From Hercule Despretz, France to the descendants of
Louis William Salisbury du Preez, South Africa
Hercule Despretz and his wife, Cecile D'Athis had at least seven children, all born in France. One of their children must have died prior to their escape to the Netherlands in 1686 as he did not accompany them. He would only have been about five years old when they left France and that leads me to believe that he must have died at a very young age. The family began their journey to the Cape of Good Hope on the 19th February 1688. The six surviving children were:
1.Hercule (Jnr) who later married Marie le Fevre. After her death he married Cornelia Villion.
2.Elizabeth who married Pieter Jansz van Marseveen.
3.Marie Jeanne who married Jacques Therond.
4.Jacquamine who married Abraham Vivier. After he died she married Abraham Blusse.
5.Francois Jean who married Maria Cordier.
6.Philippe who married Elizabeth Pruvost. Elizabeth Pruvost was the daughter of Marie le Fevre and her frst husband, Charles Pruvost.
Their lives at the Cape of Good Hope must have been so different from their lives in France. Here, they would have been free to worship in their chosen faith without the fear of death or imprisonment. Their faith played a large role in their lives. For example, Hercule (Jnr) assisted in the building of the second church. Marie Jeanne put pen to paper and wrote poems after the birth of all her children. She also wrote a poem for her sister, Jacquamine's children. All her poems were of a religious nature.
I am a descendant of Hercule (Jnr). Whilst I managed to research the family after their arrival in 1688 to the present day without too much difficulty, I became very curious about their lives prior to their leaving France in 1686. I read websites, numerous forums and contacted genealogical organisations and societies in France for assistance. My husband and I visited France and Belgium in 2010 and met with representatives of some of these organisations. I learnt of the difficulties I would face in trying to trace my protestant ancestors . However, since I inherited the "Du Preez stubborness" (in huge supply!) I became even more determined to trace both the Despretz family and the D'Athis family in France.
My stubborness eventually paid off ! Whilst I do not believe that one can ever be 100% sure that all your information is 100% correct I have tried to verify everything that I have found. I feel confident that I have found some of our French ancestors. Not only Despretz and D'Athis ancestors but also in-laws and aunts and uncles for both Hercule and Cecile.
The photographs below were taken by my husband, Gavin during our trip to Kortrijk in May 2010. They are of St Maartens Church, Kortrijk. This was the church where Elizabeth and Francois Jean Despretz were baptised in 1670 and 1677 respectively.
1.Hercule (Jnr) who later married Marie le Fevre. After her death he married Cornelia Villion.
2.Elizabeth who married Pieter Jansz van Marseveen.
3.Marie Jeanne who married Jacques Therond.
4.Jacquamine who married Abraham Vivier. After he died she married Abraham Blusse.
5.Francois Jean who married Maria Cordier.
6.Philippe who married Elizabeth Pruvost. Elizabeth Pruvost was the daughter of Marie le Fevre and her frst husband, Charles Pruvost.
Their lives at the Cape of Good Hope must have been so different from their lives in France. Here, they would have been free to worship in their chosen faith without the fear of death or imprisonment. Their faith played a large role in their lives. For example, Hercule (Jnr) assisted in the building of the second church. Marie Jeanne put pen to paper and wrote poems after the birth of all her children. She also wrote a poem for her sister, Jacquamine's children. All her poems were of a religious nature.
I am a descendant of Hercule (Jnr). Whilst I managed to research the family after their arrival in 1688 to the present day without too much difficulty, I became very curious about their lives prior to their leaving France in 1686. I read websites, numerous forums and contacted genealogical organisations and societies in France for assistance. My husband and I visited France and Belgium in 2010 and met with representatives of some of these organisations. I learnt of the difficulties I would face in trying to trace my protestant ancestors . However, since I inherited the "Du Preez stubborness" (in huge supply!) I became even more determined to trace both the Despretz family and the D'Athis family in France.
My stubborness eventually paid off ! Whilst I do not believe that one can ever be 100% sure that all your information is 100% correct I have tried to verify everything that I have found. I feel confident that I have found some of our French ancestors. Not only Despretz and D'Athis ancestors but also in-laws and aunts and uncles for both Hercule and Cecile.
The photographs below were taken by my husband, Gavin during our trip to Kortrijk in May 2010. They are of St Maartens Church, Kortrijk. This was the church where Elizabeth and Francois Jean Despretz were baptised in 1670 and 1677 respectively.