The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-06-06
The Little Band Of French Protestants who
Settled at Bordeaux in 1764---One Of the
Houses Built by the Refugees Still
Stands.
From the Abberiile Medium.


Pierre Guillebeeu, of Bordeaux,
who died in December, 1854, at the
age Of 86, and who was the maternal
uncle Of Joseph L. Bouchillon, above
mentioned, was the father by his wife
Jane, nee Bellottc, Of eleven children
only two Of whom failed to reach
three-score years, and ave Of whom
passed four score, the limit named by
the Psalmist as the extreme of human
life.
Mrs. Josephine Bellotte, nee Bou-
chillon, Of the Wellington neighbor-
hood, died in October, 1894, at the
age of 80.
Mr.. Benjamin E. Gilbert, of Will
ington, is still hale and hearty, with
eighty-four years upon him, and his
mother, who died in January, 1889,
had attained to 96 years. She was e
Moragne, an aunt Of Allen Moragne,
now living at Bordeaux, whose father
died in October, 1881, at 78 years Of
age. Mrs. Mary +. Davis, nee Nor
agne, now living at Talladega, Ala
bama. and whose pen has given her a
place among the writer's Of the South,
has passed the four score limit. Some
of the sweetest Of the verses written
by Mrs. Davis are lines which describe
scenes and incidents at Bordeaux, the
place of her childhood home.
What beautiful light is cast by the
following simple words upon a picture
of Bordeaux home-life in the olden
time. The picture is as lovely as q
poem from pastoral life. The words
arc taken from some "reminiscences
written by Mrs. Davis in Juno, 1893.
Referring to her cousin Mary (Mrs.
Sayre, nee Moragne), whose mother
had died soon after the babe was born,
she says: "This infant of days was
nourishcd in the tender bosom Of
dear, good, mother Bouchilion, and
thus became the foster sister of Jo-
sephine, now Mrs. Bellotte. A ten
der intercourse has been kept up by
the families. Mary, the babe spoken
of, is yet living at Cartersvillo, Geor-
gia, and is now (l893) in her 83rd
year"
Removals to other States and inter-
marriages with other blood have left
but little Of the pure Huguenot in the
neighborhood OF the original settle
ment. John Andrew Leroy. of the
younger generation, is enc Of very
few whose blood is still exclusively Of
French origin. His grandfather, John
Leroy, died in February, 1872, ;n his
s5th year, and his grandmother, Susan
Leroy, nee Bellotte, in May, 1892,
on her Goth birthday. His father, in
his 10Th year, is still living, tho en-
bodiment Of the gentle traits that dis
tinguished the Bordeaux Huguenot.
His grandfather on the mothers side
died in June, 1887, at So. On that
side of the family he runs into the
Guillebeaux; and, by the way, he
owns the old honest cad of the origi.
nal settler, Andre Guillebeau, and
lives in the Identical house that Andre
built, who was house carpenter by
trade. Andre was the father Of
Pierre, above mentioned, sad in one
Of the skirmishes Of ths Revolution
received q wound in the hip, from
which he was cripple the remainder
Of his life. The house here mention
ed is the last now standing Of the
ones built by the original settlers. II
was constructed Of hewn logs Of large
size, neatly dove-tailed together at the
ends. and was evidently comfortable
aud commodious.
By the way, one Of the LeRoys
tMary, who was born Maroh l, 1889
married James Hemphill and went
to Alabama. The writer is not aware
whether the present editor Of the
Neps and Courier is in any wise con-
nected with that union, but he does
not doubt that the woman, like others
Of her race, passed the octogenarian
mark before she died, and communi-
GATED good blood and good habits to
her offspring.
/ The health, fruitfulness and longev-
icy Of themselves and their immediate
descendants speak volumes as to the
composition and character Of the old
Bordeaux Huguenots. They were q
people who delighted to live under the
quiet Of their o IN vine aud fig tree,
and they exempliied in their daily
livea the domestic and snaial virtnes
that make sweet and attractive homes,
the place where good citizenship has
its abode. Not one Of those old
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