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All I know about how they made the journey to Vienna is that it doesn't seem that they have embarked in Regensburg, where I couldn't find any entry about them. While Regensburg was an important embarkation place, it seems logical that people coming from the West, from Lorraine, embark in a port closer to them, like Ulm or Günzburg. If they had the means to pay for the journey. From Kehl to Ulm there is a distance of about 220 km on land, from Ulm to Regensburg another 200 km, on the river. The question why they didn't leave Arracourt in Lorraine earlier, during the summer, or why their journey took so long will probably remain unanswered. There could be so many explanations for that, of either private or legal nature. What we do know is that the French authorities (Lorraine was already part of France since 1766) tried by all means to stop this emigration, the mayors were instructed to arrest both those who were suspected of having the intention to leave and those inciting the population to emigrate. The Ordonnance of June 1, 1769 stipulated that everybody caught leaving should be judged of being guilty of the crime of infidelity towards the king and the state. Still, between September, 1769 and August, 1770 2,637 families (8,267 persons) left Lorraine, heading eastwards. Some were caught and imprisoned at the Nassau-Sarrebruck frontier, then taken to the king's prosecutor in Sarreguemines, before being taken to the prison of this town. Asked for the reasons for their leaving, they have all, unanimously, accused their hard, ever deteriorating living conditions. Once the Rhine crossed, one known place to head for was Kehl, where the imperial notary Franz Leuthner was waiting for them. His duty was to receive those willing to emigrate, to show them the route and to offer help and passports. Here some have given false names, out of fear of getting pursued (for whatever reason), which can seriously complicate any genealogical research.. On April 17, 1770 the Supreme Court changed its tactic, issuing an amnesty for all the emigrants who would be willing to return. Still, between August and December, 1770 205 families from Lorraine registered in Vienna for the Banat, harassed in vain by the French envoy Durand, who's task in Vienna was to convince people to return to Lorraine. It is believed that nobody returned, not at this time. Maurice was born around 1720, as the son of Claude Damas (from Landroff) and Anne Champion (daughter of Jean and Anne, née Putenat). His parents got married on January 8, 1709 in Arracourt. Of his paternal grandparents I know only that their names were H. Damas and Marie Francois. Maurice had an older sister, Anne, who got christened on July 8th, 1711 in Coincourt, a village not far from Arracourt. Either of these men must have had at least one brother, who remained in Arracourt, for the name lived on there. They ornate the Memorial of both WWs, just like Maurice's descendants do in Triebswetter. This applies also to other families, like Lefort, Haman. Statistically seen, of all places in Lorraine, Arracourt has provided Triebswetter with the largest number of families: Antoine, Coussac, Dalmin, Glodon(?), Griffaton, Haman, Klaszkin(?), Klein, Laurent, Lefort, Manoeuvre, Pernet, Sigris, Thiebault. It seems that the region around Château-Salins and Dieuze, called Le Saulnois, has been the place where most of our ancestors from Lorriane have come from. So, at the age of 50, Maurice is on the road with his wife Elisabeth (née Demangeot, widow of Claude Tinselin), two daughters, one of them being Marie, the other one unknown to me (she might be found in another Banat village), and two sons: Jacques and Etienne. On November 24, 1770 they arrive in the Banat. Bruckenau is the place where they get first quartered; less than five months after their arrival, Maurice dies there, on April 5, 1771. I hope for him that he could, even for a short moment, have the illusion of being a free man. There was not much time for mourning in those miserable conditions, five weeks later, on May 11, 1771 his son Jacques marries in Mercydorf Marianne Lenoir, a widow from Vaxy, born in 1749. It was probably a marriage of convenience, to get land as soon as possible and to get out of overcrowded Mercydorf, where four to five families had to live temporarily under the same roof, getting decimated by epidemics.. In 1773, Jacques and Marianne are in Triebswetter, in Hauptgasse 193, with a full session of land. So they start having their nine children, of whom some will die young. One of their sons, Stephanus, was baptized by Father Leclerq on March 8, 1777; godparents were his uncle Etienne (Stephanus) and Barbara Homar. He will later marry Catharina Bartout, who will bear him children... Jacques' sister, Marie, marries Sebastian Pierson; they live in the Sturmgasse 69. On July 30, 1776, twins are born to them: Cornelius and Catharina. Both little creatures die on October 9, respectively 11 of the same year, their funeral is held by Father Leclerq. In the meantime, Jacques' little brother, Etienne (born in 1757 in Arracourt) has grown up; he marries on May 4, 1779 the sister of his brothers' wife, Anne Barbe Lenoir. Etienne and Anne Barbe live in Deutschgasse, 22 and get half a session of land. They will have eleven children. On March 24, 1794 Jacques dies "ex apoplexia", on June 15, 1796 Etienne dies of the same cause, in his garden. Jacques got 44, Etienne 39 years old. Their many children had, on their turn, children, some moved to other villages (Lazarfeld, Rudolfsgnad), adding many ramifications to the crown of this tree. They were known to be very ambitious and got quite well situated. What I know about my Damas branch is that they were peasants, but not with their hearts. Which leaves a question open: Why
did they undertake this journey? |