To
My Ancestors
OUR FAMILY
For many years I have wondered who all the people are who
make up our family. We each have many ancestors who have come before us and in some way
have shaped our lives. I set out to find these people, determine where they came from and
why they made the decisions they did that brought our family to America.
MATERNAL
Dutter and Desvoge
Sometime around the turn of the century my
grandparents came to America from France.
They traveled here at different times but met in San Antonio,
Texas and married. These are the parents of my mother, Mary Frances Desvoge. We had little
knowledge of their lives. It was known that Marie Dutter Desvoge had a brother in France.
Some letters and photographs were found some 50 years after her death. It was necessary to
have the letters translated. With a listing of volunteer translators I found a willing man
in Gaylord, Michigan, Mr. Guy Baker. The documents, pictures and letters were mailed to
him and his help was most valuable.
Marie Dutter Desvoge~1944
This is our Grandmother, Marie Dutter came to the USA in 1900 from
her home in Lyon France.
She married Isidor Desvoge and they raised their family of three daughters in San Antonio
Texas.
Click Here to see the immigrant certificate
Her name will go on a wall for immigrants!
It takes a while to load ~ BUT well worth the wait!
The family had a bakery and there was a photo of a young man in
front of the bakery. Also one of him and his mother. A single picture was signed by a
nephew Lucien Dutter, who was in these pictures.
I started searching French genealogy pages and received a
response from someone who led me to Les Pages Zoom. France is divided into many numbered
sections, like our states, but not knowing the area to search I made a file of all I could
find with that surname. Thirty three letters were mailed to families and a month later I
received a phone call; this was our family. It seems the bakery is still in
operation and Marius Dutter, the great nephew of Marie, our grandmother, operates the
business and lives in the family home. We quickly exchanged documents and photos and
established the connections.
In the spring of 1999 my husband and I traveled to France and
met this large and loving family.
Click to see
Larger Photo
I personally met the children and grandchildren of Lucien Dutter
who sent the picture to our grandmother. We are continuing to research the Dutter and
Garin families of Saint Symphorien D'Ozon and Saint Prim, France. These are small villages
south of the city of Lyon.
Claude Dutter studied baking as an apprentice in Lyon, came to
Saint Symphorien and began his pastry shop. It is now in the third generation, modernized
and renowned for pastries and chocolates.
The family consists of Marius, his wife Matinee DeLorme, their
children, Vincent and Mathilde; Helene, her husband Michel Moulin, their children, Remi,
Christophe, and Carol. Claudett, her husband, Michel Bezac, their children,
Stephan, Nicolas and , Catherine. . Madeline Dutter, Marius's sister and Marie
Dutter, wife of Lucien, live with the family. We had a wonderful visit with her and
marveled at her magic garden.
This
is Lucien Dutter, the nephew of Marie Dutter Desvoge.
On the back of this photo is a note to her that translates, " from one who loves you,
Lucien"
This is the only photo we have of our Grandmother
Marie
with her brother Claude and father Xavier.
This
is the family of Claude Dutter, of St. Symphorien D'Ozon, France.
Claude is the brother of Marie Dutter Desvoge, our Grandmother.
The young man in beret is Lucien Dutter, the father of Marius, Helene, Claudette and Mado
Lucien Dutter with his mother, Helene
in front of family bakery in France
Marius Dutter puts finishing touches on chocolate replica
of the Church of St. Symphorien
Marius and Martine Dutter, Helene and Michel Moulin,
Claudette and Michel Bezac and Mado Dutter
This is the Dutter family of France.
On left: Mathilde Dutter, Catherine Bezac,Vincent Dutter, Remi Moulin
Carol Moulin, Nicolas Bezac, and Grandmother Marie Dutter
The Desvoge Family of Lorraine and
Allier France
Marie Dutter Desvoge, Isidor Desvoge,
Madeline, Marguerite and Mary Frances
Taken In San Antonio, Texas 1918
The first traceable ancestor of the Desvoge/Devoge/Desvauge/Desvoges line
is Francois Desvoge (our Gr.Great grandfather), born in Burey en
Vaux (Meuse) France in 1798. Francois married Marie Clement and had
six children. Nicolas was born in 1826 , Jules in 1834, ( our
great grandfather )Auguste in 1837, Joseph Adolphe in 1837, (twins?),
Marie Philomine in 1840, Henry in 1843.
Our ancestor is Jules who married Catherine Rochel of St. Quirin in
Commentry. The family that began in the Lorraine area made their way to
the Allier Department, settling in Montlucon. The Steel Mills
were the largest industry in the Montlucon - Commentry cities.
Most of the men were employed as puddleur, a hazardous occupation,
cleaning the steel from their impurities. Many of the men died at
very young age, leaving few descendants.
Jules and Catherine raised their family, Michel, Jules, Isidore
(our grandfather), and Adolphe in Montlucon. In 1870 Jules Desvoge
died followed the next year 1871 by Catherine. Being the oldest
Michel and his brother Isidore somehow made their way to Galveston, Texas.
Records for their brothers Adophe and Jules have not been located.
There is no information as to how the two boys were able to secure
passage to the United States, being uneducated and without a trade. Michel
was reported in Lavaca County, Texas in the 1880 Federal Census working as
a helper on a farm. There is no record of the 1890 Federal Census,
having been destroyed, and is not reconstructed for that county. No future
records are found for Michel, who may have returned to France, or could
have died at a young age.
Isidore continued to live in Galveston, being reported in the
Reconstructed 1890 Federal Census of Galveston County, Texas, living in
the neighborhood now known as the Strand. Isidore had by then
married his first wife, Alice. They lived in a boarding house and
Isidore worked at the Washington Hotel on Mechanic Row, near the
harbor. At some time the Desvoge family, Isidore, Alice and perhaps
their daughter Adolphine (named for his brother, no doubt) moved to San
Antonio. After Alice died Isidore married our grandmother Marie
Dutter of Vienne, Isere, France.
There remains many unanswered questions. We are still researching in
France to determine if any of the family exists, though this an uncommon
name in that country. Visits to Galveston, Texas proved fruitful,
being able to consult the Rosenberg Library and using Sanborn maps and the
information from the City Directory, it was possible to locate the home of
Isidore and Alice, as well as the Washington Hotel, which is a historic
landmark.
Isidore and Marie lived in San Antonio and raised three daughters,
thus no one to carry on the name. Isidore died in 1939 and Marie in
1945.
The information regarding the French line was provided by
the professional research firm of Cabinet Deleuze of Montpellier France in
May of 2000
Paternal
Pruitt and Smith
The Pruitt and Smith families were Texas pioneers,
encompassing all the drama, hardships and excitement of the life of the early settlers.
Their lines come from my father, Emmett Vance Smith, Jr. My brother Kenneth Vance Smith
has an excellent web page (see link) with literally tons of information as to their
history, lines going back to Ireland, England and Germany. Ken has captured this pioneer
spirit, weaves many tales, documents land records and more. So take a look at this page,
no way could I capture the spirit of it in a paragraph.
The Pruitt Family of Texas
Standing - Left to Right Earl, Myrtle, Willie, Mayme, Tennie, Walter and Kate
Seated - Left to Right Porter, Ida, Father,William Jasper Pruitt, Mother,Polly Tartar
Pruitt, Charley and Lilly Belle (Our Granny Belle) See Ken's
page for information on this family. The Pruitt story is amazing and Ken has 35
generations!!
This was taken in 1905 in Itasca, Texas
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This
tombstone is at Riverside cemetery in Seguin Texas Ezekiel Smith was born 19 October 1781
in Giles County Virginia, Married Susannah Dingess 4 February 1802 in Montgomery County
Virginia. He died 28 October 1854 in Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas. Ezekiel and Sussanah
had eight children all born in Giles County, Virginia: Paris, Peter D., French C., Charles
A. and Gertrude (twins), Eliza and Polly and Harriet (twins). The inscription on the
tombstone reads: A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY OF TEXAS IN THE MIER EXPEDITION 1842. BORN IN
VIRGINIA, DIED IN SEGUIN, TEXAS OCTOBER 28, 1854 Erected by the State of Texas 1936.
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Theresa Smith
Our great grandmother Theresa Smith. Theresa Martha Smith was the daughter of Paris and
Dorcas Wilson Smith. She was born 27 December, 1838 in Demoine County, Iowa Territory.
Married Dr. Robert Lusk Smith (see that photo) on 29 September 1857 in Seguin, Guadalupe
County, Texas. She died 25 June 1913 in Gonzales Texas.
Let all photos load before scrolling
Click here  for informations on
France
Click here for The National Anthem
Click Below to see all the pages
HAPPY ROOTING.... GO OUT AND FIND  AN ANCESTOR!!
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