TRANSACTIONS OF THE HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
No. 1., p. 12-17
Published by Order of the Society., Charleston, S.C.
Walker Evans & Gogswell Co., Printers, 
3 and 5 Broad and 117 East Bay Streets.
1889.

                               CHARLESTON, 20th March, 1885.
REV. A. V. WITTMEYER,
      Secretary of the Huguenot Society of America.
                               222 West 21 Street, New York:

    DEAR SIR: Upon the receipt of your letter we inserted a call for a meeting
of all descendants, male and female, of Huguenots, to be held on yesterday
afternoon; as you will see by the call, a copy of which is enclosed, it is very
broad, so as to subserve the object had in view by the Huguenot Society of
America. Over one hundred persons attended, and we read the circular of 10th
February; we then stated that as there were three original Huguenot settlements
in South Carolina, at distinct dates, and widely separated parts of the State,
we proposed that, under the language of the letter of 10th February, there be
committees appointed from each, with alternates who could act if the first named
were unable to do so, and that this we believed would be fully carrying out the
proposed plan and desired object. We send you a slip from this morning's paper
which will show you what was done. After responding to the immediate purpose, as
you will see by the slip, it was determined to organize a Huguenot Society for
the State, and committed to a committee to prepare rules, etc.
    The proceedings will be officially communicated as soon as it can be
ascertained whether those named can serve; and as some are in distant parts of
the State, a few days may elapse before they can be heard from. We communicate
this as information.
    We enclose our applications for membership in the Huguenot Society of
America, with $5 from each of us, which, as we understand the rules, is the
annual subscription. If we are admitted to membership, may we ask you to request
the Treasurer to draw on us for our arrears, as we are at a distance and may
overlook the time of payment.
         We are, dear sir, with much respect,
                              Your obedient servants,
                                       WILMOT G. DESAUSSURE.
                                       DANIEL RAVENEL.



           THE HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF AMERICA.

                             NEW YORK CITY, March 23d, 1885.

Messrs. Wilmot G. DeSaussure and Daniel Ravenel,
                                          Charleston, S. C.:

    GENTLEMEN: I have your letter of the 20th instant, enclosing $10 for
membership fees for one year.
    Our Executive Committee will hold a meeting next Thursday, when I shall have
the pleasure of laying before it your applications, and you may perhaps allow me
to add that I shall do so with peculiar pleasure in the case of one of you, as
our respective families seem to come originally from the same province,
Lorraine. Allow me also to congratulate you on the action taken at the meeting
which you have called, and particularly on the resolution passed to found a
Huguenot Society in South Carolina. If the proposed commemoration of the
Revocation result in nothing but this, it would by itself be worthy of all the
efforts made and to be made.
        I have the honor to be, gentlemen,
                                 Your obedient servant,
                                         A. V. WITTMEYER,
                                                  Secretary.



     (Charleston News and Courier, Friday, April 3d, 1885.)

                THE HUGUENOTS OF CAROLINA.

    ORGANIZATION OF THE HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

    Pursuant to the adjournment of the meeting of the Huguenots held on March
19, a meeting was held at the Huguenot Church yesterday afternoon to receive the
report of the committee which was appointed to draft the Constitution of a
Huguenot Society of South Carolina.
    The meeting was called to order with Mr. Robert Gourdin in the Chair, and
Mr. W. H. Fitzsimons acting as Secretary. After a prayer by the Rev. Dr.
Meynardie, the minutes of the previous meeting were read and adopted. Several
letters which had passed between Gen. W. G. DeSaussure and Mr. Daniel Ravenel,
and the Rev. A. V. Wittmeyer, Secretary of the Huguenot Society of America,
relative to the organization of the Society in South Carolina, were read by the
Secretary, and received as information.
    The committee appointed at the previous meeting to draft a Constitution and
by-laws for the formation of a Huguenot Society in South Carolina made a report
of the same, and recommended that it should have as an introduction "the
correspondence of the President and Secretary of the Huguenot Society of
America, with Messrs. Ravenel and DeSaussure, the call for and proceedings of
the meeting held on March 19, and the minutes of, the meeting held on April 2d."
    Mr. W. St. Julien Jervey moved that the report of the committee be adopted
as the Constitution and by-laws of the Huguenot Society in South Carolina, and
that the executive committee be authorized to print five hundred copies thereof,
with the introduction and names of members, and distribute the same.
    The Constitution as adopted, provides that the name of the organization
shall be "The Huguenot Society of the State of South Carolina," and that the
objects of the Society shall be:

  Firstly. To perpetuate the memory and to foster and promote the principles and
virtues of the Huguenots.

  Secondly. To publicly commemorate at stated times the principal events in the
history of the Huguenots.

  Thirdly. To discover, collect and preserve all still existing documents,
monuments etc., relating to genealogy or history of the Huguenots of America in
general, and of those of South Carolina in particular.

  Fourthly. To gather by degrees, a library for the use of the Society, composed
of all obtainable books, monographs, pamphlets, manuscripts, etc., relating to
the Huguenots.

  Fifthly. To cause statedly to be prepared and read before the Society, papers,
essays, etc., on Huguenot history or genealogy, and collateral subjects.

  The Constitution further provides that the membership be as follows:

  Firstly. All descendants in the direct male or female lines of the Huguenot
families which emigrated to America prior to the promulgation of the Edict of
Toleration, November 28th, 1787.

  Secondly. Representatives of other French families, whose profession of the
Protestant faith is anterior to the promulgation of the Edict of Toleration,
November 28th, 1787.

  Thirdly. Pastors of French Huguenot congregations in South Carolina.

  Fourthly: Writers who have made the history, genealogy, principles, etc., of
the Huguenots, a special subject of study and research, to whatever nationality
they may belong.

  The officers of the Society shall consist of a president, a vice-president,
for each original Huguenot centre or settlement in South Carolina, a secretary,
a treasurer, and an executive committee, composed of the president,
vice-presidents, secretary, treasurer, and five members elected by the Society.

  The original Huguenot settlements in this country, each one of which, is
entitled to a vice-president, are as follows: Charleston, Purysburg and New
Bordeaux.

  The members of the Society are to consist of three classes: Resident,
corresponding and honorary, but each with the same rights and privileges. The
annual fee of resident and corresponding members is to be one dollar, and the
payment of twenty dollars will constitute one a life member. The Constitution
also provides that the Anniversary meeting shall be held on April 13th, the day
of the promulgation of the Edict of Nantes, granting freedom of worship to the
Huguenots of France; and the autumn meeting on the 22nd of October, the date of
the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes.

    It was then moved and adopted that before an election of officers, should be
gone into, all those present who contemplated becoming members of the Society
should hand in their names. In response to the resolution, about forty names
were handed in, including those present and the various members of their
families. Messrs. D. E. H. Smith, C. K. Huger, and Dr. W. C. Ravenel, were
appointed a committee by the chair, to retire and nominate officers for the
Society. While the committee were out deliberating, Mr. L. DeB. McCrady, read
the following letter from Dr. T. Gaillard Thomas, of New York, to Gen. W. G.
DeSaussure:



                                 NEW YORK, March 23rd, 1885.
MY DEAR SIR:

    Thanks for your kind letter. I am rejoiced to see from the extract sent, how
successful a meeting was held. I know from experience that in the inception of
such an enterprise, funds are greatly needed for printing, etc., and I take the
liberty of sending in this, my check, for $100. Will you kindly use it as you
see fit, and call upon me for anything that I can do in reference to the matter?
I am greatly obliged by your offer to enroll my name as an original member, and
accept it with pleasure.
                         With great regard,
                                         T. GAILLARD THOMAS.

    The following resolutions of thanks to Dr. Thomas, were offered by Mr.
Daniel Ravenel, and unanimously adopted:

  Resolved, That the thanks of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, be, and
are hereby, returned to Dr. Theodore Gaillard Thomas, of the city of New York,
for his prompt and liberal donation of one hundred dollars towards the funds of
the Society.

  Resolved, That this generous response, by a son of South Carolina, although
elsewhere resident, to the effort by the Huguenot descendants in the State, to
organize a society to preserve the memories of their ancestors' sacrifices for
conscience sake, not only evinces how closely he cherishes the memory of the
virtues of his Huguenot ancestors, but cheers and encourages the members of the
Society in the effort now being inaugurated.

  Resolved, That Dr. T. Gaillard Thomas, be elected and declared the first life
member.

  Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to Dr. Thomas.

    The following gentlemen were nominated by the committee as officers of the
Society, and were unanimously elected by the meeting:

  President. - W. G. DeSaussure.

  Vice-Presidents. - P. C. Gaillard, Charleston; Dr. Gibert, New Bordeaux; J. C.
Davant, Purysburg,

  Secretary. - W. H. Prioleau.

  Treasurer. - Arthur Mazyck.

  Executive Committee. - R. N. Gourdin, Daniel Ravenel, B. K. Neufville, W. St.
Julien Jervey and F. M. Burdell.


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