The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-07-03
DEATH OF MRS. BOUCHILL0N,
"Reminiscences OF An Old and Hon.
Ored Family-BloOd which In Bet.
ter Than That OF Duke es and Earls.

ter Than That OF Dukes and Earls.
NV grandmother. Mrs. Martha F. Bonchil.
Ion, died at Bordeaux al O'Clock last Ihurs-
day evening, the 18th OF June, 1895, and was
buried the evening at tps Wbere
many of her kindred had preceded her.
Joseph l.. Bouchillon, my grandfather, was
of the old Huguenot blood that settled NJ Bor-
deaed and as eide IN the house in
which they spent the 53 years OF their mar
ried life and from which she Is now buried al
ter a lapse of SO years. What 4 history clus.
ters about that old homestead WIN lls memo
OF century! There children and grandGhll.
dren have been born; and four generations
have met under the roof tree. Within lts
OF nuptial revelry; and also the plaintive
notes OF the funeral dirge. l nave hearu my
grandfather enumerate over seventy persons
living descended from him and grandmother,
children, grandchildren and great.grandchiI.
drep; anJ his house for the most Of them was
the common meeting placs. see the old
place now as / knew II In my chlluhooo; lts
grand old oaks that had stretched out their
branches for hundred years; the granite
rocks 10 scale which was feat beyond the
power OF the smaller OF the merry, frolic-
some children that were always trooplng
about It's precincts, being ever don6ly well
come at "grandpas" and 'grandmas.' re-
call the time l saw with wondering gaze The
farewell on the departure OF my uncles Tor
the "war," and / remember when the news
came that "Thaddeus" had been shot (prooa.
bly, killed. 10 the battle OF Chickana1gs !;
and again when word WAS received that
"Henry" had been wounded (perhaps mortal
Ivy at Frederick sburg. visited the place last
fall and saw again the old family Bible Wild
its record OF births and marriages and deaths.
There were the names of the children. James
and Elizabeth and George and SO ON to Bep1a,
min. the youngest born. Many changes had
come over the place since first knew It; and
OF the original household but grandmother
and aunt Lizzie remained under the roof.
The other children, whom the Reaper had
not claimed, were scattered In homes Of their
own.
lives Of aged people, such as those OF my
grandparents OF whom l have just spoken, l
am Impressed with the TACT that long life is q
peculiar blessing. l think that such lie,
fuIl of years and peace and OF honor, Is ior
the Chi ldren heritage that is given only by
the Giver of every good and every perfect
gift. Truly In such cases "the hoary head Is a
crown OF glory"
Grandfather and grandmother had fifteen
children, and there are descendants In Geor,
ga, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama, as well
as in South Carolina. In Abbeville county,
there Is the family OF Joseph 8. Britt, as you
know, children and grandchildren. aunt Su'
san and uncle Joe being now themselves In
the midst OF a ripe old age. There are also
the Perrymans al Bordeaux George and Wal
ton), uncle Ed Perryman. OF Llncolnton, ia,
having married daughter. buC IL IN uol uec-
essary for me 10 60 into detail. TWO OF the
grandchildren are ministers OF the gospel ;
and any one OF several from distance might
have written this letter.
you know, there Is much that is admira-
BILE In the com position Of the old Huguenots
who settled the Bordeaux neighborhood.
They lived under the quiet Of their own vine
aud ig tree and exemplifled the domestic and
social virtues that make the useful citizen
and that render home sweet and attractive.
1t has been said that not one or those old
French. or OF their descendants, has ever been
called upon In a sessions court TO answer 10 a
criminal charge. Their names were syno-
nyms OF honesty and business integrity In ev-
cry community In which known-the GOWNS.
the Guillebeaux, the Giberts. the Moragnes,
the LeRoys, the Beots, and u score OF others /;
and there are people all over the Southern
country who esteem 1t a greater honor TO
have In their veins the blood OF those old HUI
guenOt pioneers OF Bordeaux than II II were
the blood of dukes and OF earls.
have no doubt you will speak In manner
appropriate to the life OF one who had span
ned four rgenerations-who reared large lam
iiy OF her own, who saw her children and
grandchildren grow up about her and VINO
was still spared To bless her Great-grandchil- j.
dren and during the most of that time In
company hand In hand-with the husband
Of her youth. Grahu son.