Agassiz family
Encyclopedia
The Agassiz Family is a family of Swiss
origin, hailing from the small village of Agiez
near Lake Neuchatel
. The family has included a number of high profile members, such as the scientists Louis
and Alexander Agassiz, as well as the founder of the Longines
watch firm, Auguste Agassiz.
's Life, Letters, And Works of Louis Agassiz.
The family were of the Protestant faith and many of their early members were ministers in the Church. The Rev. Jean Pierre Moise Agassiz was Pastor of Lucens
, Thierrens
and Constantine
, all of which were near Lake Neuchatel
. His fourth son, Rev. Philippe Louis Agassiz was the father of the Rev. Louis Benjamin Rudolph Agassiz, who was the father of the naturalist Louis Agassiz
and Auguste Agassiz.
Auguste Agassiz moved to the Swiss town of Saint-Imier
and set up his own watch firm in 1833 in partnership with Florian Morel and Henri Raiguel. In 1847 Agassiz became the firm's sole owner and in 1852 his nephew Ernest Francillon
joined the firm. In 1866 Francillon acquired two plots of land called Les Longines ('long and narrow fields') and he built a factory there, allowing all the staff to be under one roof for the first time. In 1880 he registered the Longines
brand and its famous winged hourglass symbol.
The Reverend Jean Pierre Moise Agassiz had another son, David Louis Agassiz (1737–1807). He left Switzerland
with his friend Jacques Necker
, moving to Paris to take a job in finance. Necker went on to become minister of finance to Louis XVI, while David Louis moved to England and anglicised his name to Lewis Agassiz. He became a City magnate, amassing a fortune that would be worth many millions today. He married Mary Griesdale, daughter of Francis Griesdale, a merchant, and his wife Frances, who was the sister of Richard Cox of Quarley
, Hampshire
, the founder of Cox & Co, the company that would evolve into Cox & Kings
.
His elder son Arthur David Lewis Agassiz (1771-1866) managed the family business and lost a great deal of his father's fortune. He married Jeanne Suzanne Prevost Rouviere (1776-1842). Among their many children, was Mary Ann (1799-1850), who married Joseph Frederick Edlmann (1794-1857), born in Hollenburg, Austria
, and sent with the blessing of his uncle Meyer, of the Trieste
trading company, Meyer und Schlitz, to open an office in London
, after the fall of Napoleon. They lived in Peckham
and are both buried in Nunhead Cemetery
. Their son Frederick Joseph Edlmann(1829–1890), was a partner of the merchant bank Brown Shipley in the City of London, and bought the house Hawkwood
, near Bromley
, Kent
. Another son, Joseph Ernest Edlmann (1831–1895) was a Major in the King's Dragoon Guards, based in Coventry
, and lived in Kent House, Leamington Spa
.
Arthur's daughter Aldine Agassiz married the clergyman Charles Benjamin Tayler
.
David Louis's younger son was James John Charles Agassiz (1772-1858) was a Commander in the Royal Navy
and was known for his gallantry in command of HMS Hound off the coast of Estaples, when he sent fire ships in amongst the French fleet. He was praised in despatches by Admiral Lord Nelson.
James John Charles Agassiz's elder son Lewis Agassiz served in the Royal Marines
and was granted a Coat of Arms for leading one of the firing parties into Washington D.C. during the Anglo-American War. After he left the Royal Marines
, Lewis Agassiz wrote A Journey to Switzerland, a travel book describing his family's travels in Europe back to his ancestral home. He continued to travel widely, becoming a friend of the King of Prussia
who was godfather to one of his children and who bought another a commission in the British Army. Lewis Agassiz lived in the last years of his life at Stour Lodge, Bradfield, Essex
.
His eldest surviving son, Lewis Nunn Agassiz, also had a military career, but went on to become a pioneer in Canada
. He and his family founded the town of Agassiz, British Columbia
. Lewis Nunn Agassiz's daughter later wrote an account of pioneer life titled Memories of a Pioneer Life in British Columbia: A Short History of the Agassiz Family.
Lewis Agassiz's other children included the Rev. Rodolph Agassiz (d 1899), Rector of Radnage
, who married Matilda Isabella Shafto, granddaughter of Sir Cuthbert Shafto of Bavington Hall
, Northumberland
, and Alfred Agassiz, who emigrated to New Zealand
and has many descendants among the Te Whakatohea tribe of the Māori.
The Agassiz family is now scattered throughout the world, in Switzerland
, the United Kingdom
, Canada
, United States
, Australia
and New Zealand
. However, the name is extremely rare, with only a few dozen Agassiz families existing. Some of the current generation of the family are members of The Agassiz Family group on Facebook
– http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2424826688
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
origin, hailing from the small village of Agiez
Agiez
Agiez is a municipality of the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Geography:Agiez has an area, , of . Of this area, or 63.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 31.4% is forested...
near Lake Neuchatel
Lake Neuchâtel
Lake Neuchâtel is a lake in Romandy, Switzerland . The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, of Fribourg, and of Bern....
. The family has included a number of high profile members, such as the scientists Louis
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
and Alexander Agassiz, as well as the founder of the Longines
Longines
Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The company was originally founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832 and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company . Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.Longines is known for its 'Aviators' watches...
watch firm, Auguste Agassiz.
Family history
The early history of the family is sketched out in A Short History of the English Branch of the Agassiz Family, by A.R.N. Agassiz and in Jules MarcouJules Marcou
Jules Marcou was an eminent Swiss-American geologist.He was born at Salins, in the département of Jura, in France....
's Life, Letters, And Works of Louis Agassiz.
The family were of the Protestant faith and many of their early members were ministers in the Church. The Rev. Jean Pierre Moise Agassiz was Pastor of Lucens
Lucens
Lucens is a municipality in the Broye-Vully district in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:Lucens is first mentioned in 964 as in villa Losingus. It was formerly known by the German name Losingen....
, Thierrens
Thierrens
Thierrens is a municipality in the district Gros-de-Vaud in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Geography:Thierrens has an area, , of . Of this area, or 71.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 22.6% is forested...
and Constantine
Constantine, Switzerland
Constantine is a former municipality in the district of Broye-Vully in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.The municipalities of Bellerive, Chabrey, Constantine, Montmagny, Mur, Vallamand and Villars-le-Grand merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Vully-les-Lacs.-Geography:Constantine has...
, all of which were near Lake Neuchatel
Lake Neuchâtel
Lake Neuchâtel is a lake in Romandy, Switzerland . The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, of Fribourg, and of Bern....
. His fourth son, Rev. Philippe Louis Agassiz was the father of the Rev. Louis Benjamin Rudolph Agassiz, who was the father of the naturalist Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
and Auguste Agassiz.
Auguste Agassiz moved to the Swiss town of Saint-Imier
Saint-Imier
Saint-Imier is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .Observatoire Astronomique de Mont-Soleil is located above the village....
and set up his own watch firm in 1833 in partnership with Florian Morel and Henri Raiguel. In 1847 Agassiz became the firm's sole owner and in 1852 his nephew Ernest Francillon
Ernest Francillon
Ernest Francillon, born 10 July 1834 in Lausanne,was the Swiss manager of Longines watches and an entrepreneur. He was the nephew of Auguste Agassiz. He died on 3 April 1900 in Saint-Imier, where he founded the factory. A monument to has memory was erected on 13 October 1907....
joined the firm. In 1866 Francillon acquired two plots of land called Les Longines ('long and narrow fields') and he built a factory there, allowing all the staff to be under one roof for the first time. In 1880 he registered the Longines
Longines
Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The company was originally founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832 and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company . Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.Longines is known for its 'Aviators' watches...
brand and its famous winged hourglass symbol.
The Reverend Jean Pierre Moise Agassiz had another son, David Louis Agassiz (1737–1807). He left Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
with his friend Jacques Necker
Jacques Necker
Jacques Necker was a French statesman of Swiss birth and finance minister of Louis XVI, a post he held in the lead-up to the French Revolution in 1789.-Early life:...
, moving to Paris to take a job in finance. Necker went on to become minister of finance to Louis XVI, while David Louis moved to England and anglicised his name to Lewis Agassiz. He became a City magnate, amassing a fortune that would be worth many millions today. He married Mary Griesdale, daughter of Francis Griesdale, a merchant, and his wife Frances, who was the sister of Richard Cox of Quarley
Quarley
Quarley is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. It is about west of Andover and according to the 2001 census had a population of 161.An Iron Age hillfort, Quarley Hill, lies immediately to the southwest....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, the founder of Cox & Co, the company that would evolve into Cox & Kings
Cox & Kings
Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world, its history stretching back to 1758 when Richard Cox was appointed as regimental agent to the Foot Guards. Cox & Kings is now an independent tour company with offices in the United Kingdom, India, the United States and Japan...
.
His elder son Arthur David Lewis Agassiz (1771-1866) managed the family business and lost a great deal of his father's fortune. He married Jeanne Suzanne Prevost Rouviere (1776-1842). Among their many children, was Mary Ann (1799-1850), who married Joseph Frederick Edlmann (1794-1857), born in Hollenburg, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and sent with the blessing of his uncle Meyer, of the Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
trading company, Meyer und Schlitz, to open an office in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, after the fall of Napoleon. They lived in Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
and are both buried in Nunhead Cemetery
Nunhead Cemetery
Nunhead Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London, England. It is perhaps the least famous and celebrated of them.. The cemetery is located in the Nunhead area of southern London and was originally known as All Saints' Cemetery. Nunhead Cemetery was consecrated in 1840 and...
. Their son Frederick Joseph Edlmann(1829–1890), was a partner of the merchant bank Brown Shipley in the City of London, and bought the house Hawkwood
Hawkwood
-People:*John Hawkwood, a 14th century English mercenary or condottiere in Italy...
, near Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Another son, Joseph Ernest Edlmann (1831–1895) was a Major in the King's Dragoon Guards, based in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, and lived in Kent House, Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
.
Arthur's daughter Aldine Agassiz married the clergyman Charles Benjamin Tayler
Charles Benjamin Tayler
Charles Benjamin Tayler was a Church of England clergyman and writer for the young.The son of John Tayler, he was born at Leytonstone, Essex, in 1797. He was educated at Guildford under the Rev. William Hodgson Cole, and entered Trinity College, Cambridge, as a fellow commoner on 23 Oct. 1815,...
.
David Louis's younger son was James John Charles Agassiz (1772-1858) was a Commander in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and was known for his gallantry in command of HMS Hound off the coast of Estaples, when he sent fire ships in amongst the French fleet. He was praised in despatches by Admiral Lord Nelson.
James John Charles Agassiz's elder son Lewis Agassiz served in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
and was granted a Coat of Arms for leading one of the firing parties into Washington D.C. during the Anglo-American War. After he left the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, Lewis Agassiz wrote A Journey to Switzerland, a travel book describing his family's travels in Europe back to his ancestral home. He continued to travel widely, becoming a friend of the King of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
who was godfather to one of his children and who bought another a commission in the British Army. Lewis Agassiz lived in the last years of his life at Stour Lodge, Bradfield, Essex
Bradfield, Essex
Bradfield is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located about five kilometers east of Manningtree and is fifty-one kilometers northeast from the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the district of Tendring and the parliamentary constituency of North Essex...
.
His eldest surviving son, Lewis Nunn Agassiz, also had a military career, but went on to become a pioneer in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He and his family founded the town of Agassiz, British Columbia
Agassiz, British Columbia
Agassiz is a small community located in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. The only town within the jurisdiction of the District Municipality of Kent, it contains the majority of Kent's population.-References:...
. Lewis Nunn Agassiz's daughter later wrote an account of pioneer life titled Memories of a Pioneer Life in British Columbia: A Short History of the Agassiz Family.
Lewis Agassiz's other children included the Rev. Rodolph Agassiz (d 1899), Rector of Radnage
Radnage
Radnage is a village and civil parish in the Wycombe district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills about two miles north east of Stokenchurch and six miles WNW of High Wycombe....
, who married Matilda Isabella Shafto, granddaughter of Sir Cuthbert Shafto of Bavington Hall
Bavington Hall
Bavington Hall is a 17th-century privately owned country house at Little Bavington in Northumberland. It is a Grade II* listed building.A tower house was recorded on the site in 1415, but this was replaced in the late 17th century by the Shafto family.The Shaftos acquired the estate when William...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, and Alfred Agassiz, who emigrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and has many descendants among the Te Whakatohea tribe of the Māori.
The Agassiz family is now scattered throughout the world, in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. However, the name is extremely rare, with only a few dozen Agassiz families existing. Some of the current generation of the family are members of The Agassiz Family group on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
– http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2424826688