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From:
Subject: Re: [GERMANNA] (1667)Germanna Colonies, History of
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 10:33:23 EDT
In a message dated 5/10/03 6:54:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:
<< [MICHEL] was the son of a
former member of the Great Council of Bern and a former soldier on duty
with the French. Due to him we have the first authentic report on the Swiss
and Huguenots in Virginia. >>
I have been wondering why Michel is said to have been a soldier in the French
army, as he was Swiss and the Bern Council was Calvinist [Reformed]. He went
to Protestant England, spoke well of Quaker William Penn, and thought of
settling in English provinces [and his employee Johann Justus Albrecht made
generous promises to the Reformed pastors of Siegen.].
There is an indication that he served not in the French but in the Bernese
military in his Travel report (Hinke in VMHB, p. 115 and 117) . Here may be
an answer, albeit not a fool-proof one.
At Mattapony he meets a Mr. Willon and other countrymen who had arrived in
this country two years ago, {117)
this Willlion was "known to me from military service, another of the Pays de
Vaux de Bex [Canton Waadt] back of the bailiwick of Aehlen, who was
lieutenant captain under Socconay." (115) Now, this surely looks like a
French name, but Sacconay was general of the Bernese military, and is
celebrated [as I learned from a Google search] as victorious for a Protestant
victory in 1712.
So, maybe Michel did not serve with the French after all. If the Swiss
historians could wake up, one might find some day more [websites] on
Socconay, and maybe learn about the identity of Willion {Hinke's Willeroy
seems a bit far fetched}, and maybe even we could learn a bit more about
Michel {and the entire colonial projecting and scheming]....
Andreas
Andreas
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