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Bauduy family papers

Creation: 1801-1812
 Collection
Accession: 0945

Abstract

The Bauduy family was associated with the prominent du Pont family, who immigrated to the United States from France in 1802 and established the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, which manufactured gunpowder at mills on the banks of the Brandywine River just north of Wilmington, Delaware. Peter Bauduy (1769-1833), a French refugee from Santo Domingo who was a partner of Eleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834). The bulk of the collection consists of letters from Juliette Bauduy (1773-1837) to her daughter Mimika (1793-1855). Also included are letters from Peter and Juliette to her sister and the Bauduy children to their aunt.

Dates

  • Creation: 1801-1812

Creator

Extent

39 item(s)

Biographical Note

The Bauduy family was associated with the prominent du Pont family, who immigrated to the United States from France in 1802 and established the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, which manufactured gunpowder at mills on the banks of the Brandywine River just north of Wilmington, Delaware. Peter Bauduy (1769-1833), a French refugee from Santo Domingo who was a partner of Eleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834).

Pierre de Bauduy de Bellevue was born and educated in France. At the outbreak of the French Revolution, he went to Saint Domingue, where his father resided. In 1790 he married Thérèse Jueanne Julienne "Juliette" Bretton des Chapelles (1773-1837), and the following year they fled the enslaved people's uprising and came to Philadelphia. They then settled in Wilmington, Delaware, which already had a sizeable émigré community, and were soon joined by other family members from Saint Domingue and France. Pierre de Bauduy became an American citizen and anglicized his name to Peter Bauduy. The Bauduys moved to Eden Park, an estate just south of Wilmington, in 1808.

Bauduy was engaged in several business enterprises and became a partner in the gunpowder manufactory of E. I. du Pont in 1803. The partnership ended acrimoniously in 1815, and Bauduy brought suit against the firm. Peter Bauduy left Delaware for Cuba in 1819; his wife and their three youngest children arrived the following year, and they resided on a sugar plantation, also called Eden Park.

The Bauduys had eight children, six of whom survived to adulthood. Their four eldest children were: Ferdinand (1791-1814) married Victorine du Pont (1792-1861), daughter of E.I. du Pont; Mimika (1793-1855) married Vital Garesche (1782-1844)́; Cora (1796-1870) married Jean Pierre Garesché (1780-1861), and Hélène (1806-1881) married Alexandre Aristide Bretton des Chapelles (1799-1850).

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the papers consist of letters from Juliette Bauduy (1773-1837) to her daughter Mimika Bauduy (1793-1855) that she wrote while her daughter attended Madame de St. Mémin's boarding school in Burlington, New Jersey, and after her marriage to Vital Garesche (1782-1844)́. The letters contain advice, family news, particularly about her younger siblings, information about clothing and health remedies. The letters reflect a close mother-daughter relationship. Juliette Bauduy was particularly concerned for her daughter to become more proficient in writing and music.

There are also twelve letters from Peter (1769-1833) and Juliette Bauduy to her sister, the Marquise Etienne Bernard de Sassenay (née Fortunée Bretton des Chapelles) (b. ca. 1777), and three from Mimika, Ferdinand, and Cora Bauduy to their aunt the Marquise, as well as a financial statement concerning notes involving Peter Bauduy.

Translations of selected texts are published in Dorothy Garesché Holland, The Garesché, de Bauduy, and Des Chapelles families: history and genealogy (St. Louis: 1963).

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.

Related Materials

Bauduy family papers (Accession 0978), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Language of Materials

French

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Bauduy family papers
Author:
John Beverly Riggs
Date:
1978
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2021: Ashley Williams

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400