Remembering Raymond Thomassy (1810-1863)

The name of Raymond Thomassy (1810-1863), a fellow student of Douët d'Arcq at the École des Chartes (class of 1835) is well forgotten. And yet what an incredible life this chartist had: he authoed numerous scholarly publications, he was invited into the great learned societies of his time and auxiliary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres under the July Monarchy, then suddenly became a saunier in Istria under the Second Republic, then moving on to the study of the geology of New Orleans under the Second Empire, scrutinizing the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean during numerous crossings, entrepreneur creating salt works in Louisiana and Georgia, became an American citizen and publicist in New Orleans, enrolled with the Southerners at the beginning of the Civil War, and finally died in Havana during one of his many business trips. Will his life always remain elusive?