The name Ranc has been associated with the town of Montpellier in Languedoc, France since at least the 12th century. Prosper Falgairolle, in Essai dur les Bibliophiles du Bas-Languedoc, 1908 writes:

"Established as far back as the second half of the fifteenth century near the town of Sauve, the family du Ranc possessed there manors Vibrac, Saint Nazaire des Gardies, Saint Jean de Crieulon, Pujois and Sengla. The elder branch, which originated from Bernadin du Ranc, Baron of Vibrac died out in 1829 in Sommieres with Jean Louis du Ranc. The second branch founded by Louis du Ranc, second son of Bernadin, used to possess the manor of Saint-Series between Lunel and Sommieres. Its last representative, Louis Charles Fernand du Ranc, died in Saint-Series without male issue towards the middle of the 19th century. With him died out this family who gave a lot of officers to French armies."

It has been assumed, though not firmly established, that our earliest know ancestor, Jean Ranc, born in Paris in 1641, was part of this du Ranc family and hence, we have a direct connection with Chateau de Vibrac. Numerous members of the Ranck Clan have visited Chateau de Vibrac and written reports of their experiences.  Read in sequence, they relate the recent history of the Chateau and our fascination with our possibly noble heritage. Especially, don't miss the photo album presented to the Ranck Clan by the children and spouses of William E. and Marion S. Ranck after their 2000 visit.

The Ranks of the Rancks: Chateau de Vibrac.  Our first description of Chateau de Vibrac is found in Chapter One (p. 3) of J. Allan Ranck's hardbound publication The Ranks of the Rancks published in 1978.
 

The Ranck Odyssey: 1970, J. Allan Ranck (7.58). This article grew out of a visit to Vibrac in 1970 by George S. Ranck (6.118) and his son Allan. This article was found in Allan's files. It was the basis of an adress he mde at the 1970 reunion. At the same reunion George Ranck also reported on their trip.
 

On the Huguenot Trail: 1982, Dorothea Ranck Hunter (8.1).  Dorothea, together with her husband, Converse Hunter, and teen age children retraced the Ranck family sojurn beginning in Paris, through Strasbourg and Mannheim to Rotterdam. Though they did not visit Vibrac, the Ranck family sojurn out of France is well told.

Roots - A visit to Vibrac: 1982, Barbara Ranck Taylor (8.3).  Barbara and her husband, Jack Taylor, visited Vibrac at the time it was a working farm, the "castle" apparently occupied by several families.
 

A Ranck Descendant Visits Vibrac: 1985, Joyce E. Plumer.  Joyce, a daughter of Ruth Ranck [lineage not known in 1985, but since ascertained to be a descendant of John Philip Ranck through Ludwig Ranck (2.6) and Jacob Newton Ranck] visited Vibrac when it was unoccupied. She describes her self-guided tour of the grounds and her meeting the patron du Vibrac, [the husband of the niece of Madame Bon Homme (deceased)].
 

J  Ranck/Rank Heritage Tour to Europe: 1989, J. Ray Ranck (8.77) and Ann Sheetz (10.1).  Jay and Reba Ranck led this 16-day Ranck Heritage tour of 17 persons visiting Vibrac, Paris, Strasbourg, Mannheim, and Rotterdam (among other places). Ann Sheetz's Journal is included in this report.
 

Vibrac Visited in 1994: Karen Overly Miller (9.2156).  Karen's journey began is Madrid, seeking (and finding) paintings by Jean Ranc [1674-1735; not our ancestor, but presumably related] in the Prado. She and her companion walked the grounds of Vibrac and took photos.
 

Excerpts from a Letter from Thomas E. Ranck: 1995, (08.34).  Tom and his wife, Joyce, visited Vibrac in 1995 (together with Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Venice, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Zurich), "gaining entrance" to the chapel at Vibrac, but not to the Chateau. [See also, Tom's later visit with sisters Nancy and Linda (below).]
 

A Visit to le Chateau de Vibrac: A New Account: 1997, Kim K. Del Rance (ggd. of 9.433).  Kim and her mother, Mary Elizabeth Ranc (see story immediately following), visited Vibrac and met Mme. Fossati (maiden name Bonhomme), one of the 5 residents of Vibrac and a relative of the current owner. Kim's description is the first we have of the interior of the Chateau. Kim's avid interest in her Ranck family heritage moved her to change her name from "Ranck" to "Del Rance." Kim is a professional photographer who has published photos and other stories of Vibrac (including its sale for $11 million in 2000) on her website.

A Visit to le Chateau de Vibrac: A Mother's Account: 1997, Mary Elizabeth Ranc (8.1086).  An excerpt from Mary's letter detailing her visit with her daughter, Kim [see above], especially describing the interior of the chateau. She relates having been shown documents recording the story of the original Ranc ancestor's having been given the land, men, and materials to build the Chateau (which took eleven years) as payment for his services in voyages to America. [Daughter, Kim Del Rance, on her website identifies this ancestor as Charles Pierre du Ranc, specifies his service as accompanying Christopher Columbus on his second Voyage to America, and gives the dates of construction as 1510-1520.] Mary, like daughter, Kim, has changed her name to reflect her Ranc heritage.
 

Huguenots Driven out of France and Descendants Return: 2000, Karen Overly Smith (9.2156).  Karen describes her (second) visit to Vibrac, her meeting with Basil (British artist and friend of the current owner), and their discussion regarding the restoration. "The family chapel sanctuary, built for the wedding of Bernadin [see The Ranks of the Rancks, p. 7 for known early Ranc lineage], has been cleaned an Bernadin's burial place has been found in the nearby cleared brush. We followed Basil into the thicket and saw the lid of the sunken crypt. Basil said that some Ranc family members may be buried under the floor of the chapel sancturay."
 

Echoes from Vibrac: 2000, Thomas E. Ranck (08.34).  The children and spouses of William E. and Marion S. Ranck (07.35) sent photographs from their visit to the grounds of Vibrac. They later presented a photo album of their trip to the Ranck Archives.