The Eugenia Walker Howard Collection consists of materials concerning the settlers of Purysburg, South Carolina (Jasper County), a township approximately 20 miles north of Savannah and 25 miles west of Hilton Head. This town began in 1732 with the arrival of 61 immigrants from Switzerland brought by Jean Pierre/John Peter Pury, a native of Neufchatel. (Alternate spellings of Purysburg found within the collection include Purisburgh, Purrisburg, Purrysbourg, Purrysburgh, and Purysbourg.) The primary subject of the collection's genealogical materials is the Bourquin family, Swiss Huguenots who originated in the town of Sonceboz-Sombeval in the French sector of Switzerland and arrived in America with the first settlers of Purysburg. Starting around 1749, some family members moved to Chatham County, Georgia. The Bourquin family that originally settled in South Carolina consisted of three brothers. Jean /John Baptiste Bourquin, born ca. 1692, died South Carolina, ca. 1784. Children were Abraham, Marianne, Mrs. Detheridge, Henri Louis/Henry Lewis, and Jean Louis/John Lewis. Henry Lewis Bourquin married his first cousin, Henrietta Bourquin, and figures prominently in the collection. Henri Francois / Henry Frances Bourquin, born ca. 1703, died Chatham County, Georgia, 1778. Children were Anne Marie, Susanne Marie (married surname Huguenin), Catharine (Waldburger Keall Rehm), Henri Francois, Mary Ann (Morel), Harriet Henrietta (Bourquin Jones), and Frances (Fox). Henrietta married her first cousin, Henry Lewis Bourquin. After his death, she married William Jones. She figures prominently in the collection, which includes court papers concerning property left after her death in Nassau in 1797. Benedict Bourquin, born 1712, died Georgia, 1770. Children were Jane, Susannah (Papot), Henry, Mary Ann (McKnight), David Francis, Benedict, John, Mrs. Goodale, and Mrs. White. An important event in the Bourquin family history occurred in 1774 when Henry Bourquin (ca. 1703-1778) borrowed money from a Charleston merchant by the name of John Neufville. Over the next twenty five years, several members of the Bourquin and Jones families were involved with legal matters concerning this debt. As a result, there are many photocopies of 18th century legal documents and correspondence in the Howard Collection. Mrs. Howard's research is summed up in two places within the collection. The first is folder 5 (items 37-38) which contains two volumes of National Genealogical Society Quarterly with Howard's two-part article, The Tale of a Legacy. The second is folder 13 (item 108) containing an unfinished typed manuscript entitled The Bourquin Family of Switzerland, South Carolina, and Georgia by Eugenia W. Howard. These two keys will help researchers in using the rest of the materials in the collection. The collection also contains photographs and maps relating to the Bourquin family and Purysburg, SC. While researching the Bourquins, Howard corresponded with several people in Switzerland. These correspondents sent photographs and postcards of Bourquin coats-of-arms and Swiss sites related to the Bourquin family. The folders of visual materials are noted as "VM." Most of the material relating to Purysburg, SC and the Bourquins in America are maps, both photocopied and hand-drawn copies. These maps document the settlement of Purysburg; Bourquin lands; and the grave site of David Francis and Elizabeth Fox Bourquin. Most of the Eugenia W. Howard Collection is in English, but there are several documents in French. Almost all of the French materials are accompanied by translations.
