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  • Huguenot migration to the United States
    • Main contributor: Thomas MacEntee
    Abraham Hasbrouck House on Huguenot Street in New Paltz New York
    Abraham Hasbrouck House on Huguenot Street in New Paltz New York

    Huguenot migration to the United States was primarily driven by religious persecution in France, notably the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Many Huguenots, French Protestants who adhered to Calvinist principles, sought asylum in Protestant countries, notably the American colonies. They mainly settled along the Eastern coast, with significant numbers in New York, South Carolina, and Virginia.

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    Origins and Early Conflicts in France (16th–17th c.)Origins and Early Conflicts in France (16th–17th c.)

    The Huguenots were French Protestants (Calvinists) who grew rapidly during the Reformation. The French Reformed Church was founded at a synod in Paris in 1559, and by the early 1560s had nearly two million adherents. Huguenots included many nobles and skilled craftsmen, but by 1562 the French Wars of Religion erupted. In 1572 the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre saw Catholics murder thousands of Huguenots in Paris, prompting many survivors to flee to Protestant countries (England, the Netherlands, etc.). Those who remained in France gained a brief respite under Henry IV’s 1598 Edict of Nantes, which legally tolerated the Huguenots and guaranteed them certain civil rights.

    Persecution and Exodus (1670s–1685)Persecution and Exodus (1670s–1685)

    In the 17th century Louis XIV increasingly enforced Catholic unity. By the 1670s he had restricted Huguenot worship and in 1681 ordered dragoons to harass protestants into converting. Finally, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, outlawing the Reformed faith entirely. Facing imprisonment or worse, many Huguenots chose exile. Contemporaries estimated that France lost as many as 600,000–800,000 Huguenots in this period (others recanted under duress, but 160,000–200,000 fled the country). This outflow – often called Le Refuge – drained France of skilled artisans, merchants and farmers. Most refugee Huguenots went to nearby Protestant lands (the Netherlands, England, Switzerland, Germany), but a small refugee stream crossed the Atlantic to English North America. In all, about 2,500 Huguenots settled in British North America after 1685.

    Early Huguenot Ventures in AmericaEarly Huguenot Ventures in America

    Even before 1685, French Protestants had touched North American shores. In the 1560s Admiral Gaspard de Coligny and Jean Ribault led expeditions aiming to establish French colonies as havens for Huguenots. In 1562 Ribault landed on what is now Parris Island, South Carolina, founding the short-lived Charlesfort settlement. Two years later René de Laudonnière founded Fort Caroline in Florida (1564), a refuge for Huguenots, before Spanish forces destroyed it. These early colonies failed, but they were clear harbingers of future migration.

    After the St. Bartholomew’s Massacre, some Huguenot exiles came indirectly via the Netherlands or England. For example, Philippe de La Noye (Delano) and his family – originally from Dieppe – fled to Leiden. In 1621 Philippe sailed to Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower’s second voyage and helped found Duxbury. (His American descendants would include President Franklin D. Roosevelt.) As early as 1620–1660s, small groups of French Protestants settled in New England. In 1662 some 150 Huguenot families (mainly from La Rochelle) petitioned Massachusetts to live “with the English.” By one estimate about 150 French families did settle in Massachusetts in the 1660s, though they quickly anglicized their names and assimilated. Rhode Island’s religious freedom likely attracted others, but few large Huguenot congregations formed in New England.

    Meanwhile, in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (later New York), French Huguenots trickled in. Under Dutch rule, New Amsterdam (New York City) had a growing Calvinist population, and by the 1670s some French families joined. After 1664 the English took New York, and in 1686 Pierre Daillé – a refugee minister – founded the first French Reformed (Huguenot) Church in New York City. In 1688 about thirty-three Huguenot families established New Rochelle in Westchester County (named for La Rochelle) as a self-contained Huguenot community. By the 1690s Huguenots were an important part of New York’s population, many arriving directly from cities like La Rochelle. (Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, New York, is another example of 17th-century Huguenot settlement.)

    Huguenots in the British Colonies (1685–18th c.)Huguenots in the British Colonies (1685–18th c.)

    After 1685, the great Huguenot migration spread more widely along the Atlantic coast. British colonial governments were eager for settlers and religious dissenters. One genealogical study notes that Huguenot refugees “immigrated to the American colonies directly from France and indirectly from the Protestant countries of Europe”. In fact, colonial records show Huguenot arrivals from the late 1680s through the early 1700s in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Southern colonies.

    • New England: Small numbers continued to settle. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island some Huguenots joined Dutch or English churches. A French Church briefly existed in Boston (1686–1720), but many Huguenot settlers simply became Congregationalists. By the early 1700s most had intermarried with other colonists and lost the French language.
    • Middle Colonies (New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania): New York City remained a Huguenot center. The French Reformed Church (opened 1686) served a growing congregation. Nearby, New Rochelle flourished. New Jersey also had pockets of French settlers (e.g. Elizabeth and Newark). Pennsylvania’s Quaker tolerance attracted some Huguenots too, though precise numbers were modest.
    • Virginia and the Chesapeake: Virginia actively accommodated Huguenots. Between 1690 and 1700 over 700 Huguenots arrived there. In 1700 Virginia established Manakin Town in Henrico County (near Richmond) to resettle about 500 refugees under leaders like the Marquis de la Muce. These families were granted land along the James River; others settled on the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. Manakin Town remained a distinct French parish for decades. Around 1707 a faction led by Rev. Philippe de Richebourg even moved from Virginia to found a settlement on North Carolina’s Trent River. (South of Virginia, New Bern and Bath, North Carolina had small Huguenot outposts in the early 18th century.)
    • Carolinas: The Carolina colonies saw major Huguenot influx. South Carolina’s proprietors actively promoted Huguenot settlement (pamphlets published in 1679–86). From 1684–1688 roughly 500 Huguenots arrived in Carolina. Most settled in the Lowcountry, founding three key communities. The principal one was Charleston: a French congregation formed there in 1680 and built a stone church by 1687. Inland, Huguenots established Orange Quarter on the Cooper River and French Santee south of the Santee River (Georgetown area). They also contributed to inland settlements like the viticulture colony of Purrysburg (1732). North Carolina’s French influence remained smaller, limited to a few villages around Bath and Beaufort and the Trent River settlement, plus a brief group at Camden in 1710.

    Throughout the 18th century Huguenot immigrants continued to trickle in (from France and from other colonial centers), but they never formed a majority in any colony. Still, virtually every colony from Massachusetts to Georgia had some Huguenot families by 1750. For example, North Carolina’s Mannikin-Smith’s Neck (Pamlico River) region and several Tidewater parishes noted early 18th-century French settlers. The Huguenots generally excelled as farmers, weavers, tanners, clergy and craftsmen. As one historian notes, their “intelligent, capable people” became farmers, laborers, ministers, soldiers, sailors, physicians and artisans in America.

    Integration and LegacyIntegration and Legacy

    Over time the distinct French Huguenot identity in America largely blended into the wider Anglo-American culture. In the Carolinas, for example, the Huguenot churches quickly merged with the Anglican establishment: by 1706 the Orange Quarter and Santee parishes had been absorbed as St. Denis and St. James (Anglican) respectively. In Charleston the French church dwindled and its members joined local congregations. By the 1730s most second-generation Huguenots in the South had abandoned the French language and intermarried with British-descended families. Similarly in New York the French Church suspended services during the Revolution (1776–1796) and eventually its members worshipped in the Episcopal (Anglican) communion.

    Many colonial-era Huguenot landmarks survive as reminders of this legacy. For instance, the French Protestant (Huguenot) Church in Charleston (pictured) was built in 1845 on land donated by early Huguenot settlers, and remains an active congregation. Charleston also hosts historic Huguenot sites like the Middleburg Plantation (1697) and Hanover House (c.1716). New York preserves Huguenot Street in New Paltz (stone houses from 1700), and Charleston’s annual “Huguenot Society” events commemorate these roots.

    Though linguistic and religious distinctiveness faded, the contributions of Huguenot-descended Americans have been substantial. Genealogical and historical studies note that many Revolutionary and founding-era leaders had Huguenot ancestry. John Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere and George Washington (whose mother’s family was of Huguenot origin) are prominent examples. Industrial and cultural figures also traced Huguenot lineage: Irenée du Pont (founder of the DuPont company) and Apollo Rivoire (Paul Revere’s Huguenot goldsmith father) illustrate the skilled artisanship the refugees brought. In short, historians observe that American society “gained” through the Huguenot influx. Their emphasis on religious liberty and civic engagement helped shape colonial attitudes – Lafayette himself noted many American patriots had Huguenot blood.

    Today, Huguenot heritage is preserved by numerous genealogical societies and archives. The French Church records, graveyards and family histories remain valuable to researchers. The Huguenot Society of South Carolina (founded 1885) has documented colonial Huguenot families and erected markers across the state. The national Huguenot Society (New York) and branches in states like North Carolina (1938) and Virginia collect lineage registers and pamphlets. These societies publish transactions and maintain libraries of genealogical materials, helping descendants trace French roots. Through these efforts and preserved sites, the story of the French Protestant refugees in America – from the 16th to the 19th century – remains accessible to genealogists and historians alike.

    See alsoSee also

    Explore more about Huguenot migration to the United StatesExplore more about Huguenot migration to the United States

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