Our Niort Roots

The Gobeil family can be traced back 12 generations. Our ancestor, Jean Gobeil, left Niort in 1665 with his wife Jeanne Guiet and their 4 daughters. They made their way to La Rochelle and sailed to "La Nouvelle-France" on board the ship Le Rubis.



We know that they were married at l'Église St-André, which would have been about 50 years old at the time of their wedding.  What a grand church it must have been back then since it still is very impressive!  Stained glass windows have replaced the ordinary windows from that time.

The 11th generation, Emélie Grace Gobeil, and 10th generation, Gérard Maurice Gobeil, stand on the steps of St-André on July 15, 2012.

The interior is very old, dating back more than 400 years, yet it retains its beauty and grandeur.

Another landmark that would have been around in 1665 is the Niort Keep, called "Donjon" in French. (Not the same as dungeon.)

Becky, Emélie and Gerry

The glass building behind the horse-drawn carriage is "Les Halles", the market.  The market is right next to the Donjon.


We may have been on a quest for our Gobeil roots, but we didn't forget Karl's background.  We stopped for lunch at the "Relais de l'Alsace" and Karl enjoyed sauerkraut and sausages.  Some of us ordered more humble fare, like the classic burger or an all-dressed salad.

We remembered cousin Richard and the fun we had had three years ago when we were in Niort, again looking for the Gobeil roots.  This teapot says "Maison Richard".