Forgotten gravestones in the Basque Country

Previously... 

I had the opportunity to visit Barcus and Esquiule last​ year, their churches, graveyards and town halls. But only Marie Larrory was supposed to be buried there (Marianne Etchegoren migrated with her family shortly after Marguerite Lerdou was born). Unfortunately she was not in the grave of the present-day Larrory and she could be buried in one of the many unkept headstones which names are almost completely erased. 

We waited for the town hall to open and asked for information regarding these tombs. They had none, the oldest records went missing a long time ago and recommended to try to identify them by gravestone rubbing. They were many headstones in this pitiful condition and we were only there for the day. I guess a collaborative restoration and indexing project is in order.

The Etxe strategy

Previously... La theorie de l'escargot.

Recap: After one unsuccessful attempt, one not even tried, and one shortcut, I found a way to leave the comfort zone and try a new technique to search for Marianne's hometown. Voici, la Etxe!

Esquiule is part of the Basque Country and for the Basque culture, the father's house (maison in French, Etxe in Basque) remains in the family for many generations, if not forever. This way, the houses become lieu-dit or landmarks and sometimes the street also carries the family name. There could easily be a Maison Etchegoren nearby.

So where in the area may the Etchegoren house be? According to Google maps, there is a maison Etchegoren and belongs to Barcus, the closest town to the West. This house is also mapped in the cadastre (a map that registers the properties of a certain district). 

Right: Cadastre of one of the districts of Barcus. Left: detail with the maison Etchegoren and neighbours.

I browsed the Tables Decenales of Barcus around 1818 for the birth of Marianne (who was 34 years old at the time Marguerite was born) and the next decade for her wedding. I found a Marie Etchegoren in 1815 (math was not their forte, or they really liked to lie about their age) and the wedding in 1843 of Gabriel Lerdou Hilarreguiborde with a 27-year-old Marie Etchegoren (born about 1816). Was she the same person?

Fortunately, the mayor of Barcus in charge of writing down the act clears this out for us: "Marie surnomée (a.k.a) Marianne Etchegoren". Both acts also name Marianne's parents: Benoit Etchegoren and Marie Larrory.

The marriage record has an extra hint. Before the name of her mother, there is the particle "feue" which means the late (as in deceased). Marie Larrory had died before her daughter's wedding and I found her death record in 1838, she was 51 years old but the only information of filiation is regarding her husband and his house.

This was a new opportunity to test the Etxe theory: Google it, or even better, Cadastre it. The house of Larrory is literally down the road (take another look to the detail in the picture).

Unfortunally, the Tables Decenales don't go back in time forever and neither does the civil registry.

But, it is still to be continued...