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Translation to be reviewed. This page is a translation of the French original, which remains the reference. Read the French version

From Clairac to the world

People from Clairac in Switzerland

Switzerland was mainly a country of passage: some 60,000 refugees crossed it, fewer than 20,000 settled there. [W24] Claude Martin counts 6 people from Clairac “in Switzerland” in his list and records 8 in Geneva and Basel; many others passed through Lausanne before Frankfurt. [L] [G]

Claude Martin’s figures

In his list of emigrants [L]
6 “in Switzerland”
In his register extracts (G02, table of places, p. 7) [G]
8 people ; Basel 2 times, Geneva 6 times

The two counts are not to be added together. The list places each emigrant under one destination; the extracts count the people Claude Martin found in registers, town by town, and the same person may appear in both. The figures are the ones he wrote.

The transcription has 5 lines classed under this country; a line is not always one person, and the differences from Claude Martin’s count are noted on the page of the list, not corrected.

The town figures in his table do not always match the lines of his extracts: the differences are documented with the transcription, never corrected. [G]

The list of emigrants Claude Martin’s extracts (G02)

The families traced

Three leading families: the Pomarèdes, one of whom, a pewterer, arrived in Frankfurt from Zurich with a certificate from Lausanne; Jacques Brustis, a button maker, who came from Lausanne in 1687 with three other people from Clairac; Paul Brochequin, recorded in Lausanne on 15 June 1688 Confirmed, whose other Swiss stages are still to be checked. To be checked

Records that place at least one confirmed or probable fact in this country. The badge gives the status of the whole record: a record classed as a hypothesis may contain a fact confirmed here.

5 lab records: 4 confirmed, 0 probable, 1 hypotheses (status of the whole record).

All related records

All the lab records

Map

Switzerland on the map

The “From Clairac to the world” map, centred on Switzerland: the same points, the same entries. Open a point to read the entry for the place.

Hover over, tap or select a point on the map with the keyboard to open the place’s record. On a small screen, swipe the map sideways to see all of it.

From Clairac to the world: Switzerland Map of present-day Switzerland, with its outline in colour. The lines come from Clairac, outside the frame to the south-west: to Geneva and Switzerland, destinations in Claude Martin’s list. Diamonds mark Basel, Zurich, Bern and Lausanne, places in his register extracts (empty diamond: mainly a stopping place). In plum dashes, the route of Paul Brochequin through Geneva, Lausanne, La Neuveville and Schaffhausen. Switzerland (5)Geneva (1) Swiss towns La RochelleNantesLabatPaul Brochequin The lines start from Clairac, outside the frame, to the south-west.
Clairac Destinations recorded by Claude Martin in his list of emigrants, with the number of lines naming them [L] Places from which descendants came, according to the exhibition panel [A] Dutilh family: departures (dotted lines) and Nérac [D] [E] [H] Places named in the registers recorded by Claude Martin, grouped by region (hollow diamond: mostly a stopover) [G] Findings of the lab, confirmed or probable: a section in the record of places already on the map, squares for new places. Studies by Claude Martin: Louisiana (departures from La Rochelle, Nantes and Clairac), Cobham, in England, the glassworks of the Couserans, and the glassmakers’ diaspora from the Ariège (Gabre, Montauban), distinct from the Clairac list Hypothesis Unproven leads, dotted: Pegues (South Carolina), Labat (Ireland), and Peiret, from Gabre to New York (glassmakers’ diaspora from the Ariège) Route of Paul Brochequin, a tailor from Clairac (1688-1705), stage by stage, in dashes Base map: Natural Earth (public domain). The lines link each place to Clairac; they do not represent routes, except those of Paul Brochequin and of Pierre Peiret, which starts in Gabre. Countries and regions named without a city: marker at the approximate centre. Off the map: 89 “not followed” lines, 2 with no destination and 1 “Indes Or.”. Lab: the number of families and of facts is given for each place; the exact number of people cannot be measured reliably. The list of emigrants names only European destinations; the “Studies by Claude Martin” and “Hypotheses” layers concern his work and unproven leads, not his list.

Outline of the country: present-day borders (Natural Earth, public domain), as a reference; at the time of the Refuge, the states and their borders were different.

Text version: the places on this map and their sources

  • Switzerland

    In Claude Martin’s list of emigrants

    Lines
    5 lines; Claude’s spellings: “Suisse” (4), “Suisse (1684)” (1).
    Summary
    “6 en Suisse”; the transcription counts 5 lines in this category (difference: -1).
    Period
    Not specified by the list, except one line “Suisse (1684)”
    Connection with Clairac
    Destination recorded by Claude Martin for emigrants from Clairac.
    Families
    Not linked: the names in the list are not connected to the families on this site.
    Sources
    Claude Martin, list of emigrants from Clairac (facsimile and transcription) [L]
    Confidence level
    High: recorded by Claude Martin in his list, which does not cite its sources; country named without a city: marker at the approximate centre of the country.

    In the registers recorded by Claude Martin

    Lines
    5 lines of transcription (G02: 2, G05: 3), including 3 through a note by Claude Martin covering a group of lines.
    Mentions
    Coming from (6).
    Period
    From 1686 to 1705, according to the dates written on the lines.
    Connection with Clairac
    Mainly a place of transit: the lines say “coming from”, name a witness or relief received on the way; for most, it is not an attested refuge.
    Sources
    Claude Martin’s typed records: G02 p. 1, G02 p. 3, G05 p. 2 (documents not reproduced on this site) [G]
    Confidence level
    High for what the document says: Claude Martin cites the register or publication each line comes from. A line is not a person: the same person may appear in several documents. These numbers are not to be added to those of the list of émigrés.
    People
    The 5 lines: person, date, entry, document and page
    PersonDateEntryDocument
    Pierre Boris1686coming fromG02 p. 1
    Moyse du Vignau1705coming fromG02 p. 3
    Jean Vignon—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    François Pautonnier—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Pierre Boris—coming fromG05 p. 2
    Pierre Boris—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2

    “(?)”: uncertain reading. “reg.”: Frankfurt relief register, cited by Claude Martin.

  • Geneva (Switzerland)

    In Claude Martin’s list of emigrants

    Lines
    1 line; Claude’s spelling: “geneve 1701”.
    Summary
    No line for this place in Claude’s summary.
    Period
    “1701”, written by Claude Martin after the destination
    Connection with Clairac
    Destination recorded by Claude Martin for emigrants from Clairac.
    Families
    Not linked: the names in the list are not connected to the families on this site.
    Sources
    Claude Martin, list of emigrants from Clairac (facsimile and transcription) [L]
    Confidence level
    High: recorded by Claude Martin in his list, which does not cite its sources.

    In the registers recorded by Claude Martin

    Lines
    11 lines of transcription (G02: 9, G03: 1, G05: 1).
    Mentions
    Presence (4), coming from (3), marriage (1), citizenship (burghership) (1), destination (1), witness (1).
    Period
    From 1684 to 1727, according to the dates written on the lines; 1 date before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1684): this is not the exile of 1685.
    Connection with Clairac
    People from Clairac whose presence, marriage, death or settlement in this place Claude Martin recorded.
    Sources
    Claude Martin’s typed records: G02 p. 1, G02 p. 4, G02 p. 6, G03 p. 4, G05 p. 2 (documents not reproduced on this site) [G]
    Confidence level
    High for what the document says: Claude Martin cites the register or publication each line comes from. A line is not a person: the same person may appear in several documents. These numbers are not to be added to those of the list of émigrés.
    People
    The 11 lines: person, date, entry, document and page
    PersonDateEntryDocument
    Marie Sauzet1696coming fromG02 p. 1
    Alexandre Dubosc1702coming fromG02 p. 1
    Jean DUGARS1701coming fromG02 p. 4
    Jean BERTRAND1688presenceG02 p. 6
    David DELMESTRE1698presenceG02 p. 6
    Jean Du PUY1708presenceG02 p. 6
    Pierre LABAT1701marriageG02 p. 6
    Noé DUBOSC1684presenceG02 p. 6
    BAR de Baron de MAUZAC Jean1709citizenship (burghership)G02 p. 6
    Jean DURAND1727-02-09destinationG03 p. 4
    Jean Salomon—witnessG05 p. 2

    “(?)”: uncertain reading. “reg.”: Frankfurt relief register, cited by Claude Martin.

    Findings of the lab (confirmed or probable)

    Families
    2
    Confirmed or probable facts
    2

  • Basel

    Lines
    2 lines of transcription (G02: 2).
    Mentions
    Presence (2).
    Period
    From 1688 to 1694, according to the dates written on the lines.
    Connection with Clairac
    People from Clairac whose presence, marriage, death or settlement in this place Claude Martin recorded.
    Sources
    Claude Martin’s typed records: G02 p. 6 (documents not reproduced on this site) [G]
    Confidence level
    High for what the document says: Claude Martin cites the register or publication each line comes from. A line is not a person: the same person may appear in several documents. These numbers are not to be added to those of the list of émigrés.
    People
    The 2 lines: person, date, entry, document and page
    PersonDateEntryDocument
    Jean BALGUERIE1694presenceG02 p. 6
    CREBESSAC1688presenceG02 p. 6

    “(?)”: uncertain reading. “reg.”: Frankfurt relief register, cited by Claude Martin.

  • Zurich

    In the registers recorded by Claude Martin

    Lines
    5 lines of transcription (G02: 1, G05: 4).
    Mentions
    Coming from (3), destination (1), witness (1).
    Period
    1686, according to the dates written on the lines.
    Connection with Clairac
    Mainly a place of transit: the lines say “coming from”, name a witness or relief received on the way; for most, it is not an attested refuge.
    Sources
    Claude Martin’s typed records: G02 p. 1, G05 p. 1, G05 p. 2 (documents not reproduced on this site) [G]
    Confidence level
    High for what the document says: Claude Martin cites the register or publication each line comes from. A line is not a person: the same person may appear in several documents. These numbers are not to be added to those of the list of émigrés.
    People
    The 5 lines: person, date, entry, document and page
    PersonDateEntryDocument
    Daniel Dutilh1686coming fromG02 p. 1
    Pierre Pomarede—coming fromG05 p. 1
    Paul Herbes—destinationG05 p. 1
    Daniel Dutilh—witnessG05 p. 2
    Daniel Merle—coming fromG05 p. 2

    “(?)”: uncertain reading. “reg.”: Frankfurt relief register, cited by Claude Martin.

    Findings of the lab (confirmed or probable)

    Families
    1
    Confirmed or probable facts
    1

  • Bern

    In the registers recorded by Claude Martin

    Lines
    6 lines of transcription (G02: 2, G05: 4).
    Mentions
    Coming from (2), relief received (2), destination (1), witness (1).
    Period
    1686, according to the dates written on the lines.
    Connection with Clairac
    People from Clairac whose presence, marriage, death or settlement in this place Claude Martin recorded.
    Sources
    Claude Martin’s typed records: G02 p. 1, G02 p. 3, G05 p. 1, G05 p. 3 (documents not reproduced on this site) [G]
    Confidence level
    High for what the document says: Claude Martin cites the register or publication each line comes from. A line is not a person: the same person may appear in several documents. These numbers are not to be added to those of the list of émigrés.
    People
    The 6 lines: person, date, entry, document and page
    PersonDateEntryDocument
    Moyse Belloc1686coming fromG02 p. 1
    Paul Herbes1686coming fromG02 p. 3
    Joseph Galiné—relief receivedG05 p. 1
    Pierre Pomarede—relief receivedG05 p. 1
    Paul Herbes—destinationG05 p. 1
    Moyse Belloc—witnessG05 p. 3

    “(?)”: uncertain reading. “reg.”: Frankfurt relief register, cited by Claude Martin.

    Findings of the lab (confirmed or probable)

    Families
    1
    Confirmed or probable facts
    1

  • Lausanne

    In the registers recorded by Claude Martin

    Lines
    19 lines of transcription (G02: 4, G05: 15), including 11 through a note by Claude Martin covering a group of lines.
    Mentions
    Coming from (12), witness (7), presence (1), place named, role not stated (1).
    Period
    From 1686 to 1693, according to the dates written on the lines.
    Connection with Clairac
    Mainly a place of transit: the lines say “coming from”, name a witness or relief received on the way; for most, it is not an attested refuge.
    Sources
    Claude Martin’s typed records: G02 p. 1, G02 p. 2, G02 p. 3, G05 p. 1, G05 p. 2, G05 p. 6 (documents not reproduced on this site) [G]
    Confidence level
    High for what the document says: Claude Martin cites the register or publication each line comes from. A line is not a person: the same person may appear in several documents. These numbers are not to be added to those of the list of émigrés.
    People
    The 19 lines: person, date, entry, document and page
    PersonDateEntryDocument
    Jacques Villessauvès1686coming fromG02 p. 1
    Jacques Brustis1686coming fromG02 p. 1
    Jean-Jacques AUGIER du Barail1693presenceG02 p. 2
    Joseph Galliné1686coming fromG02 p. 3
    Joseph Galiné—witnessG05 p. 1
    Pierre Pomarede—witnessG05 p. 1
    Samson Vichet—witnessG05 p. 1
    Jean Vignon—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    François Pautonnier—coming fromG05 p. 2
    François Pautonnier—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Pierre Boris—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Jaques Brustis—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Jean Rante—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Jaques Sauvage—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Jaques Larrima—coming fromG05 p. 2
    Jaques Larrima—coming from (group note)G05 p. 2
    Pierre Saint-Pé—place named, role not statedG05 p. 6
    Jaques Villesauves—witness (group note)G05 p. 6
    Jacob Dubosc—witness (group note)G05 p. 6
    Gratien Gas—witness (group note)G05 p. 6
    Jean Buscaille—witness (group note)G05 p. 6

    “(?)”: uncertain reading. “reg.”: Frankfurt relief register, cited by Claude Martin.

    Findings of the lab (confirmed or probable)

    Families
    3
    Confirmed or probable facts
    4

  • Route of Paul Brochequin (from Clairac to Rotterdam, 1688-1705)

    Probable

    Who
    Paul Brochequin (Brouchequin, Brousseguin), tailor, of Clairac.
    Stages
    1. Clairac: departure, in 1688 at the latest.
    2. Geneva: 13 June 1688.
    3. Lausanne: certificate of 15 June 1688, cited by the Frankfurt register.
    4. La Neuveville: 23 June 1688 (certificate of 15 June).
    5. Schaffhausen: 23 June 1688.
    6. Frankfurt: 2 July 1688, given relief with Jean Pigos, a dyer, bound for Holland (original register; the 10 May 1688 in Claude Martin’s notes, G03, is probably a copying error).
    7. London: 1 March 1702, baptism of his son Charles (Leicester Fields church).
    8. Rotterdam: 25 October 1705, baptism of his daughter Ester; then of Marie, on 31 August 1707.
    What is established
    The departure, Lausanne and Frankfurt: Claude Martin recorded “Paul Brousseguin, tailleur, de Clairac” (tailor, of Clairac) in the Frankfurt register of 1688; the original register (Institut für Stadtgeschichte Frankfurt am Main, Französisch-reformierte Gemeinde 79, p. 41, document sent by Glenys Bolland) dates this relief to 2 July 1688 and cites a certificate from Lausanne of 15 June. The baptisms in London and Rotterdam are in published or indexed registers.
    To be checked
    Geneva, La Neuveville and Schaffhausen come from records of the Base de données du Refuge huguenot (Huguenot Refuge database) reported by Glenys, which we have not been able to re-read; that the Paul of London and Rotterdam is the one from Clairac is very probable, not proved.
    Record
    Brouchequin: Paul, a tailor from Clairac, from Frankfurt to London and Rotterdam
    Story
    The story, stage by stage

See the full map

The routes

No network has yet been documented in this country: few of its registers have been examined (limits of the networks of departure).

Paul Brochequin, a tailor from Clairac, passed through this country: follow his journey stage by stage, from Clairac to Rotterdam.

What remains to be researched

Claude Martin mostly saw people from Clairac passing through Switzerland in the registers of Frankfurt, where they arrive “coming from Lausanne”; the Swiss registers themselves have hardly been examined, either by him or by the lab. Apart from Lausanne (certificate of 15 June 1688, cited by the Frankfurt register), Paul Brochequin’s stages and dates in Switzerland come from entries in the Huguenot Refuge database that we have not been able to reread. To be checked [G]

Archives and registers in the country

  • Archives d’État de Genève — the Adhémar database, civil registers online up to 1900, church archives and a genealogy guide.
  • Archives cantonales vaudoises — the central archives of the canton of Vaud (Lausanne): consultation on site, free of charge.
  • Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt — the archives of the canton of Basel-Stadt, with a reading room.
  • Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern — the archives of the canton of Bern: reading room and online inventories.
  • Staatsarchiv Zürich — the archives of the canton of Zurich: online catalogue and family research guide.
  • Base de données du Refuge huguenot — a database of entries on refugees in Switzerland and Germany, the source of three of Paul Brochequin’s Swiss stages; it did not respond when we checked. To be checked

Huguenot societies

Websites checked on 8 November 2026. Those without a link did not respond or could not be found: they are marked “to be checked”.

Aufruf

Nachkommen gesucht

Ihre Familie stammt von Hugenotten ab, die aus Clairac (Lot-et-Garonne) gekommen sind? Briefe, Familienpapiere, Fotos oder Erinnerungen an einen Besuch in Clairac können diese Seiten bereichern. Nichts wird ohne Ihre Zustimmung veröffentlicht.

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Descendants recherchés

Votre famille descend de huguenots partis de Clairac (Lot-et-Garonne) ? Lettres, papiers de famille, photographies ou souvenirs d’une visite à Clairac peuvent enrichir ces pages. Rien n’est publié sans votre accord.

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Does your family come from Clairac?

Search for your surname in Claude Martin’s extracts and the lab records, in all its spellings (Brochequin, Brousseguin, Boursequin…).

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From Clairac to the world

Did you know?

  • 60,000 passing through

    Of some 60,000 refugees who passed through Switzerland, fewer than 20,000 stayed: many moved on to Germany or Holland. [W24]

  • A man from Clairac in Basel

    Jean Balguerie, sieur de Galapian, was in Basel in 1694, according to Claude Martin’s extracts. [G] (the lab record)

  • In June 1688

    Paul Brochequin is said to have been in Geneva on 13 June 1688 To be checked; a certificate is issued to him in Lausanne on 15 June Confirmed; he is said to have been in La Neuveville and Schaffhausen on the 23rd To be checked, before Frankfurt, where he was given relief on 2 July. (the lab record)

Further reading

On this site: the full map, the list of emigrants, Claude Martin’s extracts, the lab and the Refuge in figures.

From Clairac to the world The emigrants of Clairac Claude Martin’s record extracts The Refuge in figures The networks of departure Protestantism in Clairac

The other countries of refuge

Germany Netherlands England Ireland America

Sources

  • [L] Claude Martin, “Emigrés de CLAIRAC en Agenois Province de Guyenne”, typed list, 3 pages, date unknown — facsimile and transcription
  • [G] Claude Martin, typed records of registers: G02: refugees from Clairac in Germany, England, America, Holland, Switzerland and Ireland; G03: refugees from Clairac given relief in Frankfurt (registers of the French Reformed Church); G04: people from Clairac who took refuge in Dublin after the Revocation; G05: Frankfurt registers and deeds of the notaries of Clairac; G15: Huguenots in England and Ireland, from the publications of the Huguenot Society of London. Claude Martin’s archives (records and original documents: Claude Martin’s record extracts)
  • [W24] Yves Krumenacker, « La Base de données du Refuge huguenot », Les Carnets du LARHRA, 1, 2012, p. 77-79, accessed 7 October 2026: publications-prairial.fr