By Cole Davis
Riverbend News
When one thinks of counties in North Florida that have to be pronounced correctly to be considered, a local one thinks of Lafayette County. In fact, the correct pronunciation of “Lafayette” is so important to those who live there that anyone who pronounces the name incorrectly is (rightly) considered uncouth! This begs the questions: Where does that name even come from? And why on earth is it French? The answer can be found in one of the great stories of American history: the one of the Marquis de Lafayette. While it might seem strange to us today that a county in North Florida might be named for a French nobleman, it shouldn’t. In the 1820s, when Florida was being settled, one was hard-pressed to find someone with more celebrity than the Marquis. But why? Well, the answer has to do with the fact that he, as with every other early American celebrity of note, was a war hero.
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette was born in the French countryside in 1757 and when he was of age his parents enrolled him in the finest military academies of France. Once news of the American War for Independence reached France the teenaged Marquis determined the cause to be just and worthy of his service so he sailed to the thirteen colonies to fight with General George Washington for independence. Having served in such notable settings as the Battle of Brandywine, the Valley Forge Campaign, and the triumphant battle of Yorktown, the Marquis made quite the name for himself as a trusted confidant of General Washington. Americans, and especially veterans, venerated him.
He returned to France and took part in the revolution in that country years later. It was in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of American Independence that President James Monroe invited him back to the United States as a distinguished guest. In 1824, Lafayette was received with much fanfare, and he made it a point to visit, and enjoy himself in, every single American state. People everywhere petitioned their legislatures for the creation of a “Lafayette Day” and balls and ceremonies of the finest regard were held in his honor from New York to Georgia. It just so happens that Lafayette’s visit to the United States in the early 1820s coincided with the exploration and settlement of a new frontier: the newly acquired territory of La Florida. After receiving a Revolutionary War hero-sized land grant in Florida, the Marquis made a trip to the panhandle and remarked upon the area which is now Tallahassee. More importantly for our story though, patriotic American settlers who rode the wave of Lafayette’s celebratory visit carved out for themselves a certain section of land that we know today as Lafayette County. That name is a testament to not only a man but to Americans of yesteryear who found something of value in him. Natives of that county should take pride in knowing that they live in a place named for the illustrious “hero of two worlds.”