[Magdalen] Huguenot Heritage.

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

I thought I said he was from South Africa, and I did not, making my email a
bit opaque.  I'm sorry if I was an annoyance to anyone.
Tim was quite a valued member of our household for that year, and, had he
not died shortly after his return to South Africa, I have no doubt he would
have made great contributions to his country.

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente

On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 4:52 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> We had an exchange student at staying at my house during my senior year of
> high school.  A brilliant student (he would have said not so) and an
> impressive athlete. Having only experience with other sports, he made the
> varsity football team and was an impressive presence on the field.  Had
> never played football before. Fascinating fellow. He seldom talked about
> his country because he disagreed with apartheid, but was careful not to
> rock the boat, I think.
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things
> better for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting
> your time on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente
>
> On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 3:33 AM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The Huguenot mass emigration had a major impact in South Africa as well,
>> where many settled especially in the rural areas around Cape Town. They
>> started our still flourishing wine industry and contributed in many ways
>> to
>> cultural and economic development. Their religious influence was less
>> positive as their fervent anti-Catholicism gave momentum to an
>> increasingly
>> fanatical and rigid Calvinistic culture, which later did much harm to the
>> Christian faith in South Africa, helping to shape the thinking behind
>> formal Apartheid.
>>
>> They are remembered in the town named for them, Franschhoek, by the
>> Huguenot Monument, http://www.hugenoot.org.za/huge2.htm, and by common
>> surnames like Le Roux, De Villiers, or Le Grange. It's sadly ironic that a
>> people with so much reason to celebrate religious freedom eventually made
>> it their business to oppress others. Franschhoek still has a huge Bastille
>> Day celebration every year.
>>
>> Sally D
>>
>> On Thursday, 1 January 2015, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
>> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Visiting various family roots in Ireland, I became aware that a
>> Huguenot,
>> > one Gabriel Maturin, was on the staff of the Cathedral when Jonathan
>> Swift
>> > was the dean, and was instrumental in convincing Swift to change his
>> mind
>> > and allow the premiere of a work in Dublin.  Swift was dead set against
>> it,
>> > and they needed the choristers from both Cathedrals to make it work,
>> > apparently.  Thus it was because of my 6x grt-grandfather that Handel's
>> > Messiah was first performed in Dublin. The hall is long gone, replaced
>> by
>> > the George Frederick Handel Hotel. There's a memorial plaque in the
>> > cathedral commemorating the Huguenots who settled there. Several of
>> them,
>> > possibly including my ancestor(s) are buried under one of the altars.
>> May
>> > they all rest in peace.
>> >
>> > James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
>> > *"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things
>> better
>> > for people coming behind you, and you don't do it, you're wasting your
>> time
>> > on this Earth."  -- *Roberto Clemente
>> >
>> > On Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 4:23 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
>> > magdalen at herberthouse.org <javascript:;>> wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > > My quarterly newsletter from the Huguenot Heritage Society came this
>> > week.
>> > > The periodical had not been published for nearly a year because of
>> the
>> > > death of the organization's long time guiding light, Jack Strang, a
>> > > distant
>> > > relative.  We both trace ancestry to the same Huguenot immigrants who
>> > left
>> > > France in 1685 at the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV
>> and
>> > > his minister, Cardinal Richlieu, and arrived, buy way of a three year
>> > > stint
>> > > in England, at New York's New Rochelle in 1688.
>> > >
>> > > The newsletter was filled with the usual scholarly articles about
>> > > Huguenots,
>> > > but what got my attention was the statement that French Huguenots at
>> the
>> > > time of their mass exodus in 1685, made up the largest single ethnic
>> > group
>> > > (at about 65,000 to England and another 10,000 to Ireland) ever to
>> enter
>> > > England at one time.  There had also been an earlier large group  of
>> > > refugees fleeing persecution in Flanders.  Anglo-Saxons made a
>> > > much larger group, but their immigration to England was much more
>> > > gradual.
>> > >
>> > > The immigrants were France's/Flander's brightest and best, and their
>> > lost
>> > > to
>> > > France/Belgium is incalculable.  The had a strong influence on the
>> > > English,
>> > > especially contributing skilled workmen in many trades.
>> > >
>> > > The Huguenot Heritage is looking for a new guiding light/editor, and
>> > > though
>> > > I did know Jack Strang, and he did make an attempt for me to get more
>> > > active in the organization, I will not be that guiding light/editor!
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > David Strang.
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>
>