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

Principality of Neuchâtel A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...

, a

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

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 ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

, 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 The Province of Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of England (1663–1707) and later the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until the Carolinas were partitioned into North and Sou ...

. 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 (a ...

) 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 Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

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

tradesman A tradesperson or tradesman/tradeswoman is a skilled worker that specialises in a particular trade. Tradespeople (tradesmen/women) usually gain their skills through work experience, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship program or formal educ ...

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

Grand Council of Neuchâtel The Grand Council of Neuchâtel () is the legislature of the canton of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. Neuchâtel, styled as a Republic and Canton (''République et Canton''), has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 100 seats, with me ...

. 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 ( , ; ) 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, ...

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

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, 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 provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

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 ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

Martinet as

curator A curator (from , 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 particular ins ...

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 , which included the much larger area of the Residency of Batavia ...

. 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 rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

and

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

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, (8 December 16785 February 1757) was an English diplomat, politician and peer who served as the British ambassador to France from 1724 to 1730. He was the son of Robert Walpole and the younger brother of ...

, 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, 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (21 July 1693 – 17 November 1768) was an English Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prim ...

in July 1724. The book was examined by the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

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 Europe ...

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 appointed

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

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 The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

. 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 disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

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 the Principality of Neuchâtel People from Jasper County, South Carolina People from colonial South Carolina Wine merchants