Charles Antoine Colomb Gengermbre, >

1790 - 1863  (72 years)

• Name	Charles Antoine Colomb Gengermbre  [1]
  Suffix	>
  Birth	3 Jun 1790	Paris, France   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	23 Mar 1863	Allegheny City (now incorporated into Pittsburgh, North Side), Allegheny, PA   [1]
  	Cause: CAUS: of a "severe cold"
  Burial	Allegheny City (Union Hill Cemetery), Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA   [1]
  Person ID	I8541	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	17 Sep 2023

  
  

  Father	Philippe Gengenbre,   b. Abt 1760, , Paris, , France d. 1838, , Indret, , France (Age 78 years)
  Mother	Jeanne Charrone,   b. 1764, <, Paris, , France> d. 3 Jun 1790, , Paris, , France (Age 26 years)
  Family ID	F10465	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Marianne Farey, >,   b. 12 Jul 1799   d. 12 Feb 1883, Harlem, New York, New York, NY (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	17 Apr 1818	London (St. Pancras in the Fields Church), England   [1]
  Children	1. Sophie Adelaide Gengermbre,   b. 1823, France d. 1903, Falmouth, Cornwall, England (Age 80 years)   2. Philip William Gengembre Hubert, >,   b. 20 Aug 1830, St. Owens, Paris, France d. 15 Nov 1911, Los Angeles, CA (Age 81 years)   3. Colomb Gengembre,   b. 29 Aug 1821, Nantes, Loire-Inférieure, France   4. Henry P. Hubert,   b. 1826, France
  Family ID	F4018	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 May 2025

  
  

• Notes

  Excerpted from Richard Jones: Named “Colomb” after Columbus, because his father admired the new American republic. From Kate Hubert’s family tree: CHARLES’ father had a brother with this name who was a clergyman in Paris. Member of the Corps de Garde under the brother of Napoleon. Studied engineering. Designed the mint at Cassel. In 1814, competed for the Grand Prix de Rome, winning the second prize in architecture. His architectural style book became a standard European textbook. Met MARIANNE when he and his father were touring England and met MARIANNE’s father. Married at St. Pancras in the Fields Church, London, on 17 Apr 1818. Designed and installed the largest gas heating and lighting system of its kind in the Paris Opera. Practiced architecture in France until 1848. Building the canals of Paris when interrupted by the revolution of 1830, in which he was wounded by a bayonet and was financially ruined. Went to London and stayed with MARIANNE’s relatives for a year. Drew the plans for Robert Stevenson’s steam locomotives and took out patents for his first six-wheeled locomotive. Also made plans for Boulton’s Manchester and Liverpool Railroad. Also worked at the iron works in Indret, France. Came to America after the French Revolution and the establishment of the Second Republic. Sailed from Liverpool on 22 Jun 1849 and reached New York City on 1 Aug. Settled in Cincinnati, Ohio; later moved to Manchester and Allegheny City, PA. (Allegheny City and Manchester are now part of the northside of Pittsburgh.) Architect. Also painted landscapes. Designed several buildings, including the Allegheny City Hall in 1860 (the site is now occupied by the Buhl Planetarium); the building was said to be simple and tasteful, and was well-thought of by later architects. In connection with designing the city hall, he was offered a share in the graft expected from the city government; he became thoroughly disillusioned with the ethics in America and vowed never to speak English again, and was said to have kept his word. Because the Gengembres never heard their name pronounced properly in America, they started using “Hubert” (MARIANNE’s mother’s family name) before his death. Additional distinguished ancesters, outside the scope of this history, are recorded by Richard Jones.

  
  

• Sources

  [S542] Richard H. Jones, compiler, Jones-Hubert Genealogy : Unpublished manuscript (Copy available at Post-Morrow Foundation, Brookhaven, NY 11719), 1998.