TIn this, my fourth article on “Finding Godfrey” I’ll briefly recap my research to date, focussing on some observations that forced me to review the basic facts as we know them. These observations have led to some course corrections you may find surprising. I’ll keep this article fairly brief as there have been some really promising leads I am still following - leads which should uncover some really interesting findings I hope to present at the October 2018 Nims Family Association Reunion in Deerfield. Carole (Abigail) and I look forward to the fall Reunion. I hope you do too.

First a recap: my strong suspicion that Godfrey was one of Henri Brunet’s “…36 young men sent to America with the English in 1661...” is, sadly, proving to be impossible to prove: records of that fateful shipment simply don’t exist anymore. That, however, doesn’t stop the research - it was, after all, only one of several possible mechanisms for the trans-Atlantic crossing. Being found in that shipment would only really have served to inform us of his actual name, possibly where he was from, and when he sailed.

Without being able to prove the Brunet theory I had to shift my research away from the trans-Atlantic travel mode to looking for possible places of origin – i.e. looking for the birth record. This is a much more difficult task given that we’re not really sure what his point of origin was. Nîmes France, or Nismes Belgium are good guesses, but I am mindful that last names can mislead - not everyone named “York” comes from New York: Julie London, the singer, for instance was born in Santa Rosa, California - need I say more?

Research into baptismal records began in earnest while keeping the “Brunet Affair” search active. I began a rather arbitrary search through on-line archives, starting with any and all Huguenot records I could find. Even that isn’t a sure bet, though, as his conversion to Protestantism could conceivably have occurred after a baptism into the Catholic faith. So, everything’s on the table - predominantly the Christian faiths. I had thought of searching Jewish records, but there is nothing in the written or oral history to suggest it, so I pushed that to the bottom of the list.

I started the baptismal search in Nismes, France and slowly wound my way around France, through La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Paris and many other large and small centres including forays into Switzerland, Germany and Holland. The key search criteria were “Godefroy”, “de Nismes” or any of a number of variants, and a birth date of 1650 +/- 2 years. Despite a few promising leads nothing definitive was being found.

Throughout this process a few observations were accumulating in my subconscious - screaming at me to take notice. These observations are, I think, fundamental and of pivotal importance in guiding the research.

First, “Godefroy”, or any of a number of variants, is an extremely rare name. It’s certainly not common on the continent and, with rare exception, found predominantly in Northern France or Belgium - if it all.  There is nothing in the written or oral history to suggest looking for the German name “Gottfried” or any of its variants. But here’s the rub: the historical record is clear - his name was Godfrey Nims (or Nimes) and you can find it written that way in several key17th century documents. It took a while to come to this realization, after conducting much research in continental baptismal registers.

Secondly, the great Huguenot migrations occurred after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. But, Godfrey was already in Massachusetts by 1667, nearly 20 years prior … so, was he really a Huguenot? It’s certainly possible but the odds must be rather low (I could not, for example, find any evidence that any of the 300+ Huguenot families expelled from La Rochelle in 1661 and 1662 made their way to North America).

Something doesn’t stack up. The disappointing reality is that after dozens and dozens of hours of research on my original tact, no realistic leads were being found.

I had to sit back and assess what I was not finding: and, the only conclusions making sense were that I was either looking for the wrong thing or looking in the wrong place… Or both.

This was a key juncture in my research.

With the Brunet Affair quickly receding into the background, it began to dawn on me that the key clues are staring at us: the purported name “Godefroy de Nismes” may not be accurate, and limiting the search to the continent may be too restrictive.

So too, possibly, is looking exclusively for a Huguenot...

Having scoured the most likely parts of continental Europe, the next logical, possible points of origin became Scandinavia or the British Isles. Is there a link?

The obvious link is the “Walloon” trail. To remind you, Walloons were French speaking people from Wallonia – the geographical area now known as Belgium. At the time many were Protestant and their Diaspora began much earlier than the Huguenots, starting in the late 1500’s and running into the early 1600’s, caused largely by the repressive Spanish overlords of the area under the Duke of Alva. That fits!

Also, the Walloons fled primarily into Scandinavia and the British Isles. That fits too. 

Having checked Walloon records on the continent to no avail, it was now time to “jump the Channel” and follow the Walloons into England (the bulk of Walloon refugees had fled to the south-eastern tip of England, specifically the district of Kent and the city of Canterbury). Luckily for the researcher, the Walloons were well organized, they were given respectful sanctuary by the English, and they kept excellent records.

Looking at all Walloon records I could find in England, I could find no “Nims” or “Nismes” whatsoever. Doh! Here we go again.

However, while accessing the Archives of Canterbury Cathedral I noted that several professional English historians offer their services in helping people discover their Walloon ancestors. I felt that despite my lack of findings, this trail must still have some promise: I clearly must be missing something. After three and a half years of research on my own maybe now was the time to get some expert help.

I recently began a dialogue with a British historian who has proven to be extremely knowledgeable in 17th century English and Walloon history. I’ve engaged them to do some research on our behalf, and early indications are that this could well lead to some new and exciting findings.