Jean-Pierre Pury (1675 – 1736) was an explorer, geographer and colonist from the

Principality of Neuchâtel A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

, a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

principality in modern-day Switzerland. He served as mayor of Lignières and worked as a wine merchant before losing his wealth to a fire. He then worked as a corporal for the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

, which inspired him to found his own colony. After years of campaigning, he was granted permission by the British Crown to establish a settlement in the

Province of Carolina Province of Carolina was a province of England (1663–1707) and Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until partitioned into North and South on January 24, 1712. It is part of present-day Alaba ...

. He established the Colony of Purrysburg (present day

Purrysburg, South Carolina Purrysburg is an unincorporated community in Jasper County, South Carolina. While the town itself was abandoned, the settlers were successful. The town was located on the South Carolina bank of the Savannah River on 40,000 acres. Purrysburg (aka ...

) and lived as a planter on 12,000 acres. His colony, made up of mostly Swiss Protestants, was relatively unsuccessful.

Early life and family

Pury was born in 1675 in

Neuchâtel , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France), ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

(present day Switzerland) to Henry Pury and Marie Hersler. His father, who was a

tradesman A tradesman, tradeswoman, or tradesperson is a skilled worker that specializes in a particular trade (occupation or field of work). Tradesmen usually have work experience, on-the-job training, and often formal vocational education in contrast to ...

of tin pottery, died when he was an infant. His mother remarried to Louis Quinche, a

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

and member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel. His mother died in 1695 and left him a small inheritance. On 24 September 1695, he married Lucrèce Chaillet, the daughter of a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

pastor from . Pury and Chaillet had eight children: Charles, François-Louis, Marie-Marguerite, Rose, Lucrèce, Jean-Henri,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, and Marie. Four of their children died in infancy between 1700 and 1709. On 13 May 1709 he was appointed as the mayor of Lignières. That same year a fire burned down his family's house. Pury exported wine from Neuchâtel to

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

and England, but the venture did not provide enough income for his family. Left destitute, the Court of Justice of Neuchâtel appointed the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

Martinet as

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

over Pury's property and affairs. Given his position, Jean-Pierre resigned from his post as mayor on 17 September 1711.

Colonial pursuits

Dutch East India Company

In May 1713 Pury boarded the ''Prince Eugenius'' bound for

Batavia, Dutch East Indies Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much-larger area of the Residency ...

. He had been made a Corporal for

and helped lead the

congregation in Batavia. While travelling with the company, he developed a climatological theory to advise on the best places for effective colonization. In 1718 he published ''Mémoire sur le Pays des Cafres'' and ''la Terre de Nuyts'', where he defended a concept of twelve climates between the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

and

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

and that the fifth climate, located at approximately 33 ° latitude, was the best for colonization due to fertile soil. He presented the concepts to Christophel von Swol, the Governor of Batavia, with the hopes of being granted permission to start his own colonies in Australia or Southern Africa, but was dismissed. Pury then left Batavia for France.

Province of Carolina

While living in France, Pury presented his theories to

Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole "of Wolterton", (8 December 16785 February 1757), English diplomatist, was a younger son of Col. Robert Walpole (1650–1700) of Houghton Hall in Norfolk, and was a younger brother of Robert Walpole, 1st Ear ...

, the British Ambassador to France, and asked that they be brought before King George I with the hopes of being granted permission to form a colony. The book of theories was brought before

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (21 July 169317 November 1768) was a British Whig statesman who served as the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Great Britain, his official life extended ...

in July 1724. The book was examined by the Board of Trade for legality and feasibility. The Board summoned Richard Shelton, Secretary of the

Lords Proprietor A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the European ...

of Carolina. In June 1726 Pury was granted permission to start a colony in Carolina. The agreement between the Lords Proprietor was that one-hundred people from Neuchâtel would settle the new colony, but no funding was to be provided. Unable to provide the finances, Pury left Neuchâtel. The English Crown later took over Carolina from the Lords Proprietor.

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

appointed

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

as the new

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

. On 9 July 1730 Pury petitioned again for permission to establish a settlement. The Crown granted Pury permission to establish a settlement with six-hundred Swiss Protestant emigrants over a six-year period. In exchange, he was granted 12,000 acres of land. In 1731 Purry led an expedition to Carolina and founded the Colony of Purrysburg along the Savannah River. In 1732 the first convoy of settlers arrived, Swiss-French Huguenots, Swiss-German Lutherans, and Austrian and Italian Protestant refugees. The colony was relatively unsuccessful, and Pury died of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

in 1736. He was succeeded by his son, Charles, as head of the colony. Charles was later killed by one of his slaves.

Written works

*''Mémoire sur le pais des Cafres et la terre des Nuyts : Par rapport à l’utilité que la Compagnie des Indes orientales pourroit en retirer pour son commerce'', Chez Pierre Humbert, Amsterdam, 1718. *''Second mémoire sur le pais des Cafres et la terre des Nuyts : Servant d'éclaircissement aux propositions faites dans le premier, pour l'utilité de la Compagnie des Indes orientales'', Chez Pierre Humbert, Amsterdam, 1718. *''Mémoire présenté à Sa Gr. Mylord Duc de Newcastle ... sur l'état présent de la Caroline et sur les moyens de l'améliorer'', Londres, G. Bowyer, 1724. *''Spéculation sur les changes étrangers, pour la commodité des banquiers et autres négocians, contentant le juste rapport avec les principales place d’Europe'', Paris, Chez Knapen, 1726. *''Description abrégée de l’état présent de la Caroline Méridionale'', Neuchâtel, 1732.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pury, Jean-Pierre 1675 births 1736 deaths British planters Deaths from malaria Jean-Pierre Dutch East India Company people Early colonists in America People from Neuchâtel People from Jasper County, South Carolina Explorers from the Principality of Neuchâtel Geographers from the Principality of Neuchâtel Protestants from the Principality of Neuchâtel South Carolina colonial people Wine merchants