Andrew W. Charles
Grandson's Memorial
Joseph Charles is said to have sailed from France to the USA with Lafayette and have been a family friend.
On 27 July 1776, the secret Congressional emissary to France, Silas Deane, writes a letter to Congress, informing them that he has been successful beyond his expectations in France. The Committee of Congress for Secret Correspondence, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, John Dickinson, John Hay and Robert Morris, had instructed Deane to meet with French Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, to stress Americas need for military stores and to assure the French that the colonies were moving toward total separation.
Deane managed to negotiate for unofficial assistance from France, in the form of ships containing military supplies, and recruited the Marquis de Lafayette to share his military expertise with the Continental Armys officer corps. He also secured an offer from one affluent Frenchmen to give the colonies credit for the substantial amount of one million French livres. In his letter of July 27, 1776, however, Dean also wrote that further negotiations for arms and supplies, could not proceed until Congress declared independence. Word of Congress July 4 action had not yet reached Paris. On November 6, 1776, Deane again wrote the committee, expressing his frustration at their lack of specific instructions, and reporting that he had garnered, Two hundred pieces of brass cannon, and arms, tents and accoutrements for thirty thousand man, with ammunition in proportion, and between twenty and thirty brass mortars, which were waiting to leave for the rebelling colonies at Havre de Grace in Nantes.
Buried Boehm Cem, Lancaster PA and came over with Marquis de La Fayette on one of his ships, he was an ensign on the way over. Fought in the Rev. War. Joseph Carle (Charles) came to this country at the time of the American Revolution. His grave is marked with the Daughters of the American Revolution marker.
Family history says that Joseph Charles came to America with Lafayette's forces. The information currently in the Ancestry family trees records his birth year as 1749, from Brest, France. Although it would be nice to claim this Joseph as our "first American" the records from LES COMBATTANTS listed him as a servant aboard the vessel L'Auguste, one of scores of vessels under the command of Admiral de Grasse. There is also a Jean Charles (John Charles) from Brest.
He fought in the Revolutionary War. Came over with LaFayette on one of his ships. copy of pages from French book, that he was an ensign on the way over. Family lore states, that he came here with two brothers, also that whenever LaFayette came back he would visit.
Les Combattants..., gives the name of Joseph Charles, Brest. Two years ago I travelled to Brest, in Brittany, France, and his name in the municipal archives, baptized on October 21, 1749, son of Jean Marie Charles and Marie Augustine Tabar, his wife.
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