Francois Marcelin Alcouffe

[Anglosaxon]

Hi , my husbands grandfather Francois marcelin alcouffe was born in france , perhaps Paris . Around 1890s . I haven't much info . My husbands father was brought up in German East Africa not knowing his father very well . I have managed to find a marriage in Uganda for francois and a leona guillot in 1912 , also some births and deaths of some of their children in Kampala . He married illegally after that . I would love to trace his place of birth for my husband . I have been on cyndys list and have found some alcouffes in the pyrenees and quite a lot around Paris with the same surname but I haven't managed to find francois . I did once see a prisoner of war in a german camp named marcelin alcouffe . That could have been him . Any kind of help or pointers where I may get more info regarding the french registers thanks

[Shona]

I think this should be a thread in its own right.

[Merry]

Done!

[kiterunner]

Does the marriage in Uganda give any information about Francois?

[Shona]

Renee Irene Leona Alcouffe was born on 25 January 1917 in Kampala. Father was Francois Marcellin Alcouffe, engineer, mother was Leona Guillon. They were both French and the birth was registered with the British on 13 March 1918. The British ran the Ugandan Protectorate at the time.

From Ancestry.

[kiterunner]

Most French BMD records are available online but you have to know which location to look at since they don't have a national name index.

[Anglosaxon]

There isn't any info on how old francois is or is wife . Only that he is a merchant .

[Anglosaxon]

You can see the birth records of the children of the marriage and how a couple of the died of malaria . But that's all I have at present my father in law died a few years ago , but his father was still alive in east Africa around 1953 /54 .

[Shona]

The marriage in Kampala on 8 March 1912 names Francois Marcellin's father as Francois Gerome Alcouffe, merchant. Leona Guillot's father was Emilie (Emile?) Guillot. He was a contractor.

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1993/41814_b157262-00503/139573?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26db%3dukforeignvitals%2 6rank%3d1%26new%3d1%26MSAV%3d1%26gss%3dangs-d%26gsfn_x%3dNN%26gsln%3dalcouffe%26gsln_x%3dNN%26 cpxt%3d1%26catBucket%3drstp%26uidh%3dfpy%26cp%3d11 %26pcat%3d34%26fh%3d0%26h%3d139573%26recoff%3d5%2b 24%26ml_rpos%3d1&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

[Shona]

I did once see a prisoner of war in a german camp named marcelin alcouffe . That could have been him.

If you saw this http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5743968d/f3.textePage.langFR it is from 1941.

[Shona]

Most French BMD records are available online but you have to know which location to look at since they don't have a national name index.

Would the records include people born in their African colonies?

[kiterunner]

Would the records include people born in their African colonies?

Looks like it, for instance:
http://anom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caomec2/recherche.php?territoire=ALGERIE

[Anglosaxon]

Hi , I have written to the bmd in Kampala , but still haven't received a reply . Don't think they will as I have already sent them two e.mails . Maybe I should find out more from the british consulate . Uganda only gained independence in 1962 . so there should be some records .

[Shona]

Would there be records for the period in question held in Uganda? I believe that records of births, marriages and deaths for the time the family were in Uganda would have been held by the Colonial Office which are now at the National Archives in Kew. Ditto with regard to the post-German period for Tanzania.

Timeline from Colonial Office records on Ancestry:

Events are in Kampala. Family recorded as French.

1912 Marriage of Francois Alcouffe and Leona Guillot.
1915 Birth of Frank Emile Marcel Alcouffe
1916 Death of France Alcouffe from dysentery
1917 Birth of Renee Irene Leona Alcouffe. Father is recorded as an engineer.

Leona's surname is Guillon on the birth records not Guillot.

You mentioned that some of the children died of malaria. Could you post details, please, so we can form a clearer picture.

Following the defeat of Germany in WW1, GEA was split up with the British taking responsibility for Tanganika (Tanzania) and Belgium running Rwanda and Burundi. Do you know which of the three countries your father-in-law grew up in?

Being French, GEA wouldn't have been a safe place for the Alcouffe's during WW1.

Also wonder if Francois served in WW1. He was a merchant in 1912, but an engineer when Renee's birth was registered in 1917.

Had a look a couple of Annual Reports on the Ugandan Protectorate. The report published in 1919, stated there were 847 European residents in Uganda. There were no schools for European children in the Protectorate.

The report for 1907 noted there were two marriages, 12 births and four deaths of European residents. Those figures seem v low to me.

[Anglosaxon]

hi , I have contacted kew quite a few times only to be told that francois records would still be held in Uganda . They were not very helpful at all . I will look for for the records of the deaths of two of their children I copied them from ancestry . My father in law was born in German East Africa . In Loshoto his mother was born in Russia of German parents who had moved from Stuttgart in the 1870s and then from Russia to East Africa .. I will post the readings of the hospital deaths when I can find them . thanks

[Shona]

I'm getting a wee bit confused.

I thought the parents of your father-in-law were Francois Marcelline Alcouffe and Leona Guillot/Guillon - both recorded as French.

Loshoto (now in the Tanga area of Tanzania) was known as Wilhelmstal during the German colonial period, which ended following World War 1.

[Anglosaxon]

it is confusing , francois was my father in laws father . Leona was married to him prior to him either marrying again or committing bigamy .so she is the wife at that time . My father I law was born in 1933 in Loshoto but his mother kept her name muller as his surname although francois is the father on the birth certificate . So it is quite confusing .

[Shona]

Could your father-in-law have been illegitimate?

[Anglosaxon]

Yes , there was some talk of francois committing bigamy with my father in laws mother , I'm not sure if they were married are not . I saw my father.in laws birth certificate , and it had his mothers name Mina Muller and Francois name . I have not been able to establish a marriage . I believe Mina went to live with him , but maybe not in Uganda could have been in Tanzania . . There was another child born to francois and Mina . Margeret .she was a few years older , so she was born approx 1929/1930 .

[Anglosaxon]

If Francois was still married when marring Mina yes he would be illegitimate .

[Qwackers]

Hi , was Leona guillon or guillot ? I have a copy of the marriage register ,and it shows her name as guillot. Which is right . I have found that the name Alcouffe is quite common in the aveyron dept of France . There are a few Alcouffes who left France for New York and settled in California . Jules Noele and Celestine . I am wondering if these persons were relatives of Francois . All I really know is that we believe he was born in Paris around the 188os to 1890s , I believe he had a sister with a name similar to Obertha or something like that . And was a stage star . Whether this is true or not it's interesting .

[kiterunner]

In post #9 Shona said that "The marriage in Kampala on 8 March 1912 names Francois Marcellin's father as Francois Gerome Alcouffe, merchant." So you would need to trace Francois Gerome Alcouffe next.

[Janet]

I needn't point it out to any English speakers familiar with French, but for those who might never have heard G and J pronounced in French, the G sounds like our J and the J sounds like our G.

My point is simply that Gerome is probably meant to be the French name Jérome.

EDIT:
Well, I could be way off base here because I now see some genealogies online where the given name Gérome appears in families with the surname Alcouffe. Not at all sure anything matches up with the data we have though.

EDIT AGAIN:
Gérôme, actually. And still I find nothing useful. I cede the floor to someone with more chops than myself.

[Qwackers]

Hi , Shona Is there any way of getting more info from the French archives regarding Francois marcell. I think that could be him either in stalag or orlag camp . There must be some French official records online . I have been researching the name Alcouffe and it' seems to be a popular name in Aveyron , but there is also a few in Paris. Where supposedly Francois was born . It does appear that a few alcouffes left for California . Jules Alcouffe It makes me wonder if these were either brothers or some relation. The problem being at present I can't either find gerome Alcouffe his father or Francois on the records I can see . . Is there any way of getting to see the records without visiting Paris I've been twice and wouldn't want to go back . Thanks qwackers