Du vallette History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The noble surname Du vallette originated in the region of Maine, in France. Du vallette is a topographic surname, which is a type of hereditary surname. Topographic names were given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between individuals and their homelands, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, people who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original villages, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Du vallette is derived from the French word "vallée," which means "valley," and literally means "of the valley."

Early Origins of the Du vallette family

The surname Du vallette was first found in Maine, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Many members of this family were deeply involved in the events of the times, including the French Revolution. Charles François Marie Duval, a Lawyer, was elected to the Legislature in 1791 as a Deputy of Ille-et-Vilaine, later he became a member of the Convention where he was opposing Robespierre. Charles founded the "Journal des Hommes Libres" and under the Empire he was named Chief of the Office of General Administration.

Another distinctive member at this time, Jean Maurice Duval, Baron, began his career as an Auditor for the State Council in 1809 and in 1810 he became a Prefect. He carried out his duties aggressively and in 1840 he was made a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. During the late 1800's, Émile-Victor Duval, the General, was the Military Chief of Paris. He was unsuccessful in fighting a "versaillaise" army at Châtillon and as a result, was captured and later killed on the order of Vinoy.

Not all of the family remained in France as the Huguenots of Plymouth, England list "one of the refugees Duval has left his name to the headland of Devil's Point." 1

Pierre Duval, born in 1604, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. He settled in Quebec with his wife, Jeanne Labarbe, born in 1605, and their six children. Four of their children passed away while they were living in Quebec. Two of his sons, Pierre and Romain, drowned, Marin was shot, and the fourth died in a fire at île d'Orléans in 1663. 2

Early History of the Du vallette family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Du vallette research. Another 29 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1618, 1643, 1670, 1683 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Du vallette History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Du vallette Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Duval, Du Val, Duvall, Duwall, Duvalle, Duvalles, Duvale, Duvales, Du Vall, Du Valle, Du Valles, Du Vale and many more.

Early Notables of the Du vallette family

Notable amongst the family at this time was General Émile-Victor Duval; and Pierre Duval (1618-1683), a French geographer from Abbeville. Claude Duval (1643-1670), was and English highwayman, born of poor parents at Domfront, Normandy, in 1643. "A report which was current during his lifetime, that he was the son of a cook in Smock Alley, Without Bishopsgate, is sufficiently discredited. At the age of fourteen he was sent to Paris, where he remained in service till the Restoration, when he came to England in attendance on the Duke of Richmond. It was not...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Du vallette Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Du vallette family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Daniel Duva, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749; Charles Duval settled in Louisiana in 1719; Eugene Duval, aged 27; settled in New York in 1822; J. J. H. Duval, aged 26.

Citations +

Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print