Grandmother's Huguenot Legacy

1699, Jacques Briand’s family left France for America, settling in Virginia. They brought hyacinth bulbs with them. Jacques emigrated to Missouri, tucking bulbs into his saddlebags. He would begin a “wilderness” garden. My grandmother, descendent, sent bulbs from Missouri to her daughter in Maryland. She sent bulbs to her son in France. The circle was complete: this little hyacinth bulb, symbol of renewal, brought by those seeking freedom returned to the place of its origin.