French Birth Record from 1795

My 5th-great grandparents Joseph François GURY and Barbe RICHARD had at least nine children. Typical of their time, they had a baby nearly every year. Transcribing and translating their children's vital records gives me a better sense of their family dynamics. Here is one the records I recently located:

Jean Louis GUERY's 1795 birth:

Birth record transcription: left column ----- ?  ----?   1795 / department de la Meurthe / Guery / Jean Louis / mort?

Lepoerres du et ferrirt o

Àujourd'hui huitième jour du Mois de Fructidor l'an troisième de la Republic Française mil et -- divisible quatre un had apres Midy par devant Mois Nicolas Karpp membre du Conseil general de la commune d’Altroff et a le premier V-H-N? d-? pour dresser les actes destines a constater les naissance mariages et deces des citoyens, est comparu en la falle pirblique de la Maison Commune Josephe Guery age de trente ans châtreur resident ans la commune d’Altroff, lequel après ete de Jean ---- Geury châtreur age de trente deux ans department de la Moselle  district de fanckmons municipalite de Bassoncones et Catherine Schmitt age de vingt huit ans resident d’ans la commune de Vírming department de la Meurthe district de Dréuze a declare a Mois Nicolas Karpp, que Barbe Richart Mon epouse en legitime mariage et accouché hier --- jour du present Mois de Fructidor a quatre un heur du soire d’ans la maison d'un enfant male quil ma presenté et auquel il a donné le prenom Jean Louis, d’apres cette declaration que le citoyens Joseph Guery Jean hary et Catherine Schmitt ont certificat a la Herite, et la representation qui ma ete fait de l enfant de nommi, par Redige en herta des pouvoire que me fout de lequis le present acte que Josephe Geury, pere de l’enfant et le deux temoins Jean Hary Geury et Catherine Schmitt, ont signe avec mois fait en la maison commune d'Altroff les jour Mois et an ci-dessous.

[Signed by] Catherine Schmitt, H Gury, J F Gury

Birth record translation: ----- left column? ----? 1795 / department of Meurthe / Guery / Jean Louis / death?

Lepoerres and the ferrirt o

Today the eighth day of Fructidor third year of the French Republic and millet - a divided four HAD Midy after the front month Nicolas Karppe member of the General Council of the joint and the first Altroff VHN? d-? to prepare the documents to ascertain the birth marriages and deaths of citizens, appeared in the hall of the common house Josephe Guery, 30 year old gelder, resident of the town Altroff, after which Jean Hary Geury gelder 32 years of age of the Moselle department fanckmons district municipality of Bassoncones and Catherine Schmitt age of 28 and a resident of the town of Virming, department of Meurthe, district Dréuze said to Mr. Nicolas Karppe that Barbe Richard, my wife of a legitimate marriage, gave birth yesterday --- Month Fructidor four o'clock one year of the house of a male child quil my presentation and to which he gave the first name Jean Louis, after this statement that the citizens Jean Joseph Guery and Catherine Schmitt a certificate is prepared, and that the representation was made of my child to the appointed by Herta Written in the powers I care about the present act Lequis Joseph Geury, father of the child and the two witnesses Jean Hary Geury and Catherine Schmitt, have been signed with months in the common house of the day Altroff Month and year below.

[Signed by] Catherine Schmitt, H Gury, J F Gury

This is one of the worst translations I've done. I'm more rusty than I thought; the 1795 handwriting/words have me stumped! I'll ask for help and update this post shortly.

Surname Saturday - Gury

My third great-grandmother was Marie Anne Gury, born April 1818 in Francaltroff, Moselle, France. After marrying Nicolas Schmitt, Marie moved to Hellimer and had 10 children before immigrating to the United States in the early to mid 1850s. The family settled in Cincinnati.

Another Gury descendant shared a photograph of a woman who may have been Marie's sister Christina. There are women named Christina in nearly every generation of the Gury family, so the possibility of a connection is strong. The Christina in question was the Mother Superior in a convent in France. This makes me cautiously optimistic; there may be some interesting records available.

Surname Saturday ~ Grosse, Gury, Schmitt

Fashionable women ~ 1850

I'm enamored with my paternal French line; learning to speak French while driving, reading French history books, translating birth records during my lunch hour, ordering films from the Family History Library every Tuesday evening. Some might say I've become addicted, but that's not true. I've been addicted all along.

New clues show themselves frequently, but most often they come accompanied by more questions. 

The knowns:

• My 3rd great-grandfather, Nicolas Schmitt, was born in 1813 in Hellimer, Moselle, Lorraine, France.
• His parents were Francois Schmitt and Elisabeth Grosse.
• His wife was Marie-Anne Gury, born in 1818 in Francaltroff, Hellimer, Lorraine, France.
• Nicolas had at least two siblings, younger sisters Elisabeth and Barbe.
• He traveled to America with his eldest son Jules in April 1854.
• Nicolas and his family settled in Cincinnati Ohio.
• Several children, including my 2nd great-grandmother emmigrated to Chicago where they raised their children.

The unknowns:

• When did the remaining family members arrive in America?
• What happened to Francois, the last child born in France?
• What happened to Joseph, the first child born in Ohio?
• Did Jules really die in Ohio, or did he relocate to Chicago leaving his wife and children behind?
• Was Nicolas the first, one of several, or the only Schmitt that left France?
• Where is the elusive marriage record of Nicolas and Marie-Anne?
• and so many more unknowns; far too many to list.

The next steps:

• Order microfilm for 1792-1810 birth, marriage, death records for Hellimer.
• Continue checking the mailbox for the will that will tell if the French-born Ohio-residing Emile Schmitt who married Mary Kauffman is "my" Emile.
• Translate Barbe's birth record; it includes her parents' ages.
• Search passenger lists for my 2nd great-grandmother and her siblings.
• Determine whether the brother mentioned as co-owner of John Schmitt's restaurant in Chicago is Jules.

And so, as we French say, la recherche se poursuit!