Joannes De Bruijne

Descendants

Died 9 Aug 1681 in Klerken, Graafschap Vlaanderen, Spaanse Nederlanden [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Peter Meurrens [send private message] and Bart Vermeersch [send private message]

Sources

Notes

Note HI8570(Research):622 398 Klercken has tafels (index) and no acts; 1142461 item 1-3 has tafels d1675-1792 and no acts

Note NI8570http://home.tiscali.be/Ignace.Debruyne/senior.html

Descendants of Joannes de Bruijne (+1681 Klerken)

Joannes de Bruijne is the ancestor of a many Debruyne's in Belgium and abroad. Available data indicate that he and his family arrived in Klerken around 1650-1660. All persons with Debruyne ancestors in Klerken (today's Houthulst), Woumen, Merkem, Zarren and surrounding villages are highly probably descendants of this Joannes de Bruijne.

All available data on about 14 generations are given here. Data for the first 5 generations (till circa 1810) are complete for Debruyne's born in Klerken; data after 1810 are available for some selected lines. There are 3484 individuals and 1090 families representing 792 surnames in this database. A printed version of most of these data can be found in the book "STAMBOOM DEBRUYNE - Van Joannes de Bruijne tot Michiel Isidoor Debruyne" by Ignace Debruyne (published 1996), or after contacting the database owner.

De_Bruyne surnames: Debruyne(562), De Bruyne(372), De Brune(27), De Bruijne(15), De Bruine(10), Debruijne(1), Debrune(1)

Some other common surnames: Beauprez(70), Senesael(58), Lyphout(56), Deruyter(41), Caestecker(40), Vanhamme(39), Verstraete (38), Verslyppe(36), Descamps(29), Ramon(29)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z (NONE/OTHER) Surname List

Database Owner Contact Information

Ignace Debruyne

Haverhuisstraat 28

B-8870 Izegem (Belgium)

Tel. +32 (0)51 31 12 74

Fax +32 (0)51 31 56 75

ignace.debruyne@advalvas.be

http://home.tiscali.be/Ignace.Debruyne/

The Debruyne family in Klerken-Houthulst and the surrounding area

Parish registers for Klerken, a small village close to Diksmuide, are available as of 1653. The first reference to a Debruyne is made in 1663: Joannes and Christina de Bruijne are born as twin kids of Joannes de Bruijne and Christina de Harre. These are the first of many Debruyne's born in Klerken and the surrounding area for the next few hundred years.

No offspring is known of these twins. However, by the end of the 17th century, already a sufficient number of Debruyne's are born, married or deceased in Klerken to use for a detailed study of their relationship. The basic data, and the names and origin of witnesses and godfathers mentioned in these registers, reveal that all originate from one single family. Joannes de Bruijne and Joanna de Clerck (or Leclairc) are identified as the parents. The first born twins for example, are grandchildren of this couple.

Joannes de Bruijne (senior) died on Saturday, August 9,1681. The next day, he was buried with a first-class ceremony in the choir of the church. His wife died in 1683. She was buried next to him. Remains of the tombs are no longer traceable though. The church (originally built in 1510-1535 on top of an older construction from the 1200s) and the village center were completely destroyed during the first World War.

Apparently, Joannes and Joanna moved into Klerken around 1650. It is not clear where they came from or for what reason they moved to the village. Certainly in this period, pestilence was around in the major cities, and looting armies were passing through the region. Maybe, this family descends from the Debruyne's, cloth producers living around Ieper (Ypres) since the 12th century. However, until now no clear link or proof of this could be found.

The expansion of the Debruyne family in Klerken can be seen as extremely successful for the family name. The social aspects are much less flourishing though. Beginning as a rather high-class family, the descendents soon suffered from the severe historical issues happening around them. From the last quarter of the 17th century to the first half of the 18th century, French and Austrian armies regularly passed through the region, looting and destroying whatever was available. Villages like Klerken had to be self-supporting. The population realised this by exploiting whatever was available.

Close to Klerken, at that time just at the border of it, a stretch of woods (the so-called "Vrijbusch", i.e. Free Woods) provided for wood and shelter. Due to the turbulent era, people probably were forced to go and live there. During their illegal stay, they started making business in brush and broom production. Official attempts to expell them from the woods, e.g. by Empress Maria Theresia in 1758, were not very successful. The "boskanters" stayed and flourished in the woods ("boskanter" litterally means somebody living at the border of the wood).

This group of marginal people expanded and the brush and broom business boomed as production was being sold during summertime allover Flanders. In doing this the "boskanters" only tried to make a similar way of living as many other peddlers in the country, as for example the well-known Nieuwmarkters from nearby Roeselare (first selling fish; later switching to baskets and ordinary houseware). Much of the Debruyne's participated in this. Others were small farmers having some fields close to the woods, with a few animals only.

By 1814, the expansion of the Debruyne family was remarkable. In the 1814 census, 140 of the 2125 inhabitants of Klerken have the family name Debruyne. This infers that about 14 % of the population must have a mother or father Debruyne. All originate from the same ancestors, Joannes de Bruijne and Joanna de Clerck.

In practice, it was no longer possible to keep such a closed community. Already in 1750, some of the descendants moved to neighbouring villages. During and after the French Revolution this spreading accelerated. By 1850, living conditions went further down so significantly, that many more had either to move out of the village, or at least to go for seasonal work to the North of France, to Wallonia, or to Luxembourg. As many others, members of this family also emigrated to the U.S.A. or Canada.

This expansion is an ongoing process in that it is still increasing in spread and speed. Currently, there is still about 2-3 % Debruyne's in Houthulst (comprising the former Klerken). More than 7700 Debruyne's live in Belgium. A raw estimate indicates that 5 to 15 % of these must originate from Klerken as offspring of this single family in 1650.

References:

1. Xavier Lesage e.a. "Bijdrage tot de Geschiedenis van Houthulst - Van 19de-eeuwse parochiestichting tot gemeente (1928)" Uitgave van het Gemeentekrediet (1988) in opdracht van het gemeentebestuur van Houthulst, naar aanleiding van het zestigjarige bestaan van Houthulst als gemeente (D/1988/0348/15)

2. "Kabinetskaart der Oostenrijkse Nederlanden" Graaf de Ferraris (1771-1778), mappen Dixmude en Langemarcq

3. Parochieregister 1 doopakten van 1653 tot 1694 (behalve 19.03.1681 tot 02.04.1682); huwelijken van 1653 tot 1701 (behalve 1665 tot 1682); 2 overlijdens tot 1710; 3 doopakten van 1695 tot 1745; 4 overlijdens van 1710 tot 1751 (is enkel als tafels beschikbaar); 5 huwelijken van 1702 tot 1778; 6 overlijdens van 1752 tot 1780; 7 doopakten van 1746 tot 1778; 8 doopakten en huwelijken van 1779 tot 1783; overlijdens 1780 tot 1783; 9 doopakten en huwelijken van 1784 tot 1796; 10 overlijdens van 1784 tot 1796

4. "Volkstelling 1814 Deel XIV" (D1978/2434/10) en "Volkstelling 1814 Deel XII", (D1978/2434/4), Vlaamse Vereniging voor Familiekunde, Afdeling Brugge.

5. Registers van de Burgerlijke Stand en Kiezerslijsten

6. Instituut voor Naamkunde, K.U.Leuven.

7. Gegevens van het NIS Rijksregister per 31.12.1987

8. Ignace Debruyne "Zoektocht naar de stamvader Debruyne in Klerken", Bruintjes Brieven 16 (1993) 70-76; "Debruyne in Klerken bij de volkstelling van 1814", Bruintjes Brieven 22 (1995) 26-37; "Stamboom Debruyne - Van Joannes de Bruijne tot Michiel Isidoor Debruyne" (1996)

This page was first created on 24 May 1998; last update 26 December 2007

© 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this data may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

• LDS Microfilm Abbreviation: 622 398 Klercken Indexes Title: 622 398 Klercken Indexes
• Ignatz Debruyne ignatz.debruyne@advalvas.be Title: Ignatz Debruyne ignatz.debruyne@advalvas.be Note: Ignatz Debruyne ignatz.debruyne@advalvas.be,

• WikiTree profile Debruyne-44 created through the import of hots13dec2011.ged on Dec 13, 2011 by Sonia Putney.
• Bruijne-1 was created by Peter Meurrens through the import of Graer.GED on Aug 20, 2015.
• WikiTree profile Debruyne-62 created through the import of export-BloodTree.ged on Jan 1, 2012 by Bart Vermeersch.