Come and admire Nicolas Martiau's mural medallion!
Long before Nicolas Martiau was just a coat of arms stuck to the wall of La Flotte's harbor master's office, he was the son of a well-to-do 16th-century Protestant merchant family from La Flotte (or Saint-Martin, the two villages claiming his origins).
As a young man, he left for London to train and, in 1620, set sail for the British colony of Virginia in the Americas. Ambitious and politically gifted, he became the owner of his own plantation, where he founded his family. He even became a county judge. After a full life, he died at the age of 66, in 1657. We also know that one of Nicolas Martiau's heirs was a certain George Washington! The same man who was a fervent opponent of the British crown in America, and who became the first President of the United States. Nicolas Martiau is, in fact, his great-great-great-grandfather.
It is also said that, being a Huguenot, a Protestant, he fled France for the Americas so as to be able to exercise his faith without fear, a fact emphasized by numerous associations across the Atlantic. He was also a pioneer in the early colonies of the British crown, one of the first men to found the new America.
Proud of this man of Flottais (or Martinais) origin, who achieved great things, the commune allowed Désiré Bardot to install this medallion on the Quai de Sénac in 2009, as a tribute to him.
As a young man, he left for London to train and, in 1620, set sail for the British colony of Virginia in the Americas. Ambitious and politically gifted, he became the owner of his own plantation, where he founded his family. He even became a county judge. After a full life, he died at the age of 66, in 1657. We also know that one of Nicolas Martiau's heirs was a certain George Washington! The same man who was a fervent opponent of the British crown in America, and who became the first President of the United States. Nicolas Martiau is, in fact, his great-great-great-grandfather.
It is also said that, being a Huguenot, a Protestant, he fled France for the Americas so as to be able to exercise his faith without fear, a fact emphasized by numerous associations across the Atlantic. He was also a pioneer in the early colonies of the British crown, one of the first men to found the new America.
Proud of this man of Flottais (or Martinais) origin, who achieved great things, the commune allowed Désiré Bardot to install this medallion on the Quai de Sénac in 2009, as a tribute to him.
