Mathieu Brignac, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
File prepared by D.N. Pardue

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From the French Settlement Historical Register, published by the French Settlement
Historical Society, French Settlement, Louisiana 70733. The LaGenWeb Archives thanks 
them for contributing this information.

Vol. 3, December 1978

Originally submitted to the FSHR by Marietta Lambert.

     Born 1757 near "Fort Toulouse" now Montgomery, Alabama.  The son 
of Simon Pierre Brignac, a soldier attached to the garrison, and Marie
Louise Fontenot.  In 1764 after the Treaty of Paris, Simon Pierre Brignac
was discharged and moved with his fmily to the west bank of the
Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish.  In the 1770 census of
the second German Coast, Simon Pierre Brignac is listed as #13 living
between Constance Urare #12, and David Rommel (Rome) #14.  By January
1, 1777 census of the Acadian Coast, St. James Parish, on the east bank
of the Mississippi River between Marie Francoise Lagrange, the widow of
Jean Fontenot and Saviur Lacombe, Simon Pierre Brignac is listed as follows:

Pierre Brignas         Age 50 Born circa 1727
Marie Louise Fontenot  Age 36 Born circa 1741
Mathieu (son)          Age 20 Born circa 1757
Marie Louise (dau)     Age 18 Born circa 1759
Alexander (son)        Age 14 Born circa 1763

     Mathieu Brignac married January 8, 1784 (St. John the Baptist Church
Records, Edgard, La.)  Madalene Materne, daughter of Nicolas Materne and
Regina Rommel (Rome).

     There are no records of Madalene's death or issues from this marriage.

     Mathieu Brignac married a second time on November 7, 1793 at St. John
the Baptist Church, Edgard, Louisiana, Marguerite Vickner, the widow of
Lorenzo Gregoire Villique (Willief), (Vilic), and the daughter of Nicolas
Vickner and Marie Apoline Elfer (Helfer).  Mathieu became the stepfather of:

     1.  Scholastic Vilique
     2.  Felicite Vilique
     3.  Marguerite Vilique

     Mathieu and Marguerite Vickner then had the following children:

   A-1.  Mathieu Jr.
     2.  Henry Simon
     3.  Marie Emilia
     4.  Marie Marguerite Magdelaine - called "Manon"
     5.  Celeste
     6.  Sylvain
     7.  Nicolas
     8.  Marie

     By the year of 1810 Mathieu Brignac moved his family to the Amite
River colony and joined his brother Alexander Brignac who was living
on Sectio 38 along Bayou Colyell and his brother-in-laws, Paul Guitrau
and Joseph Lambert.

     An interesting document recorded in St. Helena Parish on the fourth day
of July 1814 by the Judge Shepherd Brown of said parish gives us the follow-
ing information on Mathieu Brignac and his brother-in-law Louis Lobell.

     "Know all men by these presents that we Shepherd Brown Judge being
Shepherd Brown and John McDonough have bargained and sold to Mathieu
Brignac a plantation or tract of land on the river Amit in the Parish of
St. helena on which he at present resides containing five hundred arpents
above the landing of Jacob Vauser (Fauser) at the upper line of a tract
engaged by Paul Guidron (Guitreau) thense twelve arpents and one half in
a north west line from whence and also from the commencement, running back
in parallel lines a north east course forty arpents making the quantity as
above mentioned of five hundred superficial arpents, the front of said tract
to be the distance of five arpents in the swamp or between the edge of 
the high lands and the river on the lower line of adjoining Paul Guitrau
and for and in consideration and in full payment of said tract of land we
the said Shepherd Brown judge acknowledge to have received in hand of the 
said Matthew Brigniac the sum of two thousand dollars being the price agreed
on between the parties.  We have here to signed our names this twenty-second
day of March 1811."

                        Shepherd Brown, Judge

Witness:
Jean Louis Picou
Francois Bonnet

  
     On the same day July 8, 1814 is recorded this sale of property:

     "Know all men by these presents that I Matthew Brigniac of the Parish
of St. Helena in West Florida have this day for the sume of nine hundred
and sicty dollars to me in hand paid and that receipt where of, I hereby
acknowledge bargain, sold and delivered to Louis Loubel a tract or parcel
of land containing two hundred and forty superficial arpents, being part 
of a tract of land of five hundred arpents purchased of Shepherd Brown,
Judge on which I at present reside and bounded as follows, to wit commencing
at the upper or north western line of my tract in front thence downriver
along the front line a south east course six arpents from thence back a
north east course forty arpents being bounded above by my upper line in its 
extent of forty arpents making the quantity as above of two hundred and forty
arpents superficial and I the said Matthew Brigniac do hereby warrant and
defend to him the said Louis Loubel his heirs and assigns the said tract of
two hundred and forty superficial arpents against myself, my heirs and assigns
forward (or forever).
     In witness whereof I have hereunto set my mark and caused my name to be
written this twenty second day of March 1811."

                         Matthew   Brignac
                            (his mark)
Witnesses:
Jean Louis Picou
Francois     Bonnet
    (his mark)

     This document establishes the move of Mathieu Brignac and Marguerite
Vickner from St. James Parish, they are now residents of La Cote Francaise,
in the parish of St. Helena.  Their home was in section 41, several hundred
feet from the present highway and in the rear of the present post office.

     Another document in St. Helena Parish Court House dated 10 July 1832,
by the virtue of an order of the Court of Probate, State of Louisiana, the
property of Mathieu Brignac and his deceased wife was exposed for sale.
We now know that Marguerite is deceased.  The inventory and appraisement
listing the community property and also separate property, tells us that
Marguerite was separated from Mathieu before her death.  We have not been
able to establish where Marguerite died or where she is buried.  The 1840
Census of St. Helena Parish does not list a Mathieu Brignac.  By this time
Livingston had been established as a parish and probate records were being
recorded in the parish court house.  These public records were desroyed by
a fire on October 14, 1875.  Mathieu's death and the division of his estate we
cannot establish.  We can just say it went up in smoke.

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