I wrote the following on 9 July 2010.
About June 1993, our family had an interesting experience in Flagstaff. I (Gerry Giauque) am writing this in July 2010, 17 years later. You will see one of the reasons I am motivated to do this, below.
In June 1993, Mom (Alice Giauque) received a phone call from a man who spoke in English but with a French accent. Mom picked up on it immediately and spoke to him in French. This is approximately what he said.
”My name is Giauque. I was wondering if you are related to me.” Mom said that he probably was related to us, and that her husband, Gerry, would like very much to meet him when he came home.
I don’t remember if I arrived home first, or if he arrived at our David Drive house first.
The man was Michel Giauque and his wife was Marianne Giauque. They were on vacation in the Southwest of the United States. Apparently they were driving a rented car, and apparently there had been a heavy snowfall in and around Flagstaff. They had gotten a hotel, but the snow was so deep that they couldn’t drive north toward Utah. Maybe the roads in town were plowed enough that they could drive around town. Mom fixed dinner for them and then we talked and talked. They stayed overnight, in Nicky’s bedroom. Apparently Michel had just started thumbing through the phone book, and found the name Geiser. “Humm,” he thought, “that’s my mother’s maiden name. I wonder if there’s a Giauque here too.” He looked for the name, and found our name. And then he called, and found a “French-speaking” Giauque! It was us!
I had forgotten about the part about finding Geiser. But when Eric and Mom and I visited with Michel and Marianne in May 2000 at their place, they reminded me of that part of their visit.
Apparently within a couple of months of their visit to us in Flagstaff, Eric had gone to Europe to work in Brussels. Apparently he spent almost every weekend visiting some part of Europe, and so he also spent a night at Michel and Marianne’s home. In 2007, while we were spending 6 months in Strasbourg, we came to Switzerland and also spent a night at their home.
Apparently within a couple of months of their visit to us in Flagstaff, Eric had gone to Europe to work in Brussels. Apparently he spent almost every weekend visiting some part of Europe, and so he also spent a night at Michel and Marianne’s home. In 2007, while we were spending 6 months in Strasbourg, we came to Switzerland and also spent a night at their home.
They have always been very hospitable, but Michel has made it clear, nicely but clearly, that he loves wine and has no interest in the Church. Like most people from French-speaking Canton Bern, he was raised Protestant, and his wife, from Zurich, whose maiden name was Schmidt, was raised Catholic. Nevertheless, she has taught catachism (Bible stories) for the Protestant parish.
Michel’s father was Achille Raymond Giauque. The father of Achille Raymond (1898-) was Frederic Auguste Giauque (1855 - 1934), who is listed as “Secretaire,” (town clerk). His father was Theophile Constant Giauque (1822 – 1897). Theophile Constant’s father was Jean Jacob Giauque (about 30 Apr 1780-1858), who is listed as “President,” which apparently means “Judge,” rather than President. I will have to look in the DVD of the Diesse Parish records to be sure of that.
Theophile Constant (1822-1897) had an older brother, named Aimé Auguste Giauque (1819-1860). He married Elisabeth von Gunten, and is the father of Arnold Gustave Giauque, Senior, who arrived in Utah in Sept 1868, and who is my great grandfather. Michel Giauque, who was born in 1943, is my father’s 3rd cousin. Michel was born when his father was fairly old, and his father was the last child of his father’s family. This explains why I am one generation further away from Jean Jacob Giauque than Michel is.
Theophile Constant (1822-1897) had an older brother, named Aimé Auguste Giauque (1819-1860). He married Elisabeth von Gunten, and is the father of Arnold Gustave Giauque, Senior, who arrived in Utah in Sept 1868, and who is my great grandfather. Michel Giauque, who was born in 1943, is my father’s 3rd cousin. Michel was born when his father was fairly old, and his father was the last child of his father’s family. This explains why I am one generation further away from Jean Jacob Giauque than Michel is.
Michel had told me that there were German speaking Giauque people in Bern. I believe that it was Sister Monique Portellano who told me that she thought there was a Giauque who was in politics in the town of Ittigen, a town located just east of Zollikofen. I put off making contact with him, but this past summer his picture appeared in the free local Bern newspaper, in advertisements, showing that he was running for the Canton of Bern Parlement. Perhaps he was running for re-election. He apparently won. He will be the president of the parlement next year. His name is Beat Giauque. Beat is a fairly common German male first name (we know of at least one other one). It is probably the shortened form of “Beatitude,” (or “Happy”).
About 10 days ago, I wrote him an email, after getting some help with German. Last Thursday, 7 July 2010, I visited with him for an hour at his office in the Ittigen town hall. He was born 13 April 1950 (is 60 years old). He is slightly shorter than I am, very trim, has white hair and appears to be single. He has several web sites, and can be found by doing a google search for “beat giauque.” Some of the pictures of him show him with dark cricles under his eyes. The best picture is at this site: http://www.ittigen.ch/de/politik/behoerden/behoerdenmitglieder/?personen_id=23487
In his office, Beat had a 3 ft by 4 ft diagram, in color, covered with glass, that someone had worked up for him. He was willing to photocopy the diagram for me in several parts.
I already have in my records most of the information he has, except of course the two most recent generations. That information came from the microfilm I made in 1963 in Preles, of which a copy is in the Fam. Hist. Lib. in Salt Lake.
I already have in my records most of the information he has, except of course the two most recent generations. That information came from the microfilm I made in 1963 in Preles, of which a copy is in the Fam. Hist. Lib. in Salt Lake.
Beat’s father was André Giauque (1919-), whose father was Oscar Giauque (1879 -1933), whose father was David Louis Giauque (1847-1908), whose father was Théophile Constant Giauque (1822 – 1897), the same one whose brother was Aimé Auguste Giauque mentioned earlier. Since the nearest common ancestor of Michel and Beat is Theophile Constant, they are more closely related than they are to me. Michel is the 2nd cousin of André, mentioned above. Beat is my 4th cousin, and Michel’s children are my 4th cousins. When you consider that Sharon Giauque and her brother Kent Giauque the dentist are my 3rd cousins, you can see that we Giauque people, both in the US and in Europe are quite closely related (3rd and 4th degrees). I am thinking too of Piero Donelli, the industrialist who lives near Milano, and is the 4th generation of Arnold Gustave Giauque Senior’s older sister, Julie Cécile Giauque. He, like Sharon Giauque, is my 3rd cousin.
Surprisingly, however, the Racine family in Salt Lake, descendants of Henri Racine and Corrine Giauque, is only fairly distantly related to us. . . probably as about 7th cousins.
End of this entry.
