366 THE FRENCH BLOOD IN AMERICA 



Murdered . aud liis tbroat cut. His wife, rushing after him iu hopes 

 to softeu the hearts of their midnight assiissins, was also 

 miu'dered. The lives of the three younger boys were 

 preserved — the oldest, about eighteen, perished. The 

 second sou, James, grandfather of our autobiographer, 

 was about fourteen, Abraham about twelve, and the 

 youngest nine. They fled from the scene of horror, with 

 no other guide save Providence, and found their way to 

 Rochelle, then the stronghold of Protestantism iu France. 

 These poor boys, deprived at one blow of parents aud 

 projjerty, plunged from affluence into poverty, were 

 takeu in by the inhabitants, who gave them food aud 



James a Hero shelter for little scrviccs they could render. A shoe- 

 maker, a charitable. God-fearing man, received James into 

 his own house, treated him with affection, and taught him 

 his trade. Before long he was earning wages which en- 

 abled him to support his younger brothers. When he 

 reached manhood he engaged in commerce and was com- 

 paratively prosperous. He had three children who grew 

 to maturity, two daughters and one son. The latter, 

 father of James, was born iu 1603. Hemy IV called 

 the grandfather the handsomest man in his kingdom. 

 His son James, delicate, fond of books, early evinced an 



A Ministerial iucliuatiou for tlic ministry, was afforded college advan- 

 tages, and became a Protestant pastor over the churches 

 of Vaux and Royan. He married an English lady named 

 Thompson, in 1628, aud they had five children, two of 

 whom became miuisters. By a second wife he had five 

 children more, two of whom were sons and both became 

 ministers, so that this was emphatically a ministerial 

 family, aud we do not wonder to find descendants coutin- 

 uing to follow in the clerical line. 



A Model James, our author, was the youngest child of all. He 



says his father was a man of fine figure, pm-e red and 

 white complexion, of very dignified deportment, com- 

 maudiug the respect of all. He was reuuirkably abste- 

 mious, living chiefly upon milk, fruit and vegetables. 



