Publisher's Synopsis
Simon Bertholet married Catherine Saint Germain, and had four children. They were of the most elite families, a line of soldiers, counselors, and Lords. Under King Henry's rule, they were considered the Noble ones of France. As Huguenot's, they were protected with immunity from persecution. The Bertholet's in France were early members of the Huguenot/Protestant religion. They believed that the Bible should be made available to the public. They supported having it printed for everyone. The Roman Catholic Church considered this sacrilege. The massacre of St. Bartholomew Day occurred at Paris in 1572.Thousands of Huguenots were slain in cold blood, including women and children. Huguenots were forced to attend the Roman Catholic mass or die. The Massacres went on for over a century and eventually led to the French Revolution, and the cause of the downfall of the Roman Catholic realm. The Roman Catholics had Dragonades abuse the Huguenot's, steal their possessions, and destroy their homes, books, churches and religious artifacts. Among those affected included the Bertholet family, who fled to Switzerland. This is where this story begins, with the family that descended from first generation-Simon Bertholet and Catherine Saint Germaine Bertholet, their son Francois, his son also named Francois, and his son Jean (John) Bertholet, and then Pierre Bertholet and his posterity. Some fled to the Protestant portions of Germany, and some went to Italy. This line of the family fled to Pennsylvania in the New World, where William Penn had land grants available for those fleeing religious persecution. In 1617 Isaac Oliver came to Virginia. He had been working on a prison ship and in payment was given a land grant. In the 1620's Isaac's brother's John, Thomas and William Oliver along with their families came to Virginia by way of Baltimore Harbor. Their Lineage goes back to King Olaf. The Oliver's came from Norway to France, then from France in 1044 to England. Some of the grandsons went to Edinburgh Scotland, one went to Ireland, while a couple stayed in England. My direct ancestor was sent by the King to the new colony of Jamestown to help in building the settlement in the new world in the area called Virginia. They helped build Williamsburg the new capital of Virginia. The Oliver's settle in Jamestown in the area now called Norfolk and Chesapeake, also at Isle of White, and Mechlenburg, They had come from an aristocratic background in England. The Oliver's fought for their freedom from England in the areas of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Most of the Virginia battles were right at their home front on the Chesapeake Bay. Seven brothers went to war, and six returned alive. The Posterity of both the Oliver's and the Bertolet/Vetter families would end up in the new world wars. They fought for states' rights, tariffs, freedom, Taxation, fair trade, land, religion, and economic freedom in the new world. No war is ever good. The diaries from both families during the War Between the States compare the side of the Yankee and the side of the Rebel. They cross paths more than once and their impression of the war is rather interesting. They also show some humor along the way. The posterity continued into the Spanish American War and more.
