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The Articles, of which this pamphlet is a re-publication,
were contributed by me in June 1822 to the "Southern Intelligencer", a
religious paper, then issued weekly in Charleston. The object was
to furnish the Descendants of the French and Swiss Refugees, in print,
the contents of an old manuscript List of Refugees, in the possession of
our family. Of this manuscript therefore some account is given in
No. 4 of the Articles. To what is there said I may add that it was
found among sundry old papers, most of them of little or no value, at the
plantation known as Wantoot, in St. John's, Berkley, which had been the
residence of my father and grandfather. It is not a general list
of the Refugees; it purports to be a list of such as desired an Act of
Naturalization. Its character was found to give it an interest beyond the
purpose for which it was designed. To the names of persons on the
list are added their places of nativity, their parentage, the persons they
married, the children born before, and those born after their arrival in
Carolina; and the mothers and wives are with few exceptions, mentioned
by their maiden names. This last feature is in accordance with the
rights of married persons under the Civil Law, which is the basis of the
French Code. Under the English Common Law "Husband and Wife are one
person" and their legal rights are modified by this principle. "In
the Civil Law the husband and wife are considered two distinct persons,
and may have
different Estates, &c."1 The preservation of the
born names of women thus has importance in France. To us the interest
of the paper consists chiefly in the genealogies it records.
The Manuscript is in my possession; and although
mutilated by age, will be cheerfully submitted to the inspection of persons
interested in the genealogies.
The Manuscript occupies seventeen pages of fool's-cap
paper. The first part paged from 1 to 13, the remainder not paged.
The portions are
1. The principal List, numbered from 1 to 119 inclusive, which is the list published in 1822.
2. The portion marked No. 2, purporting to be names of persons at Orange Quarter, which, from the note at its close was imperfect and collected in aid of a Committee.
3. The portion marked No. 3, which has been, and is now, supposed to consist of notes used in compiling the principal list; and this formed the envelope of all the sheets and is endorsed "Liste des François et Suisses."
For the reasons stated, Nos. 2 and 3 were not published
in 1822: it is now deemed advisable to print them also.
The writing of these last is read with difficulty
and I am indebted for aid in making these transcripts, to the kindness
of Mr. LOUIS MANIGAULT of this City, whose familiarity with old French
chirography has enabled me to present them.
Soon after the original publication Mr. HENRY H.
BACOT of this City, visited France and became acquainted with the BACOT
family, residing a few miles from Tours. He had with him the "Southern
Intelligencer" containing this list. The identity of the families
was recognized; and the Baron BACOT DE ROMAINE extended many kindnesses
to his remote relative, and also accorded civilities to others from So.
Carolina. In consequence of this pleasant result, the late venerable
THOMAS WRIGHT BACOT, brother of Mr. H. H. BACOT, (remembered by many
as the first Postmaster of Charleston under the Federal Government,) caused
the articles to be re-published in the "City Gazette" in May, 1826.
I have been unable to find a copy of the original
publication in the "Southern Intelligencer," or even to ascertain if its
files have been preserved. The present publication is made from a
volume of the "City Gazette" in the Treasury Office of Charleston, kindly
lent me for the purpose by the Hon. P. C. GAILLARD, Mayor.
The spelling, both of names and words in the List,
is not uniform. Some names, we know from other documents to be erroneously
written, for instance "MANIGAUD" for "MANIGAULT", "GOURDAIN" for "GOURDIN",
but, as the purpose is to give copies of the papers, we have endeavoured
to follow the orthography in all its variations and errors. In this
effort I am indebted to Mr. WM. G. MAZYCK, by whom the proofs have been
carefully compared with the original manuscript as far as its partial mutilation
permitted. It may be proper to state that the original publication
was printed from a copy made by myself with care before the manuscript
had suffered mutilation.
The names with an asterisk (*) have the word "Fridenizons"
or "Fridenizé" in the margin of the manuscript. Opposite the
name of I. CAILLABEUF, the note is "Fridenizé 2 fois."
These notes refer, no doubt, to grants of civil
privileges from the Lords Proprietors, or from the King. One of the
names with the asterisk is that of the Rev. ELIAS PRIOLEAU. I am
in possession of a notarial certificate of "Letters Patent of Denization"
granted to him and his family on the 15th of April, in the third year of
James 2d. It is dated "London, 25 April, 1687. As the document
belongs to the history of the Colony at that period a copy is added in
an appendix.
It does not appear that the list was presented to
the General Assembly, but at its supposed date the Subject of Naturalization
occupied largely the minds of the Colonists. Applications for Naturalization
were before the General Assembly, as appears from the Naturalization Act
of 10 March, 1696. It is probable that the provisions of that Act
made the presentment of this List unnecessary. Having one of the
Certificates of Naturalization issued by Governor Blake under that Act,
I add a copy in the Appendix.
The names are not numbered in the manuscript List.
The numbers have been added for the purpose of giving Alphabetical Indexes.
One more remark. From the entry opposite the
first name on list No. 3, and the words "passer gratis," opposite another
name on the same list, some expense probably attended the collection of
the information required which was met by contributions.
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