|
![Show Contents]() Godart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The rich and ancient history of the Godart family name dates back to the time when France was immersed in the Dark Ages. This name from the Normandy region of France is derived from the Norman-French given name Gaudi, which means ruler. Early Origins of the Godart familyThe surname Godart was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this celebrated family has held a family seat since ancient times. One of the earliest records of the family concerns Margue Gaudette who is recorded in 1340. Descending from the original line of Soulange, the family expanded, branched and prospered. This ancient family was known in Normandy, Picardy and Champagne as the Godart's, in Bourgogne as the Godard's and popular spellings of Lyonnais, Berry and Bourbonnais were Gaudart and Gaudard. Playing an important role in their community, the Gaudard family were the Lords of Solier, of la Greslerie, of Laverdine and of Genetais and served as the local Judges for the burgs in 1474. Proving their capability in politics, one of the Gaudard's served as the Mayor of Bourges in 1557 and in 1697 a member of the family served as the Treasurer of France for Berry. The family were fervent in pursuit of their faith and as such a member of the family became the Archdeacon of Bourbon in 1698 and he held his doctorate in Theology. Many members of the family served as representatives of the business community in Paris. Claude was a businessman of Paris in 1699 and his son, Louis-François, was an architect and a businessman in that same city. François-Pierre, his son, was a buying agent for the famous East India Company in the 1700's. Maurice, a descendant of François-Pierre, was a Knight of Saint Lazaire, a delegate general holding the Order of the Indes, a member of the Association of the French India Company and a Vice-President of the Red Cross for the French India Company. Early History of the Godart familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Godart research. The years 1647, 1700 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Godart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Godart Spelling VariationsChanges of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Godart, including Gaudet, Gaudette, Gaudait, Gaudais, Gaudey, Godet, Godette, Godait, Godais, Goder, Godee, Goday, Goddet, Goddette, Gauddet and many more. Early Notables of the Godart familyAnother 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Godart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Godart RankingIn France, the name Godart is the 975th most popular surname with an estimated 5,371 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Godart familyFrench settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Godart surname were Eugene Godet who settled in Philadelphia in 1843; Thomas Martin Debois Godet settled in Philadelphia in 1843; A Godey settled in San Francisco in 1852.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Godart (post 1700) | + |
- Roch Godart, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 2
|
England
France
