Episode One: Who were the Huguenots?
Who were the Huguenots? Who were these refugees fleeing France to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Russia, Scandinavia, England and beyond? They were an industrious people who would go on to become some of the most valuable contributors to the formation of a new nation far across the ocean in the American colonies. Sharing their origins and their stories to present day is our mission and with this episode we begin at the beginning, in France.
Originally a derogatory term used for French men, women and children who chose to follow the teachings of Jean Calvin, Huguenots were also called members of the RPR which stood for Réligion Prétendue Réformée, or the so-called reformed religion.
In this episode, historian and author Cheves Leland shares the story of the French protestants and the personal journey of Judith Giton whose escape to the colonies began in France and moved through Germany, Holland, England, Bermuda and finally into Charles Towne. We also learn of the Boyd family of Bordeaux who managed to get four sons and one daughter out of France.
Join your host, Elizabeth Gay, Executive Director of The Huguenot Society of South Carolina, as she visits with Cheves to present these fascinating stories.
Cheves Leland
GUEST
Cheves Leland is a native of Charleston, South Carolina and the resident Historian for the Huguenot Society of South Carolina and, along with Susan Baldwin Bates, authored French Santee which is an in-depth study of the 17th century settlement on the Santee River. The 440 page book contains more than 100 sketches of French Protestant families of French Santee. A reprint of the 2015 edition, now with eight pages of color maps and images. is available for purchase online via the Society gift shop.
Elizabeth F. Gay
HOST
Elizabeth F. Gay is a thirty-year member of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina and serves as its Executive Director. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, she descends from French Huguenot immigrants Benjamin Marion and Thomas de Guerin. After a career in corporate communications, she retuned to Charleston in 2018 and brings her enjoyment of education through conversations to this podcast series as she visits with historians, authors and more.