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Archiver > GEN-FR > 1995-02 > 0791782726


From: "John P. DuLong" <>
Subject: De Garlaise Origins
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 1995 03:38:46 GMT


I recently returned from a research trip to the Family History
Library at Salt Lake City. While I was there I tried to find the
origins of Jean-Jacquet de Gerlaise, sieur de St-Amant. According
to available records in Quebec, he was the son of Ferdinand de
Gerlaise, seigneur des Hameteaux, and Dorothee Cona. He was born
around 1643 and he claimed that he was from the parish of St-Paul,
Liege, Belgium. He came to New France with the Carignan Regiment.

Basically, I can report several negative findings. St-Paul is
a cathedrale with a college chapter (monks, canons, etc.) attached
to it. No baptisms, marriages, or burials would have been
performaed there. I checked all the other parishes of Liege
and did not find Jean0Jacquet's birth or the death of his parents.
I did find a Godefroy Gerlays and an Elizabeth Gerlays in the
parish records. However, there is no clear relationship between
either of them and Jean-Jacquet's family.

I also looked for the seigneurie of Hameteaux. There is no such
place in Belgium. Howver, there is a place called
Hampteau that is south of Liege and near Marche-en-Famenne. I
checked all the parishes around this Hampteau and found nothing
except references to two Gerlays whose relationship to Jean-Jacquet
is not made clear.

In 1992, I found the genealogy of the Gerlays family in the
manuscripts of the Le Forts. This is a collection on microfilm
at the Family History Library. The Le Forts, father and son,
were the official heralds and genealogists for the area around
Liege while it was part of the Holy Roman Empire.

I did find a reference to the Gerlays family originating from
Marche-en-Famenne. However, I could not find any evidence
of them in the parish register. Furthermore, I could not
find any reference to the Gerlays in their most important
seigneurie at Upiginy.

Am I wasting my time? Has someone else already solved this
problem? If so, then what are the details and sources?
If not, then is anyone out there working on the problem
now? I would like to share information and ideas with
others. Thanks.

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