CHORUS - a family from Aachen

The origin of the Chorus Family has to be situated in the German city of Aachen. The first written deeds that mention a person by the name of Chorus are from the 13th century. In a deed of 1232 a Tiricus (Theodor) Chorus is mentioned as a witness of a gift to a monastery. In 1250 two brothers Chorus (William and Henric) were witnesses of a land transaction to the main church of Aachen, the later cathedral. These deeds nowadays are preserved in the State Archives of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany. One of them is to be seen in the section pictures of this webpage. It is a deed from 1335, written by an archbishop in Avignon, where at that time the Pope held his court. It was a letter of indulgence, addressed to the most famous ancestor of the family: Gerhard Chorus, who was first mentioned in a deed of 1327 as alderman of Aachen. Later he has become mayor of the city.

Although the supposition that Gerhard was the first one to be named Chorus because he founded the quire (the Latin word chorus = quire, choir, chancel) in the famous cathedral of Aachen is no longer valid, there are still enough reasons to be proud of an ancestor like him. Gerhard Chorus has been very important to the city of Aachen. On several occasions he was the diplomatic representative of Aachen, and he also represented the city as the nobility of all shires and cities gathered to choose a new king. Gerhard Chorus managed the matters of the Communal Hospital (1327), initiated the construction of the outer city wall (1329-1336), instituted an important civil rights rule (Kurgericht 1338) that applied until the end of the 18th century, and founded the town hall (1350) on the remains of the castle of Charles the Great. This building, in gothic style is still there. Gerhard Chorus is honored as its founder with his statue at the southern facade of the building. As a result of wardamage in 1944 he is now missing his sword.

Gerhard Chorus has been buried in the cathedral of Aachen, a very honorable fact, as until than only the emperors Charles the Great (742-814) and Otto III (980-1002) of the Holy Roman Empire, were buried there too. The tombstone on the Chorus grave referred to Ritter (Knight) Gerhard Chorus, which means that he was honored with this ancient title by a royal person. That must have been Empress Margaretha, who visited Aachen in 1338 and was given two golden plates by Gerhard Chorus. The tombstone is no longer there since the hall where he lies buried became integrated in the church at the end of the 18th century. Now an engraved copperplate in the cathedral remembers this Ritter of Aachen. Outside, near the cathedral there is a Ritter Chorus Strasse (street) that reminds of our famous ancestor.

Up to now no one has been able to prove that Tiricus, William, Henric and Gerhard Chorus really are the forefathers of the nowadays Chorus families. Still it is not a very unlike supposition. I have found clear evidence that the proven ancestors of mine were also born in Aachen, and that some of their descendants, who are my documented ancestors, moved to the Netherlands. So far I have traced my family line back to 1653, when a Quirinus Chorus was born in Aachen. Four of his descendants emigrated to Limburg (now a province of the Netherlands) in the late 18th century to marry farmer daughters that would inherit prosperous estates. They all succeeded in that purpose. Thus started the Dutch connection of the Chorus family. The majority of the Dutch Chorus family still live in Limburg. Furthermore there are several Chorus families in Germany too, a.o. Aachen, Köln, Trier, Bonn, Jülich, Mainz, Hannover, Düsseldorf.

At the (Dutch written) website www.chorusgen.nl I frequently publish more about my research. Since March 2007 there is also a German website, see the link below. Furthermore you'll find extra information (partly in English) in a few files that are linked below. I would appreciate any marks of interest on this subject.

GEDCOM Trees (viewing trees requires 4.0 or later)

• Descendants of Quirinus Chorus 1653-2007 (165 KB)
  This file in GEDCOM format contains all the descendants of Quirinus Chorus (*1653) and Odilia Lümments of whose existence I have found written evidence. I would appreciate being informed if you feel there are errors in this file. Your serious comments and/or completions are welcome!

Family Photos

• My parents on their weddingday (364 KB)
  My parents Alfons Chorus and Herma Chorus-Borgers on their weddingday, 27th of May 1937. They met in Nijmegen where they both studied. My father came from Munstergeleen (1909), my mother was born in Tintea, Rumania (1915) from a German mother and Dutch father. She died 88 years old Xmass 2003. My father became a well known university professor in psychology in Leiden, who has written more than 35 books. He also published some effective familystories about his uncles and aunts from his mothers side (family Pijls). He died Jan. 15th 1998, 88 years old.
• Letter of indulgence to Gerhard Chorus, Jan. 1335 (3007 KB)
  This deed was written in Avignon by the Archbishop Quillelmus von Antivari and 14 other bishops. The indulgence was meant for Gerhard Chorus and his wife Catharine, pictures of whom are to be seen at the deed in the corners left and right under. (State Archives Düsseldorf)
• My grandmother in 1898 when she was 18 (220 KB)
  My grandmother Paulina Chorus-Pijls at the age of 18. She was born in 1880 in Schinnen and died in 1973 in Echt. In 1921 she became the first female town councillor in Limburg, in Munstergeleen, where she lived and worked on the homestead that is still known as the Chorus Homestead (Chorushoeve). Her husband, my grandfather Arnold Chorus, achieved the age of 101.
• Cathedral of Aachen (7 KB)
  An engraved copperplate in the cathedral praises the merits of Gerhard Chorus to the city of Aachen. The supposition that Gerhard Chorus owe his familyname to the choir (= chorus) in the cathedral that he ordered to construct in the early 14th century is no longer valid. It is now documented that there were earlier persons in Aachen named Chorus. The familyname is a really old Latin (Roman) name.
• My great-grandparents (132 KB)
  My great-grandparents Joseph Alphons Chorus (1851-1925) and Aloisa Savelberg (1856-1880). They lived and worked on the homestead 'Schiffeler' near Heerlen. My great-grandfather became an alderman and deputy mayor of the city Sittard in his later days. In 1882 he had a 2nd marriage with Maria Lausberg (1860-1941).
• Family Arm (239 KB)
  One of the heraldic family arms in the family, 17th century. Probably a 20th century artist's impression of the family arm of Johann Chorus, Burtscheid 1682.
• Other family arms, 14th-18th century. (386 KB)
  Family arms as used by a.o. Johann Chorus, mayor of Aachen 1364; Henric Chorus, alderman of Aachen in the same year 1364; Jakob Chorus 1351, Gerhard Chorus of Burtscheid 1408, Johann Chorus 1682, Gottfried Chorus 1725. Important sign is the 'A', which is really a harrow.
• Church deed 1774 by Father Z. Chorus (1076 KB)
  This deed, dated 30st of July 1774, is written in Latin and describes details of a family Flecken in the parish of Eygelshoven. The deed is signed by Father Z.B.J. Chorus. Notice the harrow-sign in the seal.
• Grandmother of my father (from his mother's side) (102 KB)
  Catharina ('Netje') Kallen, mother of the mother of my father (Alfons Chorus 1909-1998). Catharina was born in 1844 in Munstergeleen and died in 1921 in Beeringen. She lived and worked on a homestead in Munstergeleen that later became known as the Chorus Homestead. This homestead is still there in the village. Netje Kallen was married with Reinier Pijls (1832-1889).

Related Files

• Gerhard Chorus: a biographical note (Dutch) (11 KB)
  Translation in Dutch of the biographical note about Gerhard Chorus in 'Allgemeine deutsche Biographie', Leipzig 1876 (page 137-138)
• Recovering of the remains of Gerhard Chorus (6 KB)
  The remains of Gerhard Chorus (1290-1367) have been recovered in 1843 and buried again on the same location. However his tombstone was removed and replaced by a copper plate into the wall.
• Dissertation (1913) about Ritter Chorus (Dutch) (226 KB)
  Parts of a dissertation by Martin Birmanns, published in Aken, 1913. A detailled documentary about the life and deeds of Ritter Gerhard Chorus (1290-1367), translated from German in Dutch.

Related Links

• Website of the Chorus-family (in Dutch)
• Webseite Familie Chorus in Deutschland