#The Carolinan friends of John Laurens

[coriline]

The Carolinian Friends of John Laurens: Henry Bartholomew Himeli

Bartholomew Himeli used to refer himself as a "geune ami" from Laurens, usualy calling Laurens his "cher ami", he was his French Tutor too, it looks like John started to dominate French around 1772 (around his fifties) and Himeli was pretty proud about his dominance in the language was, if his response from 1772 is something to say:

The letter

French transcription:

“Elle ma fait d'autant plus de plaisir, qu'en m'aprenant qui vous pensés a moi, elle est un monument des progrés que vous avés fait dans la Langue Francoise. Je vous avoue que j'ai été agréablement Surpris de vous voir écrire Sicorrectement une langue éthangére, & dan un âge oū plusieurs ne Favent pas même écrire pofrablement dans leur langue maternelle. Vous coups défait pres que des coups de maetre. Cela vous fait honneur Mon Cher Ami, ce'st une preuve que vous vous apliqué, & que vous prenés de la peine.”

English translation:

“She [the letter] makes me specially happy, understand that you think of me, she is a monument of the progresses that you have done at the language french. I confess you I was nicely surprised of your correctly writing in a foreign languague, & at an age where many can't write properly in their own maternal language. You blows undone almost as masterstrokes. It makes you honor My Dear Friend, this is a proof of your application and effort.”

According to his description in the Papers of Henry Laurens, Volume 16:

Henry Bartholomew Himeli was pastor of the French Protestant Church of Charleston from 1755 to 1773 and also served as French tutor to JL. He left Charleston for Switzerland in May 1773. Himeli returned to South Carolina in 1785, resting the pastorate of the French Protestant Church in Charleston, serving until his death.

According to "The Life of Gen. Francis Marion: Also Lives of Generals Moultrie and Governor Rutledge" Himeli worked as one of his firsts tutors at the side of Benjamin Lord and Panton.

According to American Heritage in his volume 27 from 1976 assures a strong influence from Himeli in the search of glory and honor of Laurens in his late life:

In particular, John's station in life meant that he was called to leadership. "The Eyes of your friends & of your Country are upon you" his father reminded him, "they are in expectation... For your own sake, for theirs & for sake of posterity disappoint them not by coming up a bundle of Carolina Rushes..." Doubtless John had received exactly the same kind of counsel from his old tutor, the Reverend B. Henri Himeli, pastor of the Huguenot Church in Charleston, for Himeli considered the minor French novelist Jean François Marmontel to be the wisest author of his age."

There's just three letters available from Himeli to Laurens and in neither of them (at a simple sight made by me) looks mentioning any kind of high expectations of glory and honor over him (moreover of an academic one) and personally I don't understand the relation between liking Jean François Marmontel-having crashing expectations over Laurens. Therefore I reserve my opinion about this until I have a proper translation and transcription of all their letters.

However, I would like to mention the high probability of a religious pressure and influence over Laurens from Himeli's part. Despite in his late life Laurens wasn't especially religious and the mentions of God wasn't exactly numerous he still wanted to join at the Seminary at a younger age, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was in part inspired by the advices of his childhood tutor, specially since while Himeli's was tutoring him was also being the Pastor of the Church.

In more personal matters, he married Rachel Villepontoux in January 8, 1768, he was the third marriage of Rachel. She died on November 23, 1771 and was her death what made Himeli consider a return to his native country, which he did until 1773.

During 1772, Himeli hoped South Carolinas would do something in Carolina for the sciences, the belles lettres, and the arts. Himeli was sure that when John returned to Carolina, he would help to do such. According to the volume 8 of the Papers of HL.

It looks like as one of his oldest tutors he knew John pretty well, if the security he had that John Laurens would invert in the art and science (all of them Laurens' likes) says something.

Himeli kept the correspondece with Henry Laurens during a long time, even before John died, however during 1783 HL started to strongly disapprove some of his actions with women.

HL's here and below concerning Himeli's marriage state may been prompted by the fact that the last time he saw him in London in October 1783. Himeli was traveling in the company of "a Trumpery Woman" of dubious Virtue, leading to HL to fear Himeli was sacrificing his honor and reputation "upon the Knees of a little Freckled Faced ordinary Wench"

Source: The papers of Henry Laurens, IX, 120-121

According to this text they assure Henry Laurens used the last example of Himeli's behavior to prevent John about selecting a "bad" wife, critizing the Himeli's multiples relationships while he was married but I wouldn't believe it all, since the worries of HL started during 1780's where John was already married, therefore an advise about marriage and partners wouldn't be specially useful, and the last anecdote takes place during 1783, when John was already dead. Therefore I consider if ever John received a advise about Himeli's behavior probably was more oriented to keeping the honor and values of a gentleman.

However, it looks like while he was tutor, John kept some appreciation for him, during 1772 he sended him a Voltaire's text and was usual from his part send greetings to Mr. Himeli:

"Be so kind my Dear Uncle as to remember me in a particulas manner, to good, add M. Manigault_ Doctor Garden, M. Himeli, M. Euselius_ and all my Friends_ God grant Health and Happiness to them all_" From this letter.

There's none record about his age of born that I can found, just a dubious source which mantains he was born at 1698, which makes him 74 at the moment John wrote that letter.

In conclusion, Himeli was a character known for being a Pastor and for his affairs with women and he will be a start of the list of John Laurens' friends, a list which despite being pretty appreciated by Laurens himself, was a list with a surprisingly amount of very religious people and specially, a list conformed for his own father's circle of friends.

Probably I missed much information about him and his relations with the Laurens here, but in my defense there's so many variations of his last name that is hard to know if it's talking about him.