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Hoblers in France
It is believed that the ancestors of James Francis
Helvetius Hobler were Huguenots who, during the
sixteenth century, were forced to flee their homeland
following religious persecution. Religious
intolerance in sixteenth and seventeenth century France (Wars
of Religion) was based on the
notion that the crown ruled supreme -
une
foi, un loi, un roi
or 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.
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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 (pictured left).
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By the
time King Louis XIV's (1643-1715) had added his personal
motto of Je
suis l'état
or
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 were probably among the 8,000 persecuted Huguenots who
during 1549 and 1587 found refuge along the lake of Calvinist
Geneva.
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."
[Source]
The notion
that the Hobler family (sometimes spelt Hubler, Oubler,
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.
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Hoblers
in Switzerland
The earliest ancestor currently on record is Jacob Hubler
born circa 1557 in Twann, Bern Switzerland. Jacob and
wife Blasia Conter Hand, who was born circa 1561, were married
in the early 1580s. So far three children have been
confirmed as having been born in Twann - Nickli (b.1583),
Peter (b.1585) and Jacob (b.1587). James Francis
Helvetius Hobler descends through Jacob Hubler and wife
Madlena Burgunder. Jacob and Madlena had three children one of whom was Hans
Jacob Hubler who was also known in later life as Jean
Jaques Hobler. Jean Jaques
was in turn the great-great grandfather of James Francis
Helvetius.
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FOTW
Flags Of The World
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According
to T. F. Mills (18 October, 1997), Count Berchtold V of
Zahringia founded the city of Bern in 1160. Legend
claims that he killed a large bear in the forest near
the new town and named Bern in honour of the beast. A
bear features in the Arms of Bern.
It is
interesting to note, albeit if no more than a
coincidence, that a crest used as a seal by Hobler
descendants also depicts a symbol of the bear. Beneath
the bear is the Latin phrase esse quam videri
(pronounced e-sA kwäm-wi-'dA-rE) meaning
to
be rather than to seem.
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The bear in
heraldry is said to represent strength, cunning and tenacity
in the defence of family. Given the location of residence and
the subsequent circumstances at which they arrived there, it
is easy to imagine how the Hobler family may have adopted the
bear as a symbol of past, present and future.
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Some
say the crest originated much later in response to a
descendant who had a passion for bear hunting.
Unfortunately without evidence to determine it's
earliest application by the Hobler family, the crest at
this stage remains a mystery and either scenario is
possible.
Certainly
one could argue that the phrase to
be rather than to seem
is a poignant reminder of the trials and tribulations
faced by the fleeing sixteenth century Protestants.
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Another
interesting coincidence is the association of the Hobler
family with the ownership of Swiss vineyards. According to
Hobler descendant Isabella Simpson, in a letter to niece
Dulcie Simpson Robertson (1920), the Hobler family owned
extensive vineyards in Vaud. Wealth and prosperity experienced
by descendants is said to have originated from this ownership.
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FOTW
Flags Of The World
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The
Arms of Twann (birthplace of Jacob Hubler) depict a vine
tree between two sickles. It's first documented use was
1690 but it's pre use is yet to be determined. Although
relatively small in wine circles, Twann currently offers
over a hundred different wines from 19 wine vintners.
Whether there exists a
connection between the Hoblers and the early vineyards
is yet to be established. To date research can not reach
firm conclusions and thus can only offer various
theories and hence a mirage of possibilities.
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As to Bern
being an indication of ethnicity, this is again inconclusive
as the two main administrative languages of the Bern Canton
were, and still are, German and French.
In
Switzerland today, ethnicity is divided into German (65%);
French (18%), Italian (10%), Romansh (1%), and the remainder
(6%). The main religion is Roman Catholic (46%), Protestant
(40%) and the remainder a mix of faith and non. The official
languages of Switzerland are German (67.3%); French (19.2%),
Italian (7.6%), and the reminder a mix of Romansh and other.
(CIA World Fact Book)
Little is
known as to the movements of Jacob Hubler in Twann, although
it is known that his son Hans Jacob Hubler (Jean Jaques
Hobler) lived in Twann till about 1650, after which he and
wife Marie Simonneau moved to Morges in the French speaking
Canton of Vaud.
Click
Here for a Map of Vaud
There is
confusion as to when the next major Hobler migration began. It
has been suggested that early records from the Glasshouse
Street and Leicester Fields French Huguenot Church in London
document the Hoblers in 1729. This assumption however is
challenged by Swiss records which state that the family were
still in Morges.
It is known
that baptism details were forwarded to London around 1736. It
can also be confirmed that Hans Jacob Hubler's grandson Jean
Francois Hobler migrated to England post 1729, subsequently
marrying in London about 1753. In contrast, Jean's father
Pierre Andre and mother Jeanne Marie (nee Buvelot) died in
Morges - Pierre in 1730, two months prior to the birth of his
last child, and Jeanne Marie in 1770. And finally, in a news
article dated September 18, 19201
the family's Swiss departure is listed as 1770 (possibly after
the death of Jeanne Marie?).
Thus the
question remains, did Jean Francois migrate as a child or as
an adult? Did his mother, Jeanne Marie, migrate to London but
later return to Morges? Furthermore, did Jean Francois migrate
on his own or with other members of the family?
According to
information gleamed from a Newspaper article in 18432,
it would appear that the best scenario is that Jean migrated
as an unwed adult, later meeting wife Charlotte Elizabeth
Claudon in London.
Hoblers
in England
The Hobler
name existed in England long before the arrival of Jean
Francois. The first documented Hobler was from Yorkshire and
dates as early as the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Known as
the Anglo-Saxon Hoblers the family had a coat of arms - a blue
shield featuring six gold acorns and three red roses. As for
the name Hubler, it also featured prominently prior to the
arrival of Jean Francois. The English Hublers were Teutonic in
origin, having first appeared in the ancient medieval records
of Bavaria. The Hublers also had a coat of arms - a blue
shield featuring the golden head of an eagle.
While James
Francis Helvetius Hobler's line of descent into England is yet
to be confirmed in respect to time and place, what is certain
is that by about 1753, his father Jean Francois had married
Charlotte Elizabeth Claudon in the Glasshouse Street &
Leicester Fields Church in Westminster, London.
By 1754,
Charlotte had given birth to their first son, Jean-Paul
Hobler. In 1759 they had a daughter Mary-Ann and between 1760
and 1763 they had another child whose name is yet unknown.
Finally, in 1764, they had their fourth child James Francis
Helvetius Hobler, also known as Francis Hobler.
Click
Here to continue to the Biography of James Francis Helvetius
Hobler
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