De La Valette Family Tree Back to 1115 AD - France

For those of you looking to link to the De La Valette's, there is a tree posted at the following URL:http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/3653/tree/ArchValx.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/3653/tree/ArchValx.htmlYou will note that the Valette's were highly involved in the Crusades and members of the Knights Templars. There are MANY different variations of the name - many anglisized versions resulted from having to flee from France during the persecution of French Huguenots in the late 1500's and again in the late 1600's.My grandfather was the Duc d'Epernon (Duke of Epernon), Jean Louis Nogaret De La Valette (1554-1642).It is believed that most of the Epperson/Apperson families that are now in the U.S. are descendants from his lineage.The Duke of Epernon was such a colorful character and involved in so many plots concerning King Henry III and Henry IV that his character was used in the book "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas.The character, D'Artagnan, Dumas used in the book was actually inspired by the early life of Jean Louis Nogaret De La Valette, Duc d'Epernon.I'd love to hear from any of the La Valette cousins - rsmith0127@qwest.net