An Investigation of Pre-1710 Laux Origins
A subcommittee on Pre-1710 Laux Origins was established at the 2009 Louks/Loucks Family Association meeting in Morrisburg, ON. The subcommittee hereby proposes that the LLFA sponsor and fund (to the extent possible) a new study of the earliest Laux ancestors. The general goal would try to document family origins by two or three generations beyond what is listed in the 1985 work of Henry Z. Jones.
Specifically, we are setting the following goals to be addressed over a two-phased project:
Review all currently available data on town of origin (in the Palatinate) and possibly family connections (brothers, uncles, or other) among the Laux emigrants from those towns;
Determine through external contracting which towns of origin (or church books) have surviving birth and marriage records for Laux family members that date to several more generations earlier than currently published records;
Seek documentation, if possible, of the circumstances surrounding Laux families as new refugees, speaking French in German-speaking communities, and seeking church environments suitable for them as Huguenots and lines of work that would be open to the newly arrived refugees;
Determine whether Laux arrivals in Wallau, Runkel, or Gravenweisbach date from just after Henry IV’s assassination (1610), or one of the much earlier waves of Huguenot migration; and
Find whether records are available in France as to presence of the Laux name in the court of Henry IV in the early 1600s (as is alleged by J. B. Loucks in his 1910 paper).
Our proposed study methodology will include the following:
Contact with Elaine L. Restad to get suggestions from her recent experience in early German genealogy; contact with the 2010 Palatine groups to see whether pre-1710 projects are being initiated there; and have an exploratory conversation with the Ancestor Seekers group in Salt Lake City.
Based on what we find might be feasible, negotiate a small contract with Ancestor Seekers to have them determine whether there are one or more towns (or church books), and one or more early family lines, that might have multiple generations of early 17th century records on Laux family lines.
The study is to start with Phase 1 focused on 10 Laux families, the nine shown on the Hunter Lists as Numbers 436 to 444 (see below), and one other (Heinrich) mentioned several times by Jones, but not on the Hunter Lists.
Summarized below are the sometimes conflicting results from Jones as follows:
436 -- Abraham Lauck -- German home, Wallau (Wallau is abt 6.2 miles S.E. of Weisbaden). Lived 1716-17 in the Schoharie Valley in Neu-Heeseberg (later called Fuchendorf or Foxtown). Son of Valentin Lauck. Abraham was born abt 1686 and died in Tulpehocken, PA in 1771.
437 -- Johann Niclaus Laucks -- Presumed relation of Abraham Lauck. Both 436 and 437 lived at Neu-Heeseberg. Abraham was the name of Niclaus' first-born son. Believed to also be from the German village of Wallau.
438 -- Philipp Laux, AKA Philip Launhardt or Launhart -- Documented from Grävensweisbach (approximately 15.5 miles N.E. of Weisbaden). Some question here, but Philipp may have been a brother of Johann George Launhart (possibly Laux).
439 -- Johann Philipp Laux -- considerable overlapping information with 438. (Perhaps the same person?)
440 -- Johann Jost Laux -- German home was Weiher in the Earldom of Runckel (about 12.5 miles north of Weisbaden). Jost was a shepherd and is also found listed in church records in nearby Kirberg, Ohren and Attenhausen. Grävensweisbach, however, was likely his home. He appears on the Hunter lists with Johannes Laux (441). Lived in the Schoharie Valley at Neu-Heeseberg. Jones believes that Jost and Johannes may have been brothers, or remotely possible, but unlikely, a father/son relationship.
441 -- Johannes Laux -- German home was also Grävensweisbach. Known as the surviving son of Thonges Laux (also a shepherd in Grävensweisbach. Johannes married Elizabetha Holwein and eventually settled in Amwell, NJ.
442 – Johan Georg Laux -- German home was, Grävensweisbach. More than one marriage here. Refer to 438 and 439. Often appears with Jost and Johannes Laux and Jones suggests all three are connected.
443 -- Dietrich Laux -- and 444 -- Johann Dietrich Laux. Jones seems to assume that these are one and the same person. Through a probated will in Amwell, NJ at the behest of Johannes Laux, son of Tonges Laux, formerly shepherd at Grävensweisbach, Jones relates a legacy offered by Johannes to his brother Derrick's oldest son.
As Derrick was a common nickname for the more proper Dieterich, all of this narrowly points (according to Jones) to Dieterich Laux in the Mohawk Valley. Is he another brother of Jost and Johannes and thus another son of Thonges?
Dietrich earlier lived in the Schoharie Valley at Neu-Cassel (later Gerlachsdorf near Cobleskill Creek). He eventually settled in Stone Arabia.
Finally, under the 444 entry for Johann Dietrich Laux, Jones devotes two pages to a non-Hunter-listed individual (and descendants) named Johann Henrich Laux. He notes that Henrich Laux was a relative of Dietrich.
Johann Henrich Laux likewise came from the Earldom of Runckel in Germany and early on in America lived with his family at Neu-Heeseberg in the Schoharie Valley. He too later settled in Stone Arabia.
These data indicate the study should focus on three villages: Wallau, Runckel, and Grävensweisbach. And if we are to believe Jones (or even take him at face-value), we ought to be considering the potential for family relationships, stemming from Thonges Laux, and the possibility that Dietrich, Georg, Jost and Johannes were all sons and brothers. If we add Henrich as a possible cousin or (even another dissociated brother), we end up with five connections.
Finally, for Phase 1 of the project, we expect a report focused briefly on all 10 of these families. We recognize that the information for some may be very brief.
Our proposal anticipates that there will be a Phase 2 to the study. In it a further effort will be made to research the family (or town) having the best prospect for early records and a history of the migration and cultural integration process.
Here, a systematic effort must be made to recognize the family naming patterns of French Huguenots (with biblical names) compared with the surrounding German tradition. The financing of Phase 2, because it will ten to focus on only a few family lines, may depend on individual family financial support, perhaps complemented by funds from the Association.
We look forward to keeping the Board informed on our progress, hopefully over the next few months, and perhaps a final report in the Association’s Newsletter or at the 2011 meeting.
Respectfully,
Paul Loucks, Terry Henderson, Orie Loucks, and Luren Dickinson.
Specifically, we are setting the following goals to be addressed over a two-phased project:
Review all currently available data on town of origin (in the Palatinate) and possibly family connections (brothers, uncles, or other) among the Laux emigrants from those towns;
Determine through external contracting which towns of origin (or church books) have surviving birth and marriage records for Laux family members that date to several more generations earlier than currently published records;
Seek documentation, if possible, of the circumstances surrounding Laux families as new refugees, speaking French in German-speaking communities, and seeking church environments suitable for them as Huguenots and lines of work that would be open to the newly arrived refugees;
Determine whether Laux arrivals in Wallau, Runkel, or Gravenweisbach date from just after Henry IV’s assassination (1610), or one of the much earlier waves of Huguenot migration; and
Find whether records are available in France as to presence of the Laux name in the court of Henry IV in the early 1600s (as is alleged by J. B. Loucks in his 1910 paper).
Our proposed study methodology will include the following:
Contact with Elaine L. Restad to get suggestions from her recent experience in early German genealogy; contact with the 2010 Palatine groups to see whether pre-1710 projects are being initiated there; and have an exploratory conversation with the Ancestor Seekers group in Salt Lake City.
Based on what we find might be feasible, negotiate a small contract with Ancestor Seekers to have them determine whether there are one or more towns (or church books), and one or more early family lines, that might have multiple generations of early 17th century records on Laux family lines.
The study is to start with Phase 1 focused on 10 Laux families, the nine shown on the Hunter Lists as Numbers 436 to 444 (see below), and one other (Heinrich) mentioned several times by Jones, but not on the Hunter Lists.
Summarized below are the sometimes conflicting results from Jones as follows:
436 -- Abraham Lauck -- German home, Wallau (Wallau is abt 6.2 miles S.E. of Weisbaden). Lived 1716-17 in the Schoharie Valley in Neu-Heeseberg (later called Fuchendorf or Foxtown). Son of Valentin Lauck. Abraham was born abt 1686 and died in Tulpehocken, PA in 1771.
437 -- Johann Niclaus Laucks -- Presumed relation of Abraham Lauck. Both 436 and 437 lived at Neu-Heeseberg. Abraham was the name of Niclaus' first-born son. Believed to also be from the German village of Wallau.
438 -- Philipp Laux, AKA Philip Launhardt or Launhart -- Documented from Grävensweisbach (approximately 15.5 miles N.E. of Weisbaden). Some question here, but Philipp may have been a brother of Johann George Launhart (possibly Laux).
439 -- Johann Philipp Laux -- considerable overlapping information with 438. (Perhaps the same person?)
440 -- Johann Jost Laux -- German home was Weiher in the Earldom of Runckel (about 12.5 miles north of Weisbaden). Jost was a shepherd and is also found listed in church records in nearby Kirberg, Ohren and Attenhausen. Grävensweisbach, however, was likely his home. He appears on the Hunter lists with Johannes Laux (441). Lived in the Schoharie Valley at Neu-Heeseberg. Jones believes that Jost and Johannes may have been brothers, or remotely possible, but unlikely, a father/son relationship.
441 -- Johannes Laux -- German home was also Grävensweisbach. Known as the surviving son of Thonges Laux (also a shepherd in Grävensweisbach. Johannes married Elizabetha Holwein and eventually settled in Amwell, NJ.
442 – Johan Georg Laux -- German home was, Grävensweisbach. More than one marriage here. Refer to 438 and 439. Often appears with Jost and Johannes Laux and Jones suggests all three are connected.
443 -- Dietrich Laux -- and 444 -- Johann Dietrich Laux. Jones seems to assume that these are one and the same person. Through a probated will in Amwell, NJ at the behest of Johannes Laux, son of Tonges Laux, formerly shepherd at Grävensweisbach, Jones relates a legacy offered by Johannes to his brother Derrick's oldest son.
As Derrick was a common nickname for the more proper Dieterich, all of this narrowly points (according to Jones) to Dieterich Laux in the Mohawk Valley. Is he another brother of Jost and Johannes and thus another son of Thonges?
Dietrich earlier lived in the Schoharie Valley at Neu-Cassel (later Gerlachsdorf near Cobleskill Creek). He eventually settled in Stone Arabia.
Finally, under the 444 entry for Johann Dietrich Laux, Jones devotes two pages to a non-Hunter-listed individual (and descendants) named Johann Henrich Laux. He notes that Henrich Laux was a relative of Dietrich.
Johann Henrich Laux likewise came from the Earldom of Runckel in Germany and early on in America lived with his family at Neu-Heeseberg in the Schoharie Valley. He too later settled in Stone Arabia.
These data indicate the study should focus on three villages: Wallau, Runckel, and Grävensweisbach. And if we are to believe Jones (or even take him at face-value), we ought to be considering the potential for family relationships, stemming from Thonges Laux, and the possibility that Dietrich, Georg, Jost and Johannes were all sons and brothers. If we add Henrich as a possible cousin or (even another dissociated brother), we end up with five connections.
Finally, for Phase 1 of the project, we expect a report focused briefly on all 10 of these families. We recognize that the information for some may be very brief.
Our proposal anticipates that there will be a Phase 2 to the study. In it a further effort will be made to research the family (or town) having the best prospect for early records and a history of the migration and cultural integration process.
Here, a systematic effort must be made to recognize the family naming patterns of French Huguenots (with biblical names) compared with the surrounding German tradition. The financing of Phase 2, because it will ten to focus on only a few family lines, may depend on individual family financial support, perhaps complemented by funds from the Association.
We look forward to keeping the Board informed on our progress, hopefully over the next few months, and perhaps a final report in the Association’s Newsletter or at the 2011 meeting.
Respectfully,
Paul Loucks, Terry Henderson, Orie Loucks, and Luren Dickinson.