Andrew Le Mercier (1692–1764) was a French-born Protestant

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

leader in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in the 18th century and author. Le Mercier was born in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1692, completing clerical studies in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

at the then Geneva Academy in 1715 and arrived in Boston (then in the English colony of

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

) in 1716 recruited by André Faneuil as pastor of the Boston French Church (now 24 School Street) and remained there until 1741 when the church closed. Le Mercier was a respected leader amongst the small Huguenot community that existed in New England for almost three decades.

Personal

His son Andrew Le Mercier Jr would serve in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

colonial forces during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

Shipwreck Relief

Sometime in 1737-1738 he built a house for the relief of shipwrecked mariners on

Sable Island Sable Island (, literally "island of sand") is a small, remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Sable Island is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, about southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, and about southeast of the clo ...

. There is belief that the

Sable Island horse The Sable Island horse is a small feral horse found on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is usually dark in colour. The first horses were released on the island in the late 1700s, and soon became feral. Additional horses we ...

s were introduced by him.

Later years and death

Le Mercier retired after the closure of the Boston church to a farm in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for ne ...

, and died there in 1764.

Books

Le Mercier is credited to two books: * "The Church History of Geneva, in Five Books, with a Political and Geographical Account of that Republic" (Boston, 1732) * "Treatise against Detraction" (1733)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Mercier, Andrew 1692 births 1764 deaths American people of French descent American Protestants People from Roxbury, Boston American people of Norman descent