Son of Pierre Germain, National Gendarme professional, and Marie Anne Logre married. Later on, he adopted the very French-sounding name of Gaston, certainly because for a Frenchman, the surname Germain created too many problems and confusion. The Name Gaston was retained by the following generations as their surname.
The real and legal surname of Yves Leopold was in fact Germain. He was born in Lisieux, France, the twenty one of the month of Brumaire, Year twelve of the French Republic at six o’clock evening. (November 13, 1803 in Gregorian calendar).