Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-04-15

Morgan, EllZaDeth, SanbOrne, Wood
son, and Esther a Cunningham. Th,
descendants from the several heads
male and female, are very numerous
and are scattered throughout the South
ern and Western States, representing al
the learned professions and varied hon
orable occupations and stations.
OF the army of William of Orange
numbering eleven thousand, which sail.
ed from Holland, and by whose aid he
obtained the Crown of England, three
regiments, each containing seven hun.
dred and fifty effective men, were Hu-
guenots. To these were added q equa.
dron of horse. There were also about
seven hundred officers distributed among
the other battalions of the army. In
gratitude to these jealous and effective
supporters, and in sympathy with the
great multitude of their suffering breth-
rem driven violently from their homes
and native country simply for their reli-
gion, the king invited them to make
their home in his new dominions. Many
of such refugees soon turned their eyes
to America and sought q home in Vir-
ginia. Many families, as has been inti-
mated, took their residence along the
Potomac, Rappahannock, and James
rivers, and in pursuance of the wishes
of the king colony was formed on the
lands of the extinct Manakin Indians,
in Hanover, now Powhatan county,
some twenty miles above the city Of
Richmond. A grant of ten thousand
acres was made for their use and posses
sion, each family being allotted 1873 acres.
By act of Assembly they were created a
parish by the name of King William
parish, and public levies for the term of
seven years.
In 1902 their pastor, Claude PHILIPPE
de Richebourg, Francis Rabot, Peter
Faurr, John Joanny, James Cham
paigne, and others, were naturalized by
act of Assembly,
A writer in 172O gives the following
account of the settlement at Monacan
or Manakin.town
I'm the year 1899 there went over a.
bout three hundred Of them, and the
year following about two hundred more,
and SO on till there arrived in all between
seven and eight hundred Men, Women,
and Children who had fed from France
on account Of their Religion.
The Assembly was very bountiful to
those who remained at this Towne, be-
slowing on them large donations, Money
and Provisions for their support; they
likewise freed them from every pubiick
Tax for several years to come, and ad-
drest the Governor to grant them
Brief, to entitle them to the Charity Of
all well disposed Persons throughout the
County (which, together with the Kings
Benevolence, supported them comforta-
bly, till they could sufficiently supply
themselves with Necessaries, which now
do Ind =
Stocks of Cattle and Hogs.
"The year 1902 they began and Essay
of Wine, which they made of the wild
Grapes gather'd in the Woods the effect
of which was strong bodied Claret of
good Favour. I heard Gentleman
whe tasted it give it great commen2a-
tion."f
ColoEel Byrd, of Westover, greatly
befriended the distressed refugees, fur
nishing them with food, securing them
contributions from others, and in ad
vancing their interests before the Vir-
ginia Assembly.
The efforts of the colonists to intro
duce the productions and manufactures
of France in the frontiers of Virginia
met with insurmountable difficulties
They were soon compelled to engage in
those agricultural pursuits which most
readily supplied theirpressing wants.
Reports Of the softer soil and milder
climate of North Carolina soon drew
meny of the settlers thither. A visitor
writes from North Carolina in 1708:-
"Most of the French who lived at that
town on James river removed to Trent
river in North Carolina" Among these
emigrants was the pastor, Claude Phil
lippe de Richebourg, between whom and
his charge some dissensiens arose in the
year 1707, and a complaint was laid by
him before the Colonial Council. The
reply of Abraham Sallie is preserved, in
which the pastor is designated as "Mr.
PHILIPPE" The trouble appears to,have
been as to the membership of the parish
vestry.f
*Foote's Huguenot's, p 521, ct seq.
iBevereley's History of Virginia, edition oi
1722 PIP. 2H-5.
15
r. A. BROCK.