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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 06582 1792
r.
GC 974.701 W52WAA
HUGUENOTS OF WESTCHESTER 1
AND
PARISH OF FORDHAM.
BY WILLIAM WATSON WALDRON, A.B.,
SECRETARY OF THE FIRST VESTRY.
"Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly de- vised fables."-2 PETER 1 : 15, 16.
INTRODUCTION BY REV. STEPHEN H. TYNG, JR., RECTOR OF CHURCH OF THE MEDIATOR, N. Y.
NEW-YORK : W. H. KELLEY & BROTHER, PUBLISHERS. 1864.
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ST. JAMES'S CHURCH, FORDHAM, FROM A SKETCH IN THE POSSESSION OF WM. W. WALDRON, A.B. A.D. 1853.
TO THE RT. REV. WM. HEATHCOTE DE LANCEY, D.D., BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW-YORK, (OF HUGUENOT DEBOENT, ) THIS EPISODE IN CHURCH HISTORY IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.
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INTRODUCTION.
A YOUNG man's ignorance is to be the " introduction " to an elder's wisdom. So the author, my friend and parishioner, wills. It is a task which, both for his sake and the important subject to which he has given his time and thoughts, I cheer- fully undertake.
The history of the Huguenots in America has been one of very marked interest. In proportion to their numbers, no class of men have imposed such a debt of gratitude as they upon the literature and culture of this country. Their de- scendants have been worthy successors of noble fathers. Their decided loyalty in these times of sorrow is a grand testimony to that determined conscientiousness and espousal of neglected truth which were the chief characteristics of their persecuted ancestors before and after their emigration from France. The deeds of St. Bartholomew's day will stand in the memory of the world so long as God's will is to be vindicated and God's word is to be obeyed. It was the Philippian privilege of these noble in the kingdom "in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." And we honor and respect the sons for the valorous deeds of their sires. Had they themselves been deficient in the labors so abundantly in these pages recorded, their fathers' praise had yet been their well-founded pride. If glory be due to those who establish an
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INTRODUCTION.
honorable name, greater merit belongs to those who preserve iu untarnished.
The preparation of this book, which I am sure will commend itself to the careful perusal of many whose ancient pedigree it traces, has been an unceasing pleasure to the writer. He has devoted untiring energy to the collation of its materials and has disposed them with a master's hand. In the loneliness of a life without family connections of any degree, (all having preceded him to glory,) like the ewe lamb of Nathan's parable-this bock has been to him, "as a daughter !" He has fondly cherished it, and carefully watched, with jealous eye, the acceptance it should gain from the critic's examination. And now it is sent forth to perform an honorable mission. Wherever it is read let the covenant God of our fathers be praised for that grace which was given them and continued to their posterity that they might witness a good confession for His name.
S. H. T., JR.
NEW-YORK CITY, June 8th, 1864.
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PREFACE.
Ir may naturally be asked, why was the subject of the " Huguenots of Westchester" se- lected as the theme for this "Sketch," when there are so many others better calculated to convey instruction and entertainment, and the materials for which would have been more accessible ? The reply to the inquiry is, that this subject seems to be naturally presented from the circumstances of the case. New- Rochelle and Fordham, the localities wherein were enacted the transactions adduced, being formerly embraced within the boundaries of the only parish in the county, naturally sug. gested the idea of including their histories within one publication-the obscurity of the origin, rise, and progress of these parishes ren-
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PREFACE.
dering their histories very difficult of access, and not easy to be presented under one con- nected relation. The author, being fully cog- nizant of the events he delineates, was induced to undertake the task, prompted by the same motives as the Apostle when he says: " Know- ing that shortly I must put off this my tab- ernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance; for we have not followed cunningly devised fables." *
We cannot omit to acknowledge the polite- ness of the Rev. Dr. Verren in presenting his able discourse delivered on the occasion of laying the first stone of the "Church du Saint Esprit," in New-York, wherein we found many of the incidents recorded in the Sketch. To Bishop De Lancey we also owe some feelings of gratitude for the prompt manner in which he acceded to the request of dedicating to him (the spiritual representative of the Huguenot Church in America) the Historic Sketch. * 2 Peter 1: 14-16.
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PREFACE.
The letters from General Washington to the De Lancey family were presented, several years ago, by descendants of those persons to whom they were addressed, with the express stipulation that they should be published, with which agreement we complied. Those of our readers who have perused that useful work, (of much research,) "Bolton's History of the Protestant Episcopal Churches in the County of Westchester," cannot fail to recog- nize our indebtedness to its indefatigable au- thor. This could not possibly be avoided any more than two travellers, going over the same road, and undertaking to write an account of the scene, could avoid describing similar ob- jects. For the facts collected concerning the Huguenots who took refuge in Westchester, (a mere episode in ecclesiastical history,) I am indebted, in a great measure, to the kindness of friends from whom I procured documents in manuscript, together with records long since published.
The letters appearing in the narrative were given by a great-granddaughter of Stephen
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PREFACE.
De Lancey, who was from Caen, in Normandy, and came among the persecuted refugees, some of whose descendants still reside in Fordham. The facts, gleaned from such various sources, are presented without any embellishment or pretension, and with a painful consciousness of deficiency in execution, still trusting that their combination, in one continuous narra- tive, will be conducive to some good, and will convey more instruction than the scattered and detached medley from which they were gleaned.
Of all the religious professors who have found an asylum in America from persecution for conscience' sake, there are none more de- serving of historic memorial than the Hugue- nots, who had ceased, as a political body, to exercise power, and were complled to seek, in foreign lands, that protection denied in their OWII.
The Pilgrim Fathers had a Governor Brad- ford, the Quakers had a William Penn, to hand down to posterity, records of their wander- ings, but the Huguenots had not among them
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PREFACE.
any to assume the pen in their defence, or to preserve their memory from oblivion.
The Waldenses, Albigenses, and Huguenots sent out missionaries throughout Germany, Italy, and France, to propagate the doctrines of Protestants who received that celebrated name at the "Diet of Spires," on the twenty- fifth of April, 1529, when John Duke of Sax- ony, George Elector of Brandenburgh, and Philip Landgrave of Hesse, with other princes, entered their "Protests" against the errors of Popery, in the following words :
" We entreat you to weigh carefully our wrongs and our motives. If you do not yield our request, we 'Protest' before God our only Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer, who will, one day, be our Judge, as well as before all men and all creatures, that we, for all our people, neither consent nor adhere, in any manner, to the decree made to deprive us of our Christian liberty in any thing that is con- trary to God, to his holy word, to our right conscience, and to the salvation of our souls."
It is asserted that the man who has written
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PREFACE.
a book has made mankind his debtor through- out all time, even though such belongs to that class which only serves as a stimulus to generate inquiry or suggest an original idea. If such be the case, this mite, cast into the treasury of literature, must claim its reward.
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HUGUENOTS OF WESTCHESTER.
" How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them that bring good tidings, that publish peace; that bring glad tidings of good, that publish salvation: that say unto Zion, 'Thy God reigneth !' "-ISAIAH 52 : 7.
BEFORE entering on this Episode in Church history, it will not be out of the legitimate course to give some preliminary observations on the Reformed Churches of the middle ages, through which the light of Christianity is transferred to us, whether under the denomina- tion of Waldenses, Albigenses, or Huguenots, by which names they were severally distin- guished, though all agreeing in spirit and doc- trine. The Waldenses inhabited the north of Italy ; they took their name from Peter Wal- do, a wealthy merchant of Lyons, in France, who lived in great reputation for his Christian
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zeal and benevolent acts, and success attended all he undertook. Some books by the "early fathers " fell into the hands of Waldo, which imparted light to his mind, and comfort to his soul : a great desire possessed him to procure a translation of the Bible for general distribu- tion. The Bible in Latin was but of little ser 7- ice except to the learned. It is not certain whether Waldo translated the Scriptures him- self, or caused the work to be done by others. When the " Book " was completed, he placed it in the hands of his countrymen. Did wealth ever confer a greater benefit? The art of printing was not yet discovered. Written copies had to be prepared, so that a complete edition of the Bible would cost a large sum of money. All honor to the good man who thus gave the word of God to the people of France !
The Albigenses took their name from Albi, a town in the south of France. In the twelfth century they were persecuted by Simon de Montfort, who brought a large army against them. Numbers of them fled to England, where Wycliffe was translating the Bible into
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English, thereby shedding a light which shone like a star to the souls of men to guide them to their Saviour. Wycliffe was rector of Lutterworth, in Leicestershire, where are still preserved the carved oak pulpit in which he preached, the table on which he wrote, the chair in which he died, and the velvet vest- ments in which he officiated. Though Wyc- liffe never left his native land, his writings were carried into every country in Europe, by which many minds were awakened, and pre- pared for a full knowledge of the Gospel.
The Huguenots were the next sect that re- ceived the light of the Reformation. For the facts concerning that portion of this denomi- nation which took refuge in America, I am, in a great measure, indebted to friends, who have placed within my hands manuscripts and rare volumes from which I gleaned the most im- portant facts related in the following pages. The Huguenots of Westchester is an unvar- nished combination of historic facts, given without embellishment or pretension.
About two hundred and fifty years ago,
2*
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HUGUENOTS OF WESTCHESTER.
(A.D. 1577,) there was great joy throughout all the dwellings of France, among the Prot- estants, when the king (Henry the Fourth) had sent forth a decree, from the city of Nantes, in favor of the persecuted Reformer's, placing them on a level with the Roman Catho- lics.
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The " Tales for Young Protestants" thus define their position. The Protestants were now at liberty to attend to trade and the care of land. Their peaceful and active habits soon made them well known. No looms made finer silk; French muslin was unsurpassed ; no ploughs were more busy in the fields, and no vines were more fruitful than theirs. They soon became the best work-people in the country. And this was as it should be; for the purest faith should always be connected with industry and attention to the duties of life.
" Henry the Good," as the king was called, had been once a Protestant; but he changed his religion to retain an earthly crown. Many mourned that he should have forgotten the
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example and counsel of a pious mother ; still he did not neglect the friends of his early youth. . He knew their worth, and did much to serve them. His merciful conduct did not please the Romanists, and one day he was stabbed by Ravaillac, a priest, while riding in his carriage in the city of Paris. The Protest- ants soon found that his son and successor, Louis the Thirteenth, bore no love to them, and . caused them many hardships. He was suc- ceeded by Louis the Fourteenth, who revoked the edict given in the city of Nantes, although it was declared by his grandfather, Henry, that it should be perpetual. When it suited the Romanists, they did not scruple to break all the laws which were favorable to the Protest- ants, even though enacted under the most solemn oaths and pledges. Sorrow and mourning were now substituted for joy and pleasure in many of the castles and cottages of France. The enemies of the truth had ob- tained the power they wanted, and they were at liberty to oppress as they pleased. Severe laws were passed, in the hope of rooting out
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the reformed religion. Heavy fines were laid upon those who did not adorn their houses on saints' days, and heavy blows if they did not kneel when a Romish procession went along the streets. They were not allowed to be doctors, booksellers, printers, or grocers. No apprentice could be taught a trade in their shops. If they were heard to sing hymns in public or private, they were sent to prison ; their hymn-book was publicly burned, and the Bible was taken out of their houses. Their places of worship were broken into and de- stroyed; their ministers were sent out of the land, or shut up in jail. The sick could only be attended by Romish priests ; and the bod- ies of those who died were often dragged from their graves, and left to be devoured by wolves and vultures.
The distress of the Huguenots was at its height when they saw their dear children torn from their arms, and carried away to be brought up as Papists. The joy of watching over them, of hearing their simple little pray- ers, and of telling them of the love of Christ
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in dying on the cross for sinners, was no more to be known by them. And theirs was the bitter grief of not knowing whether their be- loved ones were faithful to the truth, or had denied it ; whether they were suffering tor- ture in a monastery or nunnery, or laid in the quiet grave. Times of trial show who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ. It was so now. Many who were once known as Protestants, forsook the faith of their fathers. Some were gained over with titles and honors, others with promises of reward ; many from fear of a dun- geon and death ; and many were bribed with large sums. The common people were offered a freedom from taxes for two years, besides a gift of money, if they would change their re- ligion within one month. Those who would not turn were to pay double taxes, and a fine of ten pounds - a large sum in those days. The consequence was, that many denied their Lord-some from terror, and others from hope of such a reward as the wicked could give. Happy did those think themselves who could make their escape to other lands, even though
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they left behind them all their worldly goods. 1
There were sad sights in those days, and they had hard hearts who did not shed tears at the sufferings of the afflicted Christians who remained faithful in evil times. One scene was witnessed, in a country town, which made many weep. The Protestant pastor was to have his limbs broken upon a wheel-the most painful death that could be devised. His per- secutors did not terminate his life at once ; they delighted in protracting his sufferings. For two days he was left in the deepest agony on the wheel, in the midst of which he thus addressed those who stood by : "Jesus Christ has satisfied for my sins, and not only for mine, but for the sins of those who shall go to him by faith, as I now do. I cast myself upon the merits and death of Jesus, and cling to him as my Saviour and Redeemer. My dear people, receive my last farewell, and know that I preached to you the pure truths of the Gos- pel, the only path that leads to heaven."
Among others who were faithful were a gen-
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tleman and his wife. Soldiers were sent to their house, who rudely burst open the door, and carried away their goods for sale. They converted their splendid house into stables, and carried their beds to be made into litter for the horses. When the ruin of the house was completed, the family, consisting of the parents and four children, were turned adrift on the road, and orders were issued that no one should offer them food. A friend admitted them to his house, but a party of soldiers drove them thence; and after undergoing various misfortunes, they at last reached England, in which generous land thousands of the refugees found a home. A husband and wife tried to escape, and took different roads to avoid sus- picion ; the man was overtaken, and sent to prison - the wife reached England. Years rolled away before this exiled couple met again. One afternoon a poor Frenchman on crutches entered a coffee-house in Soho Square, kept by a French refugee. It was the resort of the Huguenots, many of whom had turned their skill to good account in the great British
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metropolis. He made inquiries about his wife from the host, which led to her discovery. Word was sent to her, and she arrived in town, and the long-separated husband and wife met once more.
The shores of England afforded an asylum to most of the Huguenots, where there were many who sympathized in their afflictions and who threw open their houses to receive them, af- fording food and raiment. The French estab- lished the manufacture of silk at Spital-Fields, in London, also at Canterbury and Coven- try.
There were also farmers and mechanics. Even many of the nobility engaged in trade from necessity, not having saved enough from the wreck of their fortunes to supply their wants. Previous to this, the English were obliged to import many of the luxuries of life which are now manufactured at home; among these are the arts of calico-printing, the weav- ing of silk stockings, crapes, bombazines, gauzes, damasks, cambric, etc. In this way they repaid their adopted countries for their
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protection, and, to the present day, we gather the fruits of the toils and losses which these exiles suffered when driven from their na- tive land for conscience' sake, by the base and cruel act, "The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes."
Many incidents of romance might be relat- ed of persons connected with the persecution of the Huguenots. Among these may be men- tioned the " Nun of Jouarre," in Normandy - Charlotte de Bourbon - daughter of the Duc de Montpensier, of the royal house of France. Charlotte was born in the sixteenth century, and, agreeably to the custom of those days, she was compelled to take the veil. Her mother was a Protestant, and carefully instructed her child in the reformed faith. Her father brought her to the convent, where her flowing locks were cut off, and she was conducted to her cell. Some years passed away, but the lessons that her mother taught and her childhood's happiness were never obliterated from her mind. News was brought that the Huguenots had risen in
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arms. All Normandy was roused; the nun- nery of Jouarre was attacked, and Charlotte escaped. She could not remain in France. She reached Heidelberg, in Germany. Charlotte was now in a land where she could openly declare her faith, and she renounced for ever the errors of the Church of Rome. Charlotte was, after many vicissitudes, married to Wil- liam Prince of Orange. All honor to the memory of Charlotte de Bourbon ! It is not alone for her conversion to the Protestant faith, and for the sacrifices she made in its cause ; but we recognize in her the stock from which is sprung the royal house of England. Her daughter, Louisa, was married to Fred- erick, Elector Palatine, whose granddaughter Sophia was mother to George the First of England, and great-grandmother of the Duke
of Kent, Victoria's father, fourth son of George the Third. When raised by the prov- idence of God to be Princess of Orange, well did she adorn her high position. Meekness, charity, and devotion constituted her orna- ments-not the plaiting of hair or the putting
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on of apparel ! But dark shadows often come over the sunniest prospects. A large reward was offered to any who should kill the prince -a Roman enthusiast undertook the deed. It was the Lord's Day. The prince and princess had returned from divine worship: as they entered the palace, a shot was fired, and a ball entered the neck of the prince, who fell into the arms of his attendants. There was great joy in the city of Antwerp, where the event occurred, when the prince and princess went in state to the cathedral to re- turn thanks for the merciful deliverance from assassination. The church-bells rang merrily, flags were suspended at the mast-head of every ship, and sounds of gladness were heard throughout the land. Shortly after this, the health of the princess failed, so great was the shock she had received. She perceived that her days were drawing to a close ; but in all her afflictions she knew in whom she trusted. Her whole life had been devoted to the per- formance of sacred duties; she had passed through many trials and vicissitudes, but ever
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looking forward to a crown of glory that fadeth not away, she was miraculously sus- tained to the end of her mortal career to in- herit that crown. Sic transit gloria mundi !
Spain, the stronghold of Catholicism, had its professors of the reformed faith, among whom was a young lady in Seville-Maria de Bohorques-whose early youth was full of hope and promise, yet was led, by divine grace, to leave the Church of Rome and give up her life for the truth.
On the morning of the twenty-fourth of September, 1559, more than one fatal stake was placed in the great square of the city of Seville. A number of the reformed faith were to be burned that day. Early in the morning the monks came to the young mar- tyr's cell. Feeble in body, but strong in heart, she felt that the Lord was with her. Her looks betrayed no fear : it was to her a day of victory and deliverance. Through the flames she knew she would pass to glory. Other young female Huguenots were to be burned in Seville on the same day. They
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cheered one another, as they stood ready for death, in singing hymns.
It was customary when the victims were bound to the stake to make one more attempt to lead the prisoners to confess; finding that nothing was gained by their attempts, the pile was lighted and they were consumed. The released spirits passed beyond the reach of their tormentors to inherit immortal crowns.
Time works wonders. Of that part of Europe where the Huguenots were persecut- ed, a modern traveller thus writes: “No nobler page of Christian purity, zeal, love, and holy martyrdom is to be read in the annals of the Church, than that which records the history of the Protestants, or Huguenots, in the south of France. In this whole region they manifested a fidelity unto death. And here Protestantism still survives. I attended service at the old Inquisition monastery : it had all the ardor of French Protestantism. The young pastor preached earnestly and faithfully, with much grace of manner and pathos of expression, to a flock small but most
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reverent and attentive, composed, for the most part, of humble people. I was completely overcome when they joined in those peculiar- ly spiritual and ardent canticles for which
French Protestantism is so remarkable. It seemed like the voice of the witnesses in sack- cloth-faithful, pleading, and resigned. In that very chapel, no doubt, during the perse- cution of the Huguenots, bitter denuncia- tions of Protestantism had been often uttered; and, perhaps, where the good pastor now preached and prayed in peace, some of his predecessors had stood as convicted criminals, listening to the exhortations of fanatical and savage intolerance to abjure their heresies or die; for at that period mourning and sorrow were spread throughout all the castles and cottages of France. Seasons of trial are the grand test of those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of those who professed Pro- testantism deserted the faith of their fathers and joined the party in power ; some, induced by titles and honors, gave up their religion, Many, from a dread of imprisonment or death.
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