History of the family von Pidoll
The Catholic family von Pidoll is an artistically talented ancient Lorraine family with German roots. A Y-DNA analysis of 67 markers, carried out by the companies iGENEA, Zurich, and MyHeritage, Israel, revealed that their family members belonged to haplogroup E1b1b1 and lived in Germania on the left bank of the Rhine in the early Middle Ages. Before that, they are said to have been Celts (MyHeritage) or Phoenicians (iGENEA).
In line with this, Franz von Pidoll described his ancestors in 1714 as "soldiers ... of ancient German roots" who worked as woodturners in times of peace, which he wanted to commemorate with his "Pidole" in the family coat of arms. Karl Anton Michael von Pidoll added in 1842 "The ancestors served in Lorraine and later in French military service. One of them even became Marshal."
In 1476, Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy attacked the Duchy of Lorraine. Duke René II of Lorraine then recruited German mercenaries for his army, who were called "bidault" (Old French for "the Germans"). Among them was the ancestor of the von Pidoll family. In 1477, a battle took place near Nancy, in which the German mercenaries, together with the Swiss mercenaries, pursued the Burgundians to the gates of Metz, where the entire troop then disbanded.
After this battle, several bidaults did not return to Germany, but remained in Lorraine. The oldest bearers of a family name derived from bidault can, therefore, be found near the site of the battle in Pulnoy near Nancy (Clement Pidolot, died before 1620) and in the cities of Nancy (Mathieu Pidollot, died before 1601) and Mirecourt (Estienne Pidollet, baker there in 1601). However, none of these individuals were woodturners!
According to family lore, the ancestor settled as a wood turner and invented a thrown spinning top, which was called "Pidole" (obviously a corruption of "bidault"), less commonly "Pidonn", which quickly conquered the whole of Lorraine in the 16th century as a toy for children and adults.
The most plausible location for this would be the craftsmen's village of Pange, which was refounded in 1464 with new settlers, near the place where Duke René IIs troupe disbanded in 1477. Pange is located 15 kilometres east of Metz on the River Nied on the Roman road from Metz to Mainz. There, the French tax records mention "Mansu le tourillon" (1579) and "Françoia le tourillon" (1579, 1583) as wood turners. In 1610, Mangeon Pidoll was born in Chanville, a neighbouring village of Pange, and in 1615, Marshal Toussainct Pidoll was born in the same place, from whom all those still living today with the surname "Pidolle" are descended.
After the conquest of Metz by the French king in 1552 and resulting very high taxes, difficult times began in which many people lost all their possessions and lived on the streets in poverty. Among them was the turner Claude le tourillon, who apparently followed the Nied river upstream and in 1570 registered as one of the first settlers of "Nouvelle Chémery" (today Chémery-les-deux, near Bouzonville, 25 km north of Pange), a village newly founded especially for poor citizens.
In 1588,
probably his son Nicolas Pidonn owned a small farm on his fathers parcel in "Nouvelle
Chémery" and earned additional money probably with the same profession as his
father. He probably died in the plague epidemic of 1598, as his house was burnt down at this time. Two farms away from him lived Claude Sellier, the richest
inhabitant of the village, who often gived his neighbours high
credits.
The social ascent of the family began with his grandson Symon
Pidoll (*around 1581, +1640) who probably committed himself to the army for 25 years and reached the position of a "lieutenant-colonel in Royal French services". After the marriage with his wealthy neighbours
daugther Barbara Sellier (*around 1582, +3.1.1675), both leased on 6.6.1620 a great farm called Frönholz in the
vicinity of Richemont north of Metz. In additional documents Symon is qualified as
"virtuous and honest Sieur Symon Pidoll mayor and chief judge of the
supreme court of Richemont". He owned this
function at least until end of 1627. Further documents state that Symon
possessed farms in Saint-François, Beckerholtz, Holling
and Hobling, villages situated around Chémery-les-deux.
In 1632 the war of thirty years started in Lorraine with the occupation by the French army. In 1636 Richemont was burned off by Croatian troops. Half of the inhabitants of Richemont died during the attacks in the war. In 1642, Symons farm Frönholz was burned off by Swedish troops and Symon has been missing ever since.
Symons son Sir Dominique Pidolle (*1626, +28.2.1689) survived the destruction of Richemont and the move of the local supreme court to Hayange. In that village he got to know Lady Anna Katharina Schaus (+1670), daughter of Samson Schaus, mayor and chief judge of the supreme court of Hayange. Both married in 1651. From 1657 to 1679, Sir Dominique himself became mayor and chief judge of the supreme court of Hayange. He especially cared about the reconstruction of the destroyed ironworks. After the decease of his wife he married for a second time: Maria Barbara Girard, daughter of the mayor of Richemont. From his money earned he founded in 1670 a brewery in Hayange. A painting qualified him as a captain of the Duke Charles IV of Lorraine. He was faithful to the Duke even during the Dukes exile in Trier (1669-1675).
Sir Dominique Pidolle had 16 children. A son of him and Anna Katharina named François (*4.1.1665, +11.11.1745), from 1714 Sir Franz Knight (von) Pidoll, nobleman from Quintenbach, became officer in French military services. Due to the contacts of his father to Trier he got to know Johanna Helena de Thier von Offenberg (*1665, *11.2.1738), daughter of the chancellor of the Prince of Nassau, Geheimrat Jean Pierre de Thier von Offenberg and Barbara Lauer. Both maried in 1687. François homeland was a wealthy centre of the iron industry. For that reason François had the idea, to rebuilt the mill of Jean Pierre, which he leased in 1683, to an ironwork, the so-called "Quint" (10 km east of Trier). This happened and François became manager of the Quint. After the death of his father-in-law Jean Pierre, François became owner of the works. The sells were good and other ironworks were founded nearby: Zemmer Mühle, Eichelhütte, Bleischmelze, Mülchen and Oberhammer. The family Pidoll became very rich.
At 18.5.1714 the Roman Emperor Charles VI struck François to a knight with the inheritable title "Knight (von) Pidoll, nobleman from Quintenbach" and awards him arms and inheritable nobility. In 1735 the castle of the Pidoll's was built in Quint.
The arms of the family Pidoll are red with a slanting golden beam charged with tree roses having five leafs (similar to the arms of Lorraine). Additionally in the upper left side is a crescent silvery moon (the heraldic symbol for catholic piety), and in the lower right section is a lorrain pegtop called pidole (the symbol of the family name) with a winded blue cord.
The oldest son of Franz named Karl Kaspar became a respected clergyman. His third oldest son Hubert (*20.12.1691, +1.1.1757), who was master of the Thurn and Taxis post office, married in 1720 into one of the most respected noble families of Trier: Josepha Margaretha von Geisen (+3.10.1759), daughter of the director at court Friedrich Franz von Geisen and Maria Magdalena Buchholz. The second oldest son Franz Gottfried von Pidoll (*15.5.1689, +Mai 1762) studied at the university of Trier till his degree in 1708, but married in 1725 the middle-class woman Anne Luise Guichard (*15.12.1701), daughter of the notary Louis Bertrand Guichard and Charlotte Clement. For this reason father Franz subscribed him at this date the ironwork of Eichelhütte near Himmerod, acquired in 1704, and a great farm called Heeg as premature inheritance and gave Quint castle and the Quint ironworks to his son Hubert.
Huberts son Johann Franz (*30.1.1738, +25.7.1781) also married in 1769 according to his social position: Baronesse Luise von Forster (*23.7.1750, +31.10.1809), daughter of the advisor at court Baron Karl Anton von Forster and Maria Antonetta Josepha von Rosneck. Johann Franz lived at Quint castle and further managed the business of the Quint ironworks. In 1794, French revolution forces appeared at Quint and the family fled to Austria. At the court of Austria all three branches of the family married according to their social position, got very recognised and were struck to the grade of a baron (Karl Anton Michael at 10.4.1843 by Ferdinand I, Johann Michael Joseph at 16.7.1851 by Franz Josef I and Franz Friedrich Angelo Theodor at 1.9.1865 by Franz Josef I). Today, however, no Baron von Pidoll of this branch of the family lives any more. Some years earlier, at 14.9.1814, Johann Michael Joseph bishop of Le Mans was struck by Napoleon Bonaparte to the grade of a Baron of the french empire.
Gottfrieds son Ludwig von Pidoll (9.1.1740, +5.10.1812), which called himself Ludovicus, was married at 11.2.1771 to Maria Franziska Jacobi (*12.8.1754, +8.5.1805), daughter of Konrad Jakobi, master of the cellar of the castle of Ulmen, and Maria Anna Fier. In 1762 he inherited the Eichelhütte and the farm Heeg and took a high credit to pay his five brothers and sisters. In spite of lack of money Ludwig was able to enlarge the Eichelhütte and to buy in addition other ironworks (1766 Hütte Wenzelhausen and Merkeshausen, 1777 Hütte Malberg). The climax of the development was reached!
In 1794 French revolution forces appeared at Eichelhütte. Ludwig fled to Heeg, but was also expelled from there. His farm was confiscated and sold by the French. Becoming poor due to this procedure, Ludwig sold his destroyed ironwork of Eichelhütte in 1807 and bought a farm called Neuhof near Himmerod, where he died in 1812.
Ludwigs sons 1) Karl Kaspar (*18.2.1777, +3.1.1857), married since 26.2.1810 to Maria Margaretha Fischer (*1783, +34.1862), daughter of the forester Peter Fischer, and 2) Gottfried (*9.4.1784, +13.5.1846), married since 19.8.1815 to Eva Kleudgen (*1796, +1.6.1873), daughter of the chief forester Theodor Kleudgen and Anna Katharina Weber, became both foresters and had many descendants, which mostly lived in Eifel or Saarland.