Information About Jean Marc Henri (Henry) Grivel

Memories

Memories are based on documents, family lore or personal experiences. They give more information about a person, but are not necessarilly complete or correct.

For photos: click on the photo for a larger format; email family@grivel.net for more information about the photo.

Poorter (citizen) in Amsterdam February 11, 1789, testifies July 6, 1789, notary Wilthuysen.

My grandfather tried in 1956 to find more information about Henry (Henri) Grivel. This is the response he got from the archive of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland:

                               Lausanne, le 3 mai 1956.
                               Maupas 47

Société d'études généalogiques
Grüneckweg 26
B e r n e

Monsieur,

         Nous avons bien reçu votre lettre du 23 mars 1956
qui a retenu toute notre attention.

         Nous avons cherché dans les registres d'Aubonne la
naissance d'un Henri Grivel aux environs de 1751, malheureuse-
ment sans succès. En effet, la naissance d'un Henri Grivel
la plus proche de 1751 date de 1762, ce qui ne concorde pas
avec les dates fournies.

         Par contre, nous avons trouvé à la date du 23 janvier
1751 dans le registre de la paroisse de St-Livres près d'Aubonne,
la naisance d'un Jean-Marc-Henri Grivel, fils de Pierre-Isaac
Grivel et de Françoise Tripod. Il n'est pas impossible qu'il
s'agisse là du personnage au sujet duquel vous nous demandez
des rensignements; il aurait alors porté son troisième prénom
de baptême ce qui est courant. Mais ceci est une hypothèse qui
ne peut être confirmée que par l'identification des parents;
ce moyens de preuve ne pouvant se trouver qu'en Hollande, nous
nous bornons à vous transmettre les rensignements qui précèdent.

         Veuillez agréeer, Monsieur, nos salutations distinguéees.
                               Archives cantonales vaudoises
                               L'archiviste:
                                 [...]
                               GL. Dessemontet

There is one baptism record (the one for his daughter Marguerite) where Henry Grivel is listed as “Marc Henry Grivel.”

Baptism record in the Oude Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam, 1794.

“Marguerite, née le 16 febr. Fille de Marc Henry Grivel & Jannetie Ringelenberg, baptisée la V.E. les 19 febr. par Mr. S. de Chantepie. Temoin le Pere.”

One of the other baptism records (the one of his daughter Anette Anrietta) has as a witness a Louis F. Grivel. Could this be a brother or uncle of Henry Grivel?

Baptism record in the Oude Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam, 1792.

“Anette Anrietta, née le 13 Aout. Fille de Henry Grivel & Jeans Rengelenberg, baptisée le 15 Aout a la V.E. par Mons. J. S. Robert. Témoins Louis F. Grivel, presenté par le Pere”

The following is an article (original in French, translated into English) about the village of St. Livres in Switzerland.

THE VILLAGE OF SAINT-LIVRES AND ITS CHURCH

For brief and incomplete reasons, some historical notes relating to our village and church will not only interest parishioners and friends, but—we believe—may stimulate the spirit of sacrifice and generosity, both are moving and worthy of being imitated certain facts of a distant past.

A French friend asked me one day if Saint-Livres owed his name to the holy books, that is to say the Holy Scriptures. In reality, our village owes it to Saint Libere who was bishop of Rome (pope) of between May 352 and September 366, mixed with the serious controversy provoked by Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ, Libere was very badly treated by the Emperor Constance, a supporter of Arius, and was even banished to Berea from 355 to 358. Is it he who, according to legend, was at the origin of the village built near what may have been a hermitage? We do not know it. What is certain is that in a very remote period, the village was located on this kind of promontory overlooking the valley of Aubonne, in these places that still today are called “The Chapels” and “The old motier” (from moutier: monastery).

Here are some facts duly attested: In 1259, the parish of St-Livres was ceded by Pierre de Savoie to the convent of Grand St-Bernard, which it depended until the Reformation. In the cantonal archives, one can read the story of two church visits, one dating from 1416, the village with 60 fires; the other from 1453 when there were only 35 homes in St-Livres, the plague having plagued and decimated the population.

It is between 1453 and 1457 that an extraordinary event takes place, a veritable tour de force when one thinkgs of the available at the time. Waters of the Aubonne have dangerously eroded the hillside and are threatening the village with collapse, the inhabitants—in the space of 4 years—moved their houses, their church and their dead to the site that St-Livres occupies today! The cantonal archives carefully preserve a manuscript describing in every detail the consecration of the rebuilt church, a great feast which took place “on the Saturday preceding St-Denis martyr, the 8th of this month”, that is to say on the 8th October 1457. From this act, written in Latin two days later, we extract this passage:

“Because of the floods, especially those caused by the so-called Aubonne water (Albona), this parish church, from the place it occupied, was transported to another place of the parish, the rebuilt and reconstructed sanctuary, restore the altar of stone in the choir, as well as the cemetery of the said church, which was consecrated in honor and under the name of Blessed Liberius, confessor and pontiff.”

So remembering those fifteenth-century believers who have made such efforts and sacrifices to save from their threatening destruction not only their homes, but the common spiritual home that is the House of God, it is worthy and just that our efforts and our sacrifices add to those of the past, to ensure the future of our venerable sanctuary.

The restoration will certainly not upset the aspect of the church of St Livres where the elders of us will have no trouble finding themselves “at home”! If the project provides for the restoration of the choir whose traces are visible in the attic, this is not a novelty or a fanciful addition, but also a restoration in the true sense of the term. It is known that in the 16th century, under the Bernese regime, the church of St Livres was partially destroyed by a fire due to “fire from the sky”, and that the affected part was also only partially rebuilt.

With all our heart, we wish and ask God to be blessed with the work that will be undertaken. At a time when astronomical sums are being spent on armaments to ensure the security of the country, believers will not refuse to do their best and their due for the glory of God and for a worship worthy of Him to continue to be celebrated by and for those who come after us!

Our grateful thought goes to all those faithful and shepherds of the flock who have contributed to and help to maintain and spread the Gospel of Christ in this part of the world. When visiting the church from 1453, the serving of the parish of St-Livres was Dom Franciscus Baloz. How many and who are they who have succeeded him for 500 years? Perhaps one day it will be possible to draw up a list of those who have exercised their ministry here, especially since 1536. In this same feeling of gratitude, let us quote at least the pastors whose names appear in the parish registers. still in use: Pastors J. Perret Sr., L. Borle, VE. Banderet, P. Divorne, P. Guigon, L. Graz, L. Zimmer, E. Marion, N. Haller, A. Tripod and Ch-L. Gagnebin, until January 1st, 1944.

Lord, I will enter your house with sacrifices, and I will pay my vows to you! — Ps. 66/13

Saint-Livres, on the eve of Ascension Day 1965.
Ch. Clot, past.

Henry Grivel is the end of the research of the Grivel name in Holland. The path now leads to Switzerland, where genealogical research is a lot harder.

For those interested in continuing the research in Switzerland, and in particular in and around St. Livres, the website of John McCoy contains a lot of information about primary sources. It is a good starting pooint for further research.