Dear Herr Diers
Thanks for your quick reply.
You make a very intelligent point and I too have assume that Michaelsen must
be originally Danish ...However, the documentation I have makes no mention
of any other consular responsibilities and the Michaelsen family had quite a
large and thriving business in Bordeaux for at least 60-70 years. At the end
there was a marriage connection to the Bordeaux family Vieillard which had a
very large and successful porcelain factory in Bordeaux. So if they were
also representing other
States prior to the Bismarkian unification, I'm sure it would have been
mentioned in some of the documents I have read so far.
The reason why I am interested in all of this is that I own a house in
Entre-deux- mers built in 1779 and owned by the Michaelsens from about 1836
having acquired it by marriage from the family Kuhlmann who, in turn, seem
to have received it from a Henri (Heinrich ) Damann.The Kuhlmann familly
came from both Oldenburg and Preussen....So far, I have faied to trace back
the notarial records to the first owner of the house
Although many foreigners were very active in the wine business (and other
trades ) in Bordeaux in the late 18th and 19th century, it seems strange
that Oldenburgers would have installed themselves in such a small
provinicial setting involving at least (at that time) a carraige journey of
7-8 hours from Bordeaux.
I wonder whether during the period of Napoleonic occupation, some
enterprising Oldenburgers extended their business and property interests in
Bordeaux.
In general, I am interested in the micro-history of our small but pleasant
region because for some time I've been contemplating a book about it...
Regards and thanks for your imput
Jasper Parrott