Jung/Young Family Roots Part 1: German or French?

February 12, 2019

Above: Battle of Trafalgar by William Lionel Wyllie


A Family Mystery: German or French?

In 1948 Samuel (S.A.M.) Young wrote a letter addressed to the postmaster in Saulheim, Germany (a small town about an hour Southwest of Frankfurt) hoping to connect with distant cousins and learn more about his ancestry. One of the ongoing questions within the Young family was whether they descended from a German or French family. Samuel’s German father, Johann Adam Jung (changed to Young when he came to the US), always claimed that his father, Philip Konrad Jung, was French.

photo above: Samuel Augustus Meeker Young (aka S.A.M. Young)

Letters from Germany

Samuel’s letter eventually found it’s way to Konrad Jung. The following excerpts are translated from Konrad’s response to Samuel:

Excerpts from Konrad Jung’s response dated April 2, 1948

“Yesterday I received your letter from the post office and was more than pleased. For years I tried to get the address of Uncle Adam in America but could not get it. Neither could my father or any of his brothers or sisters get into touch with him or any of his descendants through exchange of letters.”

“I myself am the only person bearing the name Jung still here in Nieder Saulheim.”

“Of the family only one brother is living. He is also a teacher of distinction and lives in Dolgesheim, which is also the neighborhood of Hahnheim. He is about 85 years old. I will take your letter to him by bicycle next Sunday, for we may no longer go by automobile. Uncle Wilhelm will give you very detailed information, for he takes pleasure in family investigations; and it will be a special pleasure to him to give full information to his cousin in America.”

“And now as to the last question. Yes, indeed, your grandfather was a Frenchman, like all dwellers on the left bank of the Rhine. With the surrender of Napoleon in 1815 we were given back again to the German Alliance of that time and again became German. This is a land that has often changed owners. We are now again occupied by the French; as it was also from 1918-1930.”

Note: When Konrad’s response was written in April 1948, Germany was occupied by the Allied forces post-WWII. The French portion was a small segment west of the Rhine River.

True to his word Konrad delivered the letter to his Uncle Wilhelm who sent a response outlining the Jung family tree and providing interesting details about Samuel’s grandfather.

Excerpts from Wilhelm Jung’s Letter dated April 16, 1948 

“I received your letter through Konrad Jung, my nephew at Nieder Sauheim. My nephew is of the opinion, since I am older, that I know many things better than he does. First of all, I will introduce myself. I am Wilhelm Jung, pensioned teacher of Dolgesheim, Mainz District, son of Theodor Jung and am 86 years old. Now to get down to business. Question 1: Johann Adam Jung (Samuel’s father) was born in Hanheim October 17, 1823. 2: His father was Philip Konrad Jung. 3: His mother was Maria Margarete Jilian. 4: Your Grandfather was always German.

“Things do not look so favorable in Germany. There is distress everywhere. There is a shortage of food, clothing, and fuel. We hope the marshall will bring an improvement.”

(Wilhelm is Philip Konrad Jung’s grandson through his son Theodor.) 

You may have noticed that Konrad was convinced that Philip was “indeed a Frenchman,” while Wilhelm states “your Grandfather was always German.” Apparently, Samuel (S.A.M.) Young was firmly on the German side of the argument because soon afterward he sent a letter to his neice Blanche stating: “I am now convinced that my grandfather Jung was not French.”


Who was Philip Konrad Jung?

Philip Konrad Jung was born in the town of Köngernheim, Germany in 1783. Köngernheim lies about one hour southwest of Frankfurt on the west side of the Rhine River. His parents, Philip Jacob and Maria Kathrina (Blusser) Jung died of Typhus in 1796, when Philip Jr. was only 13 years old.

Location of Köngernheim, Germany on a modern map.

Philip’s childhood during the French Revolution must have been an exciting and turbulent time. Napoleon’s rise from humble origins to great fame during the war appears to have captured Philip’s imagination. Shockwaves resulting from the French Revolution certainly stirred up emotions among working-class German’s who likely questioned their own despotic government structure. Not long after Napoleon’s 1799 coup d’état Philip decided to enlist in the French Military. By 1803 the area west of the Rhine River around Philip’s homeland came under Napoleon’s protection and would become part of the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806.

Drawing: French soldiers learn skill of fencing.
Girard, Nouveau traité de la perfection sur le fait des armes (1736)

According to family stories, Philip became part of Napoleon’s elite Imperial Guard and was a fencing master. His swordsmanship expertise might seem like an outdated skill after the development of muskets and cannons, but according to fencing expert Bert Gevaert:

“The new conscript [in Napoleon’s Army] might receive 2 or 3 weeks of basic instruction at the depot, but he would fire on average only two musket shots a year in practice. Much stress was placed upon the attack with cold steel.”

“In the Napoleonic era: only one bullet out of 459 actually hit the target at which it was aimed.”

“It is also important to consider that pistols and muskets caused a lot of smoke so sometimes soldiers had the feeling that they where shooting blindfolded…thus pistols were best used in combination with the saber”

Excerpts from “THE USE OF THE SABER IN THE ARMY OF NAPOLEON: PART I” by Bert Gevaert
Napoleon Fusilier Grenadier*
by Bellange 

Although there are currently no records to prove the story about Philip serving as part of the Imperial Guard. We know that Philip served in the 16e Regiment de Ligne during the infamous Battle of Trafalgar. As part of Napoleon’s line regiments or “grenadiers” he would have been more agile and a better marksman than other infantrymen. In addition, the grenadiers were the tallest men in Napoleon’s army averaging over 5′ 7″ tall when the average height of a Frenchman at the time was just over 5′ 4″.

*Note: The illustration shown is likely similar but not an exact replica of Philip’s uniform. For more detail about the line infantry uniforms and provisions through the Napoleonic period check out “Napoleon’s Line Infantry” by Philip Haythornwaite

The Trafalgar Campaign was set in motion by Napoleon’s plan to force a passage through the English Channel and invade England. However, his lack of sailing experience and tactical naval leadership resulted in a series of failed engagements. Most notable among these was the Battle of Trafalgar which took place off the coast of southwest Spain and pitted a fleet of 33 ships (18 French and 15 Spanish) under command of Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve against British Admiral Horatio Nelson’s 27 ships.

In order to gain a decisive victory, rare in naval battles of this period, Admiral Nelson defied conventional naval strategy and split his force in half to separate the Franco-Spanish line of battle. Nelson’s strategy devastated the French and Spanish fleets and established British naval dominance which would continue throughout the next century.

Map showing ships attacking at Battle of Trafalgar, 17 December 1805 
from the UK National Archives. Philip was on the ship Mont Blanc. 
(Key: Blue-French, Yellow-Spanish, Red-British)
Illustration of the Mont Blanc, a Téméraire class 74-gun French Navy ship.
Philippe Jung (French form of Philip) on the Mont Blanc ship manifest dated October 1805.

Philip Jung fought onboard the Mont Blanc, one of five ships which formed the rear guard of the Franco-Spanish line. After being slowed by wind the rear guard lent little battle support and Rear-Admiral Dumanoir Le Pelley decided to break off the failed engagement leading his ships toward the safety of the Strait of Gibraltar. They were among the few French ships spared. The final battle toll numbered 19 destroyed or captured French and Spanish ships with 4,408 dead. The British suffered no loss of ships although 430 British soldiers died, including Admiral Nelson. The Mont Blanc and the remaining rear guard were captured one month later during the Battle of Cape Ortega.

According to family legend Philip continued fighting for Napoleon in Spain, serving for a total of 8 1/2 years. French records indicate that his 16e Ligne Regiment went on to fight in the battles of Eckmühl, Essling, and Wagram. It was common for regiments to be split up and reassigned, so more research is needed to determine Philip’s location between 1805 and 1809. Sources agree that in July of 1809 Philip was with his regiment during the Battle of Wagram where his thumb was blown off by a cannonball. This traumatic injury resulted in Philip’s military discharge.

After being discharged Philip moved to the city of Hahnheim, Germany a few miles from his birthplace. There he bought a farm, married, and raised a family. Philip died in 1855 at the age of 72.

Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram by Horace Vernet

The Confederation of the Rhine was abolished after Napoleon’s fall from power in 1813, but the breakdown of regional barriers which resulted from the confederation’s formation eventually led to the movement for German unification.

conclusion: German or French?

In Konrad Jung’s letter to Samuel, he stated: “this is a land that has often changed owners,” which highlights the difficulty of determining Philip’s nationality. Should the deciding factor be his family history? His personal allegiance? The country of his birth? Does nature or nurture make the determination? Philip certainly was proud of his military service and felt an allegiance to the cause of the French Revolution. His family heritage is firmly rooted in the Rhein Hessen German culture. It is easy to see why family members disagreed. What do you think? German or French?


sources and additional information
Lineage chart from Philip Konrad Young to Treva Mae Carroll.
Click the Jung/Young lineage above to learn more about Philip Konrad Jung and read the letters from Germany in their entirety.

Note: The rise of Napoleon and resulting wars are a complex topic which is difficult to precisely contain in a few paragraphs. I did my best to briefly summarize events that impacted Philip’s life, but could not touch on all of the social and political factors. For more information please check out the following links:

Eye witness accounts of the Battle of Trafalgar, including a helmsman’s log for the Ship Mont-Blanc, which Philip was on, can be found at Napoleon.org

For more information about the French Infantry click here.

For a better understanding of Napoleon’s military strategy check out “Correspondence of Napoleon I”

Here is a brief synopsis of Germany under Napoleon.

Logs from some ships captured by the British (including the Mont Blanc) can be found at the UK National Archives.

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