Giles Gaudineau and His Medicines

GILES GAUDINEAU was one of the early French doctors to reside in New York City. On 26 August 1686 Giles, Susanna and Ellena Gaudineau were granted denization in New York, with liberty to trade and traffice and on 8 October Giles was commissioned lieutenant of foot under Captain Minvielle.' Dr. Gaudineau, together with a number of other foreign-born Frenchmen, on 18 August 1687, sent to Governor Thomas Dongan a petition in which they desired to be naturalized.3 His medical ability was clearly in high regard, for on the day when Governor Sloughter died, 23 July 1691, the Council appointed Doctors Thormhill, Karbyle, Brett, Gaudineau, Thienhoven and Lockhart to carry out a post-mortem exan ation to determine the cause of Sloughter's death.4 It is recorded, also, that he suffered under the rule of Jacob Leisler, for in August 1692, he petitioned, with others, for redress ofwrongs during the late disorders in Leisler's time." It is known that Dr. Gaudineau was witness to the wills of a number of New Yorkers, especially those of French background like himself, namely John Vincent, merchant (28 January 1696-7); Francis Bassett, sailor (29 January 1696-7); John Pelletreau (10 December 1697), and his widow Magdalena (2 June 1702); Claudius Bruges, merchant (24 September 1702); Jacob Rottier, mariner (23 November 1702); Lewis Rivard, ship's carpenter (31 August 1703); Peter Thauvet (26 September 1704); and Elizabeth Vignan, widow of John Vignan (28 May 1704).6 He was, moreover, one ofthe two administrators ofthe estate of Dr. Peter Bassett and one ofthe guardians of Bassett's daughter Hester.7 Giles Gaudineau served as a vestryman of New York City in 1696 and 1697 (Transcript of the minutes of the Aldermen and Vestrymen of New York City, Part 2, pp. 8 and 21, ms. in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library). One of Dr. Gaudineau's daughters, Helena (or Ellena), was married in New York by a licence granted 18 October 1703, to James Desbrosses.8 Giles Gaudineau, of New York City, physician, by his will, dated 22 August 1694, and witnessed by M. Peiret (minister of the Eglise du Saint Esprit in New York City), Elie Boudinot,