just a few notes for you guys.

there is also a 'David Desmarest' from Southern France, who was also an Huguenot, who settled in the New York, New Jersey areas of the United States after a brief stay in England at just about the same time (late 1600s). His descendants have written several volumes on the family branch.
His ancestors can be traced back to the early 1100s - and one of them (Baldwin Desmarets) became king of Jerusalem during the Third Crusade. The research goes into an analysis of where and how often the name appears and its variations (Marest, Marets, Marais, + De or Des). The book indicates that David, the immigrant to the United States had Catholic relatives living in Paris.

My family is descended from a Jacques Marais whose son Paul migrated to the Montreal area of Canada again in the 1660s.

I've done some research in Paris - but haven't found anything specific to my family.

'Desmarais' is how the French Canadians have standardized the name during the late 19th century.

I've often wondered if the South African Marais, Desmarais, and Desmarest families were related.

If anyone ever finds ties, let me know.

thanks