Henry Paul Payfer's New Germany Relatives

Let us try to piece together what we know of the family in which Henry Paul Payfer was born. Once that is done, we will try to find out if we can trace his family in the documents from the area he came from and what happened to them, and try to understand why and when he himself arrived in Sainte-Geneviève.

From Henry Paul's Marriage Contract (2nd February 1761)

We know that Henry Paul Payfer's father was called André Payfer as written in French, and that his mother's name was something like Christine Foucein, that they lived in a territory called "New Germany": this territory is found in the Mohawk valley in what his now the state of New York, East of Utica, and, by the way, comprises a village called Herkimer. TO SEE MAPS OF THE AREA, PRESS HERE We also know that his father had died before 1761. All this infomation is stated in Henry Paul's marriage contract with Marie Catherine Éthier found HERE, on Maps and knowledge of what "New Germany" stood for.

It is known that "New Germany" was settled by Germans from the Palatinate area of what was then the German part of the Holy Roman Empire. The German dialect used by the people of that area is known as "High German", which the Shorter Oxford Dictionary defines as "(of or pertaining to) the variety of German orig. confined to 'high' or southern Germany but now in literary or cultured use throughout Germany." The area so defined includes the Palatinate, as well as Alsace and Lorraine, which were all part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time.

This Marriage Contract also tells us something about Henry Paul himself: that is, that he was by then the owner of a three acres piece of land as a concession. This means that the previous owners of the land, the Seigneurs de Saint-Sulpice who once owned the whole Island of Montréal, had conceded to him these three acres at a previous date. He must have built a house on his new land as there was one when he signed the Marriage Contract in February 1761. This Contract also tells us that he was of age as he could stipulate for himself. We thus can state that he was born before 1740 (or at least said he was). In fact, we should be able to go a bit further: he would have had to say he was of age when he actually got his concession, whenever that was.

From Henry Paul's' eldest daughter's Marriage Contract (11th September 1780)

We also know that Henry Paul had a brother who was called Pierre Payfer in French. He is mentionned as being present as an uncle of the Bride-to-be at the signing of the Marriage Contract between Henry Paul's eldest daughter Marie Catherine Payfer and Marc Alexandre Delienne Bélanger found HERE which was signed at Sainte-Geneviève on 11th September 1780 in front of Notary Soupras.

The Law requires all present to sign the document if they can. Although Henry Paul signed as he could read and write, his brother Pierre did not sign the Marriage contract like all who could and thus would have stated that he could not, for whatever reason.

From Documents mentionned by Louis Richard in "Mémoires"

We also have another text which mentions Pierre Payfer: it is a text written by Louis Richard in Mémoires published by the Société généalogique canadienne-française in January 1963 (Volume 15, pages 3-6) and reproduced HERE.

1. Document from Tanguay:

   In that text, he quotes from Abbé Cyprien Tanguay's Dictionnaire généalogique, Volume 6, page 195. The left column of that original page from the book mentionned is reproduced HERE. and the following translation is an exact copy of the original:
   
   

   I. - Paifer (1), Paul-Henri-André, English
   ...
   
   (1) He was, on January 4th, 1754, at the Lake of The Two Mountains.

   That Henry Paul be said by Tanguay to be English is not surprising as he was born in New Germany, part of an English Colony in America, something we already know. What is new is that he would have been at Lake of Two Mountains as early as January 1754. What is not said by Tanguay is how he knew this to be a fact. Of course, it could be - but this is still speculation, that this is when he got his concession which is in Sainte-Geneviève, a village on the Lake of The Two Mountains although across from Île Bizard. This would require him to have been born before 1733 in New Germany as he had to be of age to get a concession.

   A last point: Tanguay calls him "Paifer, Paul-Henri-André". Where does the "André" come from? Tanguay had examined all the various Acts where Henry Paul is mentionned and found at least one where he is called André Payfer, that is, the Marriage Act of Alexandre André Janvier Payfer with Josephte Lemaire Saint-Germain in L'Annonciation Parish of Oka on the 23rd of November 1802, found HERE.

   This being said, our man always signed as Henry Paul Payfer.

2. Document from Canada's Public Archives:

   Louis Richard also quotes two documents found in the Public Archives of Canada.

   In the first, a letter dated August 1st 1782, a young man called André Payfer, twenty years of age, is in Montréal after having been taken prisonner on the Mohawk River. His uncle, Militia Lieutenant Payfer of Saint-Geneviève, has requested permission to take the prisoner with him.

   The second document, a letter dated August 17th 1782, is more explicit although it is inexact at least to some extent. In it the same young man is called Anthonee Payfer, and has given the following statements:

   1. He was born near Fort Herkimer on the Mohawk River and lived there at his father's;
   2. He was taken prisoner on June 21st 1781 while bringing food to the Rebel Armies;
   3. His father had been taken prisoner by the Indians while in the German Flatts in 1778;
   4. His father had been taken captive to Canada;
   5. His father's has a brother who is an officer in the Militia at Sainte-Geneviève;
   6. His father was permitted to live under his brother's supervision at his home;
   7. His father had been paroled and permitted to go back home in the Fall of 1781.

   The lad's father was prisoner from 1878 to the Fall of 1781. He spent most of this time with his brother who was Lieutenant in the Militia at Sainte-Geneviève. There was only one Payfer who had settled in Sainte-Geneviève: Henry Paul. And his Act of Burial found HERE clearly states that he was lieutenant in the Militia. And the previously examined Marriage Contract between Henry Paul's eldest daughter and Marc Alexandre Délienne Bélanger gives his name as Pierre Payfer in French.

   So from the information we have so far, we can state that Henry Paul had at least one brother, Pierre in French, who was still living in the Mohawk Valley around Herkimer; that this brother had married and had at least a son, called André or Anthonee or something like that. That both father and son had been helping the Rebel Cause and had been taken prisoners. We also know why Pierre was in Sainte-Geneviève in 1780, as he was being supervised by his brother after his capture.

   Now all this is also Louis Richard's opinion, as clearly expressed in his article, so there is nothing new here.

   What we do not know is what happened to the second request: was Pierre's son permitted to go and live with his uncle Henry Paul? Neither do we know what happened to Pierre himself thereafter.

   The second letter quoted by Louis Richard dates August 17th 1782. Henry Paul was quite busy in the years following: he sold the rest of the land he had when he married in 1761 to his Brother-in-Law on April 28th 1783 by an Act found HERE. and bought a piece of land with a house from his Son-in-Law on May 5th 1783 by an Act found HERE. In neither Acts is there mentionned that someone from his family was present. But then it would not necessarily be so if there had been.

3. The Inventory:

   Henry Paul died in Sainte-Geneviève on May 11th 1784. As required by Law, a complete Inventory of the assets and liabilities of the Community of Goods he was in was made on May 26th. This Act as read by Louis Richard states that was present a "John Wifer" said to be "a cousin on the Father's side of said minor children". Louis Richard does not investigate this individual further.

From the Inventory (26th May 1784)

The notarized Act already mentionned and examined by Louis Richard is found HERE and a closer examination of its text is well worthwhile.

In it as already said the Notary states that this "John Wifer" is also requesting the Inventory as he is cousin of Henry Paul's children on his side of the family. This would seem to imply that he is definitely a First cousin to the children, and thus a Nephew to Henry Paul. Furthermore, the simple fact that he can do such a request implies that he is of age. We thus know that this Nephew is at least 21 years of age. But there is more: the text states that he is living in Sainte-Geneviève. Why he was there is not explained.

Now this Nephew actually signs the document in two different places. And his signature is very legible: his name is John Wever, an English name, which sounds in French like "Wifer" especially if it is pronounced in the German way where a "v" is pronounced "f".

John Wever's Signature as found on page 2 of the Act of Inventory:
John Wever's Signature as found on page 9 of the Act of Inventory:

So we can add something to Louis Richard's work: Henry Paul had a Nephew called John Wever who was litterate and over 21 years of age on May 26th 1784.

He did not stay in Sainte-Geneviève very long after as he was not mentionned on the Marriage Contract between his cousin Marie Suzanne Payfer and Antoine Masson on January 25th 1785.

Of course, this also means that Henry Paul had a sister who had married a Wever before 1763. While at it, we also know that his brother Pierre married before 1761 as he had a son who was about 20 in 1782.

By the way, this son would have been of age in 1784 and thus would have been mentionned in the Act had he been present. We can thus state that he definitely was not in Sainte-Geneviève by then. But of course, he could not have been under Henry Paul's supervision at that time since he was dead and buried since the 13th.

We now have a certain number of clues to work with. Let us see what can be found about the Payfers of New Germany.