Found this on Roots Web:
From: David Seddon <
[email protected]>
Subject: [HWE] Samain Wasmes, Amsterdam & London
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:33:00 +0000
Thank you, Marian & Hanne, for all the information and data they have
sent me about the families VAILLANT & SAMAIN and about the history of
towns such as Wasmes and Leiden and the surrounding areas. Certainly
they must have been violent and very unsettled times with so much
happening. In the churches there must have been confusion and turmoil
as first one and then another area was occupied by one side or the
other. It is no wonder the people felt the need to take refuge in a
country where they had freedom to worship in the way they chose.
With respect to the Walloon & Dutch records I now have a lot of data
on the family of Gilles & Antoinette Samain. Their first daughter,
Marie, was baptised in London at Threadneedle Street in 1690 and then
they went to Amsterdam where their next child, Catherine, was born in
1692. I think it was she who married Jacques Febre. G & A left
Amsterdam for London in about 1708 and their final child, Marie
Magdelaine was baptised back in London in 1710. In total they had
eleven children. How many of them survived infancy I do not know, but
certainly Marie, Catherine, Abraham and Sarah did and I believe
Elizabeth also. There may have been others.
With respect to the SAMAIN family in Wasmes I know less. There is no
doubt Jacques Samain (brother of Gilles) was born in Wasmes rather
than being a refugee passing through. There are two important records
relating to Jacques at Threadneedle Street that tell us he was a
resident of Wasmes..
First in the Consistory minutes of 27th April 1684 it says: “Antoine
De Ladriere, Lambert Mercier, Jaqaes Samin (sic), Jean Vilain and
Catherine Vilain, all n. of Wan Village near Mons in Hainaut, were
examined and found capable of making abj. and will be received today
fortnight”. Then on the 18th May 1684 it says: “Antoine Ladriere,
Jacques Samin (sic), Jean Vilain and Catherine Vilain made abj.”
(This “made abj” interests me. To have to make abjuration (and
probably in public) and also to have to undergo preparation for it
suggests they were not simply reluctant “nouveaux convertis” who had
been forced into the Roman Catholic Church. Later there is a similar
Consistory entry for Vincent Samain and his family: 24 October 1686
it says:
“On Sunday 10 October Vincent Samin (sic), aged 66, Marie Saba his
wife aged 58, and Pierre their son aged 16 made public abj., having
presented themselves on the 3rd. The young man will be instructed for
admission to communion”. Again this suggests more than reconnaissance
for saying a mass or signing a form.
Second there is the marriage of Jacques at Threadneedle Street on 9th
December 1685. “SAMIN, Jaques, natif de Wham en Hainaut, fils de
Vincent S., & Marie Saba, [et] Marie Cardon, native de Cantorbery,
fille de Jean Cardon & Jeanne Le Perre. Nov. 11. Ils ont ete epouses
le 9 Deoembre, 1685, dans cette Eglise.”
It is worth noting that the name above was consistently Samin and not
Samain. There are so many variations for Samain, that I have taken
Samin as just that - a variant of Samain. I could be wrong; It may
well be a different family. Certainly Jacques had a brother Gilles
(he who married Anthoinette Vaillant) and their names vary from
Samain, Samains, Samin, Samen - and other Church records and
Consistory minutes seem clear on the point that this is one family.
In the Walloon Church in Amsterdam the name comes up in many other
forms as you will know.
Thank you again, Marian & Hanne. I will store all the information you
have sent and work on it slowly (and carefully)
Very best wishes, David.