By Eric Millirons
Special Correspondent

The word “Huguenot” has crept into the language of the people of the Richmond area and has been openly accepted by them. There is the Huguenot Memorial Bridge, Huguenot Road, Huguenot United Methodist Church, Huguenot High School, Huguenot Park, and Huguenot Village Shopping Center, just to cite a few examples and there are more. As strange as it may be, most everyone pronounces it correctly as well, although out-of-towners have been known to look for “Huge – Not” road on occasion. Regrettably, though the name survives, its history and its impact on Virginia and the Richmond region have been lost to many.

Here in Virginia, we have been blessed with peace for over 140 years. True, the United States has been involved in wars that brought pain to the families of those who lost their lives preserving our way of life, but there has been no reason for a mass exodus to escape persecution or death.

One aspect of this peaceful life in Virginia can be found when one journeys to a house of worship on whatever day is appropriate. There is no trepidation, save that of confronting one’s sins before God. We have all been guaranteed, by the First Amendment of the Constitution, our right to worship in the manner we deem fit. Powerful words similar to “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” would have been music to the ears of French Protestants called Huguenots, but that was not the case. In 1685, by the action of King Louis XIV of France, Protestant churches were to be destroyed, ministers were to be forced out of the country (unless they converted to Catholicism), the Protestants could have no private schools, and they could not even worship in the manner they chose in their own homes to cite just a few items in the king’s edict.

The result of this criminalization of Protestantism caused the faithful to flee persecution based solely on the manner in which they sought to worship.

With what they could easily transport, the Huguenots left their homeland for countries that welcomed them such as England. Since England had broken with the Catholic Church and had established the Anglican Church, which was Protestant in nature, that country became a safe harbor for the masses that were fleeing.

But England was only a brief stop for the thousands of Huguenots that left France in search of religious freedom. After a few years there, the English had a need for them in the Colony of Virginia. So with the hope of a new and better life, they boarded ships to make the long and hazardous journey to the New World – to Virginia.

As the Reverend Ed Powell, Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church puts it, “they were the original ‘boat people.’” Travel had not improved that much from the days of Jamestown and the crossing of the Atlantic took not only months, but also a toll on these refugees. The first of the ships to bring the Huguenots to Virginia was the Mary Ann and the voyage took over three months. Many would not make it, but for those who did, they were being promised land and freedom. Their troubles were not over as they offloaded from the Mary Ann or the three ships that would follow. Instead of being given land near the coast and “civilization”, they were being given land on the “frontier” of Virginia. In 1700, that frontier was on the James River some 20 miles west of the fall line at an abandoned Indian village that became known as Manakintowne, after the Monacan Indians who had deserted it.

Rev. Powell noted that they had their “own little island unto themselves out here” to serve as a buffer between the Indians to the west and the English to the east. Yes, the English had installed these Huguenots here for more than one reason, but one of the reasons was to protect them from Indian attacks, the likes of which had occurred only some 20 years before.

Sarah Hudson, librarian for The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, stated that “most of the Huguenots were craftsmen, not farmers, and they had to learn how to farm”. Since the first group arrived in the summer to this deserted town, there was little planting they could do to provide for the coming winter. Apparently they were able to utilize the vacant Indian buildings, but the winter of 1700-1701 must have been difficult for them. “Fortunately, the Indians were friendly”.

One of the first things that the new Manakintowne Huguenots did was to establish a church – a place they could practice their own form of religion without fear or persecution. In 1701, under the guidance of Benjamin de Joux who had been ordained in London, the first church would be built in Manakin. They lived and adapted to their new environment. But with this adaptation, there was a price to be paid. The Huguenot community started at Manakintowne was slowly but ever so surely assimilated into the local English culture so that one must be observant to find the remnants of that community.

The Manakin Episcopal Church, located approximately one mile west of Route 288 on Huguenot Trail Road proudly claims descent from the original Huguenot Church. Next door to this structure is the home of the “Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia” library. It is at this library that Sarah Hudson aids those who would search the history of their Huguenot ancestors. Although she is ever pleasant and effervescent about helping people trace their lineage, it is no easy task. The reason for the difficulty is that between 1730 and 1895 the assimilation took place and many of the French surnames slowly disappeared - replaced with Anglicized versions. However, she does help whoever stops by and a quick review of the guest register will reveal visitors from over 12 states as well as Canada.

Between the church and the library is the 1895 Church, commonly referred to as the chapel. While the structure is small, inside can be found one of the most beautiful stained-glass windows in the Richmond area. Dedicated to the memory of the congregation’s late 19th century pastor, Rev. A. B. Tizzard. The window displays a man, dressed in the fashion of those from Biblical days, sowing seeds. In speaking to Rev. Powell, he noted that there was a statue of what he called the “Huguenot girl” in the Bethel Baptist Church prayer garden that is carrying a sheaf of wheat in a basket. Could it be that the window represents a Huguenot sowing the seed of the French Community and the girl represents the bounty that has come from that planting? There must be some connection between the two, for it does not lend itself easily to coincidence.

Admittedly, the French Huguenots that settled in what is now Powhatan and Chesterfield counties were a feisty bunch. They overcame persecution in their homeland, survived a long and arduous journey in cramped uncomfortable conditions, learned the science of farming, and survived on the “frontier”. That feistiness still runs in the veins of their descendants. Of recent note, it was Jean Hudson, the mother of the Huguenot librarian, who questioned the Virginia Department of Transportation’s decision regarding the location of Route 288. However, gathering records and hiring experts to display the connection of land and structures to the Huguenot community did not prevent the state’s use of eminent domain in obtaining the land for the roadway. One can be certain that if her ancestors could speak to us today they would express their pleasure that she tried.

Of all that we as a nation have received from the Huguenots, there is the one overriding blessing that they passed on to each of us. In part, because of the suffering and persecution that had been visited on the Huguenots in France, the founders of our nation saw fit to provide in the First Amendment to the Constitution what we today revere as “Freedom of Religion.” There are few gifts that Americans have received that could equal this.

The Huguenots left us so much more than just the name, but by its continued use, it memorializes their efforts so long ago. Without a doubt, when someone uses the term Huguenot, we should know that it represents much more than a bridge.