My immigrant ancestor, Pierre Villeponteaux, born in 1658, was a native of Bergerac in Guyenne. He was naturalized in England in 1691, with his wife, Jeanne (nee Rivasson), and their three children. Pierre was made Freeman in the colony of New York on April 13, 1692. He took the oath of allegiance at New Rochelle in 1698. He gave service to the Colony as attorney-at-law. Pierre also served as an Elder in the French church in 1695 and 1696. He was a landowner in New York prior to 1701, when he removed to the Colony of South Carolina, where he settled in St. James Parish, Goose Creek, near Charlestown, where already in 1694 he had purchased property.

The children of Pierre and Jeanne are:

1. Marie b. 1683 d. 4/2/1771 m. 10/29/1710 to Gideon Faucheraud

2. Peter b. 1685 d. 4/25/1748 m. Frances, the daughter of Rev. Paul and Frances L'Escott

3. Jane b. 1686 and died young

4. Isabel b. 1691 and died young

5. Susannah b. 1694 d. 1749 unmarried

6. Rachel b. 1696 d. 11/23/1771 m. first John Moore of St.Thomas Parish; married second Abijah Russ; married third Rev. Bartholomew Himel

7. Zachariah b. 1698 d. 1780 in Goose Creek. No record has been found of his wife's name prior to marriage, except in the Wright family Bible, where it is given as Amariah Perkins. This has never been proved, and is a future research project of mine.

The children of Marie and Gideon Faucheraud are:

1. Jane

2. Mary who married John Paul Grimke and their children are Mary, Ann and John F.

3. Charles who married Jane, the daughter of George Smith, and their children are Elizabeth and Mary who married John Alston.

The children of Peter and Frances are Paul, Anna, Deusel, Frances, Francis and Benjamin

The children of Rachel and John Moore are John, Rachel and Elizabeth

My line continues with Zachariah and his wife, whose children are:

1. Peter married Sarah, probably a Smerick prior to marriage

2. Zachariah married Loveridge Drake

3. Sarah married Charles de Tollenare

My line continues with Peter and Sarah probably Sarah Smerick, and their only listed child being Peter who married Sarah Lockwood, the daughter of Joshua Lockwood (as previously met in the LEE family generations).

My line continues with Peter and Sarah whose children are:

1. Zachariah

2. Sarah who married Dr. George Evans

3. Mary Cantey who married her cousin Rev. William States Lee

Peter and Sarah's children were not documented in my source "South Carolina Genealogies" Vol. IV, The Reprint Co., Spartanburg, SC., 1983 "The Villeponteaux Family of South Carolina".

The continuation of Peter and Sara's line with their children is, however, documented in the book "Lee of South Carolina". My line continues with Mary Cantey Villeponteaux Lee in the section on the Lee family.

In June of 1734, Zachariah, Sr. acquired 500 acres of land in Goose Creek, on which his plantation, Parnassus, was located. Parnassus was famed for the bricks which it produced. All of the bricks for St. Michael's Church, Charlestown, were furnished by him. The house was burned during the Civil War: "There was little left there...besides the giant oak,that must have been already a big tree when Villeponteaux built his house in its shade two centuries ago, and the still beautiful avenue that leads over a gentle swell of ground for a mile towards Goose Creek. Dwarfed stumps of ruined oaks show where it would had stretched for a mile and a half farther, to the gate on the property line, if the war had not come and ended all...beside the big oak is a tumbled mass of broken brick from the house, covered with moss and wild rose vines, and back of it a line of cedar stumps along the terrace that overlooked Back River...A few fine magnolias and clumps of hardy exotics show how extensive the gardens were. In the tangle of vines, the site of the little graveyard was forgotten." And now, lost in the woods can be seen another stone which marks the grave of an old nurse and bears the inscription: "To Bella, a faithful servant." Parnassus, like Medway, to the north of it, was once a great brick plantation. As the lazy southern breezes cause Spanish Moss to sway and piorette in the trees, one can gently hear the voices, and see the smiling happy faces of those who once lived here. And maby, just maby, if you are lucky, you might find under a big cedar stump some of the fabulous jewels that are known to have been buried here, before the house was plundered and burned. But take care, because it is said that old 'Ponteaux guards the grounds day and night. The above quote was taken from "A Day on Cooper River" by Louisa Cheves Stoney (Columbia, 1932), pp. 19-21.

Where ever a group of Huguenots went, they took with them their pastor. It was no different on April 30, 1680, when a group of forty-five Huguenots debarked from the ship "Richmond" at Oyster Point in Charlestown. Here, in their new land, a church organization was effected promptly, and they secured a building in which to hold their worship services. It is conceded that the Reverend Phillip Trouillard landed with them and was their first pastor.

There are three Huguenot edefices in the South Carolina Low Country which are important:

1. The French Huguenot Church in Charleston, South Carolina

2. Pompion Hill Chapel of St. Thomas' Parish in Wando and

3. St. James in Goose Creek

Pompion Hill was the first church of worship east of the Cooper River. It was organized in 1703 and erected in 1765. This chapel was designed and built by Zachariah Villeponteaux, who whose initials are carved into the bricks on the sides of both doors. The interior shows the influence of St. Michael's in the palladian window of the chancel as well as in the pulpit. It is a lovely interior with an unusual arrangement of furnishings. Few services were held here after the Civil War, but residents of the parish and their descendants have maintained this building. A roadside historical marker by the church describes its history.

The sanctuary of St. James, Goose Creek, is the oldest church building in the state for anything in its original condition. James Moore, Sr., was governor of the colony in 1700, and this helped in the establishment of the parish system in Carolina, making it possible for missionaries to be sent to the area. In 1706, the Society sent the Reverend Dr. Francis Le Jau, a Huguenot refugee to minister at this location. The construction of St. James progressed slowly due to two factors: South Carolina was fighting against the Spaniards to the south, and the French to the west. Following this, came the Indian uprising led by the Yemassees. These difficulties postponed the completion of the building until 1717. That was the year Dr. Le Jau died. He was buried before the chancel.

The church is very impressive, with arched windows, wooden colonades, and the ceiling of the nave carried up into the roof space. The Royal Coat of Arms of George I can be seen in the chancel. This is the only one known to have survived the American Revolution, and much history surrounds St. James. Arthur Middleton, a Goose Creek man was, in 1719 President of the People of South Carolina, a body which invited the King of England to take over their government. Leaders for the Revolution also came from this community. Henry Middleton, son of Arthur, was a president of the Provincial and the Continental Congress. His son, Arthur, signed the Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution ended the active life of this lovely Huguenot church. There is, however, an annual service held the first Sunday after Easter.

The Frence Huguenot Church in Charleston is the best known, and viewed by thousands of tourists yearly. This building is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival found in Charleston. It was badly damaged by the earthquake of August 31, 1886. This is one of the few Huguenot churches still existing today in America. Its liturgy is a translation and an adoption from that of the Churches of Neufchatel and Vallangin, with additions from the Protestant Episcopal Church. Services were conducted in French until 1828. The Huguenot Church of Charleston welcomes you to worship with them in accord with a liturgy that has been in use at this church for over three hundred years. Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m. and are in English.

"Into the life of the Nation God sent an oppressed people. Cast out of their own land by bitter hatred and ruthless persecution, they have enriched the nations of the earth in every sphere of human endeavor and in every department of spiritual experience... The name Huguenot is a noble name to bear."

HUGUENOT TORTE