General Notes

THE  arrival of the de Vaux family here was by  two brothers, the eldest named
Nicholas and a younger one named Daniel. They came in company with several other French
refugee families,many of whom had, at an early period, fled to Manheim, in Germany. This place
afterwards was invaded by  Louis XIV., when the family of Nicholas and others
escaped to England; and in 1674 they may have accompanied Sir Edmund Andros across the ocean on the ship "H.M.S. Dimond" when he became the Governor of New York.

The family of Nicholas de Vaux consisted of his wife with one child, Abraham,
and Nicholas's young brother,  Daniel, when he settled at Harlem. The next year (1675)
Nicholas was foundin the "Night Watch," at that place, having been called upon by the Governor to
assist in protecting the inhabitants against an attack from the Indians; and two years
after he was again enrolled by the Governor to assist in cutting 5,000 trees to erect a
"Palisade Wall," on the line of the present "Wall Street" (New York), to guard against an
expected attack of the Indians. This fact gave this prominent business street its name.

Nicholas had previously obtained some land at Harlem, as we find him taxed for property there in 1677. He remained here, however, but a few years, when he removed to New Jersey, where he and his wife joined the church at Bergen, in 1679. It appeared afterwards that several of his wife's relatives had moved to Hackensack, which induced him to change his residence to that place. Here they erected "The French Church," near where still remains "The Old French burying-ground," in which he and his first wife were buried; his second marriage was with  Margaret Jans, in 1706, when he was about sixty-four years old. By his first wife he had children, Abraham, b. 1667; John, b. 1669;  Hester, b. 1671; Susannah, b. 1673; and  Marytie, b. 1675.

Abraham married  Mynno (Menno or Minnie) de Maree in 1688, and joined the "First Reformed Dutch Church" in Hackensack, the records of which show the name of Abraham De Vouw, registered in 1694; afterwards the name appears de Vouw and De Voux,  or DeVeaux and Voe,  with nearly all of this branch many years after. He had six children born at Hackensack, and about the year 1705 for some cause he removed to Tarrytown, N. Y., where he became a member of the Reformed (Dutch) Church of the Manor of
Philipsburgh, at "Sleepy Hollow," and served in the offices of deacon (in 1708) and elder off and on for about twenty years. An old book of records shows on the 16th August, 1710, "At a meeting of the
Consistory, Abraham de Voe (notice change of spelling from the French to the English ver.) was honourably
discharged from his official service as Deacon, afterserving two years; his accounts were approved,
and were as follows: Paid from receipts to  Dominie Bartholf, 29-10 (perhaps Guilders); paid for Communion bread, 10; whole amount, 39-10."

The children of  Abraham were,  Nicholas,  Maria,  Elsie,  Rachel,  John, and Christina, b. 1699. Christina, b. 1699; m.  Joghem Van Weert in 1724; &  had: 1) Catharine, b.1733; 2) Johannes, b. 1735; 3) Jacob, b.  1738, and 4) Maritie, b. 1741.

The Family Surname has been spelled lots a ways in records I have researched.
Each one means something else. 1) De Vaux = Ist Person, presence of Valoir: be worth;  be as good as; to
deserve merit;.  Phonetic is [ VO ] 2) De Veaux = 1st Person,  Meat: of Veal (s); young beef; calf; [VO]
3) De Veau = of Veal or Meat;  Phonetic is [ VO ] 4) De Voe = of Voe (???)(USA) [VO]
(Ref: Langenscheidt Standard Dictionary;  French to English ////  English to French; 1968 Langenscheidt KG,
Berlin and Munich;  Printed in Great Britain) IN glancing over a large number of old records, genealogies, Coats of Arms and late directories of French noble families, we find the name now generally known as De Voe, De Veau, de Veaux, de Vaux, etc., appears to have been originally known in France as Vaux,
Veaux, etc., and was found to be prominent among the government officers at a very
early period.

In a very elaborate genealogy we find: "The family of Vaux [VO] derived its surname from a
district in Normandy, France, where it was originally seated, but as early as the year 749 of the
Christian era a branch of the Vaux Family is found to be in Provence, Southern France  and was
allied by marriage to several of the Sovereign Princes of Europe." Another early branch is noticed by "Bouvier," who says: "Eloi, Sire of Verchmont, had been appointed, in an Edict of Charles the Bald in the year 857, Vidame and Lord of Vaux, Count of Verchmont."

At a later period " Eloi-Michel De Vaux  is called Sire & Count of Verchmont,
Sire & Baron of Gaillon, great baillif of the sword (grand bailli d'epee) of the Dutchy of Nantes,
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Malta. Another of the Verchmont branch was found in a rescript of Charles deGonzague, when he made Charleville out of the small Town of Arches in 1698." The name is further mentioned in the records of that and subsequent periods by the patronymic of Beaux, Baux, or Vaux (B and V being used indiscriminately in the south (*)"A Count Elie de Vaux de Verchmont was taken, under the Republic, corresponding with  the army of Cond; judged and condemned, he was executed on January 5, 1793, whilst his brother, Michel de Vaux de Verchmont, was receiving a sword of honor for his brave conduct in front of the  enemy." of France), and the ancient possessions of the Princes of Baux in that country are still called "Les Terres Baussengues," comprising Aix, Marseilles, etc.

In the year 1140 the Vaux's disputed the sovereignty of Provence with the house of Barcelona, and in 1173 they acquired the principality of Orange by marriage with Tiburge, heiress of Orange. Bertram de Vaux was Count of Montescaziosi, and married Beatrix, daughter of Charles II., King of Naples and Sicily. His son,  Francis de Vaux, espoused Margaret of Anjou, widow of Edward I,(de Baloil), King of Scotland, crowned at Scone on Sept.24, 1332,  etc. Upon this marriage, Francis de Vaux was created Duke of Andrea in the Kingdom of Naples, &c., and his descendants enjoyed the highest offices, as the following inscription, translated from a monument erected in the year 1615 in the Church of St. Clair, at Naples, fully attests.

" This monument is dedicated to the most illustrious family of Vaux, a potent race, decorated with the royal insignia in the kingdom of Vienne and Arles, Princes of Orange, Counts of Geneva, and great rulers within
the sovereignty of Provence, which they frequently subjugated to their dominion by force of arms."
"Hyero-nymus de Vaux has here deposited the bones of as many of his name and lineage as he has been able to collect, and out of piety to them has erected this monument to their memory:
"Videlicet, to the memories of:
"Antonia de Vaux, Queen of Sicily;  Isabella de Vaux, Queen of Naples.
Cecilla de Vaux, Countess of Savoy;  Sibella de Vaux, Princess of Piedmont.
Maria de Vaux, Dauphiness of Vienne;  Isabella de Vaux, Despotisses of Servia."

"The earliest account we have of the founders of the English branches of the Vaux family is that of Bertrand de Vaux; attended a tournament in the year 929, and was a favorite of  Robert I., Duke of Normandy, grandfather of William the Conqueror. The names of the descendants of this Bertrand are traced through the Rolles Normand, written Baux, (beautiful?), Vaux, Vaulx?, etc." In the next earliest French records we find " Jean de Vaux, gallant (son of a chevalier), who assisted, with several other noblemen, in 1302 at the assizes of the Seneschal of Beauraime." Then appears: Raimond de Vaux, gallant son of Feu Pierre Garin de Vaux; and  Pierre Rigaud de Vaux who pledged fidelity and duty to the  Countess Elinore de Cominges in
1343."

FRENCH Heraldic Genealogists have introduced various "Coats of Arms" of the
family name at a very early periods. Thus,

"Vaux-de-Salins",  appears:

"(D'azur  3 Chapeaux d'Albanois d'or.)  This Family, who recognized as its
stem

Jean de Vaux, Councillor and Master of the Chamber des Comptes, a Court of Burgundy in 1496, became extinct or merged in the last century in that of the Alepy." Another translation introduces in 1508  Jean de Veau,  magistrate of the Province of Languedoc, who was one of the Councillors of the Court of Parliament in Toulouse, and who solicited the king to establish a Criminal Court in the Parliament.

From the Grandmaison Dictionary of Heraldry we also introduce the following:

"de Vaux. D'argent,  une montagne de sable, surmonte d'une aigle de gueules."

The De Vaux  Family :

"de Vaux.  Dauphin. De gueules au lion passant d'argent."

"de Vaux (Baron) or Carra de Vaux (Baron). Domicile, Chateau de Rieux (Marne).

Armes: D'azur, au chevron d'argent, accompagn de 3 losanges 2 & 1, & d'un

croissant en pointe du mme."

"The Arms of de Vaux and Isaac de Fancher, Esquire, Lord of Clozuron
(Perigord), married on the 2d of May, 1598, by contract, the noble  Miss Rebecca de Vaux,
who, by her testament of the 7th of July, 1625, declared that she wished to be
buried in the Church of the Dames de Fontaine, in the place she acquired of the Nuns of the
said place."   "de Vaux.   Dauphin ( tran: Dolphin ). De gueules au lion passant
d'argent."

"De Vaux  of Languedoc," "Lords of Chavagnac, of Robiac and other places--De au
veau (cow) d'argent & un chef d'azur, charg d'un croissant renvers d'or accost de 4
toilesm d'argent."  (In Heraldry, or Coats of Arms,  a pun on someone's name is very
common)

"The family of De Vaux  of Robiac originally came from Languedoc, and enjoyed
from time immemorial all the prerogatives exclusively reserved to the nobility of
ancient extraction. "The name, which is sometimes found written De Vaulk or De Vaux, is often
quoted by historians of that province as distinguished in the magistracy, as in the profession of
arms. The family have always allied themselves to the principal houses of that
province, especially to those of d'Orneau, de Bernard, de Lassagne, de Narbonne, Lary,
and of de Larcy. "It was maintained in its nobility by the Royal Commissioners appointed
to search out the usurpers of nobility in the Province of Languedoc in the year 1666.

"The Coat of Arms of this family, which are represented at the head of this
notice, were to be seen in the year 1766 upon the outer walls of the Church of the Commune
of Robiac, of which 20. de Vaux were patron Lords." Another branch of the family in France, who no doubt had performed important and gallant services for the "House of Lorraine," were ennobled with a "Coat of
Arms" of that place, as here represented.

Sources:

“Bergen's Early Settlers of King County, Long Island, New York."
"History of Westchester County,  New York" History of Westchester County,  New York
"The Documentary History of the state of New York, Vol. IIII"
"The Documentary History of the state of New York, Vol. IV"
"Who's Who in New York, 1909
"Westchester Patriarchs;
“The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 W. 58st. New
York, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record; ; January 1997, Vol.
128, Number 1;  pp. 49-54
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 W. 58st. New
York, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record; ; Volume XXVIII, 1897;
pp.7-9
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 W. 58st. New
York, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record; ; April 1979,
Vol.110, Number 2.; PP.100-104
Nobiliarie de Normandie, Societe de Genealogistes, From 1106
Armorial D’Artois et de Picardie, Generalite D’Amiens, 1699-1710, pub. 1866
Armorial de Flandre, Du Hainaut et du Cambresis, 1696-1710, pub. 1856


From the Grandmaison Dictionary of Heraldry we also introduce the following: "de Vaux. D'argent,  une montagne de sable, surmonte d'une aigle de gueules." The De Vaux  Family : "de Vaux.  Dauphin. De gueules au lion passant d'argent." "de Vaux (Baron) or Carra de Vaux (Baron). Domicile, Chateau de Rieux (Marne). Armes: D'azur, au chevron d'argent, accompagn de 3 losanges 2 & 1, & d'un croissant en pointe du mme."