Translation to be reviewed. This page is a translation of the French original, which remains the reference. Read the French version
Claude Martin de Robert 1927 — 2027 100 years
Claude Martin would have turned 100 on 1 March 2027.
A commemoration is being prepared in Clairac. Date, place and programme: information to come.
Why a centenary?
Claude Martin would have turned 100 on 1 March 2027. For the descendants of the families who emigrated from Clairac, he was a point of reference: from the 1960s they came to meet him, from Vienna, London, Frankfurt, Mauritius, Rotterdam or Philadelphia. [A]
Who was Claude Martin?
Descended on his father’s side from a family settled in Clairac for generations, as a teenager he copied notarial deeds in attics (1940s — to be specified). [A] He created the Musée historique du Clairacais in the Maison de Japhet: in 1966 according to the exhibition panel, in the 1970s according to the Société des amis de Clairac (to be verified). [A] [B] In 1978, he organised in Clairac a gathering of several dozen descendants of emigrants. [A] He died on 7 February 2018. [B] In 2019, his niece Florence Lung donated to the Huguenot Library, in London, a copy of his unpublished work on the Protestant refugees from Clairac. [C]
Read about his life See the timeline
Aim
The centenary aims to make his work better known, to gather the documents and testimonies concerning him, and to offer the descendants of Clairac families, as well as researchers, a lasting point of reference beyond 2027.
Claude Martin at 100 — the search goes on
Claude Martin spent his life finding people in the registers and following their traces as far as London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Dublin. Rather than only commemorating him, the centenary invites everyone to carry on this search.
- Claude Martin devoted part of his life to recovering and documenting the history of Clairac and its inhabitants.
- A hundred years after his birth, his work is brought together and can be consulted on this site: his record extracts, the list of emigrants from Clairac, his publications.
- Historians, descendants, genealogists and residents can carry on some of his research, during the centenary and afterwards.
The site’s research lab has already begun: the families split in two by exile, the networks of departure and the lineages followed into modern times, including those of the Fauquiers and the Dutilhs.
Planned format: one day in Clairac, followed by a visit on Sunday morning. Date to be confirmed
In Claude Martin’s archives
Workshops to carry on his research, each on a real question.
- Rereading Claude. The list of emigrants from Clairac: propose, with sources, a reading of the uncertain names marked “[?]” in the transcription.
- Following a family. Trace a person from the list in an online source: registers of London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam.
- Mapping. Locate precisely, on the map “From Clairac to the world”, the documented places of arrival and routes.
- Comparing the counts. Explain the differences between the summary typed by Claude Martin and the recount of his list.
- Descendants. Link your family tree to a person on the list (testimony and sources, with your consent).
- Claude Martin’s record extracts. Identify his documents, their versions and their duplicates.
Nothing is published directly. Every contribution follows the same path: source cited, checked by a second person, validated, then possibly added to the site, with the contributor’s name if they agree.
Workshops in preparation
Date, place and programme
The programme is in preparation. Nothing has been decided yet: each piece of information will be published here as soon as it is confirmed.
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Date
The date of the commemoration will be announced on this page.
Information to come
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Place
Clairac (Lot-et-Garonne). Exact venue to be confirmed.
Information to come
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Programme
The programme will be published once it has been finalised.
Programme in preparation
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Speakers
The speakers will be presented here.
Information to come
Participants and partners
The participants and partners of the commemoration will be presented once they are confirmed. Information to come
Would you like to take part in or support the centenary (association, institution, descendant of a Clairac family)? Get in touch.
Getting to Clairac
The commemoration is planned in Clairac, Lot-et-Garonne. Access, parking and accommodation: practical information will be published with the programme. Information to come
Registration
Registration is not open yet: its terms will be announced on this page. Information to come
Preparing the centenary with you
Memories, photographs, letters: every contribution is reviewed before any publication.
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To descendants
Are you descended from a Clairac family, whether it emigrated or not? Get in touch to help prepare the centenary.
Contact us
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For documents
Do you own a photograph, a letter or a document concerning Claude Martin or a Clairac family? Contribute to the archives.
Send a document
After the event
Photographs of the commemoration will be published here after the event, with the consent of the people photographed.
Sources
- [A] Exhibition panel “Claude Martin” (PDF, original document in French)
- [B] Société des amis de Clairac, Newsletter no. 1, May 2018 (PDF, original document in French)
- [C] Letter from the Huguenot Library (UCL, London), 12 November 2019 (PDF, original document in English)