Braa/Braah Family Genealogy (Wissembourg, France)

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Surnames of those in my direct ancestral line appear in BOLD.

Descendants of Franz Braa

1 Franz Braa b: unknown d: Sept. 28, 1686 in Altenstadt (now Wissembourg), France
.. + (unknown) (unknown)
........ 2 Stephan Braa/Brah/Braah b: unknown d: April 6, 1725 in Altenstadt, France
............+ Maria Margarethe Bernier b: unknown m: March 1, 1688 d: Dec. 10, 1724 in Altenstadt, France
………… Note: Her father was Claude Bernier, who died Jan. 1, 1707 in Altenstadt.
................... 3 Franciscus (Frantz/Francois) Braa b: Jan. 23, 1703 in Altenstadt d: April 4, 1773 in Altenstadt
....................... occupation: teacher
....................... + Magdalena (Madeleine) Schuller/Schiller/Schuiler b: unknown d: June 7, 1743 in Altenstadt
.............................. 4 Georg Heinrich Louis (George Henri) Braa b: July 19, 1735 in Altenstadt d: Feb. 1, 1763 in Riedseltz
......................…........ occupation: teacher, school of letters
................................. + Jacobina Judith Frison b: Abt. July 4, 1739 in Maikammer, Platz, Bayern, DEU m: Nov. 18, 1760
………………………… in Altenstadt, France d: Nov. 18, 1802 in Riedseltz, France
............................................ 5 Frantz Louis Braa b: Nov. 1/4, 1761 in Berg/Neuburg am Rhein d: April 23, 1836 in Riedseltz
...........................................… occupation: teacher
............................................. + Maria Eva Boehles b: Jan. 7, 1760 in Scheibenhard m: May 13, 1788 in Scheibenhard, France
…………………………………. d: Nov. 29, 1836 in Riedseltz, France
.....................................................…. 6 Margaretha Braa b: March 15, 1789 in Riedseltz d: Jan. 1, 1856 in Riedseltz
.................................................…...….. + Peter Kolb b: 1777-1789 in Riedseltz m: May 4/Sept. 12, 1809 in Riedseltz d: unknown
..................................................……....... [For additional information on this line, click here]
.....................................................…. 6 Reine Braa b: 1791 in Riedseltz d: April 30, 1859 in Riedseltz
.....................................................…. 6 Regina Louisa Braa b: May 20, 1792 in Neubourg, France d: April 30, 1859 in Riedseltz
.................................................…...….. + Peter Schmitt b: Abt. 1792 m: June 20, 1813 d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Peter Schmitt b: 1815 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Franz Joseph Schmitt b: Aug. 2, 1823 m: June 18, 1849 d: unknown
.....................................................................+ Maria Anna Kuebler b: Aug. 3, 1824 d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Ignatz Schmitt b: 1830 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Michael Schmitt b: 1833 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Michael Schmitt b: 1838 in Riedseltz d: unknown
.....................................................…. 6 Barbara Braa b: Nov. 22, 1794 in Riedseltz d: Nov. 24, 1818 in Riedseltz
.....................................................…. 6 Maria Crecencia Braa b: July 21, 1797 in Siegen d: unknown
.................................................…...….. + Joseph Lux b: Abt. 1793 m: Jan. 16, 1818 in Riedseltz d: unknown
.........................................................…… (marriage witnesses: Johannes Kubler, Michael Muller, Peter Kolb, Peter Schmitt,
……………………………………………… all farmers)
....................................................……….......... 7 Joseph Lux b: Abt. 1821 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Jacob Lux b: 1827 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Peter Lux b: 1830 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Regina Lux b: Abt. 1833 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Josephine Lux b: 1835 in Riedseltz d: unknown
....................................................……….......... 7 Margaretha Lux b: 1842 in Riedseltz
.....................................................…. 6 Johann Braa b: Jan. 10, 1799 in Riedseltz d: unknown
.....................................................…. 6 Maria Eva Braa b: May 28/June 2, 1800 in Riedseltz d: Bef. 1803
.....................................................…. 6 Maria Eva Braa b: Jan. 19, 1803 in Riedseltz d: Sept. 24, 1881 in Riedseltz
.................................................…...….. + Frantz Ignatz Lustig b: 1802 m. July 10, 1827 d: 1855
..................................……....................... [For additional information on this line, click here]
............................................. 5 Maria Eva Braa b. 1763 in Riedseltz d. April 27, 1764 in Riedseltz

FAMILY ORIGINS

The surname Braa was also spelled Praa. My distant cousin Karen Kolb, who looked at the original French records, also saw it spelled "Broch" and "Brone" in historical records. Originally it may have been spelled Braa, Brah or Braah.

My branch of the family lived in Riedseltz, France, which has a present-day population of about 1100. Riedseltz is in the department of Bas-Rhin and its canton is Wissembourg.

They moved to Riedseltz from Neuberg am Rhein, which is a border town in the Rhineland-Palatinate on the Rhein River with a population of ~2,500.

Before that, the family was in Altenstadt, France -- which is now part of Wissembourg. In 1792, the population in the village of Altenstadt was 1,026 and in 1851 it was 1,282. In 1807, the village was 94% Catholic, with tiny minorities of Calvinists, Anabaptists, and Lutherans. The village is located on the Altenstadt Lauter to the east and near Wissembourg. A river divides the village into two parts, the smaller, north west, is known as Welschdorf. It was also referred to as the "village Picard" according to many immigrants whose names are still common in the village. Some say it was the Huguenots driven from within the country. More likely it was to families attracted by the construction of fortifications under Louis XIV. Four farms were part of the village: the Gutleuthof, the Geisberg, the Geitershoe, and the Haftelhof. Mills named Eichmuhle, Rosselmuhle, and Saint Remy were also present. The church of Altenstadt, one of the oldest churches in Alsace, is dedicated to St. Udalric and was constructed in the 16th Century.

POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO HUGUENOTS

For many years I have theorized that my family may have originated with the notable Pieter Praa, born 1630 in Dieppe, France. Pieter had one known son, also named Pieter, who was born in 1655 in Leiden, Netherlands. Both of these Praas were early emigrants to New York City, USA. This family was Walloon and Huguenot. Thus far I have not been able to connect them to my family.

SURNAME ORIGINS

The surname Bernier is from the personal name Bernier, from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements bern or "bear" + hari or "army". It may also be a habitational name from a place named Bernier in Mecklenburg. The name may be either French or German.

The surname Schiller (or Schuller) is an occupational name for a scholar or a student training to be a priest, from an ancient derivative of the Middle High German schuol(e) or "school". Another possibility is that it was assigned as a nickname to someone with a squint, from an agent derivative of Middle High German schilhen or "to squint".

No information on the origins of the Braa/Praa name is available. It could be a variant of the name "Prat".

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