1785 Census of Avoyelles Post, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Submitted by the Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Published in the June 1981 volume of the Louisiana Genealogical Register, pages 121-125,this article was submitted by Judge Albert Tate, Jr., of New Orleans and W. N. Gremillion, Sr., of San Antonio, Texas. This 1785 census of Avoyelles Post was acquired by Judge Albert Tate Jr., of New Orleans from the General Archives of the Indies, Seville, Spain. Judge Tate has made this information available to us for publication. This is the first known census of the Avoyelles Post. It provides valuable insights into our Spanish colonial heritage. Spanish colonial documents were transferred from New Orleans to Cuba about 1805-1808. They remained in Cuba for several years and were then deposited in the Archives of the Indies at Seville. The documents are known as ***Papales Procedentes de Cuba***. Some are bound, others are in bundles of loose sheets called legajos. This Avoyelles census is found in Legajo 198. The census is written in French. Translation and transcription is by Nelson Gremillion. The names of residents are transcribed as they appear. More recent spelling of some names is added parenthetically as appropriate. The census lists white and indian residents. The names of indians are not included because the transcriber is not familiar with those names. COMMENTS ON THE CENSUS: The first column, headed "Homme", translated "Men or Males", includes widows. Hence, the term "Homme" is somewhat misleading. The Widow Bordelon, listed number four, cannot be further identified. This is the first opportunity we have had to estimate the birth date of Dominique Coco I. His age is shown as 35; this means that he was born about 1750. The Luis, surname unknown, listed after William Inrufty, cannot be identified because the writing is illegible. The Widow Juneau is Francoise Lemoine, daughter of Guillaume Lemoine and Marie Sanmerine called L'Este, and widow of Claude Juneau called Latulippe. This entry gives us an estimate of the date of Claude Juneau's death, before 1785. The Juneau family was well represented at Avoyelles at this time. Jacques Gagnard, Nicolas Chatelain, Mathurin Guillot, and Jean Baptiste Duplechin were all married to daughters of Claude (Latulippe) Juneau and Francoise Lemoine. Augustin Juneau, their oldest son, is listed as a resident at Avoyelles. Augustin was married to Marguerite Duplechin, sister of Jean Baptiste Duplechin. Six additional Juneau children are shown with the Widow Juneau. RECENSEMENT GENERAL DU POSTE ET DISTRIC DE L'AVOYELLES - LE 23 MAY 1785 (General Census of Avoyelles Post and District May 23, 1785) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Homme Age Femme Enfants Esclaves Arpents Maison Bettes Chevaux Porceaux Pied de a Tabac Terre Cornes Plantee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- (Men) (Age) (Women) (Children) (Slaves) (Arpents (House) (Cattle) (Horses) (Swine) (Tobacco of planted land) in feet) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Cdt. J. Gaignard 42 1 2 3 20 1 20 7 80 6000 (Commandant Jacques Gagnard) Jh Rabalais 50 1 2 15 30 1 150 12 40 60000 (Joseph Rabalais) Pierre Ducotte 32 1 3 6 10 1 34 2 8 28000 (Pierre Ducotte) Veuve Bordelon -- 1 3 2 10 1 26 7 22 12000 (Widow Bordelon) Jbt Rabalais 26 1 3 2 15 1 30 10 40 20000 (Jean Baptiste Rabalais) Dominique Coco 35 1 1 10 1 5 4 20 4000 Nicolas Chatelin 23 1 3 10 1 6 4 20 4000 _____ Lacroix 44 1 4 2 30 1 10 5 50 10000 Jbt Lejeune 30 1 3 10 1 6 3 5 4000 (Jean Baptiste Lejeune) Veuve Hauter -- 1 5 30 1 40 5 50 30000 (Widow Hooter) Benjamin Milan 36 1 4 10 1 10 7 40 10000 Robert Looper 35 12 3 20 4000 Guillaume Rufty 36 1 1 1 16 1 5 3 30 4000 (William Inrufty) Luis ? 33 1 3 6 1 6 3 20 4000 Frederic Monjeu 30 10 1 9 3 12 4000 Daniel Bradly 32 4 10 1 15 5 45 4000 Jh Gofrion 75 5 1000 (Joseph Joffrion) Jh Gofrrion, fils 30 1 5 6 24 1 25 10 50 20000 (Joseph Joffrion, fils) Veuve Gunaux 1 6 10 1 26 5 25 4000 (Widow Juneau) Augustin Gunaux 27 1 3 16 1 14 5 17 8000 (Augustin Juneau) Veuve Felice 1 2 10 1 10 2 10 15000 (Widow Felice) Jh Guio 28 1 4 10 1 5 3 25 15000 (Joseph Guillot) Mathurin Guio 22 1 10 1 10 6 12 ----- (Mathurin Guillot) Jbt Duplechein 26 1 1 10 1 8 3 10 5000 (Jean Baptiste Duplechin) Jbt Malber 72 1 3 10 1 40 3 7 18000 (Jean Baptiste Malbert) Bt Tovier 26 10 1 11 7 40 25000 (Baptiste Tovier) Simon Lemoine 50 10 1 8 4 8 6000 Bt Mayeaux 30 1 3 6 1 4 4 8 6000 (Jean Baptiste Mayeux) Pierre Mayeux 26 1 3 22 1 10 4 20 8000 Jh Mayeux 32 1 5 10 1 2 3 19 3000 (Joseph Mayeux) Jacques Rouftie 72 1 2 10 2 20 ----- (James Inrufty) Antoine Bordelon 50 1 4 3 50 1 8 10 20 ----- RECAPITULATION: Whites RECAPITULATION: Indians Households 32 Adult Males 23 Adult Males 28 Adult Females 22 Adult Females 26 Children 56 Children 84 Cattle 87 Slaves 46 Horses 98 Land (Arpents) 385 Swine 78 Landdowners 29 Total Indians 101 Cattle 573 Horses 144 Swine 796 Tobacco Planted (in feet) 330,600 Total Whites 138 The Simon Lemoine listed was the son of Guillaume Lemoine and Marie Sanmerine called L'Este and brother of Widow Juneau. Simon Lemoine was baptized at Pointe Coupee on April 1, 1735, born October 20, 1734 (PCP-3,208). We have found no marriage for Simon and no further information prior to this census. Apparently he never married. This is the first evidence of his presence at Avoyelles Post. This census offers an estimate of Jean Baptiste Malbert's birth date. His age is given as 72; this would place his birth at about 1713. The Joseph Rabalais family is presented as a group. Pierre Ducote and Dominique Coco married daughters of Joseph Rabalais. The Jean Baptiste Rabalais listed was a son of Joseph Rabalais. Joseph Rabalais II, who married Louise Malbert, daughter of Jean Baptiste Malbert, is not shown. Joseph Rabalais II married Louise Malbert at Avoyelles in 1784. They moved to Natchitoches Post prior to this census. Joseph Rabalais I and Joseph Joffrion, the elder, were brothers-in-law. Jean Baptiste Rabalais and Joseph Joffrion, fils, married Bouchard sisters. Also, Joseph Rabalais I was then married (his second) to Elizabeth Malbert, also a daughter of Jean Baptiste Malbert. Elizabeth Malbert, widow Rabalais, later married Nicolas Chatelain, who was the widower of Catherine Juneau. This is the first evidence we have of the presence of Antoine Bordelon at Avoyelles. His burial, on November 25, 1785, is recorded at Pointe Coupee (PCP-5,1). The record states that "he died in the night without rites." Did Antoine Bordelon return to Pointe Coupee after the date of this census? Did the Catholic priest at Pointe Coupee learn, on a vist to Avoyelles, of Antoine's death and then enter the burial in the registries? The burial of Antoine's widow is also recorded at Pointe Coupee, September 23, 1792 (PCP-5,12). Only five residents appear to be "Americain": Hooter, Inrufty, Milan, Bradly, and Looper (?). The westward rush of settlers from the United States had barely begun. The relatively large numbers of cattle, horses, and swine owned by some of the persons enumerated indicates residence at Avoyelles for several years prior to this census. The emphasis on tobacco as a cash crop reflects Spanish Colonial policy of the time. The cultivation and sale of tobacco was controlled by the governement. The market was Mexico. Planting declined by 1792, and by 1800 cotton had replaced tobacco as the principal cash crop. For a detailed study of this subject, see John G. Clark, ****New Orleans 1718 -1812, An Economic History**** (Lousiana State University Press: 1970), pages 188-192.