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Archiver > ALSACE-LORRAINE > 2006-05 > 1147089219


From: "Walter Gabennesch" <>
Subject: Benigen, Lorraine
Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 07:53:39 -0400


Can anyone tell me where Benigen in Lorraine, France is located? I understand it is not too far from the German border. I have several current and older maps of that area, but can't find it. Is it near a major city?

My ancestor Christof Gabenisch came from Benigen to the U.S. at the age of 38. Christof was born on May 15, 1819. He debarked from Le Harve Fr. on the ship Chesapeake and arrived in New Orleans January 3, 1848. From New Orleans he went to Cincinnati, Ohio and settled. The passenger manifest lists him as a farmer. His trade after arriving in Cincinnati was a tailor.

Here is a question about the surname. From our research it appears to be a translation from the Roman name Gabinius. The German historian Theodore Mommsen made that translation in his Nobel Prize winning "The History of the Roman Empire". Everyone seems to agree that the name is not just German or French, but something else. The translation would explain that. They changed the name to its present spelling after arrival in the U.S.

There are presently living in France individuals with the surname Gabenisch, primarily around Toulouse. We have tried in vain to contact them. I have taken all of the DNA tests for genealogical purposes and they have revealed something extremely interesting, nothing bad, just unbelievable. I would like to share that information with my distant relatives in France and perhaps get them to also take the Y -Chromosome DNA test.

Walt,



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