Vignaud, Henry, 1830-1922

Henry Vignaud, born in New Orleans, La., was a newspaper editor before the Civil War. Commissioned a captain in the 6th Louisiana Regiment, he was taken prisoner when Union forces captured New Orleans in 1862 but escaped to Paris, where he assisted in John Slidell's Confederate mission. Vignaud contined to live in Paris, serving as secretary of the American legation from 1875 until his retirement in 1909. A scholar and book collector, Vignaud built an extensive library of Americana and gained an international reputation as an historian for his work on Christopher Columbus.

From the description of Henry Vignaud papers, 1862-1909. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 191091199

Henry Vignaud (1830-1922) was a journalist, diplomat, and historian, best known for his works on Columbus and European exploration in the 15th-16th centuries. He worked on a history of cartography, which was never completed.

From the description of Henry Vignaud research notes on cartography, circa 1893-1922. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702188286

Historian, editor, Secretary to U.S. Legation in Paris, 1875-1909, and member of various diplomatic missions.

From the description of Henry Vignaud papers, 1842-1912. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 68796086

From the description of Papers, 1842-1912. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34365876

Henry Vignaud, born in New Orleans, La., was a newspaper editor before the Civil War. Commissioned as a captain in the 6th Louisiana Regiment, he was taken prisoner when Union forces captured New Orleans in 1862, but escaped to Paris, where he assisted in John Slidell's Confederate mission. Vignaud contined to live in Paris, serving as secretary of the American legation from 1875 until his retirement in 1909. A scholar and book collector, Vignaud built an extensive library of Americana and gained an international reputation as an historian for his work on Columbus.

From the description of Henry Vignaud letter, 1920 Nov. 28. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 191046161

Henry Vignaud, diplomat and historian, was born in New Orleans in 1830.

After working with the Confederate mission to France during the Civil War, he was later appointed to the U. S. legation in Paris in 1875 and was promoted to secretary in 1885. Vignaud also distinguished himself for his researches into the career of Columbus and for studies of aboriginal America.

From the description of Letter : Paris, to Henry Harrisse, [ca. 1891]. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 40560212

Henry Vignaud

Jean-Héliodore Vignaud was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 27, 1830, the eldest of six children of Jean Lucien Vignaud and Clémence Godefroi. Jean- Héliodore later changed his name to Henry Vignaud. Vignaud taught school in New Orleans before founding two weekly journals, L'Union de la Fourche and La Renaissance Louisiannaise . During the Civil War, he served as captain of the Confederate Army's 6th Louisiana Regiment until his capture during the fall of New Orleans in 1862. Vignaud fled to France after his imprisonment and remained there for the rest of his life.

In 1863, Vignaud became secretary of the Confederate Diplomatic Commission to Paris, and, after the war, Chancellor of the Romanian Diplomatic Agency. From 1875 to 1909, he served as secretary to the American legation in Paris. Vignaud developed an interest in early American history and frequently corresponded with the self-styled "Americanistes" Pierre Margry and Henry Harrisse. He became president of the Société des Americanistes de Paris (1908), and he published many works on American history. He married Louise Compte in 1879 and lived in the Parisian suburb of Bagneux. Henry Vignaud died in 1922.

Pierre Margry

Pierre Margry was born in Paris in 1818 the son of a painter. Margry finished his studies at College Charlemagne in 1838. Against the advice of his father, Margry decided to embark on a literary career. He accepted a position in the government while also writing articles for newspapers and teaching Latin, French, and English. Margry was hired by General Cass, the American Ambassador to France, for three years and later at the advice of Cass, Margry was hired by M. Brodhead, who was looking for documents relating to the colonial history of the state of New York. This position launched Margry's research and publishing career and developing his interest in North American colonial history. Margry published several works on the subject throughout his career. He served as archivist to the Ministry of the Navy and Colonies Pierre Margry died on March 27, 1894.

Henry Harrisse

Henry Harrisse was born in Paris in 1829, but emigrated to the United States at a young age to live with his family. He practiced law in Chicago before returning to Paris, where he met Henry Vignaud, Pierre Margry, and other "Americanistes." He published works on American history and Egyptology. Henry Harrisse died in 1910.

From the guide to the Henry Vignaud papers, Vignaud, Henry papers, 1840-1922, 1860-1915, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

Henry Vignaud was a journalist, diplomat, and historian. He was born and educated in New Orleans. His career as a journalist commenced with articles for the newspapers of New Orleans. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he became a captain in the 6th Louisiana Regiment but was imprisoned in 1862, when New Orleans was captured by the Union Army. He escaped, went to Paris, and never returned to the United States.

In Paris, Vignaud entered the service of the Confederate mission under John Slidell. In 1869, he was appointed to a secretaryship in the Roumanian legation at Paris. On December 14, 1875, he was appointed second secretary of the United States legation in Paris, and on April 11, 1885, was promoted to be first secretary. For thirty-four years, he was an indensable member of the Paris mission, frequently acting as chargé d'affaires, and serving always with distinction.

Vignaud's distinction was achieved after the age of seventy. His special interest in Columbus grew out of his close association with Henry Harrisse and with the Peruvian scholar Manuel Gonzalez de la Rosa, and the publications of the Columbian anniversary in 1892. He published several works on Columbus and European exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries, including: La Lettre et la Carte de Toscanelli (1901), Toscanelli and Columbus (1902), Études critiques sur la vie de Colomb avant ses découvertes (1905), Histoire critique de la grande entreprise de Christophe Colomb (2 vols., 1911), Améric Vespuce, 1451-1512 (1917), and Christophe Colomb et la Légende (1921).

Vignaud also displayed a broad interest in the whole range of studies of aboriginal America and of the earliest European contacts with the new world. His work was recognized by the award of numerous honors and prizes, and by election as a foreign corresponding member of the Institut de France.

Vignaud's library of many thousand books, pamphlets, and maps now resides at the University of Michigan.

Vignaud's work also includes an unfinished history of cartography in approximately 650,000 words.

Biographical note has been excerpted from Dictionary of American Biography (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936), s.v. "Vignaud, Henry"

From the guide to the Henry Vignaud Research Notes on Cartography, circa 1893-1922, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)