Dominique Gruss and Catherine Vogel's Family

Dominique Gruss, son of Dominique, was born on October 24, 1776 at Oberensisheim, (modern day Ensisheim) France. He was baptized on the same day in Saint-Martin's Catholic Church. He died at the age of seventy-six on October 11, 1852 at Guémar, France. Throughout the official French documents, he is referred to as Dominique. He signed his name Domminikus Gruss. The family name was spelt using an umlaut over the "u" (ü) and the German double letter "ess-tset" (ß) as the final consonant. Dominique was a tiler (tuilier) by profession. He owned his home which was located at No. 164 La Grande Route in the Town of Guémar, France. The Gruss family's house was located across the street from a tile factory, which was owned by the Farny family, where Dominique worked as a master tiler. Dominique owned additional parcels of land in or around the Town of Guémar, France.

On June 11, 1806, Dominique, who had been working for two years and seven months in the tile factory of Mr. Bohn (later owned by Mr. Farny), requested a passport to leave Guémar in order to look elsewhere for another job in his trade. In this application for a passport Dominique is described as being 1.64 meters tall, having brown hair and eyebrows, gray eyes, and being round and chubby in the face with a high forehead.

On December 26, 1810 Dominique Gruss and Catherine Vogel entered into a pre-nuptial agreement in the presence of François Joseph Laugel and Joseph Koepfert at the home of André Klein, Imperial Notary of Guémar. This cost the couple 6 Francs (Fr) and 6 Deniers

They made the following arrangements:

1. All goods, movable as well as immovable, which were acquired during their married life were to be held in common and to each one half.
2. As a sign of their mutual respect they made a gift of these to each for life.
3. The future groom will bring 400Fr, which are not part of the inheritance he is to receive from his father.
4. The future bride will bring 968Fr.

Dominique married at Guémar, France on January 9, 1811 to Catherine Vogel, daughter of Ludwig Vogel and Marie Anne Neff. Banns for their marriage were announced on December 30, 1810 and January 6, 1811 at the main entrance of the town hall in Guémar. Dominique was thirty-four and Catherine was thirty-one at the time of their marriage. Catherine was born on January 4, 1780 at Elsenheim, France. She died on July 26, 1839 at Guémar, France. In addition to Diebald Gruss, brother of Dominique, two relatives of Catherine were witnesses to their marriage. They were: Xavier Couger, her uncle and Xavier Neff, her first cousin. They were both living in Elsenheim, France.

On December 17, 1836 Dominique Gruss prepared his Last Will and Testament in the offices of Maître Pfohl, Royal Notary, at Ribeauville in the presence of four witnesses as follows:

"I give and bequeath unto Catherine Vogel my wife living with me at Guémar, the use of one fourth of all the property we presently hold and another fourth for her use during her lifetime, all the good movable and immovable of any kind without exception of that which is mine."

Dominique and Catherine had six children, all of whom were born at Guémar, France.

1. Elisabeth Gruss was born on October 29, 1811. She died on March 15, 1873 at Guémar, France.
2. Dominique Gruss was born on 19 March, 1813. He died on 1 February, 1821 at Guémar, France. (When registering Dominique's birth and death, the family name was spelt KRUSS.)
3. Catherine Gruss was born on December 1, 1814. She died on August 3, 1854 at Guémar, France.
4. Salomé Gruss was born on March 1, 1817.
5. Maximim Gruss was born on June 3, 1819. He died on September 15, 1876 at Guémar, France.
6. Dominique Gruss, aka Dominic Gruss, was born on September 1, 1822. He died on October 17, 1909 at Bainbridge, Michigan.

Sources

1. Un Peu d'Histoire, A Short History of Guémar which was provided by the Mayor of Guémar, France on July 18, 1983.
2. Civil records, birth, marriage and death, from Guémar, France as microfilmed by the Mormon Church.
3. Baptismal registration of Catherine Vogel in the Catholic Church at Elsensheim, France as microfilmed by the Mormon Church.
4. Death records from Berrien County, Michigan at St. Joseph, Michigan for the year 1909 [Vol. C, Page 218, Entry 541].
5. The October 18, 1909 edition of The News-Palladium of Benton Harbor, Michigan.
6. Letters dated March 20, 1993 and January 10, 1994 from Hervé Patry of Guémar, France.

Return to Top of page.

Return to the Gruss Family Index.

Return to Gruss'Um Hollow.