The Geneste Family

Extract: from "The Huguenot Settlements in Ireland" by Trace Lawless Lee, quoted in IoMFHS vol 22 #4

Louis Geneste Peteras de Cajarc, who fled from his estates in Guienne to join the army of William of Orange and fought in Cambon's Regiment at the Boyne, also made Lisburn his home, save between the years 1724 and 1731, when he resided in the isle of Man. He left two sons, Louis and Daniel, the former of whom settled in the Isle of Man, and a daughter, Margaret.

He does not however appear on the List of Douglas Householders, 1730.

The following based on a an outline family history in Manx Museum [MM MS5601c]

The Genestes were a very old family in France, their name being then de Genest Pelras, formerly of Anjou.

Louis de Geneste Felros, also called Count of Cajore forfeited all his estates and left France as a Huguenot, and went to Holland to join William of Orange in 1686. As a captain in his army he fought at the battle of the Boyne, 1688.

He settled in Ireland and married a Miss Blake and then changed his name to Lewis Geneste (1) He took his son over to the Isle of Man, and settled him there. Lewis Geneste (2). He married Esther Cubbon in 1733. They had three children one being Lewis Geneste (3) a second Daniel, lost at sea and Margaret who married Lewis Hastings of Ireland.

Lewis Geneste (3) had three wives ;

1. Catherine Bridson,

2. Catherine Jick,

3. Catherine Callow, mother of Charles Geneste, advocate and Louis Geneste.

The Geneste family claim descent from the Plantagenet Counts of Anjou who devised their name from the "planta genista", or broom plant which Count Fulk III of Anjou bore as a symbol of humility on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the 11th century.

The Genestes have always had the "planta genista" as their badge Lewis Geneste (1) had a letter from his younger brother left in France, (Roman Catholic), asking him to return, but he would not go and nothing has been heard of them since 1792. It is thought they must have been wiped out in the Revolution.

Tree

Info from IGI so subject to check - Esther Geneste (widow of Lewis II) makes here daughter Catherine exectrix - not sure of Catherine's birth date. The wife and child of John Lewis are mentioned in the letters of administration but no marriage/birth located as yet.

Lewis Geneste II would appear to have married Margaret Garrett, prior to Esther Cubbon - Margaret's will makes no mention of any children.

Note all dates pre 1751 converted to New Style - all unqualified dates are baptisms; bu = buried ;b = birth when known)

                                Lewis I
                                   |
                                   +------.........----------+-----.....------+
                                   | 29Sep1733 Braddan       |                |
                              Lewis II = Esther Cubbon     Daniel         Margaret
                          bu.16Jul1769 |  bu.28Dec1786
                                       |
                                       | (all baptised Douglas St Matthew's)
           +------------+-----------+--+-------+----------+-----------+---------+------------+----------+
           |            |           |          |          |           |         |            |          |
      02Oct1759         |           |          |          |           |         |            |          |
John    = Mary        Lewis III   Anne        John      Hester        -       Daniel      Margaret    Robert
Stowell  01Sep1734  20Feb1736   18Sep1737   20Aug1738  16Apr1740  07Mar1742  01Mar1744   18Jun1746   31Mar1749
                   bu.28Aug1819             d.1770    bu.10May1741
                        |                      +----------------------+
         +--------------+----+-------------------+                    |
         |                   |                   |                    |
      11Jun1770          18Feb1779            05Sep1782               = Catherine Robinson
         = Catharine         = Catharine         = Catharine          |
         |  Bridson            Moore (als Gick)  |  Callow       Elizabeth
         | bu.13 Feb 1774   bu.30 Nov 1779       | bu.01May1838 age 75
         |                                                 |  (all baptisms Douglas St George's except Santon where marked)
         +----------+-------+           +-----------+------+---+----------+----------+------------+------------+
         |          |       |           |           |          |          |          |            |            |
    20Aug1791       |       |           |           |          |          |          |            |            |
Thomas = Alice      Esther  Catherine  Amelia    Lewis IV   William    Margaret    Charles      John Pelras    +- Jane Maragret
Stowell  28Jun1771 27Jul1774           14Jul1783 17Oct1784 22Jan1786  13Feb1788    11Oct1790     11Oct1793     |   13Jul1795
                   m.Francis           bu.29Oct1787       ensign RMF  bu.07May1789 bu.09May1833 bu.04Feb1814   | m. Henry Tull, M.A. 30Jul1820 (Bn)
                     delaPryme             (Sn)          bu.18Oct1842     (Bn)       |                         |
                                                                                     |                         +- Emma
                                                                                     |                         |   21Sep1797
                                        +--------------------------------------------+                         | bu.23Oct1834
                                        |                                                                      |
                                        |                                                                      +- Maximillian 
                                        |                                                                      |   16Sep1799 (Sn)
                                     22Nov1819 (in London)                                                     |   d 1860 - son Maximillian Gosdwin d.1858
                                        = Emma Jane Coulthard  (late of the Island)                            |
                                        | bu.25Apr1832                                                         +- Alice Ann
                                        |  (All baptisms at Braddan)                                           |   11Feb1802 (Sn)
                 +-------+-----------+------------+-------------+-----------+                                  |
                 |       |           |            |             |           |                                  |
           Catharine    Eliza        Charles      Emma        Charles      Lewis/Louis                         +- Sophia Eliza
                        Jane                     Sabrina      Pelras                                           |  11Feb1802  (Sn)
          29Oct1820    08Mar1822     03Aug1823   02Aug1824   04Dec1826    07Aug1829                            |
        bu.10Jul1833   bu.10Jun1838             bu.15Nov1841 b18Nov1826   b30May1829                           |
                                                            d.05Jan1856   d20Jan1894                           |- Francis Delaprime
                                                                                                               |  24Sep1804  (Sn)
                                                                                                               | d.02Feb1826
                                                                                                               | bu.06Feb1826
                                                                                                               |
                                                                                                               |- Francis
                                                                                                               |   25Oct1809
                                                                                                               |
                                                                                                               |
                                                                                                               +- George
                                                                                                                  02Oct1810
                                                                                                                  bu.26Nov1834
Other IGI entries:
17Apr1751: Isabl Genest m. Anders Hogard, Braddan
13Apr1766: Jane christened,Onchan; parents: John Kelly + Cath Geneste
06Aug1768: Kath Geneste m. Johnathan Norman, Braddan Bn bu.19 Jun 1825 - This Catherine is the only child mentioned in the will of Esther Geneste
21Apr1778: Esther Moore c. to Lewis Geneste and Catharine Moore, Braddan - this appears to be before marriage
and thus leads to query over identification of the Esther Geneste who supposedly m. Francis delaPryme,
and who was christened after the death of her putative mother.

 

Lewis Geneste (2) bur.16 July 1769, Braddan
Esther Geneste, als Cubbon, bur. 28 Dec 1786, Braddan

Esther dau of Lewis (smallpox) bur 10 May 1741, Braddan

---

Catherine Geneste als Bridson bur 13 Feb 1774, Braddan
Catherine Geneste als Moore bur. 30 Nov 1779, Braddan

Amelia Geneste, daughter of Lewis Geneste, merchant in Douglas, who departed this life 29 October 1787, aged 4 years (Santan MI's)
Margt, child of Mr Lewis bur 7 May 1789, Braddan

Eliza Jane (dau of Charles) noted in Press at Ballahick
Emma Sabrina death noted at Oakhill

The marriage of John Stowell and Mrs Mary Mary Geneste , so noted in register, was by licence before Joseph Cosnahan but no witnesses are recorded.

Marriage of Rev. Maximillian noted in Manks Advertiser (15 Sep 1825) as to Sarah daughter of Mrs Goodwin Hatford Berks; birth of 4th son noted at Cowes IoW in Sun 21 Oct 1836 

Louis Geneste IV noted as Rev. Geneste in death notices (though no mention of him in Gelling's History of Manx Church).

Wills:

Geneste, Margaret 1733-1 Braddan A #11
Geneste, Lewis 1769-3 Braddan E w
Geneste, Catherine 1774-2 Braddan A #62
Geneste, John 1777-2 Malew E d
Geneste, Catherine 1780-1 Braddan E d
Geneste, Esther 1787 Braddan A #13
Geneste, Catharine 1820 Braddan E1
Geneste, Lewis 1820 Braddan E1
Geneste, Charles 1833 Braddan E1
Geneste, Esther Jane 1833 Braddan E1
Geneste, George 1834 Braddan E2
Geneste, George 1842 Braddan E2
Geneste, Cathrine 1843 Braddan E1
Geneste, William 1843 Braddan E1
Geneste, Lewis 1843 Braddan E1
Geneste, Maximilian 1870 Gbe E25

Incumbent of Holy Trinity Church (patroness Mrs Goodwin) from 1832 until death; died in West Cowes, Isle of Wight, 27 Jul 1860 - probate needed to be obtained in Manx Courts and considerable paperwork appeared to be necessary, effects were valued at under £2,000
Mentions Son Maximillian Hodgson Geneste and son-in-law Frederick John Butler, surgeon, of Harrow Mddx; Cousin Hugh Stowell prebend of Manchester cathedral.

Geneste, Elizabeth Sophia 1882 Douglas E172

Mentions Nephew Louis Geneste, son of late brother Charles and Niece Catharine Jane Walshe, living off Island

 

Census/Directories

In 1823 directory both Lewis, described as Gent, and Charles, advocate, lived in Duke Street

In 1837 directory Mrs Lewis Geneste was recorded at Prospect Hill, and William Geneste at the Baths in Bath place, he was also secretary to the Water Company.

In 1841 census is William Geneste (age 55), with Elizabeth (35), Emma (15), Charles (14) and Lewis (12) (the later 3 presumeably children of Charles, the two boys were day scholars at KWC) - all in Malew.

By 1851 only Elizabeth Geneste recorded at Bowling Green, Castletown, unmarried aged 49

Only Elizabeth Geneste recorded in 1861 census, age 58 (presume Sophia Eliza)

By 1881 the only Geneste family on the Island was that of Capt Lewis Geneste who retired to Ballakeighen, Arbory with his non-Manx born wife and children.

1881 Census: Ballakeighen, Arbory
       

Age

 

Born

GENESTE

Lewis

Head

M

51

Late Commander RN Retired

Douglas IoM

GENESTE

Mary

Wife

M

41

Wife

Isle Of Wight

GENESTE

Alice

Sister In Law

U

34

---

Isle Of Wight

GENESTE

Lewis

Son

U

16

Scholar

Hampshire

GENESTE

Mary

Daur

U

14

Scholar

Hampshire

GENESTE

Jane E.

Daur

-

12

Scholar

Ireland

GENESTE

Janise E.

Daur

-

5

Scholar

Surrey England

KWC register Entrance Oct 1877 Louis De Cajere Geneste, born 25 Dec 1864, left Midsummer 1882. Son of Capt Geneste R.N. Castletown, Day Boy - Died June 28th, 1896, at Outthoven, S. Africa. By 1901 His widow and three daughters were living in Kensington, London.

Two Geneste's are recorded as emigrants to Australia though probably not connected with the Manx family - A family descendant states that a son of Maximillian (of the I of Wight) was Francis Alexander Brown Geneste, who married Julia Theressa Neil and his son Maximillian Bernard Geneste migrated to Australia though the Geneste name from this branch has now died out there.

Other Notices

Lewis III was a merchant in Douglas, he partly funded the ill-fated 'Tyger' privateer. Frances Wilkins ['Manx Slave Traders'] notes a 1768 partnership between John Callin, Hugh Connor, Lewis Geneste, John Geneste and John Rowe of Boston (USA) in the schooner Dolphin that was prepared for the Guinea trade but then sold to another partnership and renamed the Francis.

Lewis IV erected baths in Douglas for benefit of tourists (and locals ?) in 1815 - these were in Bath Place 'near the old Fort' - Slack ['Streets of Douglas'] places the site as close to the roundabout between the sea terminal and the bus station.-Hugh Stowell Brown describes them as having a 'pretty little garden'. His company was involved with Timber, Wine, Tea and Rope Making

Charles Geneste was an advocate in Douglas - according to LaMothe with a sense of humour.

George Geneste, described as Advocate, Liverpool, published 'Statute Laws' in 1832

In 1843 Rev Hugh Stowell published 'Memoirs of Mr. F. P. P. Geneste'.

William Geneste was reported in 1841 as secretary to IoM Saving's Bank.

An obitituary of Charles P Geneste was carried, Feb 1858 by a Malton (Yorks) paper:

Deaths February

On the 5th Ult [ie 5 Jan 1856], at Jheelum Lahore, India, aged 28, Lieutenant Charles P. Geneste, Paymaster of her Majesty's 24th Regiment, eldest son of the late Charles Geneste, Esq., advocate, Douglas, Isle of Man and brother of Lieutenant Lois Geneste R.N. who commanded the boat of her Majesty's ship Cossack, at Hango.

 


 Manx Note Book  Immigrant families

 

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor
© F.Coakley , 2001