The Huguenots of Colonial South Carolina BY ARTHUR HENRY HrnscH, Ph.D. Professor of American History in Ohio Wesleyan University Fellow of the Royal Historical Society [j] HAMDEN • ARCHON BOOKS • LONDON 1962 COPYRIGHT, 1928, BY DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS REPRINTED, 1962, WITH PERMISSION PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THE HUGUENOTS OF COLONIAL SOUTH CAROLINA CATHERINE LE NOBLE Daughter of James and Elizabeth Le Serrurier, emigrants; the wife of Henry Le Noble and the mother of Mrs. Rene Louis Ravenel. (From an original oil painting in the possession of Mrs. R. Y. Dwight, Pinopolis, S. C.) To THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER PREFACE This study is an attempt to disentangle from the network of colonial history the contributions made in Carolina by the French Protestants. The initial impulse for the work was received and the beginning was made in a seminar conducted by Professor Wm. E. Dodd. In their original form three of the chapters of this volume were submitted in fulfillment of the thesis requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago. To these several chapters have been added, bringing the work into its present form. In its preparation the en­ deavor has been to produce a narrative embodying the princi­ ples of sound scholarship, though also readable and interest­ ing. As no history of the Huguenots of South Carolina has hitherto been attempted, new ground has been broken and much source material heretofore unused for this purpose has been examined and utilized. In all cases the author has tried to get at the truth, regardless of current theories or traditions. A perusal of the bibliography will show that a study has been made of primary and secondary material available in the United States and in England, more particularly in Charleston, Columbia, and Pinopolis, South Carolina; the Library of Congress; the Chicago Libraries; the New York Public Library, the libraries of Philadelphia, and the archives in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; Fulham Palace, the Royal Society Collection, and the British Public Record Office, in London. For transcripts from the English archives I am in­ debted to Mr. R. A. Abrams, of Oxford University, and Miss R. Catton, of London. While the author does not want to have it appear as though he wishes to cancel the indebtedness thereby, he de­ sires to make grateful acknowledgment to those who have materially assisted in making the load lighter. [ vii l V111 PREFACE In addition to the officers and staffs of the several libraries mentioned above, my deep appreciation is herewith expressed to Mr. Alexander S. Salley, Jr., Secretary of the South Carolina Historical Commission and the Hon. R. M. Mc­ Cown, formerly Secretary of the State of South Carolina, for special privileges and numerous courtesies extended dur­ ing the pursuit of the work, and to the Vestries of St. Philip's and St. Michael's Episcopal Churches of Charleston, to the Trustees of the Congregational Church of Charleston, to the Colonial Dames of South Carolina and to the officers of the South Carolina Society, for the privilege of examin­ ing their valuable records. Mr. Thomas Wright Bacot, ex­ President of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina; Mr. Daniel Ravenel, the Secretary; the late Doctor Robert Wil­ son, its former President; the Rev. Florian Vurpillot, for­ merly Pastor of the Huguenot Church of Charleston; Pro­ fessor Yates Snowden; Miss Isabelle De Saussure; Mrs. Louisa Smythe; Mr. Isaac Porcher; Mrs. H. F. Porcher; Mrs. R. Y. Dwight; Mr. Samuel G. Stoney; Mr. Arthur Mazyck and Mr. Alston Reed generously opened their private collections to unrestricted examination, or assisted in numer­ ous other ways to further my endeavors. Without the as­ sistance of Mr. Henry R. Dwight, of Pinopolis, the photo­ graphic illustrations found in this volume could not have been procured. With generous cooperation and zeal, under trying circumstances and many obstacles, he obtained photographs .of a number of oil paintings and pastels of the Huguenots of the colonial period. My debt of gratitude to him is great. For the unselfish assistance in research on the part of Mr. D. E. Huger Smith and Miss Mabel Webber, both of whom also read nearly all of the early drafts of a portion of the manu­ script and whose critical though kindly counsel has saved me from a number of errors, I am especially indebted. To Pro­ fessors Andrew C. McLaughlin, William E. Dodd, and Marcus W. J ernegan, of the University of Chicago, who have followed my work at every step with many helpful suggestions and who read much of the first draft of the PREFACE ix prepared manuscript, and to Professor Charles M. Andrews, of Yale University, who read and criticized all of the first draft, my deepest appreciation is hereby expressed. To Miss Katharine Mazyck, whose constant counsel and unfailing encouragement have been like beacon lights through the years, my debt of gratitude is beyond measure. In its final form the manuscript had the distinct benefit of a careful reading by the late W. C. Miller, Esq., a former President of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, Miss Katharine Mazyck, the Society's Historian and a member of the Ex­ ecutive Committee, and Daniel Ravenel, Esq., its Secretary. To each of them my gratitude is great. All of these, how­ ever, should be relieved of responsibility for errors that may appear. To Professors William K. Boyd, Paull F. Baum, and Louis M. Sears of Duke University, who gave the final manuscript and the galley proof a careful reading and made many helpful suggestions, and to the Duke Press, through whose interest in the work the volume is brought out in its present form, a special expression of appreciation is fitting. It is hoped that perchance there can be recovered from oblivion some of the great and noble recollections that de­ serve to live in the memory of man and of which France herself may have reason even now to be proud. ARTHUR H. HIRSCH. Delaware, Ohio. March, 1927. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE l. THE EUROPEAN BACKGROUND AND THE BEGINNINGS IN CAROLINA 3 Persecutions in Europe. South Carolina a favored retreat. Ribault's colony of 1562. Laudonniere. Kingswell's colony, 1633. Governor Sayle's colony of 1669. Petit's venture in 1679. Colonies after 1685. II. THE HUGUENOT SETTLEMENTS 14 Charles Town. Santee. St. Thomas & St. Denis and Orange Quarter. St. John's Berkley. St. Stephen's. Purrysburg. The Back Country Movement, Hillsboro. · III. THE FRENCH-PROTESTANT CHURCHES . 47 Polity and doctrine. Local adjustments. The Charles Town Huguenot Church. Succession of ministers. Periods of dis­ tress. Conflicts with Anglicanism. The Santee Church. The Goose Creek Church. Orange Quarter. St. John's Parish. Purrysburg French. The New Bordeaux Congregation. IV. THE ASSIMILATION OF THE HUGUENOTS 90 A remarkable feature of their early history. Assimilation not easy at first. It involves church forms, names, customs, language, etc. V. THE DISSENTER FIGHT. RELIGIO-POLITICAL STRUGGLE, 1682-1706 . 103 Political alignments in South Carolina. The question of naturalization and denization. Superiority of the Dissenters. Revolt and political distress of the Huguenots. Confiscation of Huguenot goods. The Anti-Dissenter triumph. French Protestants satisfied. Results. VI. POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS RIVALRIES AFTER 1706 131 Conflict between Anglicans and French Protestants over church forms. Richbourg, La Pierre, L'Escot involved. The new money bills. Appeal of Charles Town merchants. The Assembly's protest. Attacks upon Godin and Conscillere. Protestants removed from office. The Charles Town Dissenters. Flight of Governor Nicholson. Illegal voting attacked. VII. THE FRENCH PROTESTANTS AND CULTURE 153 Not leaders as a class. Education among French settlers. Private libraries. Early French teachers and schools. Schools which combined arts and crafts. Dancing and fencing. Set­ tlers' sons educated in England. The Charles Town Library Society. Portraits. The press and the theatre. [xi] Xll CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE VIII. THE ECONOMIC SUCCESSES OF THE HUGUENOTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA 165 Reasons for French colonization. English official motives. Characteristics of French Protestants. Huguenot thrift. Ex­ amples of wealth. Land. Slaves. White servants. Live stock. Race horses. Huguenots in commerce; as money lenders; as factors. French Protestants in the Indian trade. IX. RURAL INDUSTRIES IN WHICH HUGUENOTS ENGAGED ExTENSIVELY 196 Silk culture. The Richmond venture. First organized effort. Added encouragement. Highest development. Failure. Grape culture. Early experiments. Gervais's vine. St. Pierre. Fail­ ure. Olive culture is displaced. Rice culture. Guerard's pen­ dulum engine. Villepontoux's improved machine. Dupont introduces water culture. Indigo culture. Deveaux's experi­ ments. Fortunes in indigo. Mellichamp's improved method. Indigo is displaced by chemical dyes. Cotton culture supreme after the American Revolution. X. SIDELIGHTS ON HUGUENOT INFLUENCE IN CHARLES TOWN . 218 Timothee and the South Carolina Gazette. District Postal service. First fire insurance company. Mellichamp and the salt factory. The D'Harriettes wealth. The widow LeBras- seur and social life. The widow Timothee. The widow Marion. No pauper class among Huguenots. Evidences of benevolence. Benevolent societies. XI. EMINENT AND THRIFTY HUGUENOT FAMILIES 239 Hector Berenger de Bea.ufain. George Baudoin. Chabociere. D'Harriette. DeSaussure. Gendron. Guignard. Huger. Le- gare. LeNoble. Manigault. Mazyck. Perroneau. Porcher. Prudhomme. Ravenel. St. Juliens. Etc. XII. CONCLUSION 261 BIBLIOGRAPHY 265 APPENDIX. Unpublished Letters and Other Important Documents 283 INDEX 331 ILLUSTRATIONS CA THERINE LE NOBLE Frontispiece MAP OF PARISHES AND SETTLEMENTS, SouTH Facing Page CAROLIN A COAST • 14 PLAN OF JAMESTOWN 16 HILLSBORO TOWNSHIP 42 FRANCIS LE JAU 68 HENRY LAURENS 98 LEAVES FROM A RECORD BooK . 114, 116 MRS. SAMUEL PRIOLEAU 158 ELIZABETH BACOT 160 MARIE PERONNEAU 162 STEPHEN MAZYCK 166 SUSANNE MAZYCK 168 RENE Lours RAVENEL 170 MRs. RENE Lours RAVENEL 172 PIERRE BACOT, 2ND. 174 HENRY DE SAUSSURE .