On October 27, 2002 I was surprised by a mail from France. Now, that is basicly nothing really special (I live near the French border, and one of my sisters * lives just outside Paris) but this mail came from someone fully unknown to me, so far: Anne-Marie Winkopp. From her I received the following data, that start with her great-great-grandmother Emilie. All members of this branch are catholic. I first thought of a possible relation to the Jewish branch because of the names Joseph Raphaël. But Anne-Marie says the are no traces of Jewish blood: "We are brown-haired, with blue or brown eyes but we are so 'mix'!" All places mentioned are in France unless stated diferently.

1. Emilie Winkopp, born ca. 1838 in ? - died ? in ?. Unmarried, teacher. Her life is rather mysterious. As it is told in the family, she was a teacher of English, her child was born, she gave it its name and she abandoned it. That was 1864.05.30, she was 26 years of age, thus born between 1837.06.01 and 1838.05.30. Emilie then lived 5 Rue Keller, Paris. The father of her child is unknown, the birth certificate says: 'de père non dénommé', of unnamed father.
According to the 1881 British census, that year in London, there lived: "Emily Winkopp, female, born 1841 in Wertheim, Germany, 40 years of age, teacher (GM), unmarried, lodger in the household of Henry Lamprell, 5 Grange Gardens (St. Paul district)." Wertheim lies in Baden-Württemberg, on the Bavarian border, where the River Tauber joins the Main. And it not far from Aschaffenburg, where some German Winkopps still live today. According to another mail from Anne-Marie, she lived in Paris again at the beginning of the 20st century.
Her child:
2. Jean Joseph Raphaël Winkopp, born 1864.05.30 in Paris 5 - died ? in ?.

If she really was born in Germany, was an unmarried mother, lived in Paris and in London, UK ans was a teacher .. then she must have been some person! After all, that is really no standard biographie for a woman in the second half of the 19th century.

And here is my theory about the ancestry of the French Emilie Winkopp. Her year of birth perfectly fits in the generation of children of Adolf Winkopp from Tauberbischofsheim, Germany. Now there are several possibilities:
- she has got nothing to do with the German Winkopp branch; for now, I refuse to believe that;
- she was the third child of Adolf Winkopp and Maria Magdalena Schwab, who died during or shortly after Emilie's birth in early 1838; this might also explain the distance to the rest of the family, but it's a bit on the dramatic side ..;
- currently my favorite: she was a daughter of a brother of Adolf, a second son of Peter Winkopp, and is possibly related to the branch of Alfred & Oscar;
- she is related to the German branch, but on an earlier level; this is not very likely, as there would probably be more indications for the existence of members of this then longer branch.

3. Jean Adrien Winkopp, born 1992.06.26 in Arpajon (Essonne) - died 1953.09.02 in La Ferté Bernard (Sarthe), opera singer. He was light tenor in the 'Opéra' in Paris from 1916-1925.
Married 1. on 1915.07.20 in Paris 13 with Jeanne Aubert (born ? in ? - died ? in ?). They divorced in Paris on 1932.01.21.
Their children:
11. Pierre Winkopp, born 1916.04.16 in ?, headmaster of a college.
12. Geneviève Winkopp, born (from which relation?) 1919 in ?. Married on ? in ? with Georges Pierson (born ? in ? - ?).
Their children:
    Jean-Paul Pierson, born 1944, no children
    Catherine Pierson, born 1945, daughter Juliette, born 1975.06.16, married with ? Morel
    Philippe, born 1950, child Aurélien.

? married 1944.04.07 in Le Mans (Sarthe) Henriette Gondlach, pianiste

ch. 1. Marie-Thérèse, born 1930.10.10, op ? in ? getrouwd with Bernard Courcier, headmaster of a school
    ch.a Michèle, born 1956.11.23 - died 1957-02-26
        b. Philippe, born 1958.03.05
            ch. Séverine, born 1987.08.22
            Fabrice, born 1990.08.06
        c. Marie-Cécile, born 1966, 04.18, musician

11.Pierre Winkoop, born 1916.04.16 in ? - ?. Profession?.
Married on 1945.05.12 in ? with Gisèle Malleval, profession? (born ? in ? as daughter of ? Malleval and ?).
Their children:
a. Christian Winkopp, born 1946.07.06 in ?, profession?.
   Married on ? in ? with Georgina Alvarez, profession? (born ? in ? as daughter of ? Malleval and ?). No children. She lives in city? (departement?)
b. Anne-Marie Winkopp, born 1947.09.30 in Gentilly (near Paris, departement?), profession?, mail.
    Married on ? in ? with Roger Aubert, profession? (born ? in ? as son of ? Aubert and ?).
    Divorced on ? in ?.
    Their children:
    ba. Marie-Armelle Aubert, born 1969.02.09 in ?. Armelle is painter and decorator.
       Married on ? in ? with Marc Binvignat, profession? (born ? in ? as son of ? Binvingat and ?). They live in city? (departement?)
       Their children:
       baa. Jérémy Binvingat, born 1993.11.09 in ?, student.
       bab. Amélie Binvingat, born 1997.06.19 in ?, studente.
   bb. Didier-Franck Aubert, born 1970.11.20 in ?, profession?.
       Trouwde op 1997.09.20 te Quimper (Finistère) with Franciane Lazic, profession? (born ? in ? as daughter of ? Lazic and ?).
       They live in Quimper (Finistère). No children.
    bc. Eve-Marie Aubert, born 1980.07.13 in ?, profession?. Unmarried. She lives in city? (departement?)
c. Isabelle Winkopp, born 1949.02.08 in ?, profession?.
    Married on ? in ? with Thierry d'Huicque, profession? (born ? in ? as son of ? d'Huicque and ?). They live in city? (departement?)
    Their children:
    ca. Marie-Laure d'Huicque, born 1974.04.19 in Fontainebleau, profession?. She lives in city? (departement?)
    cb. Marie-Claire d'Huicque, born 1977.06.01 in Villeneuve St. Gerorges, profession?. She lives in city? (departement?)
d. Didier Winkopp, born 1955.06.16 in ?, profession?. Married on ? in ? with Juliana Marin, profession? (born ? in ?, daughter of ? Marin and ?). They live in city? (departement?)
    Their child:
    da. Chloé Winkopp, born 1990.09.05 in Johannesburg, South-Africa **, studente. ***

*: my sister Paula Irene Lenoir-Wijnkoop lives in St.-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines)

**: she is at least the third South-African Wijnkoop, after my sister Elisabeth Wijnkoop Wijnkoop (who lives in Daimfern near Johannesburg) and a to me so far unknown Mies Wijnkoop from, if the memory serves me right, the catholic branch from Noord-Holland, the Netherlands (who also lives in or near Johannesburg).

***: Chloé has been geadopted. After Angela Wynkoop, dr. lit. from Rhode Island, USA, Chloé is to my knowledge the second Wijnkoop with a dark skin. Our pale Dutch family tree gets some color!

LINKS:

The results of a Google search on the name "Winkopp" dd. 20030817.
The results of a Google search on the name "Wienkopp" dd. 20030817.
The results of a Google search on the name "Wienkoop" dd. 20030817.