Hi -
I am in Eastern Canada, last name is Beyea
I have been told that about around the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, an ancestor was burned as a heretic in La rochelle, and his wife and son escaped to England, then North America (with the possiblity of Holland before England). It is suspected that "Beyea" is a phonetic transcription of the original French surname, which could have been Bie, Bies or Biay.

The story is that the widow re-married in England, and son, mother and step-father sailed for America.

Apparently, G.S. film 199954 of the Card Index of Walloon members of La rochelle, Charente-Maritime, France, Ca 1602-1681 has these records -

Inhume a La rochelle au cimitiere des Reformes a la Ville neuve-
- Jan 17, 1664 Jean Bie, fils de Jean Bie profession mar. d. age 9 days
- Sept 22, 1664 Susanne Bie, file de Jean Bie profession mar d age 2 years
- Oct 13, 1670 (?) Susanne Biay, fille de Jean biay d age 16 months.
- Feb 25, 1673 Jean Bie, fils de Jean Bie d age 8 years
- Jan 26, 1682 Jean Bies d age 49 years

Baptise au temple de La rochelle de la Ville neuve
- Jun 19, 1674 Jean, son of Jean Bie and Marie Grasset

Does anyone have any information around this, or any of the Huguenots?
Please email me at chuckbeyea@hotmail.com

Thanks

Chuck