Vincent Rongnion on the Isle of Jersey.
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Here is what Robert and Amos Runyan said in their book, “Runyan Genealogy:”
“Because of his association with the Carterets, who lived on the Isle of Jersey, we assume that Runyan went to the island along with other Huguenots escaping the religious strife in their native land.”
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Vincent didn’t have to run far to get to the Isle of Jersey. Its just off the coast of France on the edge of the English Channel. The beautiful channel island has been a British crown dependency since 1066. The people are fiercely independent and proud of their history and traditions. The local language and pubs may be English but the island was once a part of Normandy, so many of the place names and roads as well as the food are French.
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Charles II, the King of England, was extremely tolerant in religious matters. Charles’ tolerance was astounding considering he funded his administration in part from a healthy pension paid to him by the very same Louis XIV who was over in France giving the Huguenots a hard time.
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In June 1664, King Charles II chartered to his brother, James, all the land between the Connecticut and Deleware Rivers in the new world.. James in turn chartered to Sir George Carteret a large tract of this land. In 1665, they sent Phillip Carteret, cousin to George, to settle the land now known as New Jersey – named after Philip’s home, the Isle of Jersey.
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Vincent Rongnion was not among the colonists who first accompanied Carteret; he hung around Europe for the great plague of 1665 (who would want to miss that?) Philip Carteret, now the Governor of New Jersey, went back to Europe in the same year and returned in 1666, bringing more immigrants with him. Vincent Rongnion probably accompanied him on that trip.
Next: Vincent Rongnion arrives in America.
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