Hi Georgia, The Huguenot, French Protestants, were never servants. These Frenchmen left their country rather than be forced to follow the Catholic faith of the King. It was decreed that all French citizens would be Catholic and those who were not were martyred. My ancestor Jacque da la Fontaine was a protestant minister and he and his wife were killed in the night in 1500. Their two sons escaped and lived off the land being helped by other protestants. The Huguenots left France to stay alive. Some went to Belgium and some to other European counties. Many wound up in England. The Fountaines stayed in England for several generations before coming to America. The immigrant Fontaine was a minister and was extremely well read. Those Huguenots who first came to VA did so with the promise of land. The King of England wanted to get people like the Huguenots to settle here to secure this country for England. People who had skills and talents and would settle and remain here. The problem is, the Virginians who lived on the coast did not want to give up their lands and forced these brave French men and women up the James River to Manakin or Manakintowne. There is a church and museum that still is there. The colony almost all died that first winter. The Indians did help them by giving them food and showing them basic farming skills. These French people were not farmers. They were artisans, they made lace and shoes, etc. and were extremely talented. They were use to living in cities and being able to work in their trade and buy the foods they needed. But they did survive. They did learn to farm and also practice their talents. And they were free to practice their protestant faith. They were able to own land from the beginning. They were promised land by the King. And they did obtain the rights to be a citizen of VA. This is probably more than any of you wished to know. And I apologize if I have an error within as I am typing this off the top of my head at work with no records to pull. Gale

Great information, Gale. Thanks. In addition, for those interested in the architecture of early homes, the French/Huguenot influence was brought by those fine and artistic people, was apparent throughout the 18th Century, and today very early examples may be seen in "The Mulberry" in Berkeley Co. (with its Mansard roof) and in "Brick House" on Edisto Island (built c1725). It might also be added that not only were the Huguenots welcomed and accepted as citizens, as early as 1686 Fitzhugh was anxious to lease to a group who wanted to come here an enormous tract of his land in the Northern Neck, and guaranteed that he would see to their citizenship at the rate of L3 person (about 180.00 now). See Bruce, "Economic History of VA in the 17th-Century" (index generally). As Gale also said, the prominent Fontaines were here among the first of those who came. (see "Memoirs of a Huguenot Family" which volume is very intersting and broad in its scope and is available used very frequently for $20.00 to $50.00. Paul

Our Huguenots were the Flournoy (Fleurnois) family from Lyons. They went first to Geneva, Switzerland; then some of them come to VA. They were Gemologists.....they designed and sold jewelry. It can be easily assumed that they worked in both gold and silver, not only in Europe, but also in VA. They also traveled back and forth often and remained in touch with thier European relatives for several generations. Doris....A Texan in Georgia..... still shaking the family tree and dodging the nuts after 30+ years!!! --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.497 / Virus Database: 296 - Release Date: 7/4/2003