All you ever dreamed to know about who was who in Brussels
that year can be discovered thanks to Antoine and Jacques MASSIN who set out to
make available the Brussels 1812 Almanach.
In 1812, Brussels was the county seat of the French Département
de la Dyle, after the Austrian Low Lands were annexed by the First French Republic
on October 1st, 1795.
The Département
de la Dyle corresponded to the old Brabant Province which is now divided into 3
parts: Walloon Brabant, Flemish Brabant and the Brussels Region.
They divided the work into 5 parts:
- Dénombrement
de la population de 1812: a population
census («Who is Who in 1812»), accessible by alphabetical order, lists every
person residing in Brussels in 1812. Saved
as separate pdf files, the text is in French but being typed should be easy to
copy and paste into a translating software if you don’t read French.
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
- Alphabetical
List of all the towns and main hamlets of Belgium during Year VII.
Example: Achene, Sambre-et-Meuse, with a post office in
Namur.
 |
| http://www.vieuxmetiers.org/gravure/_fumiste.htm |
- Alphabetical
directory of occupations, merchants and professions and the names of those who are
actively engaged in these activities.
Example: under “Banquiers”
(Bankers): you will find 4 places of business, one of which is
- DANOOS, Daniel and son, Rue d’Aremberg, Son, 5,
#806.
Some of the occupations you will find in this directory will likely surprise you:
- - sellers of Geographic maps.
- sellers of Carnival costumes
- - carriage makers
They list 4 dentists, and also 4 florists, along with a lot of different occupations that have since disappeared such as "fumiste": a craftsman who installed or repaired chimneys
I had to look that up and I recommend this website to discover the professions that our ancestors practiced:Les Metiers de Nos Ancetres
- Compilation
of the 367 Decrees made at the courthouse during the Year XII (141pages) – adds sometimes lively details to the last census taken by the French in 1812. - book published in 1997 under
the title “Bruxelles Qui est Qui en
1812” (Brussels who is Who in 1812) -
These decrees, signed by the Mayor of Brussels, Charles d’Ursel, Count
of the Empire, Officer of the Legion d’Honneur and his substitutes, give us an
insight in what it must have been like for a citizen of Brussels to live under
the Empire.
Once again in French, but easily copied and pasted into
Google Translate:
Arrêté n° 31, du 31 janvier.
Représentation au théâtre du
Parc.
Le Maire, etc.
Autorise les membres de la
Société dite de Thalie à donner au théâtre du Parc, du samedi 1er février
prochain, une représentation des pièces intitulées: La femme a deux maris, la tapisserie
et monsieur Vautour.
Charles d'Ursel.
Decree No. 31 of 31 January.
Representation in the Park
Theatre.
The Mayor, etc.
Allows the members of the Society
called de Thalia to give at the Park Theatre, Saturday February 1st,
a representation of the play titled “The woman has two husbands, the tapestry
and Mr. Vautour.”
Charles d'Ursel.
Some have a more personal touch:
Arrêté n° 35, du 1er février.
Certificat de notoriété.
Le Maire, etc.
Déclare que les nommés Gaspar
Bouillon et Marie Dupret, son épouse, sont très peu fortunés; vivent en partie
du travail de leur fils Pierre et méritent des égards en raison de la position
malheureuse dans laquelle ils se trouvent.
Charles d'Ursel.
Decree No. 35 of 1 February.
Certificate of notoriety
The Mayor, etc.
States that the named Gaspar Bouillon and Marie Dupret, his wife, are not very fortunate;
partly depend on the work of their son Peter and deserve respect because of the
unfortunate position in which they find themselves.
Charles d'Ursel.
- Almanach for the Département de la
Dyle for Leap Year 1812: complete transcription of the book found here –
includes
calendars and feast days, sunrises, sunsets, names of all the political leaders
in place at the time, and who did what in everyday life: doctors, pharmacists,
drivers, firemen, midwives, opera singers…
even a list of how many players played what instruments in the orchestra.
So
take a look if you have family who lived in Brussels in 1812 or if you just
want background information. The file is
searchable so if you are looking for a specific name, you can find it faster
that way.
Jumping back to our day, you can find what is happening in
Brussels today by checking out the “Brusseleir” online newslette.
Till next time!
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