| The most likely French-Canadian family of origin for this name is that of Fifle, which is found in Laprairie and Napierville Counties. Peter Pfeiffer (name made French as Pierre Fifre/Fyfre/Fifle/Fyfe) and wife Catherine Marx, living in 1800 at St-Constant, Laprairie Co., Quebec, were of German origin. He was probably one of the German mercenaries sent to Canada as British troops in the American Revolution, probably from the regiment of Hesse-Hanau Chasseurs, under the command of Col. De Creuzbourg, which were stationed at Laprairie for part of the war. They were inspected at this location 29 January 1782 and were mustered out in 1783. On 24 December 1799, Lieutenant Adjutant William Vondenvelden presented a petition for land in the name of 317 Germans who had decided to remain in the country, including: Inkel, Fyfe, Catman, Weissenthein/Vanchesteing. See Gaston Derome, "The Vanchestein Family of the Counties of Laprairie-Napierville, Quebec," FCAGR, v. VIII, nos. 1-2, 1980 (repr. of BRH, v. 49 (1943), pp. 14-17.) He was an innkeeper and signed his name in German Fraktur script: Bier Fieschell. |