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6 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)