The Society hosts its 140th annual Anniversary Meeting

On Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 4:00pm at Founders Hall at Charles Towne Landing, the Society hosted its 140th annual Anniversary Meeting. More than 150 members were in attendance.

The meeting opened with a beautiful Invocation and Memorial delivered by The Rev. Charles Jenkins, Chaplain of the Society:

“Let us pray. Almighty and Everlasting God, whose steadfast love has upheld your people in every age and across every land, we gather this day in gratitude for the enduring witness of the Huguenot tradition. For courage rooted in conscience. For faith forged in trial. And for a legacy passed from generation to generation. As Members of this society, we give thanks for those who came before us, those who crossed oceans in search of freedom, who planted new routes with trembling hope and who never forgot the God who sustained them. Bless this gathering today. May our time together be marked by wisdom, civility and purpose. May we honor the memory of our ancestors not only with our words but by the lives we lead and the values we embody.  

And now, O Lord, in the quiet remembrance, we pause to honor the members of this society who have entered into eternal rest since we last met. We thank you for the gifts they brought to this fellowship, for the service they rendered and for the love they shared. Into your hands our merciful savior we commend them. May they rest in peace and may light perpetually shine upon them. Grant us grace to continue their work with integrity and joy, ever mindful of the hope that sustained them. The hope that does not disappoint, because your love has been poured into our hearts. All this we ask in your name, Amen.”

Rick Wilson submitted the Treasurer report and the 2024 minutes were filed.

Welcome Everyone!

Jack Williams, President, officiated the meeting.

Jack Williams, President of the Society welcomed everyone and officiated the meeting. He expressed his thanks to the membership for their support and noted that the Society was financially sound and thriving. While there was storm damage in the form of downed trees at Purrysburg and New Bordeaux, the granite monuments were not damaged and the fallen trees are being addressed. Mr. Williams thanked Mr. John Horlbeck and the Property Committee for their efforts to inspect and care for the cross sites. Mr. Williams thanked the entire Board for their commitment and work outside of the board meetings to support the efforts of the Society.  He also thanked Elizabeth Gay, the new executive director, and the staff for breathing new life into the Society.  

Mr. Williams provided a recap of the activities in the Society’s areas of focus: education, community engagement and membership events. The membership events include the Fête which began last year and it was a tremendous success. Last August the Society hosted a visit to New Bordeaux for the annual anniversary service and picnic, and this was followed by a fall annual meeting at St. Thomas St. Denis which featured a French service led by the Society’s Chaplain followed by a potluck picnic on the grounds. In December there was a very lively Christmas open house at the headquarters.  

The society has completed the digitizing of 123 volumes of Transactions online. This was a multi-year massive undertaking which has been completed. Education programs included several presentations at community retirement centers and one at an elementary school.  Mr. Williams also recommended everyone take the new Walking in Huguenot Footsteps tour the Society has developed. 

As to community engagement the staff volunteered at the Huguenot church to help with the busy spring tours and hosted a table at Colonial Day in Berkeley County where Cheves Leland gave a talk in the interpretive center on Huguenot history. The Society hosted a talk at the Harleston Village Neighborhood Association and provided a commemorative program at the Huguenot Church on Lafayette 200. Members marched on Carolina Day last June and there was a D-Day Anniversary program at the Huguenot church last May at which former Society President, Hagood Morrison, was the keynote speaker. 

Mr. Williams concluded his remarks with an expression of thanks to the membership, the board, and the staff for all the support.  

As noted in a prior post, L’Esprit Huguenot awards were presented to Thomas Keith Gourdin and Dr. Richard Dwight Porcher, Jr.

Mrs. Katie Hyman provided the Membership report. She began by recognizing new members in attendance and those attending their very first annual meeting.  She then announced the Society gained 110 members in 2024 and thus far in 2025 it has gained 11 more.   

On behalf of the nominating committee Mr. Horlbeck, Chair, submitted the 2025 - 2026 slate of officers.  The following slate was elected to serve:  President: John Bacot Williams, First Vice President: Margaret Wilcox Garrett. VICE PRESIDENTS: Charleston: Felicia Chisolm Morrison Huger; French Santee: Mary Elizabeth Simpson Hanahan; Goose Creek: Andrew Cleveland Gillette; New Bordeaux: Catherine Peronneau Murray-Smith; Orange Quarter: Catherine LaRue Hyman; St. John's: John Wilcox Horlbeck; Purrysburg: Daniel Ravenel; Secretary: Anne Weston Sass, Treasurer: Richard LeNoble Wilson, and Chaplain: The Rev. Charles Ellis Jenkins. 

The presentation was provided by Harriott Cheves Leland, Historian, and was on the Richmond and the Margaret.  A future blog post will provide her remarks in entirety. This was followed by the Benediction with Rev. Jenkins and the meeting was adjourned at 4:59pm. Following the meeting, members and their guests enjoyed a delicious assortment of foods, Huguenot punch and fellowship.

Photography provided by Paul Cheney.