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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF THE
PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.
SAVANNAH, GA.
By VERY REV. JOS. D. MITCHELL, V. G.
VII.
THE PERSONNEL OF THE CONGREGATION.
(Continued)
Charles Cezar Picot de Boisfieullet, of whom men
tion has already been made, was a prominent figure
in the French colony of Savannah in the old days.
He was descended from the ancient Picot family of
Saint-Malo in Brittany. His father and mother
were both of this family and his grandfather was
Secretary-Councillor to Louis XIV and Louis XV.
The signature of Picot de Boisfieullet occurs several
times on the old records of the Savannah Parish, and
his death record occurs under date of Feb. 1, 1801.
He had been a Captain in the Royal Army of Louis
XVI, but escaped to America at the outbreak of the
French Revolution, going first to Philadelphia and
thence to Savannah. Being associated with his
nephew, Julien Hyacinthe de Chappedelaine, Jean
Berard Macquet de Montalet, Poulain du Bignon and
two others in the purchase of the coast islands of
Sapelo, Little Sapelo, Blackbeard, Cabaretta and
other lands, he lived for a while in Savannah, but
afterwards retired to his estate on Sapelo Island.
His nephew, the Comte de Chappedelaine, having
been in charge of his uncle’s interests as well as his
own, was afterwards killed by Boisfieullet in a duel,
the quarrel resulting from the uncle’s claim, that
Chappedelaine had misrepresented the properties to
him.
Picot de Boisfieullet had two sons and two daugh
ters. One of the daughters married Ralph Clay, son
of the Hon. Joseph Clay of Revolutionary fame; the
other became the wife of the Marquis de Montalet
and died later on at the “Hermitage,” the home of
her uncle (or brother-in-law, as there were two of
this name) William Polycarp Montalet, as men
tioned in a previous article.
The death of the Comte de Chappedelaine at the
hands of his uncle on Sapelo was the occasion of the
coming to Savannah of one of the most extraordi
nary characters in French history, Picot de Clori-
viere, who will figure prominently in our story
later on.
The family of Boisfieullet still remains in Geor
gia—some having been lost to the Church through
inter-marriage; others still numbered among the
Catholics of Savannah.
Poulain Du Bignon, whose signature occurs many
times on the old record book, had been the command
er of a French vessel of war in the days of old
France. In the ‘‘Memories” of Capt. Charles Wylly
of Brunswick, Ga., he is given prominent notice irt
the story of Sapelo. Capt. Wylly says of him, “His
life story would have delighted a Dumas. He had
drunk deep of the cup of adventure in early
youth. He was commissioned as a French officer in
the Army of the East Indies and detailed as an in
structor of the artillery in the courts of the Great
Rajah. He had lived amid the barbaric splendor of a
decaying empire, and had essayed by his skill and
courage to prop the tottering throne of a descend
ant of the ‘King of Kings’ ”. It was in middle life
that he had commanded a ship of war sailing under
the French flag, with letters of marque, and in those
days of continual warfare had worthily upheld the
honor of old France.
Some old papers left by him were stored in a gar
ret and in long after years were discovered by an
old servant. Finding them all written in French,
they were supposed to be of no value and were con
signed to the flames. They contained a detailed ac
count of the several vessels which he had commanded
or to which he had been attached,—among them the
Madras, 1774; Hyderabad, 1773; Barque Marguerite,
1781; Barque Josephine; Brig .... 1776; Guade
loupe, Martinique, 1774;—not to speak of others. In
the words of Capt. Wylly, “What unwritten history,
what tragedies, what buried crises in lives that had
passed away, were, it may be, given to the flames,
and now we can not know—only imagine.”
The Du Bignon family has two representatives,
still Catholic, living in Savannah. The others have
forgotten the faith of their ancestors, who played
such prominent part in the defense of Church and
King and fled to Savannah for safety in the har
rowing days of the Reign of Terror.
Jacque Philippe Rossignol de Grandmont is another
name that appears many times on the old record
book. He was descended from a noble family of
France and was himself Councillor in the Parlia
ment of Paris and Almoner to the King. The Ros-
signols fled from France and came to Philadelphia
about 1790; they settled in Savannah in 1792. J. P.
Rossignol de Grandmont was born in 1760 and died
in 1809. His sister, Marie Emelie Rossignol de
Grandmont, married her cousin Louis Rossignol de
Beleanse, and their great-grand-children still live
in this city. The family is connected by marriage to
the Dugas and other families of Augusta, but most
of these are now lost to the Church. Those in Sa
vannah are still Catholics.
Francis Roma, whose signature appears on the
Church records as early as 1798, was for many years
a prominent citizen of Savannah. He was a leader
in Church affairs, taking an active part in the build
ing of the Chapel on Liberty Square in 1800, and
serving as a Trustee of the congregation to the day
of his death. He purchased the property on State
Street betwen Bull and Drayton, now known as No.
18, which was the site of the old British Barracks
during the War of the Revolution. Leaving the old
chimney of the barracks standing in its place, he
built his house to this chimney which remained one
of the historic curiosites of Savannah until quite
recently, when it was torn down to make room for a
modern business structure. This house was used as
a chapel for week-day masses in the later ’30’s.
Francis Roma was elected Director of the Volunteer
Fire Brigades of Savannah and served in that ca
pacity through the years 1814, 1815 and 1816. His
name will occur frequently in the parish story.
The daughter of Francis Roma was married to
Paul Pierre Thomasson de la Masa, who, like his
father-in-law, was known as one of the “pillars of
the Church” in the old days. He was born in Cas-
tillon April 23, 1776, and came to Savannah before
1799. He served on the Hospita) Committee in 1817,
was elected Alderman of the City in 1818, and was
also appointed Consul of France. Few citizens of
Savannah were better known than he.
Francis Roma died in 1825, and Paul P. Thomas
son in 1834. Both were devoted Catholics and highly
respected citizens. They were esteemed by Catholics
and non-Catholics alike, and their memory still lives
among the older residents of Savannah.
The descendants of Francis Roma and Paul P.
Thomasson are still numbered among the faithful
Catholics of Savannah.
Jean Batiste Gaudry is another name that appears
on the old Church records. He was born in Bor
deaux, France, Nov. 1, 1782 and came to America in
1802 after having served in the French army ag a
Lieutenant. When the War of 1812 broke out, hav
ing already become an American citizen, he volun
teered for service in the American army and was
wounded at the Battle of New Orleans. A pension
(Continued on Page 12)