Forebear of Mengin Le Clerc
Lords of Mengen
c. 1100
Research context: a ministerial noble family of the Saar and Upper Lorraine frontier whose administrative careers mirror those later held by the Le Clercs.
The Lords of Mengen were a knightly and ministerial family whose ancestral seat was Burg Mengen in the Saar and Upper Lorraine frontier. From the late twelfth century their members served as knights, judges and ducal officials. Their responsibilities closely resemble the later offices held by successive Le Clerc generations, including governors, receivers, treasurers and argentiers to the Dukes of Lorraine. They provide one of the most credible regional contexts for the origins of the LeClaire family before the appearance of Mengin Le Clerc.
Continuity of the Line
The forebears above are drawn from the documented historical and genealogical context of the region. The continuously documented pedigree of the House resumes in the mid-fourteenth century and is recorded without interruption from 1355 to the present day.
Recorded generations: Mengin Le Clerc (c. 1310) → Colin Le Clerc → Jehan Leclerc de Pulligny → Mengin II → Claude (ennobled 1512) → the Leclerc du Vivier, Le Claire, Leclaire, Licklär and Le Clair branches → Brandon Noble LeClaire.