From Joubert to DuBar? 
From Joubert to DuBar?
The
surname, Joubert, is no exception. Some of the variations that I have seen are
Jaubert, Joubart, Goubert, Gaubert, Jubert, Juber, Jubart, Jobert, Jobart, Jubard,
JuBar, DuBar, Duebar, DuBard. I have been told that the name Joubert, when pronounced
in French, sounds sort of like 'zhoo-bar(d)'. It leaves you wondering if it
starts with a "D" or a "J". Researching this family gets
complicated. To add to the complication, DuBar is also a French surname. There
are several families in France today with DuBar as their surname. My
grandfather, Thomas DuBar, was listed on the 1900 Census of Buffalo Township,
Dunklin County, Missouri living with his father and mother, Moses and Sarah.
Their last name was recorded as Jubard. I
found the marriage license for Moses and Sarah in Jackson County, Illinois.
His last name was listed as Jubart on one side and Jubar on the other. I also found the marriage license for Moses
and his first wife, Barbara Henson. On that license, Moses was listed as Moses
Gaubert and Moses Duebar. On
Moses' birth certificate, he was listed as Moyse Joubert. It reads like this
in French: "Le vingt-six juin, mil-huit cent quarante huit, je prêtre
soussigné ai baptisé Moyse né aujourd'hui du légitime
mariage de Moyse Joubert agriculteur et de Julie Lavallé. Parrain Louis
Demers, marraine Domitilde Bessette qui ainsi que le père, n'ont su signer."
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Throughout the course of history most
surnames have undergone change for many reasons. A son may not even have chosen
to spell his name the same way that his father had. Many are simple spelling
changes made by a person who gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a
priest, or a recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which almost became
optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different
branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence , there
are many variations of surnames.
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A loose translation of this is "On June 26, 1848, I the undersigned Priest
did baptise Moyse, born today of the legitimate marriage of Moyse Joubert, farmer,
and Julie Lavalle. Godfather Louis Demers, Godmother Domitilde Bessette who
as well as the father, were not able to sign."
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