A native of France, Ney arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1816 and taught school in Davie, Iredell, and Rowan counties from about 1823 to his death and burial in Rowan County in 1846. Considered a fine scholar and strict teacher, his students both feared and revered him. At times, Ney claimed to be Marshal Michel Ney, Napoleon's "bravest of the brave." He possessed precise military knowledge and a bearing that lent credence to his claims, showed extreme distress at the death of Napoleon's only son in 1832, and on his deathbed allegedly confessed to being Marshal Ney. Debate as to his true identity continues today. (Courtesy of Davidson College Archives.)