The COURAGEUX family has been settled in Pas-de-Calais since 1789. Edmé François, born in 1760 in Sens, a locksmith journeyman, left the banks of the Yonne and headed north.
« The smell of fish had become unbearable to him! »
Hello Watson! It had been a long time since you added your two cents! Perhaps fish had become scarcer, perhaps he simply wanted another life — who knows?!! He must have completed his apprenticeship under a master locksmith before setting out on his Tour de France.
Your ancestors were fishermen in Burgundy, but there isn’t any sea in Burgundy!
Watson! You enjoy playing the fool, but that won’t work with me. Fishing in rivers was commonplace at that time, and you know it.
1789, the storming of the Bastille — it was hardly a good time to be wandering the countryside. You knock on a door asking for food and shelter, and suddenly you find yourself in front of a Monsieur de… Some poor fellow who possesses nothing but a noble particle, and before you know it you’re headed for the guillotine in the same cart as him.
You’re getting carried away, Watson! He would have been the unluckiest man on earth. Near Dunkirk, he met his sweetheart, married her, and settled in Saint-Omer in Pas-de-Calais. In 1880, his grandson Edouard, attracted by economic growth, moved to Calais.
I found three COURAGEUX families living in Sens in the Yonne region: Claude, Simon, and Nicolas. In the records I confirmed the family connection between Claude and Simon — they were brothers. As for Nicolas, he lived in another district, and I haven’t pursued my research further.
Born shortsighted — age certainly can’t improve matters, can it?! You’re squinting, my Catherine! I can see you pushing your face closer and closer to the screen despite the zoom. No kisses — it’s full of microbes. I’ll be quiet now, just not the box please!
Still as cheeky as ever, Mr. Watson. The Boot Ladies are keeping a place for you.
Claude and Simon arrived in Sens around 1640. For seven generations, they worked as fishermen. They gained a certain reputation, took part in the life of their neighborhood, and married off their children. But where had they come from? Along the Yonne and then the Seine, I found families named COURAGEUX. Could I be descended from these Norman families?
Don’t forget that there are also COURAGEUX families in southern France, eastern France, and Paris.
I know, Watson. In the South, the name belonged to an abandoned child who received it from the civil registry. In Paris, the COURAGEUX families came from the regions you mentioned. As for the East, it remains a great mystery — I haven’t looked into it yet.
According to Geneanet, here is the etymology of my surname:
Altadill: A surname frequently found in Catalonia, though formerly absent from Roussillon. One also finds the form Altadell. It is believed to be a name of Arabic origin dating from the Moorish occupation of Spain. It is also found today in Turkey. It could be broken down into al + tadill, the latter perhaps related to the name Thaddeus (< Aramaic taddai = courageous). It is worth noting that in modern Turkish altadill means six (altï) languages (dil). Is there a connection with the surname, or merely coincidence?
And what if, in the end, it was simply a well-earned adjective that became a family name?
You’re right, Catherine — he was a courageous man.
A rebrousse temps généalogie 