The Legacy of Huguenots in New York [fr]

"Delancey Street" in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, "Bayard Street" in Chinatown, and the "Huguenot" neighborhood in Staten Island—these three places don’t have muchin common except that they all bear witness to the Huguenot legacy in the United States and in the city of New York.

During the second half of the 16th century, the wars of religion raged in the kingdoms of France and Navarre. From 1562 to 1598, eight civil wars between Catholics and Protestants, then called Huguenots, came one after the other, pushing them to flee the country. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 triggered a second wave of immigration, during which it is estimated that 200,000 Huguenots left the country.

At first, they fled to neighboring Protestant countries, especially England, the Dutch Republic (Netherlands), and Switzerland. But very quickly, the Huguenots turned to America. It was on the island of Manhattan, in New Amsterdam (now New York), that many Huguenots arrived and settled.

While contributing to the influence of French culture and language in New England, the Huguenots actively contributed to economic and religious life. For instance, French pastor Pierre Daillé went into exile in New York after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. He is considered the founder of the French Protestant Church of New York and built the first temple in 1686.

The state and the city of New York still have numerous traces of this Huguenot immigration. In the "Huguenot" neighborhood of Staten Island, several streets designate famous Huguenot personalities. "Delancey Street" refers to James Delancey, an 18th-century politician whose father, Étienne de Lancy, was a Huguenot immigrant. A few blocks away, "Bayard Street" refers to Nicholas de Bayard, former Mayor of New York and son of Samuel Bayard, a Huguenot immigrant. Similarly, there is a "Huguenot Street" in the town of New Paltz, and the city of New Rochelle itself is a direct legacy of Huguenot colonies.

These references give evidence of the role of Huguenots in the construction of the city of New York and the United States. Even today, many of their descendants still live in New York and the rest of the country. To keep the memory of their ancestors alive, some have even joined associations, including "The Huguenot Society of America," founded in New York in April 1883.

To produce this video, the Consulate drew on the work of Pierre de Ravel d’Esclapon, historian, lawyer and professor, and in particular on his conference given in February 2023 at the Consulate on the French presence in New York through history.