Here is a translation of the decree issued by Napoleon Bonaparte under the heading:
Imperial Decree Concerning the Jews Who Don’t Have a Surname and Fixed First Name,
20 July 1808 – No. 3589 at Baionne.
Napoleon, Emperor of France, King of Italy, and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, one the advice of our Interior Minister, our Counsel of State has heard – we decree the following:
Art. 1 Those subjects of our empire who follow the Hebrew Religion and who, up to the present, do not have family names and fixed first names will have to adopt one within 3 months of the publication of our decree, and must make the declaration in the presence of the civil state of the commune where they are living
Art. 2 The foreign Jews who have come to live in the Empire and who, in the case already observed by art. 1, must conform to the same formality within 3 months of their arrival in France.
Art.3 There is necessity to admit as family name neither any name taken from the Old Testament nor any name of a city. In order to be taken as first names, those are authorised by the law of the 11th Germinal (7th month of the French Revolutionary Calendar) in the year XI.
Art. 4 The local councils, in making the summary of Jews of their community, will make the verification and to make known to the authorities that they have individually fulfilled the conditions proscribed by the preceding articles. (NB: I assume that should be prescribed rather than proscribed)
Art. 5 Excepting for the arrangements of our present decree, the Jews of our States or the foreign Jews who would like to come here to establish themselves, when they will have surnames and known first names that they are continually bearing, again that those surnames or first names will be taken from the Old Testament or the names of the cities in which they are inhabitants.
Art. 6 The Jews mentioned in the preceding article and those who want to conserve their names and pre-names will more or less make that clear in the declaration as known; the Jews of our States in front of the mayor of the commune where they are domiciled, and the foreign Jews in front of those where they propose to make their domicile, all in the time frame decreed by Art. 1.
Art. 7 The Jews who have not made the formalities proscribed (see above note) by this present decree within the time frame proscribed (sic) by the present decree will be sent away from the territory of the Empire. In regard to those who in certain public private acts have changed their names arbitrarily and in order to conform to the dispositions of the law of the 11th Germinal, they will be punished according to the law, and the same communes like traitors, following the requirements of the case.
Art. 8 Our grand judge, The Minister of Justice, and our Ministers of Interior and Cults, are charged, each in which he is concerned, with the execution of the present decree.
Signed, Napoleon
By the Emperor.
NB: if this is a faithful translation, a good lawyer would drive a coach and four through the entire legal process, but would one dare?
Jewish families in Schweich – 1808
registered 17.10.1808:
No. 1: JOSEPH CAHN, cattle dealer, and his wife Perle
No. 2: FEIST ISRAEL and his wife Esdre, and their children:
Daughter Elle (age 20) born in Schweich (No. 3)
Daughter Gereb (No. 4)
Son Moyses (age 16) (No. 5)
No. 6: NAUSEN CAHN, cattle dealer, and his wife Nennen, and their children:
Daughter Mathau (age about 19) (No. 7)
Daughter Caile (age about 14) (No. 8)
Daughter Vogel (age about 13) (No. 9)
Son Raphael (age about 11) (No.10)
Daughter Gendel (age about 8) (No. 11)
Son Abraham (b. Schweich Yr. 12 of Revolution (No.12)
Son Leib (B. Schweich 31.7.1807) (No.13)
No.14: FEIST CAHN, Cattle dealer, and his wife Knendel and their children:
Son Lazare (b. Schweich and age about 17) (No.15)
Son Liebe (b. Schweich and age about 14) (No.16)
Daughter Hendel (b. Schweich and age about 13) (No.17)
Daughter Brendel (b. Schweich August 1796) (No.18)
No. 19: ABRAHAM ISAY, cattle dealer, husband of Jachel, and their children:
Daughter Esdre (b. Schweich and age about 12) (No.20)
Daughter Gererl (b. Schweich and age about 9) (No.21)
Daughter Judgen (b. Schweich in yr 9 of Revolution) (No.22)
Daughter Rachel (b. Schweich in yr 11 of Revolution) (No.23)
Daughter Idelgen (b. Schweich Yr 13 of Revolution) (No.24)
Daughter Judgen (b. Schweich 6.3.1807) (No. 25)
No. 26: MOYSES ISAY, cattle dealer, and his wife Mendel
No. 27: WOLF ISAY, cattle dealer, and his wife Vogel
Registered 18.10.1808
No. 28: SUSKIND ISRAEL, major son of Feist Israel, resident with his father,
unemployed and in protection of Feist Israel and Esdre.
No. 29: HERZ ISRAEL, cattle dealer, husband of Sara and their children:
Daughter Brendel, 18 months old, b. Schweich (No.30)
Daughter Elle, b. Schweich 5 October 1808 (No.31)
No. 32: RAPHAEL ISRAEL, without trade, resident with Feist Israel, age 25
No. 33: SALMON CAHN, cattle dealer, and his wife Elle, and their children:
Son Isac (b. Schweich 25.8.1803) (No.34)
Daughter Berle (b. Schweich 9.4.1805) (No.35)
Son Gabriel (b. Schweich 8.6.1807) (No. 36)
Registered 19.10.1808
No. 37: BERNARD NATHAN, schoolmaster for the Jews in Schweich, born in
Maravie in Osterreich (Mahren?) – son of Nathan Simon,
dealer in Moravie.
No. 38: SCHEINLE CAHN, major daughter of Joseph Cahn, and her daughter
Vogel, father unknown, born in Schweich in 13 yr of the
Revolution. (No.39)
Kahn Family Genealogy 