Abbé Behra
Tableaux de l'Abbé Behra (tables of the Abbot Behra)
François Antoine Behra was born 3 Apr 1859, and died 2 Jul 1928. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1884. He served initially as vicar (assistant to the parish priest) in the parish of Oderen. Then as the parish priest in Beblenhein from 1895 to 1905 and in Heimersdorf from 1905 until his death in 1928. In addition to his official duties he found time to indulge his interest in genealogy.
Rather than concentrating on his own ancestors the abbé Behra drew up family trees and family-by-family registers for the parishes of Heimersdorf-Hirsingue, Hundsbach-Hausgauen, Hirtzbach, Largitzen, Masevaux, Oderen, Sewen, Seppois and communities in the Vallée de Saint-Amarin (in which Oderen was the northern most parish). For the valley of his birth, the abbé Behra extended the scope of his work into the period following the French Revolution, doing family registers for the towns of Sewen, Dolleren, Rimbach-prës-Masevaux, Oberbruck, Kirchberg and Wegscheid. These registers generally end some time between 1900 and 1925. As a priest the abbé Behra was interested in the religious impulse in his own and other families. The chart he did of religious members of the Behra family shows over 125 priests, monks, nuns and missionaries (not all with the name Behra).
Paper COPIES of abbé Behra's notebooks were available for consultation at the Centre Départemental d'Histoire des Familles in Guebwiller, France March of 2000. An index to this collection, part of their library, might be found on the CRHF website.
The scanned pages filed on this website, are photocopies from copies, of abbé Behra's notebooks. Gina L. Studer copied specific pages while at the Centre Departemental díHistoires des Families (CDHF now named CRHF) located in Guebwiller, France, March 10th, 2000. She and her brother Leslie J. Studer were attending a meeting of cousins, arranged by Robert Behra and Paul Naegel. It was a meeting of descendants, of Jodocus Behra, born about 1572, married May 1593, died 5 Dec 1638. Jodocus married, 1) Barbara Lustringer, 2) Clara Waldner.
Jodocus BEHRA b.1572 (8th great-grandfather of Gina Louise STUDER)
Joannes Jacobus BEHRA b.0
Maria Barbara BEHRA b.1666
Maria Catharina WEISS b.0
Joannes Antonius STUDER b.1749
Sebastian STUDER b.1776
Aimé STUDER b.1815
Joseph STUDER b.1850
Joseph Alexander STUDER b.1881
Vincent Willard STUDER b.1915
Gina Louise STUDER b.1958
Translation:
With the memory of Mister l' abbot born in Wegscheid on April 3, 1859. Ordained priest on August 10, 1884. Vicar with Oderen on August 13, 1884. Priest with Beblenheim on August 6, 1895, Heimersdorf 1905-1928. Deceased on July 2, 1928. He passed while doing the good and his memory is in blessing. St. Augustin. It is in the middle of my parishioners who I want to remain and rest. Last wish of the defunct one.