Peter D'Aprix
A Brief History
The family fled from their lands in the north eastern part of France, probably around Nancy, because of religious persecution. They were Protestants in a predominantly Roman Catholic France. They fled to the German part of Alsace-Lorrain that was Protestant. Part of the family decided to brave the dangers of France and went back to their lands where they were killed. The other part moved deeper into Germany, probably Nagold for greater protection. In 1844, surviving members of the family came to the United States, entering at Charleston, S.C. then moved up the coast to Utica, New York. That then became the base for most of the family, but since WWII, some family has moved south to New York City, New Jersey, Florida, the Carolinas, California and even to Australia.
Early History
The
earliest ancestor I have
been able to identify
with Roger D'Aprix and
Margaret Ernest D'Aprix's
help is Duc Phillip
Isadore d'Aprix. He is a
direct descendant. He
stayed in Germany or
German occupied Alsace
Lorrain. The family
clearly has a French name
but according to the
stories passed down,
considered themselves to
be German preferring
German food and beverages
and settling into the
German parts of town in
New York state. But
Fredrick (Fred) D'Aprix
is reputed to have said
that the family, when
French, fled to live in
German occupied Alsace
Lorrain, obviously to
flee death at the hands
of the Catholic mobs
The rest of the family
tried to return home to
their French occupied
lands after a time in
Alsace only to be killed
to the last member.
Albert, one of the
original family members
to come to the US, used
to talk of Isador being
from Nancy, Alsace
Lorrain.
As Protestants, the
family probably their
lands near Nancy to the
much contested region of
today's France called
Alsace Lorrain that lies
in the North East part of
France right on the
border with Germany.
Through history the
French and Germans have
been fighting each other
for the land. At the same
time as they lusted after
the fertile lands, they
were also fighting over
religion- the French for
Catholics - the Germans
for Protestantism. The
people of Alsace Lorrain
like many peoples of
France, found themselves
torn, sometimes living
under the hand of France,
other times under the
foot of Germany. It is
thought that most
probably the Isadore
family from the estates,
village or region known
as Aprix had to leave
their dukedom, running
for their lives and find
shelter in the German
part of Alsace. When it
became French again, the
moved across the border
right into Germany at
Nagold. We are still
trying to research this.
We don't know how long
they stayed in Germany,
certainly several
generations since they
thought of themselves as
German despite their
French name. Then in
1844, Duc Phillip Isadore
bid good buy to his sons
(Phillip) Isadore, Henry,
Albert, Chaarles, John,
Mary and Louise as they
journeyed from Germany,
across hostile France,
bye passing Paris,
heading south west
diagonally across the
country to La Rochelle on
the coast of Brittany.
This coastal sea port was
the main port of
departure for French and
German Huguenots leaving
for the new country, the
country of Religious
freedom, America.
Early History USA
They
landed in one of the
major entry ports for
Huguenots, Charleston,
South Carolina. They were
probably made welcome at
the Huguenot church in
the center of town. (Closed
when we were there!).
They then brothers (Phillip)
Isadore and Henry with
their sister Mary quickly
made their way north to
New York State with the
other settlers moving up
the corridor from New
York City along the north/south
Hudson River to Albany,
then west along the
popular Mohawk River that
was one of the only
routes through the
Appalachian Mountains in
the northeastern US. It
was also the easiest
between ME and GA. The
Erie Canal had been built
in the 1820's which
within 50 years was
replaced as the major
highway by the Railroads.
These two brothers and
their sister were
probably also drawn to
the regions around Utica
and Rome since it has
been a center for French
Huguenots for generations
and in their own time,
was a well known
destination for German
families who felt at home
with the Dutch who had
originally settled the
region.
Most of this is
supposition based on
probable history. We do
know when they arrived
and where they settled.
We know a lot about the
descendents of (Phillip)
Isadore's family since
Roger and my families
descend from his brother
Henry (1842-1916)and his
wife Christina. At least
we think so! If any of
you out there can add to
this or correct it,
please contact me at peter@daprix.com
.
Recent History
The
core of the family has
stayed in New York State
with some drifting south
wards to New Jerseay and
other states on the
Eastern seabord. Edward
Charles Sr. daughter Mary
moved with her husband
Lew Warner out to
California. His youngest
son, Edward Charles Jr.
spent five years before
the US officially got
into WWII in England,
then during the war in
France and Germany. After
being demobed back in the
US, he and his wife,
Annabelle, and young son,
Peter, moved to England
where they lived until
1978 when they also moved
to California. His
youngest son MIchael now
lives and has had his
family in Australia.
There is so much history
and so many family
members, sons and
daughters that we don't
have on record. If you
can fill out this family
tree, please do contact
us. peter@daprix.com
Judging by the family
tree, the fertility tap
in the D'Aprix men was
either full on or
completely off. This
could also be just due to
lack of offspring
information.
Origin of the family name, d'Aprix
We
have just recently found
the earliest reference to
the family name so far.
"Marguerite APRIX
wurde vor 1572 in ,
........ geboren. Sie
starb vor 1638.
Marguerite heiratete Jean
LARREY (de) vor
1585" is to be found
on the web site http://huguenots-france.org/deutsch/normandie/caux/nobles/index2.htm
Prior to this, we only
have family legend to
suggest that our family
name existed in Europe in
it's present form. The
family name was actually
"Isadore". What
we have taken as the
family name here in the
US is actually the name
of the region, village or
estate that the family
owned or governed. The
name is French. In the
France of the time, the
aristocracy had a couple
or more names but were
identified as being from
the region or estates
that they owned and
governed in feudal style.
The "de" or
"d' "
translated from the
French is "of"
or "from" as it
still is today. The
"Aprix" is the
name of the estates or
region owned and governed
by the family. It is an
old Gallic name,
predating the Romans.
Gallic families who were
at the forefront in
France after the Roman
conquest of Gaul, changed
their names and estate
names from the Gallic
endings like "-ix"
to more Romanized forms.
Country or remote tribes,
kept the Gallic names for
their regions since they
were out of the
fashionable main stream.
So our patriarch who
brought the remnants of
his family to the New
Country across the
perilous seas, would have
been called, back in the
"old country",
Phillip Isadore, Duc of
Aprix (d'Aprix).
That, at least, is the
theory, We actually don't
know exactly how our name
originated. We do know
that the family was
calling themselves d'Aprix
when they arrived. But
some research suggests
that the name in Europe
may have even been
spelled Dapvril! Or
perhaps
d'Apvril.
I
just spoke on the phone
with a Philippe Sion who
is related to a Philippe
Dapvril. We are
discovering that there
are many Dapvrils in the
northern part of France
near the border with
Belgium not far from the
village of Prix that I
visited in the early
1990's and which I cannot
find on a map anymore.
But once in the US, the
title was dropped and the
regional designation was
assumed as the family
name. Surname in French (surnom)
means "nick name".
Literally, the name on
top of the name.
Acting like good new
Americans, many of the
family members dropped
the apostrophe. After all,
the idea was to leave the
trappings of monarchy
back in the "old
country". But within
a generation, many put it
back in using the small
"d' " as it
would have been and still
is in France. But
Anglicization usually
capitalized the
"D".
So while family names
were evolving in Europe
with trades people taking
their family name from
their profession, like
Tailor, Cobbler, Farmer,
etc. and others from
their physical appearance
like Longfellow, Small
(or in French - Petit) or
maybe a description of
their character like Fox
or even where they lived
like John over-the-brook
which became Johan
Overbrook, and offspring
being called "son
of..." or Tailorson,
Tailorsen, Fitz-Tailor,
MacTailor etc., Our
family was known most
probably for their lands
- "of the Aprix".
Pronunciation is also
hard to pin down exactly.
In the north of France,
they tend not to
pronounce the final
"x". They would
say "dahpree".
In the south, they tend
to pronounce the
"x" on the end
of names but not ordinary
words. So they say "daapreex".
Roger D'Aprix remembers
that his family
pronounced our name with
a hard "x". In
the early 1950's they
switched over to the
silent "x".
Under any rules of
pronunciation, it should
not be pronounced "daaprick"
as I was called in
English boarding school!
I would not have minded
so much if I had done
something to at least
deserve it!
I can write somewhat
knowledgably about the
name since we own a small
house in France and I
went to college in Paris.
We spend time in France
every year and have
search, mostly in vain,
for the d'Aprix roots
over there. The French
are just as intrigued by
our name as we are. Many
have dragged out heavy
books of the history of
French names after
pouring us glasses of
wine or pastise to keep
us quiet while they
thumbed their way through
much worn pages but
without result so far.
Near Dijon where the last
great war between the
Gauls and Romans was
faught, there was a
Gallic general called
Prix. Over time, that
name could have evolved.
He lost, by the way.