According to L'Histore de la Follette Famile, the original family namewas Uzel, but was sometimes spelled differently, because of widespreadilliteracy. And there was only one name, since there was no suchthing as a last name until fairly recent times historically.
The legend goes that in France, during the Middle Ages, during abattle between the Duke of Mairne and Anjou, and the Twin Counts ofToulouse, a man named Uzel, who was a vassal of the Duke of Mair neAnjou, killed one of the Count of Toulouse. As a reward for hisheroism, Uzel was given a chateau, or a small castle, in the provinceof Anjou between the towns of Angers and Lemans. The name of thechateau was LeFollet, which means "the reckless one." Thus, hissurname: Uzel Du Follet, or Uzel of the Follet.
Through the many years to follow, a great deal of blood was shed forvarious religious causes. A young man of this same descent, Jean DuFollet, was also caught in the controversy. He was a French Huguenot,a Protestant, in love with a Catholic girl. Her parents disapproved,and sent the girl away to a convent. The young man, deeply in love,"stole" his bride away from her convent home and fled to the Isle ofJersey, where they were wed. Three children were born to this union:Joseph, George and Charles. The family traveled to America and settlein a Huguenot community near Newark, New Jersey, sometime during theFrench and Indian War (1754-1763). Because many of the Canadians wereFrench Catholic, the Huguenots often fought against them. In one suchbattle, as the story goes, old Jean LaFollette (the father) was tiedto a stake and burned. The three boys escaped because they had goneto the country to get some corn ground.
The LaFollettes, like so many other pioneers, then moved south toVirginia and Kentucky. One land survey shows the location of severalLaFollette farms along Nolynn Creek in LaRue County, Kentucky, near afarm owned by Thomas Lincoln, father of President Abraham Lincoln.Several Lincoln histories mention that young Abraham and Sarah werechildhood playmates with an Isaac LaFollette and his brothers andsisters, who were all about the same age.