Subject: Carolina Huguenot Families From: Steven J. Coker Date: September 15, 1998 The Huguenots of Colonial South Carolina By Arthur Henry Hirsch, Ph.D. 1928, Duke University Press reprinted 1962 by Archon Books (pp 218-225) EMINENT AND THRIFTY HUGUENOT FAMILIES That the original Huguenots and their French Protestant descendants were aggressive and thrifty industrial leaders can not be disputed. Enough has been said to substantiate this, but a number of other examples claim fuller attention in this connection. In some cases it is difficult to classify their activities, since they frequently made ventures in several directions as did Gabriel Manigault, who was a merchant, a trader, a broker, a brewer, a mechanic, and a factor. Posterity need not deceive itself concerning the greatness of such a name as Hector Bérénger de Beaufain. He went to South Carolina probably with the Purry group, but settled in Charles Town after a few years' residence in Granville County. He was born in Orange, France, in 1697 and arrived in South Carolina in 1733. There he lived until his death in 1766.[1] For twenty-four years he was Collector of Customs in South Carolina, to which office he was commissioned in 1742.[2] In 1747 he was appointed to membership in the Governor's Council, but resigned in the thick of the political disturbances of 1756.[3] He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and though a foreigner, was "master of learned languages" and a profound critic of the English language, a man of unshaken integrity and of benevolent disposition.[4 ] In 1740 he was admitted to membership in St. Andrew's Society of Charles Town, a fraternal, mutual organization, founded by the Huguenots and others to relieve the suffering and distress of the poor.[5] In 1753 he advanced £2,500 for the relief of poor Protestants then arriving in South Carolina in large numbers.[6] His public spirit and his interest in religious education are manifest in patronage by subscription of the two-volume set of published sermons by the Rev. Richard Clark.[7] He was an honored member and patron of the Charles Town Library Society until his death.[8] His will bequeaths the income from his pew in St. Michael's to the use of the poor. To the poor he also left £500 currency, together with his house and its furnishings. How extensive his wealth was, is not known, but his will disposes of £2,600, a library, a home and its furnishings, unspecified amounts of land, an annuity of £50 to the mother of his nephew, [-] de Beaufain, and an annuity to his sister, Clodre de Beaufain, also possessions in England and in South Carolina.[9] George Baudoin was an example of thrifty Huguenot blood. He died shortly after reaching Carolina, but left property in England and in America.[10] Arnaud Bruneau Escuyer Sieur de la Chabocière was one of the early settlers at Wanthee, near Jamestown, on the Santee. At the time of his death, in 1694, he owned more than 3,000 acres of land in addition to large quantities of personal property. There, with his son, Paul Bruneau Sieur de Revedoux and his grandson, Henry Bruneau, he had settled in 1690. These were persons "of quality" who were driven from their rich estates ten miles from Poitiers, in France, probably carrying with them some wealth.[11] The 3,000 acres mentioned in his will were granted to Arnau Bruneau in recognition of services rendered to the proprietors and for recognized merits.[12] But other property was also owned by the father. Like others of his associates at this early period he expressed in his will the hope of a restoration of the Reformed religion in France.[13] Another family, in interest similar to the St. Julien's,[14] deserves attention here. It is the family of de Chastaigner Seigneurs de Cramahé (or Cramahais) and de Lisle, also of the nobility. Their prominence in the Huguenot colony in Dublin is shown in nearly fifty entries in the nonconformist registers of that place.[15] In the register of the Peter Street Church, Mademoiselle Charlotte Chastaigner de Cramahé is noted as godmother to a child of M. Daniel Belrieu, Baron de Virazel. Three brothers, Cramahé De L'Isle, and Des Roches, arranged to escape from France at the repeal of the Nantes Edict. The two former succeeded and settled in England, but Des Roches was detected, seized, flogged, mistreated, plundered, and cast into prison. After twenty-seven months of confinement he was banished. Two other brothers, Henry Augustus Sieur de Cramahé and Alexandre Thésée, Sieur de Lisle, went to South Carolina. They were the sons of Roche Chastaigner de Cramahé of the ancestral chateau, five miles from La Rochelle.[16] Henry Augustus was denizened in London, April 9, 1767, and is listed as Henry Augustus Chastaigne de Cramahé.[17] Alexander Thésée Sieur de Lisle (alias Thésée Castaigner) was denizened March 5, 1685-6.[18] He is found in London as early as 1681.[19] In South Carolina these gentlemen immediately took conspicuous positions in provincial business affairs and politics. Alexander is found in the Assembly[20] as early as 1693 and Henry Augustus appears on the Governor's Council.[21] The name of an elder brother, Hector, was in 1698 on the list of applications for naturalization in Dublin.[22] It is proper that special mention be made of Benjamin d'Harriette, a French Protestant merchant, and his relation to South Carolina history.[23] The editor of the South Carolina Gazette styled him "an eminent merchant". The home of his widow in 1760 was one of the most elaborately furnished houses in South Carolina.[24] Benjamin d'Harriette was one of the refugees who went to South Carolina from New York early in the eighteenth century. The will of Mrs. Phoebe Outman shows that her daughter Ann was then (1732) the wife of Benjamin d'Harriette, of Charles Town, formerly of New York.[25] The will of Benjamin d'Harriette, Sr., a New York merchant, shows him to have been a man of wealth and refinement. Much of the large estate in the possession of Benjamin d'Harriette, Jr., while resident in Charles Town, was inherited from his father.[26] His former wife, Ann Smith, died on July 12, 1754.[27] On October 16, of the same year, he was married to Mrs. Martha Fowler, the widow of James Fowler.[28] Mr. d'Harriette was probably in Charles Town as early as 1726, at least a bill of sale to him of a negro boy is recorded March 1, 1726.[29] In 1736 an advertisement appears in the Gazette stating that he desires an overseer for his plantation on John's Island.[30] The will of his father mentions him as being in Charles Town then, that is, in 1741.[31] His advertisements in the Gazette in 1739 show that he was then a merchant on Union Street.[32] In 1752 he was in partnership with John McCall, engaged in the business of importing white servants and slaves of all sorts.[33] Benjamin d'Harriette died in February, 1756.[34] On February 26, 1756, his executors, Gabriel Manigault,[35] Alexander Broughton, and Peter Manigault, advertised for sale at auction part of the estate of the deceased, including 1,070 acres of land on John's Island, twelve miles from Charles Town, hogs, cattle, tools, etc. On March 31 were sold a lot in Charles Town, on the corner of Meeting and Queen Streets, 200 x 150 feet, with two houses on it, a lot on the Bay, 25 x 25 feet, and a lot on Union Street, 44 x 205 feet.[36] Mr. d'Harriette left a considerable estate of personal property.[37] His codicil provides that his wife Martha, be given the household furniture, a suit of mourning, seven negroes, and £10,000 currency in addition to undivided portions of the estate. Among the French Protestants of South Carolina he was one of the most generous contributors to benevolent causes. The following amounts are bequeathed in his will: £1,000 to the French Protestant Church of Charles Town; £500 to the "Brick Meeting House"; £500 to the Baptist Society of Protestant Dissenters; £3,000 to the South Carolina Society; £1,000 to the Church Wardens and Vestry of St. Philip's; £1,000 to the French Protestant Society of New York City. To friends and relatives he bequeathed no less than £24,000. Among them he remembered his friend Gabriel Manigault with £100; and the Rev. Richard Clarke, Rector of St. Philip's, and the Rev. John Tetard, Minister of the French Protestant Church, of Charles Town, with £100 each. To Thomas Grimball he bequeathed his wearing apparel, gold watch, silver-hilted sword, his gun, and all of his French books. His humane sympathies are evidenced in the fact that he also made provision for the freedom of four of his faithful slaves and the care of a number of others. Though a public spirited man, aggressive and able, he was apparently not a money hoarder nor a grasping money maker. The South Carolina Gazette was in its obituary comments usually conservative and not given to flattery. As a rule it selected a leading trait of the deceased and commented briefly on it. With reference to Benjamin d'Harriette its brief though striking comment is included in these few lines: "On Sunday died Suddenly Mr. Benjamin d'Harriette, formerly an eminent Merchant of this Town, but had retired from Business some years - Knowing when he had enough". The De Saussure family in South Carolina dates from about 1730, when Henri arrived in Charles Town from Lausanne, Switzerland and settled in the Beaufort district.[38] A grant of land to Henry De Saussure is dated March 6, 1732-3. The land was located in Purryburg, Granville County, on the Savannah River and contained 690 acres.[39] In Europe the family history dates back several centuries in Switzerland and France, where the name is prominent in Metz, Strassburg, Geneva, and Neufchatel.[40] The name is intimately bound up with the experiences of the Huguenots on both sides of the sea. Antoine de Saussure took bold and active part in the Reformation at these places. From Neufchatel the Charles Town French Church received its liturgical service. In South Carolina those bearing the name remained faithful to the doctrines and polity of the Reformed religion. Henry De Saussure died in 1761, highly esteemed and respected. His four sons and a grandson took active part in the Revolutionary War. Louis and Thomas died on battlefields, Henry from disease. Daniel was a member of the Provincial Congress in 1775.[41] He was captured in 1778, but was exchanged. He served in the defense of Charles Town in April and May, 1780 and on the capture of the city was exiled with the St. Augustine expedition, and released in 1781. After the war, he became president of the Charles Town Insurance Company and was a member of the Committee of Safety.[42] He served also on a commission to repair Fort Littleton.[43] He served as senator in the new government and in 1789-1790 was president of the senate.[44] Daniel De Saussure, born April 10, 1736, at Purryburg, was one of the original trustees of Charleston College and was present at the first meeting of the Board in August, 1785.[45] He was a member of the Privy Council before the Revolution.[46] In commercial activities he was engaged forty-two years. He was respected for his industry, talents and moral integrity.[47] Philip Gendron, though he went to South Carolina an unnaturalized alien, was popular enough there to be listed, together with two other Huguenots,[48] John A. Motte and René Ravenel, among the commissioners of the Church Act of 1706. Philip Gendron came to his new home from Marans near Rochelle, in France, about 1690, but must have been naturalized soon after reaching America. His wealth lay in fine stock, profits from which he reinvested in local commercial ventures.[49] Like many of his nationality, he was an inveterate money lender.[50] His will disposes of no land, but in it he bequeaths £10,700 to his near relatives. He left £10 to the poor of the French Church of Santee and the same amount to the poor of the French Church of Charles Town. The latter bequest was made on condition that the church remain true to the Reformed faith.[51] Gabriel Guignard, the first of the name in Carolina, was born on the Isle of Oléron, France, in 1708. He is found in the South Carolina Assembly in 1737.[52] He must have accumulated considerable property, for, in accordance with a time honored custom, in recognition of those who had large accumulations of property, a street in Charles Town was named for him. In 1740 he married Frances de Liesseline. Their son, John Gabriel, was State Treasurer from 1790 to 1799. He also held the office of State Surveyor.[53] Daniel Huger, the son of the emigrant by the same name, added to the land wealth of his father by the purchase of 4,5641/2 acres in several tracts, paying for them £4,693.[54] According to the inventory of his property made in 1754, he takes rank among the richest in the province, having a large estate in land, slaves, tools, etc. But his five sons were the best legacy he left. Daniel Huger, the third of the name, served as delegate to the Continental Congress, 1786-88, and was a representative at the Federal Congress, 1789-93. He died in 1761, leaving an estate of £119,501.[55] There were 452 slaves, all named in the lists. Isaac was a lieutenant in the Cherokee War and a lieutenant-colonel in 1776. In 1779 he was made a brigadier-general.[56] John, prior to the Declaration of Independence, was a member of the Assembly and after the war, Secretary of State in South Carolina. Benjamin was major of the First Regiment of riflemen and a member of the Provincial Congress. Francis was a captain in Moultrie's regiment and later a quartermaster general in the continental army. [to be continued ...] ____________________________ 1 S. C. Gaz., Oct. 31, 1766. 2 Commission, MS Council Jrnl., 1741-9, 19 3 MS Col. Doc. S. C., XXVII. 151; XXII. 250. 4 S. C. Gaz., Dec. 13, 1773. 5 List of members, MS Records, St. Andrew's Society. 6 Cooper, Statutes, IV. 5. 7 List of subscribers at 12-3-0 per set, in S. C. Gaz, Dec. 8, 1759 8 S. C. Gaz., Apr. 23, 1750, passim. 9 Will, "Gleanings from England", S. C. H. & C. Mag., XI. 132. Grants of land to him total 2,800 acres in Granville County alone. See MS Grants, II. 41, 42, 213, 252. 10 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1671-1727, 49. 11 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1671-1727. 12 MS Col. Doc. S. C., II. 120. Ms Sec'y. Rcds., 1685-1712, 13 and 18. 13 Will, MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1671-1727, 275. MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1692-3, 172. 14 See Index. 15 Pub. H. S. London. 16 T. H. S. S. C., XII. 29. 17 Pub. H. S. London, XVIII. 177 and 184. Alexander Thésée de Chastaigner, Sieur de Lisle and his wife, Elizabeth Buretel, went to Carolina in 1685. He was denizened in March of the same year and must have been naturalized in Carolina, for in 1693 he was a member of the Assembly. He died in 1707. See Coll. S. C. Hist. Soc., I. 114-9. MS Assembly Jrnl., 1693; Archives, Colonial Dames, nos. 62 and 114. 18 Ibid., XVIII. 184. 19 Ibid., XVIII. 177. 20 Cooper, List of French Protestants in England, 40. 21 MS Assembly Jrnl., 1692, 3. 22 Pub. H. S. London, XVIII. 350. 23 Coll. N. Y. Hist. Soc., (Wills) 1. 346. 24 MS Pr. Ct. Red., 1758-61, 314. 25 Coll. N. Y. Hist. Soc., (Wills) 111. 55 and 331. 26 Ibid., 111. 331. 27 Tomb Stone, St. Philip's Church-Yard, Charleston. 28 S. C. Gaz., Oct. 23, 1755. 29 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1726-7, 240. 30 S. C. Gaz., Dec. 18, 1736. 31 Coll. N. Y. Hist. Soc., (Wills) III. 32 S. C. Gaz., May 26, 1739. 33 S. C. Gaz., Oct. 3, 1752. 34 His tomb-stone has Feb. 17. The S. C. Gaz., Feb 19, 1756, has Feb. 15. 35 S. C. Gaz., Feb. 26, 1756. 36 Ibid. 37 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1753-56. S. C. Gaz., Feb 19, 1756. 38 MS Hist. De Saussure Family, by Wilmot G. De Saussure and Henry A. De Saussure, joint authors. MS in possession of Mrs. Martha De Saussure, Charleston. 39 See MS Public Records, I. 279. 40 Ibid., Hist. De Saussure Family; Harper, Memoirs of Henry W. De Saussure. The name De Saussure is said to have been derived from the Duchy Saussure, formerly in possession of the family. 41 MS Hist. De Saussure Family. 42 Drayton, Memoirs, 75 and 86. 43 Coll. S. C. Hist. Soc., III. 61. 44 MS Hist. De Saussure Family. 45 Catalogue of Charleston College, 1900-1901, Historical Sketch, 13-14. 46 S. C. Almanac, 1785. 47 MS Hist. De Saussure Family. 48 Cooper, Statutes, II. 282 f. 49 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1722-24, 301. 50 T. H. S. S. C., XVI. 20. 51 Ibid. 52 T. H. S. S. C., IV. 46. 53 Ibid. 54 S. C. H. & G. Mag., XII. 6 f. 55 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1758-61, 598. 56 MS Pr. Ct. Rcd., 1752-56, 282; S. C. G. & H. Mag., XII. 7; Archives, Colonial Dames. 57 T. H. S. S. C., IV. 7. 58 MS Pr. Doc. Mass., quoted in Baird, Hug. in Am., II. 112. [Portrait shown in book is omitted here, caption shown below.] HENRY DE SAUSSRE 1763-1839 Director of the Mint, appointed by President George Washington. (Penned from a miniature by Fraser, in possession of Dr. Henry W. De Saussure, Charleston, S. C.) ==== SCROOTS Mailing List ==== Go To: #, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Main |