Lavaux History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The proud French name Lavaux was formed in Brittany (French: Bretagne) when the family resided in a valley. The name Lavaux is derived from the French word "vallée," which means "valley."

Early Origins of the Lavaux family

The surname Lavaux was first found in Brittany, where they held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of la Burie.

By the 14th century they had also acquired estates in Brittany at des Fossés, St-Jouan, and du Val. They also held Montrayer, on the Island of Martinique. The Pimodan branch of the family were elevated to the nobility as the Marquis de Pimodan. They also acquired possessions near the border of Flanders, Normandy, and in the Franche-Comté to the south. By 1512 they held a seigneurie at Chenillon in Lorraine. Louise LaVallière was a favourite of Louis XIV, with whom she had four legitimate children.

Pierre Lavallee, born in 1645, son of Pierre and Madeleine, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Marie-Thérèse Leblanc, daughter of Leonard and Marie, on 12th January 1665. 1

Early History of the Lavaux family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lavaux research. The years 1385, 1404, 1414, 1620, 1644, 1661, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1673, 1682 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Lavaux History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavaux Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Lavaux is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lavalle, Lavallée, Lavallee, La Vallee, Levalle, Leval, Lavallière, Lavallier, Levallier, Lavallois, Levallois, Lavallet, Levallet, Lavalet, Levalet, Lavaley, Levaley, Lavalley, Levalley, Lavally, Levally, Lavallière, de Vallée, de Vallee and many more.

Early Notables of the Lavaux family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Guy XIII de Laval, (1385-1414), seigneur of Laval and of Kergorlay, inherited the Laval title through his marriage on 22 January 1404 to Anne de Laval, As daughter and sole heir to Guy XII de Laval, Anne was "dame de Laval", and one of the conditions of the marriage was that any children born to it would...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lavaux Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavaux migration to Canada +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the 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. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Lavaux has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lavaux were

Lavaux Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Lavaux, son of Pierre and Madeleine, who married Marie-Anne Desnoux, daughter of René and Madeleine, in Quebec on 26th July 1730 2
Charles Lavaux, son of Jacques and Marguerite, who married Françoise-Josephte Boivin, daughter of François and Jeanne-Angélique, in Quebec on 4th November 1738 2
Jean Lavaux, son of Pierre and Marie-Anne, who married Marthe Gontier, daughter of Jean and Marie-Josephte, in Les Éboulements, Quebec on 26th September 1757 2
Jean-Baptiste Lavaux, son of Étienne and Marie, who married Madeleine Barbeau, daughter of Michel and Suzanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 10th January 1758 2
Jean-Baptiste Lavaux, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Louise-Élisabeth, who married Marguerite Sylvain, daughter of Étienne and Marguerite, in Saint-Vallier, Quebec on 22nd January 1759 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Lavaux (post 1700) +

Étienne Maynaud de Bizefranc de Lavaux, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 16) Étienne Lavaux. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html