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GOURDIN / GOURDINE

The surname name GOURDIN originated in France at least as early as mid-1600s among French Huguenots. Huguenot is a name given to Protestants of France during the 1500s and1600s who opposed the established religion of Catholicism. During the later part of the 1500s, hostility between Roman Catholics and Protestants led to several religious wars. As a consequence, during the 1600s Huguenots were persecuted mercilessly.

Finding life in France intolerable, several hundred-thousand Huguenots fled to several European countries and to the English colonies of North America -- primarily Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina. Among the first Huguenots to settle in America was Louis (Gourdain) Gourdin, who arrived about 1695, and settled near the city of Jamestown in an area called the French/Orange Quarters -- now the counties of Berkeley and Charleston, South Carolina.

The surname GOURDINE appears to have emerged from the surname Gourdin during the mid-1800s. In America, the surname Gourdine is almost uniquely associated with African Americans; while the surname Gourdin is closely aligned with European-Americans, however, the surname Gourdin usually identify both African- and European-American families.

The Gourdin family from South Carolina is chronicled in two books.

In 1980, Peter G. Gourdin, a French Huguenot descendant, published a family history book titled The Gourdin Family.
In 2015, John Raymond Gourdin, a French-African descendant, published a family history book titled GOURDIN-GOURDINE: A Genealogical Compendium African Descent in the USA Carolina.

In order to keep the French-African-American family members abreast of events, a newsletter was launched during the Spring of 1996. The Gourdin-Gourdine Family Quarterly is a publication that provides current information on Gourdin-Gourdines in America.
Since 1989, the Gourdin-Gourdine family has held bi-annual reunions at various locations across the nation. These Gourdin-Gourdine Family Reunions are excellent opportunities for family members to unite and reunite.