FLORIAN - The Most Traveled Man on Earth

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Note on the Title Count and Countess And Saving the Life of the King Articles in the 1960s and many current descendants describe Jean Baptiste and his wife as “the Count and Countess.” This is almost certainly an error. Research on both sides of the Atlantic reveals the following: • <strong>The</strong> original letters do not refer anywhere to the title Count or Countess for the Florians. • While the family had a coat of arms, there are no listings for Jean Baptiste or his ancestors as Counts or other members of the upper noble class. • Some of the ancestors of Jean Baptiste were referred to formally as “Squire”(Ecuyer) “Maitre” (Master) or “Honorable <strong>Man</strong>” (H.H. or Honorable Homme), but these are titles of minor nobility, in a unique titled French class above the gentry but below the equivalent of an English Knight. • In 1747 Jean Baptiste’s grandfather purchased the office of Secretary Advisor to the House and Crown of France, a post which he bought for 55,000 livres, and which conveyed hereditary nobility. But again, this was a minor nobility, not equivalent to a Knight, Baron, Marquis, Earl or Duke. • One ancestor is referred to as “Sieur de la Dauphinoise” and Jean Baptiste was described in his marriage certificate as the “high and mighty lord of the Pontcadeuc” but these titles actually referred to ownership of parcels of land, not to noble titles such as Count or Duke. And the reference to “Dauphinoise” does not likely refer to the French Dauphine (son of the King), but rather to a particular parcel of land. However, it is fair to say that before the Revolution, the Florian Jolly de Pontcadeuc and Le Det de Segray families were well off and highly influential. For example, the uncle of Marguerite, Nicolas Joseph Beaugeard (1755-1818), was Secretary to Queen Marie Antoinette for 25 years, his marriage register was personally signed by the King and Queen, who were present at his wedding, he was apparently made a Chevalier (Knight) like his father before him, and he is mentioned in the Benjamin Franklin papers as an official of the state of Brittany, and someone who was aiding the American cause. Finally, Nicolas is reported in the letters below to have saved the life of Louis XVI, King of France, on the fateful day of 10 August 1792, likely at the Tuileries Palace. On that day, the monarchy ended when the King was forced to leave the palace and walk between files of guards through a mob of revolutionaries. He never exercised power again. Nicolas took a dagger thrust in his arm that was meant for the King, and it is likely that this happened as the King was walking through the mob. This fascinating and important incident, an attempted assassination, has apparently been lost to history until now. Returning to the question of nobility, it is thus fair to say that the Florian and de Segray families were members of the landed minor nobility, were wealthy, cultured, artistic and influential, but were not members of the upper nobility and did not qualify for the title Count or Countess. 10
Note on Translation and Holdings Words in italics are unknown or unclear French words. Underlined blanks are words which are missing or illegible. Notes in brackets are editorial comments. <strong>The</strong> Mobile Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Division, only retains the English translations of the Florian letters. <strong>The</strong>se are contained in four volumes. <strong>Man</strong>y of these translations are typed, but many are handwritten, and this handwriting is hard to read. <strong>The</strong> Library of Congress (LoC), <strong>Man</strong>uscript Division, retains the original letters describing America, in French, and many of the English translations. It appears that LoC also has some letters that were never translated into English. <strong>The</strong> letters below were compiled from the Mobile and LoC English translations. On occasion there are two English translations, usually one typed and the other hand-written, apparently done on occasion by two different translators. Naturally, there are conflicts in translation. My approach has been to choose the most logical and smoothest translation. On rare occasions I was able to examine the original letter and identify mis-translations or missing words, usually of relatives whose names were familiar to me. <strong>The</strong> resulting translation is still by no means perfect. No other libraries appear to have any original or translated letters of the Florians. <strong>The</strong> manuscript Flight of a Suspect refers to old family letters that were sent to France early in the 20 th Century, around the time that the Library of Congress purchased the Florian letters describing his American travels. In February 2008 I interviewed Mr. Edward Ladd, Director of the Mobile Carnival Museum, Mobile, Alabama. Mr. Ladd is a Florian descendant, and stated that he had “a box of letters” in his possession. It turned out that these were over 150 items, including translations of letters among Florian relatives, ranging from 1774 to 1917, and also some original letters from Florian descendants and relatives in French and English, silhouettes of four Florian daughters and relatives, a tiny possible miniature of Mrs. Gilbert E. Russell, nee Florian, a naturalization paper from King George III to Jean-Baptiste Florian Jolly and others, giving them citizenship in the United Kingdom, and numerous other items. Mr. Ladd also had two miniatures, of two brothers-in-law of Jean-Baptiste Florian (brothers of Marguerite Marie le Det de Segrais), who wrote some of the letters and are mentioned in many. All these items are in the process of being studied and organized. <strong>The</strong>re are two relatively recent letters in the Ladd material regarding the fate of the originals of the bulk of the Florian letters. One is from the Library of Congress in 1916, indicating an interest in buying the American letters of Jean-Baptiste Florian. (And the Library did in fact buy the best of the letters, which are now in the <strong>Man</strong>uscript Reading Room of the Library of Congress.) <strong>The</strong> other is a letter to a private person, perhaps a dealer, indicating possible interest in purchasing some of the letters. Hence there may be more letters, and certainly more originals, out there somewhere…. 11
Page 1 and 2: FLORIAN Th
Page 3 and 4: Section 2: Letters from Other Famil
Page 5 and 6: France still correspond, keep track
Page 7 and 8: Published Writings of Jean Baptiste
Page 9: Estelle Sims Collection. This consi
Page 13 and 14: Note on Monetary Exchange Value In
Page 15 and 16: Letter 1. 2 [Letter translated, not
Page 17 and 18: the education, with the compensatio
Page 19 and 20: Letter 2. [Letter translated, not o
Page 21 and 22: In case you receive from Messrs. Fa
Page 23 and 24: Letter 5. Halifax [Nova Scotia], 4
Page 25 and 26: Joseph Marie Le Det de Segrais Pier
Page 27 and 28: sorrow, my tender friend, that I ca
Page 29 and 30: Letter 7. Philadelphia, October 30,
Page 31 and 32: We crossed the state of New Jersey
Page 33 and 34: Letter 8. [Lancaster, PA] November
Page 35 and 36: sobbing of the women _____ _______
Page 37 and 38: Letter 9. Pittsburg[h], Sunday, Nov
Page 39 and 40: years, one finds himself with a ret
Page 41 and 42: Mr. and Mrs. Linton, with all the r
Page 43 and 44: ecause the current was so rapid and
Page 45 and 46: Letter 11. Natchez, 4 January, 1809
Page 47 and 48: of 20 to 22 cents per pound, as it
Page 49 and 50: Letter 12. New Orleans, January 23,
Page 51 and 52: I have sent to Mrs. Kirkland letter
Page 53 and 54: will see all the country from there
Page 55 and 56: Letter 14. New Orleans, February 11
Page 57 and 58: Letter 15. New Orleans, February 12
Page 59 and 60: They think only of
Page 61 and 62:
Letter 17. New Orleans, March 5, 18
Page 63 and 64:
We have had news from England, of t
Page 65 and 66:
[p 2] Madame Sain [Dai?] will entru
Page 67 and 68:
Letter 19. Montesano [West Florida,
Page 69 and 70:
Bring along also a few bushels of S
Page 71 and 72:
Letter 20. Montesano [West Florida,
Page 73 and 74:
ye-grass, clover, sainfoin, [Lucern
Page 75 and 76:
Section 2 Letters From Other Family
Page 77 and 78:
as much for the grandeur as for the
Page 79 and 80:
Your affectionate uncle, Jolly Patr
Page 81 and 82:
ignorant of the renunciation which
Page 83 and 84:
Eliza talks only about her pretty f
Page 85 and 86:
Elizabeth Florian Talcott, later in
Page 87 and 88:
Letter 5. [Letter from Marguerite M
Page 89 and 90:
I have seen the Couissin girls, the
Page 91 and 92:
I took [the girls?] to a grand ball
Page 93 and 94:
They should not al
Page 95 and 96:
Your sisters had promised to reimbu
Page 97 and 98:
Now I must scold you for not termin
Page 99 and 100:
My dear Papa, My sisters have told
Page 101 and 102:
Letter 8. [Letter from Marguerite M
Page 103 and 104:
hair, which is almost all white. Yo
Page 105 and 106:
some years this will be quite a lar
Page 107 and 108:
Letter 10. . [Undated letter from P
Page 109 and 110:
Duault is the most perfect and fine
Page 111 and 112:
sad, as did I, just a passerby on t
Page 113 and 114:
almost all the summer in the countr
Page 115 and 116:
Letter 12. [Letter from Pierre Rene
Page 117 and 118:
Adieu dear Friend! I hope that at l
Page 119 and 120:
Letter 14. [Letter in response from
Page 121 and 122:
attachments which had been planned
Page 123 and 124:
ealize only too well by what I have
Page 125 and 126:
For two months, while I have been a
Page 127 and 128:
I don’t have time on this occasio
Page 129 and 130:
not complain of anything, but his t
Page 131 and 132:
Letter 19. [Letter to Azelie Floria
Page 133 and 134:
Letter 20. Emma’s Narrative Proba
Page 135 and 136:
On Saturday the 21 st [unfortunatel
Page 137 and 138:
I told him I was not afraid, but as
Page 139:
The climate and th
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