Krug champagne makers of Reims

With the death of François Marie Jaunay, the entire Jaunay family was to be found in Champagne, France. Adolphe Jacquesson, the grandson of the founder of Jacquesson et Fils based at Châlons-sur-Marne, started work with the company as a commercial traveller. It was decided that he would promote the sales of champagne in London and to this end he set himself up with the Jaunays in their hotel in London. This led to Adolphe's marriage to Louisa Jaunay, the first step in a chain of events that saw the Jaunays return to France.

Through this contact, Louisa's elder sister married Joseph Krug who was at the time an employee with Jacquesson et Fils. While the youngest child in the family, Louis Brunet, was living with his sister, Louisa, in the Jacquesson household by the time he was fourteen years old.

Ann Jaunay was born in London on 7 September 1810. Ann was baptised on 30 Dec 1810 at St Georges Hanover Square. She was brought up in the family hotel, Jaunay's, by a governess. In all writings she is called Emma, probably to distinguish her from all the other Anns in the family. Her death certificate records her as Ann Emma. As a child, Emma undertook several long holidays with the Brunet family at Chantilly. Louis Brunet favoured young Emma as he only had a son, Antony, and on his return to Chantilly he missed her company.

After her younger sister married Adolphe Jacquesson and moved to Châlons, Emma took the opportunity to make three lengthy visits, for the sisters were very close. It was during one such period that Emma met Jacquesson's cellar master, Joseph Krug. Joseph was enamoured by Emma, considered a very pretty woman with fine facial features, and pursued her for some time before she finally accepted his hand in marriage. At the marriage settlement concluded at Châlons on 16 February 1841, it was agreed that Emma's dowry would be 25000 fr. Brother-in-law, Adolphe Jacquesson generously provided the full amount for the bride.

On 17 February 1841, at the British Embassy Chapel in Paris, Bishop Luscombe officiated in the marriage. Joseph, the son of Johann Krug, originated from the free city of Mainz. Born Johann Josef Krug, the sixth child of Mainz butcher, Johann Peter and Anna Maria Krug, nee Koch, Joseph, was to found the great champagne house which still bears his name today. A short man of five feet two inches with a dark complexion, Krug was much older than Emma and was described as of modest appearance, very German in aspect and manners, but endowed with great qualities as a business man.

Krug's early life records have been lost along with many other papers that were stored in his grandson's basement at the time of the first World War. A German artillery bombardment in 1915 destroyed the home in Reims.