LeBlond

My LeBlond family can be traced from Huguenot roots in France to London, where the family settled in the late seventeenth century, and later to Cincinnati, Ohio. This section brings together my direct LeBlond line, biographies, church and immigration records, family photographs, and related research, including Robert LeBlond and his brother Abraham, whose nineteenth-century printing business produced the color prints now known as the LeBlond ovals. I’ve also included information on other LeBlonds I have encountered during my research, whether or not a connection to my own family has been established.

My Line

My line of LeBlonds emigrated from France to England in 1685/6 and then to the U.S. in the mid 1800’s where they settled in Cincinnati. The immigrant ancestor in America was Robert LeBlond, the printer.

My line runs like this:

Robert LeBlond born ca. 1650; m. Elizabeth Mayeux; died ca. 1712. This Robert probably left France for England in 1685/6. Linen draper.
….Robert LeBlond born 1702 in London married Madeleine Lormier
……..Robert LeBlond born 1732 in London, married Elizabeth Chansac in 1754
…………Robert LeBlond born 1761 in London, married Jeanne Gammage
…………….Robert LeBlond born 1789 in London, married Elizabeth Saling
………………..Robert LeBlond born August 4, 1816 in London. Married Sarah Brooker on November 19, 1837. This Robert was the printer who was in business with his brother Abraham. Died October 18, 1863.
……………………Robert Emmett LeBlond, born November 24, 1840, in London. Married Elizabeth Jane Knight in 1863. Moved to America 1856. Died October 8, 1928.
……………………….Robert Arthur LeBlond, born February 21, 1866 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Married Anna Elinora Blomberg. Member of Ohio legislature, judge, lawyer, member of City Council. Died May 22, 1937.
…………………………..Katherine Elizabeth LeBlond, born August 22, 1910 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Married Bruce Farquhar. My grandmother. Died 2002.

There are so many Robert LeBlonds here! I’ve had to assign them nicknames based on their occupation to keep them all straight. See below for their biographies.

LeBlond Family Tree

This family tree was kindly shared with me by Lawrence LeBlond. It’s a beautifully drawn pedigree chart that starts with the Robert LeBlond (1732-1806) who married Elizabeth Chansac/Chauzot/Chaugot in 1754. He is my 6th great-grandfather. Lawrence related how he came to be in possession of this document: “These were above my grandfather’s dresser. The pedigree is by Col. Douglas Sapte. Both were given to Richard E. LeBlond in 1947 in London by Aubrey LeBlond. The story I have is she was the last of the family in that line and was looking for someone to pass them on to.”

If you’d like to download a very large pdf of this image, click here.

Biographies

• Abraham LeBlond (1819-1894)
• Jacob Christoph Le Blon (1667-1741)
• Katherine Elizabeth LeBlond (1910-2002)
• Louis LeBlond (1629-) of Tourny, France
• Richard Emmet LeBlond (1900-1995)
• Richard Knight LeBlond (1864-1953)
• Robert Arthur LeBlond (1866-1937)
• Robert Emmet LeBlond (1840-1928)
• Robert LeBlond (1650-1708), Linen Draper
• Robert LeBlond (1702-1765)
• Robert LeBlond (1732-1806)
• Robert LeBlond (1761-1816)
• Robert LeBlond (1789-1824), Limner
• Robert LeBlond (1816-1863) Engraver and Printer

LeBlond Articles and Info

• Huguenot History
• Other LeBlonds Not in My Line
• LeBlonds in Tourny Parish Records, Eure, France, 1600s and 1700s
• The Le Blond Family in Protestant Exiles from France in the Reign of Louis XIV
• Robert Le Blond, Companion of William the Conqueror
• LeBlonds in the Records of Threadneedle Street Church, Spitalfields, London
• Mystery Photos, Two Ancestors, No Idea
• Mabel’s Wedding Dress
• Huguenot Timeline
• Register of Members of the French Protestant Church at Threadneedle Street

About the Name LeBlond

The Internet Surname Database describes the origin of the name LeBlond and lists some early carriers of the surname.

This name derives from the Old French “blund” or “blond,”, ultimately from the Latin “blondus” meaning “blond, fair or yellow-haired” and was originally given as a nickname to one with blond hair or a fair complexion. The surname is first recorded in the latter half of the 11th Century, (see below). One, Robert se Blund appears in “The Old English Byname Register”, under the date 1100, and a Ralph le Blund in “Documents relating to the Danelaw”, Leicestershire, circa 1100. The French definite article “le” precedes all recordings of the name in the Hundred Rolls of various counties, dated 1273, for example, Margareta le Blound (Cambridgeshire), and Alan le Blund, (Oxfordshire). This name was re-introduced into England with the arrival of the French Huguenots from the early 17th Century as the following recordings from London Church Registers show: Pierre Le Blond christened in Threadneedle Street French Huguenot Church on August 9th 1612 and Robert Le Blond christened in the French Huguenot Church, The Artillery, Spitalfields. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rodbertus Blondus, which was dated 1086, The Domesday Book (Devonshire), during the reign of King William 1, “The Conqueror”, 1066-1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to “develop” often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Glossary

Researching the LeBlond family can have a bit of a steep learning curve as one runs into all sorts of interesting terms like Huguenot, Spitalfields, and Artillery. I’m compiling a list of these to remind myself of their definitions.

Christchurch Cemetery, Also known as Christ Church Spitalfields Churchyard, Spitalfields, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Greater London, England

Nicholas Hawksmoor’s Christ Church Spitalfields was built 1714-1729 following the 1711 Fifty New Churches Act with money raised by tax on coal; it was the first of his three churches in the East End, the others being St Anne Limehouse and St George-in-the-East. His original design for Christ Church was estimated at £9,129 16s but actually cost over £39,000. The foundations were laid in 1714 and the church was finally consecrated on 5 July 1714. Income for the upkeep of the church came from various sources including leasing box pews to wealthy local families, burials in the crypt paid for by those fearful of body-snatchers, which was designed to cater for 1,000 bodies, and in the mid 19th century church elders decided to charge double fees for burials of non-parishioners. The congregation included Huguenot refugees who had fled to this country, many settling in Spitalfields; over half of the 18th century gravestones showed French names as a result.

The present garden is a fragment of the original burial ground for Christ Church, which altogether saw 68,000 burials, 67,000 of which were outside the church. Until the latter part of the 19th century the churchyard extended east to Brick Lane; it had been enlarged in 1791 and in 1859 it was extended to Commercial Street to the west. It was closed for burials and was converted into a public garden by the MPGA in 1892, the layout the work of Fanny Wilkinson, landscape gardener to the MPGA. It was later largely built over, partly by a children’s school/playgroup, and most of the monuments were removed in 1950.

The Old Artillery Ground

The Old Artillery Ground was a roughly five-acre area in Spitalfields. It stopped functioning as a military practice ground in the 1600s and was sold for building in 1682. By the time Mary was buried in 1747/48, it was already a built-up neighborhood, but “Artillery Ground” was still used as the name of the locality. The old neighborhood corresponds today to the little street network around Artillery Lane, Artillery Passage, Gun Street and Fort Street, immediately south/west of Spitalfields. Those street names survive specifically because of the former artillery ground. Tower Hamlets now protects much of it as the Artillery Passage Conservation Area.

Spitalfields

Huguenot

Mystery Photos

The Mysterious Mary LeBlond

Our family archives contain a daguerreotype of this young lady seated at a table. A card inserted into the case of the daguerreotype reads, “Monday 26th / January 1864 / Age 17 / Birthday May 12th / Mary Le Blond”. (#1174, Furst Family Archives.) Note: January 26, 1864 was a Tuesday. January 26, 1863 was a Monday. So either the day of the week is incorrect or perhaps the dates are incorrect.

Unfortunately, none of the Mary LeBlonds I have in my database match the birth date of 1847 for this young woman. I’m guessing she must be a niece of Robert LeBlond the printer as they time frame fits. So she might be a daughter of Frederick. I have practically nothing on him. Just born 07 Feb 1823, baptized 16 Mar 1823 at Saint Luke in Chelsea, London, England.

Young Lady of the LeBlond Family

Here’s a painting called “Young Lady of the LeBlond Family” by Rosalba Carriera. I don’t know if she is from my line of the family.

Links

l’Association des Familles Leblond Inc.

National Huguenot Society

Most Wanted

I’m looking for two books:
A Huguenot Family Le Blond by Marie Bennett (https://www.abebooks.com/9780951236208/Huguenot-family-Blond-Marie-Elizabeth-0951236202/plp) and Another Huguenot Family Le Blond by Robert LeBlond, written in 1994. If you have one to sell, please let me know!