HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE-L Archives

From:
Subject: [HWE] Qualified Huguenots?
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 18:38:22 -0700 (PDT)

>From some of the 'point to point' email recieved, I can
see that this topic is of some interest to many.

It would seem that I now need to explain (or qualify) a
term that I used in a reply.

The word is "list".

By "list" I am not implying that those who formed the
Huguenot movement sat at the door and asked people
attending services to write down their name which could
be used, if discovered, by those persecuting the cause.
Although perhaps this did happen.

Much as was done with other "orders" in those days, I
have read that if one were Huguenot it was "shown" to
others in a way that was secretive. And as pointed out
by one reply on this topic, yes it would have been very
dangerous to have the fact that you were Huguenot known
by those doing the persecuting.

[The deaths, loss of property and rights of my own
family are evidence of this.]

And so by "list" it may have been simply a mark in a
church bible which was only used by one family.

If this seems implausible, then one has to ask that if
the requirement to become a "Qualified Huguenot" is
proof of your ancestor(s) being such,and there are no
records, apart from those of the persecutor, how does
anyone indeed prove that their ancestor(s) were
Huguenot ? [Catch 22]

In answer to my own question; I suppose the records of
the Catholic church are the only "proof" and so if your
ancestor(s) are not mentioned on the Catholic church
records as being Huguenot and therefore to suffer
persecution, you do not meet the criteria to join a
society.

Of course there is another avenue open which may be
taken as "proof".

And that is the records (see "lists") of the French
Church in England. That group surely kept records
("lists") of people arriving from France that they knew
were indeed Huguenot. Surely those names mentioned in
those "lists" offer "proof" of being Huguenot and so
any name derived from that source could be considered
"proof" and therefore they "Qualify".

It would seem that the young girl who originally wrote
of being emailed by a society member in a desparaging
way has perhaps come against a degree of "attitude"
shown by some who believe that their way is the only
way. It is a real shame on the writer of that email to
the young lady.

I for one hope that she continues on with her family
research and that if she finds that she has Huguenots
in her family in much the same way that she will need
to varify that ancestor even existed, then it is
recorded in her journal or database for the next
generation.

Regards,
Peter Leroy

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