For anyone interested in the GEX family. The "Venoge" historical site outside
of Vevay is land that once belonged to David Louis Gex (a.k.a. Louis Gex Oboussier,
because he followed a French custom of taking his wife's last name, as noted in the
History of Switzerland County). The "French-style" home that is to be preserved
for its historical significance is generally considered to be Gex's home.
Gex was married to Lucille Oboussier and brought his family to Vevay around 1803 or so.
He was french-speaking Swiss from Lusanne, Switzerland. Lucille died in 1810 and Gex
married Marianne Golay, and they moved to New Harmony, Indiana. But many of Gex's
children were grown and their families remained in this area. His son Antoine Gex lived
on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River right at what is now the border of Gallatin and
Carroll County, and they have many descendants in this area.
Lucille Oboussier Gex's brother, Luke Oboussier, settled across the river in Ghent and
was a merchant there. His daughter married a COX and the Cox children became very wealthy
in their business concerns.
Little has been known about the orgins of these families in Switzerland until recently.
I've been in contact with J. F. Michel Oboussier, Aarau, Switzerland, and he tells me
that his ancestor Jean Antoine Oboussier (1702 - 1766) married Jeanne Marie Reyneir and
had eight children, one of them being his ancestor, Jean Christopher Oboussier, and
another being a namesake Jean Antoine Oboussier (1732 - 1804), the Mayor of the city of
Lusanne around 1799-1800.
Jean Antoine married Jeanne Suzanne Daller and they had twelve children, including Lucille
(1764 - 1810) and Luc (1781 - ?). The information in his family is that Lucille married
a "Dr. Gex" and emigrated to America, and Luc also emigrated to America. There
is no doubt that this is the same Lucille who married David Louis Gex [Louis Gex
Oboussier] and that Luc is Luke Oboussier of Ghent, Kentucky.
Mr. Oboussier identifies Jean Antoine Oboussier (1702-1766) as a Protestant who left his
properties in France because of religious persecution, and gives Jean's father's
name as Jean Oboussier-Fouillouzon (1622-1692), who was the heir of and therefore
probably the son of a landowner named Antoine Oboussier-Fouillouzon.
He also says the family came out of an area around the small town of Chateauneuf-sur-lsere
in Southeast France, and that pronunciations of the names over there would be
"Oh-BOO-see-eh" and "Jecks" (which is a killer, we've always said
"jay" around here).
Bill Davis wmadavis(a)kih.net
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* * * Fax (978)334-7850 * P.O. Box 337 * Ghent * KY * 41045 * * *
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