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| Origin Displayed: French Spelling variations of this family name include: Lepage, Lepages, Leppage, Leppages, Lespages, Lesppages, Lapage, Lappage, Dupage, Despages, De Lapage and many more. First found in Ile de France where they were anciently seated. Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: F. LePage aged 21; settled in Charleston in 1820; Alexander Claude Angelique LePage settled in Philadelphia in 1819; Fredrick Lepage was a shipping agent of St. John's Newfoundland in 1829. (Above is a small excerpt from our 1800 word history) Copyright © 2000 - 2008 Swyrich Corporation, all rights reserved |
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MoreThe Bretons were originally from the ancient province of Brittany, which lies in the northwestern peninsula of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coastline, and is broken by hills in the west. However, the region was renamed Britannia Minor by the Romans, following the emigration of six thousand Britons across the English Channel, an event which took place at the behest of the Roman commander in Britain.
MoreAncient Brittany was inhabited by the Celtic Tribes of Veneti, Curiovolitae, and the Asismii in the 3rd century BC. At this time, Brittany was known as Armorica. It was the Romans that renamed the region Britannia Minor. However, the region's current name can primarily be attributed to the Roman General Maximus, who brought over 6,000 Britons under their leader Prince Conan, son of the King of Wales and Albany as he left Britain in the 4th century. Further immigrants from Wales and Cornwall occupied the region in the 5th and 6th region. From these people came Constantine, King of Brittany, who, it is said, was the grandfather of the celebrated King Arthur of England. The Celtic Breton language is still spoken today in the western reaches of the land.
MoreThe greatest of the Frankish rulers, Charlemagne brought a new ideal of kingship to Europe that had a tremendous influence long after his own empire crumbled. The kingdom of the Franks was one of the most powerful of the barbarian kingdoms of the Dark Ages. Founded after the fall of the Roman Empire, it included much of modern-day France, Germany, and the Netherlands, along with all of Belgium and Switzerland. Shortly before his death in 768 AD, Pepin the Short divided his kingdom between his sons Charles and Carloman. However, Carloman died only three years afterward and left Charles as sole king of the Franks.
MoreThe filles du roi, or King's girls, were women who were recruited by the French Crown to populate New France. In the 16th century, the French colonies were populated almost exclusively by men. Initially, the French Crown selected orphan girls, but they later recruited young healthy girls. In the mid-17th century, French ships carried hundreds of these women, who were often not over the age of 16, to Quebec. The king even provided "dowries" to the women, which consisted of clothing and household supplies. The women usually chose their husbands within two weeks of their arrival in the New World.
MoreThe French language was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire, and is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. During all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages.
MoreThe Huguenots were Calvinist Protestants in France who faced an enormous amount of persecution during the religious struggles of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the late 16th century, the number of Huguenots in France increased significantly and their rivalry with the Catholics led to the Wars of Religion, which lasted from 1562 until 1598.
MoreThe region of Languedoc was named after the dialect used in that region: Langue d'oc means the language that uses oc for yes. The major rival to this particular French dialect was the northern langue d'oïl, which means the language that uses oïl for yes. Languedoc as a region included the southeastern portion of the Massif Central, a plateau in the south of France, and ran from the province of Roussillon, in the west, to the Rhône River, forming the border with Provence, in the east. Toulouse was one of the most important counties in the region as it held the capital of the region, which was also called Toulouse.
MoreFollowing the chaos of the French Revolution, the nation of France was in dire need of a stable form of government which would continue the program of modernization begun by the revolutionaries. Ironically, the nation that had rose up against its absolute monarch was now in need of an autocratic ruler. The man destined to fulfill this role was Napoleon Bonaparte, who ruled as first Consul after the coup d'état that thrust him to power in 1799, and as Emperor after 1804. His reign was an era of far-reaching social and political change for France. Education and local government were reorganized, the currency of France was stabilized, and a new legal system known as the Code Napoléon was instituted.
MoreIn the 1st century BC, Normandy saw one of its first great invasions by the Romans. The area was an important part of the Holy Roman Empire until the 4th century. In the 9th century, the area received its name of Normandy after it was raided by the Vikings, or Norsemen, from whom it took its name.
MoreThe former province of Anjou encompasses areas of southern Armorica, Indre-et-Loire, and Sarthe. Today, area once covered by the province is part of the Maine-et-Loire department. Anjou's capital city was Angers.
MoreAuvergne is a region in the Central Massif of south central France. The Auvergne Mountains, a branch of the Cevennes range, are renowned as the highest peaks in the French interior.
MoreChampagne is a former province of France, located in the northeast part of the country on the west bank of the River Meuse. Its main city is Troyes, and it is one of France's celebrated wine regions. In ancient times, the area was ruled by the Counts of Champagne.
MoreForez is a former administrative region of France found on the west bank of the Rhone river and extending to the Alps. The ancient tribes of the area were the Ligures, Celts, and Massaliotes.
MoreThe region of Gascogne in southwest France, known to Anglophones as Gascony, is bounded by the Bay of Biscay, the Garonne River, and the Pyrenees. During the Roman occupation, between the 1st century BC and 3rd century AD, Gascogne was ruled from neighboring Aquitaine. In 418, the Visigoths took the region, but under the leadership of Clovis, who conquered Alaric II in 507, it was reunited to the French kingdom. Gascogne was again conquered in the 5th century-this time by the Franks.
MoreThe French province of Limousin was divided into three departments, Correze, Creuse, and Upper Vienne, with the capital being Lioges. Limousin corresponds to the ancient provinces of La Marche and Limousin together.
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MoreSavoie in southeastern France corresponds to the provinces of La Savoie and of the Haute-Savoie (Upper Savoie). In the 4th century the term Sapaudia emerged which was translated as Savoie. In the 6th century the Franks invaded the region. The annexation of Piémont in the 11th century and the occupation of Geneva and Montferrat considerably increased Savoie status as a state, although the Duchy underwent a period of decline from 1434 to 1553. After much erosion of its territorial boundaries it was finally returned to the sovereignty of France under the treaty of Turin in 1860.
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