JFH Hobler: Ancestors & Descendants

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Ancestors & Descendants of James Francis Helvetius Hobler (1765-1844)

JFH Hobler's Place of Employment
Mansion House (1830)

"The Lord Mayor threw himself back in his chair, in a state of frantic delight at his own joke; every vein in Mr. Hobler's countenance was swollen with laughter partly at the Lord Mayor's facetiousness, but more at his own; the constables and police officers were (as in duty bound) in ecstasies at Mr. Hobler and the Lord Mayor combined; and the very paupers, glancing respectfully at the beadle's countenance, tried to smile, as even he relaxed."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION (Please Read): A number of people on ancestry.com are continuing to copy an incorrect data entry which lists a George Blair as the son of James Francis Helvetius Hobler and Mary Furby. Despite an ongoing effort to notify each and every postee as to the error, the trend continues. As the official website of James Francis Helvetius Hobler and family, the descendants of Francis and Mary would like to formally acknowledge that George Blair is NOT related to this family line. We cannot stress this enough! Sometime back, an ancestry.com subscriber mistakenly linked Blair to this family and since then, people have simply been copying the information without checking the records. For those who would like further confirmation and documentation proving our George is a different George, please do not hesitate to email. Francis and Mary's son George was an Australian pioneer who died in California, USA. There are extensive family records, photographs and official documentation which map the life of George Hobler.

To reiterate ... George Blair is NOT the son of James Francis Helvetius Hobler.

James Francis Helevitus Hobler aka Francis Hobler was born in Soho, London on 19 July 1765. Baptised as Jaques Francois Helvetien Hobler in the newly established Eglise Helvétique (Swiss Protestant Church), Castle Street, Leicester Field on August 11th, James Francis was to become an important character in the legal and political face of England in the early 1800s. His eldest son Francis Hobler Jnr, was a respected London Barrister; his younger son George, an influential Australian Pioneer.

Francis was born into a comfortable lifestyle. His father John Francis Hobler was an Huguenot Horologist who exported hand crafted silver and gold watches to America and the East Indies. His sister Mary Ann, married British born Italian banker Alexander Sloan; while elder brother John Paul Hobler, also an Horologist, was an accomplished tenor who performed at Westminster Abbey and the Dury Lane Theatre.

This website is dedicated to JFH Hobler, his family, ancestors and descendants.

James Francis Helevitus Hobler

JFH Hobler (aka)
Francis Hobler, Snr

Origins :: research indicates that the ancestors of James Francis Helvetius Hobler were Huguenots. It is not known if they originate from France, as is generally the case with French Protestants. An exact location is yet to be established although their origins in Switzerland from the 1500s has been confirmed through associated research.

The Hobler family may well have fled France during the sixteenth century following religious persecution. Religious intolerance in sixteenth and seventeenth century France was based on the notion that the crown ruled supreme - une foi, un loi, un roi - one faith, one law, one King. In January 1536, Huguenots were deemed heretics and as a result many individuals were condemned to death. They were, along with their prayer books, burnt at the stake or beheaded. Some were slain were they stood with age and gender no barrier to execution.

In March 1562, approximately 1,200 Huguenots were slaughtered in Vassy. And in August 1572, a further 8,000 Huguenots were massacred in the infamous attack at St Bartholomew's. By the time King Louis XIV's (1643-1715) had added his personal motto - Je suis l'état - I am the State - civil and religious unrest had led to the genocide of thousands of French Protestants and the expatriation of thousands more. The Hobler family may have been among the 8,000 persecuted Huguenots who during 1549 and 1587 found refuge along the lake of Calvinist Geneva. Certainly the time frame fits with current family records. Equally, they may have migrated as German protestants or be of Swiss origin.

John Calvin (1509-1564) was commissioned to reform the church of Geneva in the early 1500s. Along with a stern moral code, his key theology was the incorporation of Church and State (similar to modern Christianity). This new theology, in stark opposition to existing Roman Catholic dogma, attracted many separatists and by 1550 Geneva had become home for thousands of reformists forced to abandon their own countries in search of religious freedom. Swiss history claims that this influx bought with it an intellectual and moral elite primarily of French origin and, to a lesser extent, Italian and German.¹

The notion that the Hobler family (sometimes spelt Oublier, Oubler, Hubler, Hublier etcetera) were French refugees as opposed to German or Italian is supposition as a pedigree link to France is yet to be established. The assumption of a French connection rests in the residential location of the early Hoblers, which to date has been traced to French speaking Cantons in Switzerland. Read More ....

This website is a work in progress. Unfortunately accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Family lines have been compiled as a guide only and discrepancies are inevitable; please self verify all data. Enquires and additions are welcome.

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Ancestors & Descendants of James Francis Helvetius Hobler (1765-1844) by E.Rowyn (AUS) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australian License.