Huguenots sword
 

Greetings to all. I chose this site and forum because of its professional approach to swords. I have no expertise in arms. I will gladly welcome illumination because I seek a sword. I know its history. I know its path and last known whereabouts. Owning it is not the point - finding it and being able to reinstate its history is my desire. And if I can perhaps get a photo of it, then I would consider my mission a success.

Public service notice - I am not against weaponry - esp. antiques. Some of the swords I have seen in the forum posts are nothing short of fabulous.

Background: In April 1857, an article appeared in Harper's Magazine about a Huguenots sword. The original article can be found at the Cornell University Library and Archives by doing a search on the magazine. Because of its description, I was able to locate - in this site's musuem - a sword that fits its description. However, the member of my family who was supposed to have used this sword was Hugh De Podio - Latin version of Du Puy. He was a General of Godfrei de Boullion. With his wife and 4 children, he accompanied De Boullion on the First Crusade and was granted sovereignty of the City of Acres. One of his sons was Raymond Du Puy. The son fathering the rest of my line was Alleman.

Bartholomew/Bartholomi/Bartholomy Du Puy - born 1652 - had the sword in his possession when he fled Saintogne with his wife Suzanne after the Edict of Nantes was revoked and the Huguenot persecutions were underway yet again.

The sword was used by John James Du Puy at the Battle of Guilford during the American Revolution.

By 1860, the sword had passed to another John James Du Puy, who married Jane Ruffin - sister to Julian C. Ruffin. They were both the children of Edmund Ruffin - who is credited with firing one of the first shots at Fort Sumter when the Civil War began. Edmund and Julian were both editors and publishers, as well as being considered plantation/plant biology experts.

John James Dupuy and Julian Ruffin both served in the Confederate Army. Du Puy was a surgeon. Ruffin died in 1864. Julian's wife was in possession of the sword during the Battle of Petersberg, Virginia. My familiy tradition - and that of other descendents - is that the sword was destroyed when Julian's house was attacked by the Union Army and burned. However, according to the Ruffin and Meade Family Papers, 1796-1906, Collection # 642 in the Manuscripts of the Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

{QUOTE} After [Julian Ruffin's] death, Charlotte Ruffin sold their plantation, Ruthven, and moved to Marlbourne, her father-in-law's estate.{QUOTE}

That excerpt is from the collection description.

Julian died at Petersberg. I have not yet found Du Puy's assignments, or whether or not he was attending the wounded from the Battle of Petersberg.

It is my experience that - even in battle - houses were looted before they were burned.

My first question to any who choose to answer is = could a house fire destroy a sword.

This was not a fancy sword - it was functional. It was meant to kill and do so quickly and efficiently. The design I located in this sites musuem that I feel fits the description I have read is either the Late Med. Cut and Thrust Sword or the Riding Sword. In my description, the sword was called unusual because it was shorter and shaped like an elongated triangle - more like a bayonet.

If this is so, then then it could not have dated to De Podio in 1096 - but perhaps one of Alleman, his son, or several other descendents - generations of the Du Puys fought in the Crusades = from the first to at least 1420.

I hope this is enough to start a dialogue. I do respectfully request assistance with my search. You all are the experts - how do I track this down? Since I have already found "holes" in the family story - and never a mention of a marriage into the Ruffin family until now - I do not believe that the sword was lost or burned. If it survives - it should be reunited with its history.

Regards,

Rozanne

Hi Roz, welcome to the forum:).
The hunt you have started sounds interesting, although the chance of finding the sword is very small – but I guess you know that already.
I am sitting in Europe, so I will not be of much help, but there may be others in the US who can/will try to help you. Do you have the link to the Harper’s Magazine you are mentioning?
Do you have any idea of what the sword looked like, if yes, can you find a picture of a similar sword and show it?
Have you tried to trace the family through the registration office?
Could a fire in a house destroy a sword? Yes, I believe it could. Not that it would have been destroyed completely, but it would have been damaged, and things could have fallen on it, bending it or maybe even breaking it. Also when clearing the remains of the house, it could have been thrown out – not recognised as an old sword. It could however have been removed before the house was burned, or, like you say, have been looted. If this is the case, the chance of finding it is even smaller, but no reason to give up the hunt, as you can sometimes be extremely lucky like I was once.

I have an Indian katar, and in the scabbard is a small knife with an ivory hilt. I once showed a friend a picture, and after some time he wrote to me: ‘John Jencks (1576-1625), got his cutlers mark, a dagger and a thistle, in London 1606-07, and died in the Tower of London in 1625. Later his son moved to America’.
I looked for John Jencks on the net, found his descendants in Ohio, and sent the information to them for their genealogical table, so you see, sometimes information can come from someone whom you have never heard about.


Jens