Cominot

Martin Cominot was the 2nd husband of Johanna Werner, daughter of Dominik Werner. 

An interestng article about Martin Cominot appeared in Familienkundliche Blätter, a publication of the Westdeutsche Gesellschaft Bezirksgruppe Trier.  "Eine Glashütte in Trier – St. Medard," by Rudolf M. Gall – supplemented by Karl G. Oehms.  A translation of the article appears below:

At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, there is evidence of a glassworks in Trier St. Medard. It can be proven by entries in the church book of the parish of St. Medard from 1701 to 1713(1) and in the Trier council minutes(2).This glassworks was located near the St. Medard well(3).   No other glassworks are known to have existed in the vicinity of Trier around this time. Only 100 years earlierthere had been a glassworks in Malborn near Hermeskeil, but it had only existed briefly. It was due to a "Black Forest foundation" like the one at Bitche in Lorraine.(4)
It was not until 1769 that a glassworks was founded in Hosthum, near the Luxembourg border.(5) The skilled workers employed there, such as glassblowers, cutters, and glassmakers, mostly came from France. The same is true for the glassworks in St. Medard, for in the church register for the glassworks in St. Medard, most of the surnames for the skilled workers are French-sounding surnames.
In Lorraine, in the county of Leiningen-Dagsburg, and the county of Bitsch (Bitche), there were already important glassworks before 1700 that can be traced back to Black Forest glassmakers. In 1739 we find the family name MEINE (MENY) in one of the most important glassworks there, St. Quirin. This name also appears in 1687 in Söllingen near Pfinztal in the Karlsruhe district in a glass works.(6)
The family of Carl MENY is also mentioned in the church book of St. Medard at the glassworks. In the Lorraine glassworks we also find the name MUNZINGER alias MASSART as in St. Medard!
According to the church records of St. Medard, the glassworks only existed there in the period from 1701 to 1713.  In 1702 and 1704, the glassworks is mentioned in the Trier council records. A co-owner of the glassworks, councilor and master weaver Martin COMINOT and consorts, submitted applications to the electoral administration. These applications are passed on by the Elector to the Council of the City of Trier and discussed there.
The council minutes refer to the "propretarii" (the owners), but also to the "consorts".  According to this, COMINOT must have had co-partners. The application of Martin COMINOT and consorts from 1702 aims to ensure that the glassware produced in the Trier glassworks, to the exclusion of all other brands, can only be sold by the partners in the archdiocese.  The council of the city of Trier was to inspect the factory. In 1704, another application was made by the owners through Councillor Cominot and consorts. Cominot was probably the main owner of the St. Medard glassworks. Several times he was godfather to the children of his glass workers.7According to council minutes from 1709, a complaint was made to the council about "foreigners and local people offering all kinds of drinking glasses for sale in the streets". The complaint is dismissed "because trade is not restricted". "It is a matter of free commerce".8
In a tax list (Schatzungsliste = Electoral Tax) of 26.05.1702, the glassworks at St. Medard are listed and the inhabitants there are named as follows:
St. Medard in der Glaßhüth 
Mons. MIGNON Mons. NESME LORENZ Handtlanger (Glasarbeiter) JACOB, auch Handtlanger(Glasarbeiter MARINGER Jacob) 

The aforementioned did not have to pay any land tax9,

St. Medard parish contains the following information on names belonging to the glassworks:

In German:

Taufe am 01.06.1701:

Maria, Tochter des Glasmachers von der Glashütte (domo vitriario). Der  Familienname fehlt [Eltern sind Laurentius FROESCH und Sybilla NN].

Paten sind: Ratsherr (Wollenweberamtsmeister) Martin CAMINOT, Mitbesitzer der Glashütte und Maria la NEMES, die Ehefrau des Meisters

auf der Glashütte. (Ihr Ehemann ist 1702 als Mons(ieur) Karl NESME erwähnt.

English translation:

Baptism on 01.06.1701 

Maria, daughter of the glassmaker of the glassworks (domo vitriario). The surname is missing [parents are Laurentius FROESCH and Sybilla NN]. Godparents are: Councillor (Wollenweberamtsmeister) Martin CAMINOT, co-owner of the glassworks and Maria la NEMES, the wife of the master at the glassworks. (Her husband is mentioned in 1702 as Mons(ieur) Karl NESME.

Taufe 16.09.1706: 

Taufe eines Kindes des Ehepaares Thiery (genannt THYRYEN) Paten: der vorgenannte Martin COMINOT und Catharina du MENY

Taufe 04.08.1707:

 Anna Elisabeth, Tochter des Glasmachers Jacob MARINGER und Catharina NN; Paten: Karl de MENY, Glasmacher und Elisabeth LONQUICH, beide aus St. Medard

Taufe 13.08.1708:

Melchior, S.v. Franz FERRARE; Paten: (Anna) Catharina de MENY und MUNZINGER, alias MASSART Melchior

Taufe 16.02.1713: 

Anna Catharina, Tochter des Glasmachers Jacob MARINGER und Catharina NN; Paten: Johann CATEVILLE und Anna Catharina, Ehefrau des Herrn (Karl) de MENY, alle aus der Glashütte


Baptism 16.09.1706: Baptism of a child of the married couple Thiery (called THYRYEN) Godparents: the aforementioned Martin COMINOT and Catharina du MENY

Baptism 04.08.1707: Anna Elisabeth, daughter of the glassmaker Jacob MARINGER and Catharina NN; godparents: Karl de MENY, glassmaker and Elisabeth LONQUICH, both from St. Medard

Baptism 13.08.1708L Melchior, S.v. Franz FERRARE; godparents: (Anna) Catharina de MENY and MUNZINGER, alias MASSART Melchior

Christening 16.02.1713: Anna Catharina, daughter of the glassmaker Jacob MARINGER and Catharina NN; godparents: Johann CATEVILLE and Anna Catharina, wife of Mr (Karl) de MENY, all from the glassworks.


After this last entry in the St. Medard church book, which is to be connected with the glassworks, the production of the glass factory seems to have ceased. The glassworks also no longer appears in the archival records already mentioned.There are probably several reasons for the rather short existence of the glassworks in St. Medard. On the one hand, there was a lack of the necessary skilled workers, but also the procurement of the necessary production material caused difficulties and increased costs. The hut, which used a lot of firewood, was not close to the forest.  The wood had to be floated to St. Medard. On the other hand, the elector had granted the Merzig timber merchant Gusenburger on the basis of the stacking right on 6 May 1705, from selling timber that had been floated down the Saar River to the glassworks.10 The glassworks therefore did not enjoy any support from the authorities.
Additions by Karl G. Oehms:
Whether the glassworks can be connected with the relatives of the wife of Martin CAMINOT remains open. Caminot was married to the widow of the grocer Johann Pütz. This couple had seven children baptised in St. Gangolf from 1668 to 1682. The wife Johanna Werner (born 04.03.1649 in St. Gangolf) was a daughter of Dominik Werner (also Varain or Waring), a merchant who came from Apuril in Lorraine and was the son of Humbert WARIN and Nicole GILLOT. Impressive are the number of sponsorships of Johanna Werner. Sponsorships before her second marriage are not included.

Abbreviations: St. Gangolf = GAN; St. Laurentius = LAU, St Medard = MED; St. Paulus = PAU; St. Gervasius = GEV; St. Walburga = WAL 


Notes:

1  Stadtarchiv Trier, Kirchenbuch von St. Medard, Familienbuch Dechant Wurringen

2  Stadtarchiv Trier, Ratsprotokolle

3  „Die Glashütte von St. Medard“ in: Trierische Landeszeitung vom 06.01.1959

4  Siehe Anmerkung drei

5  Werner Laies „Die Glashütte bei Holsthum“ in: Kurtrierisches Jahrbuch 1974

6  Siehe Anmerkung 3

7  Patenschaften im Anhang

8 Siehe Anmerkung 2 und 3 

9 Stadtarchiv Trier, Signatur L 10, Steuerlisten 1702, Amt Pfalzel, Gemeinde St. Matthias – St. Medard. G 2 

10 Siehe Anmerkung 3