The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-30

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sions ~ French origin set forth improbable.
Still it Is ply steal possibility for the son Of
French count to become a German peasant.
ana. SO Germany Offering nothing further. my
steps wero turned 10 France. Early in my
| study | had disrcrned the original French
! pedigree on which the German was gratoh.
| In the NObilidre iHjrerset DC Frcnce," 10y
! Saint Atlas. will be found Il pedigree Of the
| French AstorEs. This redgrrc claims to lie
extracted from an original family recital and
! Apologies for til" lack OF proofs by setting
| forth that the family archives suffered double
| calamity, by the destruction in the wars Of tho
| chateau OF MontbardiCr in the sixteenth con-
| fury. and by the burning OF the chateau OF
hir"mont in the eight "nth century.
Now. in tho ease Of Iangucdor. tho chosen
| field for the early exploits OF the Astorgs we
| happen to possess a minute and monumental
| history, completed some two centuries ago by
| two indcfatigaUc Bcncdctincs OF the famous
| convent of st. Maur When a Bcnedirtinc har-
| Nester has been over historical field there is
| generally not much left for after cleaners. but
! in the case of this great Historic GGn6rac de
| Ianguedoc" Of Dom. &. Devic and Dom. Y.
| Nalssate. brilliant galaxy Of archmoloEsts
| In the Midi of France have been for n quarter
| of n century back charging and annotating.
the result being a long series Of mighty quar-
| tos issued in an edition do luxe by Prlvut of
| Toulouse.
In this great history OF Ianguedoc we have
| many hints rs to the true origin of the Astorgs
as opposed to the fantastic tales Of Saint
I Atlas. We find that in the thirteenth and
! fourteenth centuries Astruc or Astorg (orgi-
nally used indflerently. but since made dis
| tinrt as family namcsl was frequently met as a
| given name. Thus in 1892 Astr or Austorguo
or AstorGue. Abbot OF the great Monastery of
: Bonnecombe near Rodcz. bought the little city
| OF Auriac from BeranGer dc Caumont for
| 21.OpO sous OF Cahors. This Astorg was
very active politician In the affairs OF the
! region contemporaneous Astorg was All
bot OF the magnificent Abbey Of Saint Giles
near Aries. A hundred years after another
| Astorg was Abbot Of 81. Paul's in Narbonne.
About 1870 another Astorg had n fight for the
! Abbey OF Bonnecombe. and hurled DEGREES of
eternal damnation at his rival but the Council
Of Bale put down both his anahrmas and his
claims.
| In the fcudality. the chief instance OF the
assumption OF the name Of Astorg a family
| cognomen is that Of the holders Of Il little ilef
/ at Peyre. near Milan on the banks Of the upper
| Tarn in the mountain home Of the famous
| cheese OF RoIucfort. That portion Of ancient
! Qucrcy now the department Of Aveyron. is on
| the northern border of Languedoc and into
| languCdoc the Astorgs of Pcyre seem to have
/ been ever sallying in search Of employment as
soldiers Of fortune. They appear after as re-
| tainers to the Counts Of Toulouse and Folk. rs
! ambassadors Of apurehensivc p0rliaments in
| delicate negotiations with coHtending French
and English kings Meanwhile either some of
! their cadets descended III" Turn to Montnuhan
and came over to the Garomne at Toulouse
| and founded families Of worthy hurghcrs, or
! else other families took on themselves the
| name Of AstOrg. aS that Of Jones from John.
| Richards from Richard, or Peters from Peter.
! At all events. both in Montauban and Tou-
/ !ouse. we find IN the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries prosperous townsm"n bearing the
| name Of Astorg. These burghcrs may, however.
! have had no connection with the little fcudal
/ lords. In fact the earliest note Of a burGher
| family with the name in Iangucdoc is that OF a
rich jew doctor OF Carcassonnc named Isaac.
! who died in 1905. leaving his estate to his son
| Astruc or AstOrg. there being some court pro-
cess touching the will. For aught We can saw.
| Astorg the jew Of CarcasSonnc may have been
the progentor Of a tribe Of urban Astorgs in
| the Midi OF France.
Whoever we're their forbcars. whether the
soldiers OF fortune Of peyre or tho learned
Jews Of Carcassonne. the AstorGs OF both Tou-
| louise and MOntauban waXcd fat and kick ed
| Justify in the religious wars Of the sixteen tn
century In Toulouse we find Astorgs among
the worthy Capitouls or Aldermen OF that giant
! Gallo Roman capital. and their nam" Is err
! ietu"'cu Y, ''c h.ic ~ Wv ''"'' ~
| the city. whlIe al Mohtaupah Tue AS'CrsS seem
! to have got chah 20 curing the SoclA' ,"ihu''
OF the huhdreu 1ears war 10 nuF'naso or
seize the adjoining seigncury OF Montharticr,
the tiny little village which is the backbone Of
! the gorgeous pedigrccs OF Saint Atlas. and
figures so largely in the Magazine.
nave NOT on'y pe'" 10 '"on, o",'''f " ''''
pu' nave Oh 'ne i"'r"','i- " .'1o ','' ,'uu t"
'lu""i'. '"o -N"o' ~ W I ,',,"''
'lIle' cal'cu "h' se""'' W
A1'"'s' WI ,''',' "
gau'A' Ill ''''u'e' i"'7 ''''' ~ '."",' Wv
! ch9loS9cu pcU'si''' "''"s - nv '' "','
! OF tho i"th'n VI W. '"vs'" '"'".t W Wv
N"sH'och fc'"scr, -" - "a '',, -,
ul'''on ~ 'ne ''o'e '' ~. -. a., ,I.,,,,,i
Moreover ia ~ i''9"'N'" NV "Vlt' wy ''''''
, hr'hiNeSo VI Wv az ''", nv - ','N
'aroh''e "I'u !" Wv, '''"' '''ir - Wv
| IeSI''''N'' 1T 'h''' -" '", ''
larpr- kln"' "NS's'e,t ~ we ''"'n'H '."'''
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