\^v , -a­ ' I N \rf>\> ¦"¦¦» \\ 1 ¦*. 3 \\ I if •i~ .i \ \ s f; V s\ 1 H it $' K v\* I / • FRENCH PROTESTANT CHURCH, CHARLESTON, S. C. AT SOUTH-EAST CORNER OF CHURCH AND QUEEN STS. FOUNDED A.D. 1681. Believed tobe the fourth successive church buildingupon this site. Established by Huguenot Refugees, persecuted and driven from France on account oftheir religious faith. Inthis Church is used the same Liturgy (translated) which was published at Neuf­ chatel in 1737 and 1772. It is the only Huguenot Church in America to-day. RAVENEL RECORDS A HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF THE HUGUENOT FAMILYOF RAVENEL, OF SOUTH CAROLINA; WITH SOME INCIDENTAL ACCOUNT OF THE PARISH OF ST\ JOHNS BERKELEY, WHICH WAS THEIRPRINCIPAL LOCATION. THE BOOK IS INTENDED FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION. 7 —BY- •> HENRY EDMUND RAVENEL, OF SPARTANBURG, S. C, Attorney at Law; Master of Arts; Alumnus of the College of Charleston ; One of the Authors of "Ravenel and McHugh's Digest," Etc. ATLANTA,GA.: The Franklin Printing and Publishing Co. Geo. W. Harrison, State Printer, Manager, 1898. cJ-a . C « 9. 30^.<0 '<M PREFACE. IWJOT through any fondness for genealogy, and certainly *¦ not through any taleut in that direction, was this work undertaken. But the necessity of making some effort to preserve our family story had so impressed itself upon me, that in July, 1894, 1sent out a circular letter to various members of the family, inviting their cooperation" upon the ground of the following statement, viz.: The eighth and ninth generations of Ravenels since the advent of our emi­ grant ancestor to this country are now living. Owing to the decease within the last ten years of several of the older representatives of the name, and owing also to the rapidity with which many of the active members of the family are becoming scattered over several States, in consequence of the changed coudition of affairs at the old family centers, we have arrived at a point where we are in danger of losing our family history and traditions." At that time 1had printed the paper by Mr.Thomas P. Ravenel, which is reproduced in this volume, and Iexpected to be able, within a few months, to publish a sketch giving as much information as was necessary. But the material offered outgrew my expectation incertain directions, while the difficulty of obtaining the actual family lines of descent wa6 also far beyond anticipation. Although guided princi­ pally by the chart prepared by Dr.Wm. C. Ravenel, which he lent, me, Iwas soon able to trace the line of Daniel Ravenel of Somerton, Iencountered immense delay in getting the line of Rene* Louis Ravenel. Upon discovering, however, that Dr. Robert Wilson had made a chart of this IV Preface. line, Iborrowed and copied it,and have made very free use of his work. Idesire now to record my thanks to him. His chart, supplemented by information furnished by Mr. Thomas P. liavenel, and by a great deal of outside corre­ spondence on my own part, has been my principal reliance 1n making up the tables. A second cause of delay was the announcement made to me by M. Fraiu de la Gaulayrie, of Vitre, France, that he was preparing a publication entering very largely into the transatlantic history of our family prior to the migration from France, and I.could not but wait for this book, which appeared in 1896, and is a valuable addition to our printed history. A brochure by the same author arriving in May, 1897, gives interesting facts in regard to the Le Febvre family and others. A third cause of detention was that the work could only be prosecuted at odd moments, and on account of my busi­ ness engagements it had often to be entirely laid aside for long intervals. Such spasmodic attention to historical work interferes not only with its progress, but with its character and orderly arrangement. If there is any matter in the world requiring the whole subject to be kept before the mind, itis the construction of a genealogical table, for the thread once dropped, one wastes hours in recovering it, and even the omissions which had been fresh to the thought before the interruption are forgotten afterwards. Nor is this all. While some ofmy correspondents have been prompt and even zealous in their replies, in other quarters incredible delay, and sometimes indifference, has been met. A genealogical question, however simple, can seldom be, answered offhand, so itis with a historical doubt. But the reception of an interrogatory requiring a reference to one's family records "is sufficient to make most men lay aside the missive for a more convenient season," a season that never comes. Preface. V The inherent and necessary difficulties of my task have been greatly increased by ray isolation from the family centers and principal sources of information, so that many details which might have been easily and quickly learned in Charleston or St. Johns by interviews or by accessible records have required a letter, and frequently several let­ ters. Nor can Ihope to have avoided errors. Dependent, in the nature of the case, upon others for the great bulk of the material used, errors may creep in as well from wrong information as from faulty reproduction. The irregularity with which the information from all sources has come to hand has interfered \uth its satisfactory arrangement, notwithstanding the rewriting of many pages. Considerable delay luis also been experienced by the necessity for mailing the several sections of proofs of the family tables in various directions for verification. Itake this means of correcting an inaccuracy appearing on page 28, due to my want of familiarity with the Poo­ shee diaries at the time the text was prepared. Stephen Ravenel was elected Secretary of State on De­ cember 20, 1794, and Daniel James Ravenel in 1810. No errors of any consequence have come under my no­ tice, but it will be found that the General Index collates some facts omitted or misplaced in the body of the book, as, for instance, the burning of Daniel Ravenel's house in Charleston in 1796. Ihave done what Icould with the materials obtained, and for the faults and omissions of the little book Ithrow myself upon the indulgence of that agreeable family circle for whose use these pages are offered. H. E. Ravenel. Spartanburg, 8. G, May 1, 1898. RAVENEL RECORDS. CHAPTER I. RANK OF THE RAVENELFAMILYIJST EUROPE. Historical References: Tipbaine de Kavenel, Bertrand dv Guesclin, Camisards. —Public and Private Documents. —Certified Church Records from Vitre of births, deaths, etc. —Coats of Arms.— Letters, etc. — Marriage Certificate of Rene Ravenel and —Charlotte de St. Julien, Emigrants. —M. Frain de la Gaulayrie. Decrees of Nobility.— Manors and Distinguished Persons. "No,my friends, Igo (always other things being equal) for the man who inherits family traditions and the cumulative humanities of at least four or five generations. ... Istill insist on my democratic liberty of choice, and Igo forthe man with the gallery of family por­ traits against the one with the twenty-five-cent daguerreotype, unless I findout that the last is the better of the two."—"Autocrat." 0. W. Holmes. the inception of this work, a desire has been ex­ pressed that the rank of the family in Europe should be spoken of. The subject has not heretofore received ade­ quate attention, but its claims should not be overlooked ; and we may certainly regard with satisfaction the evidences obtained and here submitted. The Ravenels belonged to the noblesse of France. Both before and after the migra­ tion they intermarried with families of %the nobility, and their rank was recognized inofficial documents, public as well as private. To some extent the transatlantic history of the family has been known to us here for many years, but our information lr 2 Ravenel Records. is much more fulland accurate through recent letters and publications ofM.Frain de la Gaulayrie, of Vitr6, from whom Iquote freely. Having entered upon the topic, it naturally falls into the first place, and a longer introduction would add nothing to the facts adduced. The name itself is not unknown to fame either before or after the migration. "During the war of the Camisards we find a Ravenel at one time (1703) in command of a force during a battle. He was one of four men who kept up the conflict amid great discouragements. He was finally put to the torture to induce him to make disclosures and was burned alive."— Howe's History ofPres. Church, page 155. We do not know this hero. Perhaps he was of our blood and close relationship. Illuminated with the romance of more than five hundred years comes the poetic story of Tiphaine Ravenel, wife of Bertrand dv Guesclin, whom we like to love and admire, ¦; hether or not she was of our line. The story is worthy of "a place here. Tiphaine Ravenel, the daughter of Sir Robin Ravenel, one of the combatants in the celebrated 'Battle of Thirty'— distinguished for her birth, beauty and accomplishments — predicted for Bertrand a fortunate issue of the combat. She was at that time twenty-four years of age; was instructed inphilosophy and astronomy, and was wiser and better taught than any one in the whole country." ". She was the daughter of Robin Ravenel and Jeanne de Dinan, heiress of Belliere. Cuvelier gives the name Ragu­ enel; v. 2381. In the Histoire de Bretagne, by Morice, torn, i., p. 294, /it is Raguenel, and in the Chronique (Anonyme) de Dv Guesclin as in the text, which has been adopted" as the name has descended to our times.