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Freer-Low Family
of the Huguenot Historical Society
New Paltz, NY
Freer Family Documents
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By Richard Yaun
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HUGO FREER, THE PATRIARCH
Ten years after the publication of The Freer Family I learned that my original record of
Hugo Freer was far from accurate. I promptly sent out a newsletter to Freer members.
Now it will be in book form as forward to the second edition.
In 1969 and again in 1974, with our Huguenot founder in mind, I had the opportunity to visit
the places in France and Germany "From Whence We Came," the northern border provinces of
France and also "Die Rhein~Pfalz," the Palatinate of Germany.
Incidentally, "pfalz" is German for palace and refers to the richness of the province in
vineyards, in mineral deposits, and in river commerce. It has nothing to do with "Die Pfalz
am Rhein," that oft-pictured cute little castle built on a rock in the middle of the river
some 75 miles north.
The Thirty Years War, often called the War of the Austrian Succession, ended in 1648 with
the Peace of Westphalia. This established the border between France and the Spanish Lowlands
about 60 miles below its present location. The Huguenots of Calais, Artois and Boulogne thus
became subject to the Spanish Inquisition. Some of them fled to England, some to Holland,
some to Sweden.
Mannheim, the commercial center on the Rhine, had also suffered severely in the war. The
Elector Palatine offered the Huguenots refuge if they would help to rebuild his city. He
gave them tax concessions, freedom from military conscription, and most importantly, the
right to change their minds. If within 20 years they decided to move on, they might take all
their goods and money with them. There would be no confiscatory exit tax, such as existed
elsewhere.
In 1651 these refugees founded a French Reformed Church in Mannheim. The first Elder was
David Demarest who later settled Hackensack, New Jersey. The first Deacon was Matthew
Blanchan, the first storekeeper of Hurley, New York. His daughters married Louis DuBois and
Antoine Crispell, so most of the early inhabitants of New Paltz were descendedrrom him
though he "daughtered out" and the surname is rare today. A third daughter married Jan
Mattys Jansen and became my husband's ancestor.
Mannheim has been destroyed in many wars, but rebuilt to the old plan. Fortunately they had
underground vaults where such treasures as the early church records were kept.·
In 1978 I obtained photographs of the old church books containing 3402 baptisms and ~24
marriages from 1651 to l710. Good German 'friends helped me with the translation when the
entries varied too much from standard. But it was the names and the handwriting that caused
the trouble. Visiting ministers from France, Germany or Switzerland really didn't know the
parishoners 'so their spelling of the name was even more erratic than usual for the period.
I spent two years cross-checking the names. A copy of the translation was place in the
library of the Huguenot Historical Society. I was required to promise that I would not make
copies to be sold or used for commercial purposes.
The first record of Hugo Freer appears as follows:
"Hughes frere jeune homme natif de Early en Boulonnois et Marie de la Haye, jeune fille,
native de Douaye au pay reconquis, on ete marie en cette Eglise le'2 Octobre, 1660"
Which translates as:
"Hugo Freer, bachelor, native of Early. in Boulognet and Marie de la Haye, maiden, native of
Douaye in the reconquered land, have been married in this church the 2nd October, 1660."
Hugo's home town is spelled Herly on Michelin Map *236 and lies about 3Q miles southeast as
the crow flies,from the city of Boulogne. It's on Route D-1295 which isn't more than a wagon
track, about two miles east of the intersection of Route D-126 with D-343.
I haven't been there, but Herbert and Mary Lown have. They saw no buildings which seemed
older than World War I. It is our hope that a French-speaking Freer member will get there
and ask questions.
Marie's hometown, Douai, southeast of Lille, is on most maps.
If the name seems familiar, it is because the Douai Bible was the English translation of the
Vulgate used by Roman Catholics from 1602.
Hugo and Marie had:
Marie b. 9-3-1661 bp. 9-22 (wit. Philippe Haye and Marie Marlet, maiden)
Sara b. 1-22-1664 bp. 1-31 (wit. Noe delaHaye and Adrienne Corman)
Hughes b. 7-1-1666 bp. 7-2 (wit. Alard liPutre and Antoinette Delbse, wid. of Jean LeLeu.)
Apparently Marie and her two daughters died in the plague of 1665/6 which wiped out over
half the congretation in seven months, for we find Hugo married 1-22-1667 Jeanne Wibau,
widow of Simon Floquet. Cross checking shows that she was a native of Bruyelle, five miles
south of Tournai on Route N-71. She was the daughter of Toussaint Wibau and very possibly
niece of Jannetje Wibau, wife of Christian Deyo.
Hugo and Jeanne had:
Abraham b. 1-11-1668 bp. 1-9 (wit. Francois Frere and Peronne Tisse)
Abraham b. 6-11-1670 bp. 6-16 (wit. Abraham Hasenbrouke and Barbe Ravia, wife of Jean Copet)
Isaac b. 2-1-1672 bp. 2-9 (wit. Adrian Wibaut and Susanna LeLeu).
note: A historian often finds help in any listing of friends for whome the subject served
as godparent, so I name for future use:
Hugo with Marie Michaud, wife of Jacob Harner, witness for Jean Hasbrouck and Anna Doyau in
1669,
Marie with Roland le Clerc, witness for Abraham Carlier and Catherine Tiye in 1662,
Marie with Pierre deWinte, witness for Jean l'Amiamble and Jeanner Chevalier in 1665,
Jeanne with Anthoine delaPlace, witness for Jean Cochin and Catherine Hostau in 1670,
Jeanne with Job Scabelle, witness for Martin DuBois and Elizageth Blaint in 1674. (Martin
was the son of Jean DuBois of Wicres, probably a cousin to Louis DuBois of New Paltz.)
In January 1666, before the plague, the church had a register of 432 heads of families
located in the four quarters of Mannheim. Hugo is listed as #20 in the first quarter. Sis
months later there were 303 heads of families and Hugo is #14.
I regret very much that during an illness some papers in my office were misplaced and I an
unable to name the person who gave me the Map of Mannheim in 1663. I have had a lot of fun
with that.
The map lists the householders in each block -- French in Roman script and German in Gothic
letters.'
Although Mannheim has been destroyed in many wars and then zebuilt, the street pattern of
the old city is just the same. The east-west streets now bear letters of the alphabet, and
the north-south streets have numbers. Hugo Freer lived on the southeast corner of the S-3
block, just a little over a block from the Konkordienkireche which was rebuilt in 1952,
though part of its tower dates back to 1709. This housed the French Reformed Church on one
side of the tower, and the German Reformed Church opposite.
I am told that the last Huguenots moved away in 1816 and their part of the building is now a
school. I am very grateful to this church for its careful watch over the old records.
Ruth P. Heidgerd 1991
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