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“L” is for LeJau, Francis (ca. 1665-1717)

“L” is for LeJau, Francis (ca. 1665-1717). Clergyman, educator. LeJau was born in Angiers, France, the son of Huguenot parents. Because of religious persecution he fled to England and converted to Anglicanism. In 1705 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel accepted him as a missionary and the following year sent him to South Carolina. LeJau became the first rector of St. James Goose Creek Church and became one of the most important Anglican clergyman in the colony. He is known for his work among African and Indian enslaved persons. At Goose Creek he ran a school in his home and taught enslaved persons to read. He taught and prepared enslaved persons for baptism. He also held special Sunday services for the enslaved. Francis LeJau worked for the humane treatment of enslaved persons in South Carolina.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.