am doing it correctly!
>
> I am trying to find out any information on CLAUDE LEMAITRE of Artois, Richebourg, France (or Lestram, Richbourg, France). From the information I have he was born c.1613-20. His father was GUILLAUME LEMAITRE (I would much appreciate any information on him, as well).<

What is probably the latest research on all these families is an article by
Douglas Richardson, "New Light on the European Origins of the Delamater
and Du Bois Families" in New York Genealogical and Biographical Register
vol. 125 (1993) pp 13-17, 80-87.

(Note: this is not the family of Chretien DuBois of Wicres.)

Richebourg was a city in the province of Artois; so I would write:
Richebourg, Artois, France (although it was probably the Spanish Netherlands at
the time Glaude was there). I don't know what Lestram means.

You can see Richebourg here:
http://www.library.ucla.edu/yrl/reference/maps/blaeu/artesia.jpg

Note that the 0 deg. longitude is someplace between the western hump of Africa
and the eastern hump of South America on this map; so is west of where it is today.
Richebourg is at 50 deg, 34 min North and 20 deg 50.5 min East.
Or, draw a line between Bethune and Armentieres and Richebourg is on the
line about in the middle.
It does appear to be in Artois at the time of that map (17th C).
(Note: the map is, in general, in Dutch)

For other pages of the atlas, start here:
http://www.library.ucla.edu/yrl/reference/maps/blaeu/nameindex-country.htm


I think the Richardson article will answer most of your questions.
I would encourage you to be careful to differentiate between the date of marriage
intentions (or banns) and the date of the marriage and between birth date and
baptism date.

snip

> His third wife was HESTER DUBOIS, of which union I eventually descend. HESTER DUBOIS was born 9 Oct 1625 in Canterbury England to PIERRE DUBOIS (born Heseaux about 1600. Is that Belgium or France?) <

Herseaux is today in Belgium, east of Tourcoing.
Of course, there was no "Belgium" in the 17th C.

> >From the controversial book, James Riker Revised History of Harlem, New Harlem Publishing Company, 1904, p.98-99 "After escaping the country he comes to notice at Amsterdam in 1652, an exile and a widower, living in the Tanner's cross-street, having lost his wife, Jeanne De Lannoy." Can anyone tell me about Tanner's cross-street?<

I have never heard Riker's book described as "controversial".
I'm curious what the issue is.

I think I have found the "Tanner's cross-street" on a modern map of Amsterdam
called Streetwise Amsterdam.
First you need to know that Tanner in Dutch is Looier. And
Cross Street is Dwars Straat.

About 1/4 mi west of what I would call the Down Town area is a small
canal called the Looiers Gracht. There are 3 streets that run perpendicular
to it labeled ___ "Looiers DW-str", where the ____ has the Dutch words
for first, second and third. I assume that DW-str means Dwars Straat or
cross street.

So, he was probably on one of those; or maybe back then there was only one
and not three.

snip

> I would very much like to know:
> 1. what occupation CLAUDE LEMAITRE held before his move to New Amsterdam (NY)

Richardson has (p. 16) a translation of his Amsterdam marriage intention to marry
Hester du BOIS. In it he is described as a "grosgrain worker".
Richardson notes that grosgrain is a type of silk.

And now I see that it also describes him as living on the "Looiersdwarsstraat"
-- just as I had translated and exactly as Riker had said. (It may interest you
that one of the Dutch members on the Dutch-Colonies list mentioned to me
that it appeared (I've forgotten his exact evidence) that Riker had hired various
people to do research for him in Europe. It appears in this case that his
researcher found the same primary record that Richardson did.)

I also note that it says that Hester was living on the "Pieter Jacobszstraat".
I also see this street on the map in the "Down Town" area near Dam Square
about 1/2 mile from where Glaude was living.

>and what specific circumstances led him out of France.

We'll probably never know other than he was probably persecuted for
being a Huguenot. History of the Huguenot Emigration to America
by Charles W. Baird, 1885, actually has a fair amount about various
persecutions (such as dragonades) that were carried out in France.
You might check that and see what was going on when Glaude left.

snip

Regards,
Howard




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