BIOGRAPHY OF EDWARD MARCHEL, ST. LANDRY PARISH, LOUISIANA Submitted by Jim Conway ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From La Voix des Prairies: Evangeline Genealogical and Historical Society January 1998, Vol. 19 No. 72, pages 10 - 15. Contributed by: Talmadge L. Buller 5245 Brinkman St. Houston, Texas 77091-5608 EDWARD MARCHEL IN OPELOUSAS, AVOYELLES AND BATON ROUGE, 1784-18lO Edward Marchel, the subject of this article, appears to have had more than casual contact with some of the families that lived before 1810 in that portion of the Post of Opelousas that eventually became Evangeline Parish. This sketch of Marchel's activities is something of a vignette since we are lacking knowledge of his presence before 1784 as well as his presence after 1810. Much of the information presented herein was obtained from photocopies of original documents written in French. The contributor of this article is not competent in translating French into English. Those individuals interested in determining whether or not the contributor has correctly understood the essentials in his attempted translations may obtain photocopies of the original documents from the Louisiana State Archives. Edward Marchel was of English background. He obviously spoke English. He was literate, being able to sign his name, write a petition and keep an account, all written in English. His penman- ship and spelling however, suggests that he was not accustomed to frequent writing. In making his signature be used the English form of "Edward," but he would frequently use the shortened form, "Ed." He spelled his family name as "Marchel" but on one occasion he was either careless with his writing or he deliberately changed the spelling to "Marsell," possibly believing that it would have a more French appearance while he was in an area where French was the common language. His name was recorded by others as "le nomme Marchall," "Sieur edourd marcel," "Sr. Edouard Marchall ," "Edoirde marechalle," "Edoiard Marchal," "Sieur Marechal," "Sieur Edouard Marchald," "Sieur edouard marcel," "Sieur hedouard Marechalle," "Sieur hedouard Marechalle," "Sr. hedouard marichalle," "Sieur edouard Marchel," "Douard Martial," and "Edward Marshall." Edward Marchel was a shoe-maker by trade. We assume that he learned the trade as a young man, possibly in the English Colonies of North America. Marchel's unique signature and the fact that he made his livelihood as a shoe-maker makes it easy to definitely determine his locality in various parts of Louisiana. On 28 July 1784 Edward Marchel bought three arpens of land in Prairie Basse of the Opelousas Post. The land was purchased from Auguste Soileau for forty piastres cash. Marchel's land was bordered on one side by land of Joseph Picard and on the other by Florentin Poiret. [1] Prairie Basse is located at the foot of the ridge about three miles east of the present day city of Opelousas. The extent of the prairie is a matter of conjecture and according to early surveyors the prairie was covered by water for six months out of the year. A census of the Opelousas Post for the year 1785 shows a "Marchall" listed as head of a household, being enumerated between "Gilcrist and "Noel Roy." He was obviously Edward Marchel. In his household there was one white male in the 3rd age group, one white female in the 3rd age group, one white male in the 1st age group and one white male in the 2nd age group. [2] In a militia roll for the Opelousas Post dated 30 July 1785 we find "Marchall" listed as a fuselier, being listed between "Jean Hay" and "Pierre Brosset." He was obviously Edward Marchel.[3] On 20 July 1787 Edward Marchel and "La femme du dit Marchall, Mary Marchel, was employed to work in Thomas Berwick's shoe shop in Opelousas. Marchel was to make shoes, boots and harnesses and Mary Marchel was to prepare the tanner's bark and do other chores. Edward was to be paid one piastre for each pair of shoes, three piastres for a pair of boots, five piastres for a single harness and ten piastres for a double harness. Mary Marchel was to be paid twelve piastres per month. Edward Marchel was to make the shoes for the soldiers of the Post at the same price as given in the shoe shop. The contract was to expire at the end of the year. Edward Marchel gave his signature on the document. Mary Marchel made her mark, her name being recorded as "Mary X Marchal."[4] On 27 July 1787 Edward Marchel sold his three arpents of land in Prairie Basse to Sr. William Parett for fifty piastres in cash. The cover on the original document shows the purchaser as "Wm. Lett" but in the actual body of the document the purchaser is recorded as "Sr, Wm. Parett."[5] We assume that Edward Marchel and Mary Marchel worked in Berwick's shoe shop until January of 1788. For about three years after that date we find no clear record of their location. It is possible that they moved to the Post of Rapides. By the latter part of the year 1791 Edward Marchel had moved to Avoyelles and we assume that Mary Marchel was still with him. On 5 December 1791 Edward Marchel contracted with John Sullivan to teach Sullivan the trade of shoe-making. [6] On 5 September 1792 Edward Marchel contracted with Jean Baptiste Duplechaine to make shoes in Avoyelles. Marchel was to be paid one piastre for each pair of shoes. Duplechaine was to furnish all of the material.[7] On 7 September 1792 Edward Marchel bought ten arpents of land in Avoyelles from Jean Baptiste Lejeune and his wife, Elizabeth (Hooter) Lejeune. The land was bordered on one side by land of Jean Gaspard and on the other by land of Daniel Clark. Part of the purchase price was paid in cattle.[8] On 4 October 1793 Edward Marchel sold three arpents of land in Avoyelles to Pierre Letang for fifty piastres. The land was bordered on one side by the land of the seller and on the other by Daniel Clark. In making his signature on the deed Marchel penned his name as "Edward marsell."[9] On 26 February 1794 Edward Marchel entered a contract with George Edger and Francois Flaurian in Avoyelles. Edger and Flaurian agreed to remain at Marchel's place for three years, working at the trade of shoe-making and tanning. Marchel was to share the supplies used in the occupation.[10] On 20 January 1795 Edward Marchel sold ten arpens of land in Avoyelles to Christophe Branten for 100 piastres. Part of the purchase price was to be paid in hides. The land was bordered on one side by land of Jean Norman and on the other by Daniel Clark. The land was sold, along with a house, a storeroom, a tannery mill and one pair of vats for tanning hides. Marchel gave his signature on the deed as "Ed marchel."[11] It seems that sometime before September of 1795 Edward Marchel became indebted to Godefroi Gillen of Bayou Chicot in the sum of twenty-five piastres. It seems that Marchel neglected paying the debt and that Esetevan DeLamorandier, the commandant at Avoyelles, intervened. Marchel was ordered to help Gillen and his family by boarding Edward Gaffney in Marchel's house for a period of time. Gaffney may have been one of Gillen's relatives living with Gillen. Gaffney was ill and needed nursing care. Edward Gaffney moved into Marchel's house and for a number of weeks was under Marchel's care. It seems that the nature of Gaffney's illness was such that bleeding was necessary. Gaffney was bled. He apparently had the best of medical care that was available in Avoyelles at that time but regardless of what Marchel did for him, (or to him), Gaffney died. The medical practice of bleeding was practised for quite some time after 1795. A notable example is seen in that General George Washington during his last illness in 1799 also submitted to bleeding. He also died. On 30 September 1795 Edward Marchel submitted a petition to the commandant of the Post of Avoyciles. He enclosed an account of the expenses he had incurred in nursing Gaffney and in burying him, all written in English, apparently in Marchel's own hand- writing. His account showed the sum of twelve piastres for taking care of Gaffney for six weeks. He showed the sum of six piastres for finding a coffin and burying Gaffney. Marchel then proposed to the commandant that Marchel pay Godefroi Gillen seven piastres and that amount, together with the eighteen piastres expended by Marchel, would equal twenty-five piastres, the sum total of Marchel's debt to Gillen. Marchel requested that his debt to Godefroi Gillen then he declared paid in full. Marchel gave his signature as "Ed Marchel." The commandant of Avoyelles agreed with the petition. He made note of the fact that Gaffney was nearly dead in Marchel's house, when, according to the nature of his illness, Marchel had to bleed him. He also acknowledged the funeral expense. The debt was declared paid in full. [12] It appears that Edward Marchel moved to Baton Rouge in 1797 or thereabouts. We find two documents which suggest that Mary Marchel was with Marchel during his stay in Avoyelles. One document is a receipt given to "Monsieur Joseph Jeofrion" certifying that "Marie Marsel" acknowledged selling to Jeofrion all of the hogs that he would be able to find with her mark on them. She acknowledged receiving payment for the hogs by accepting two hogs that had been killed and one sow without brood. The receipt carried the mark of the seller, her name being recorded as "Madame Marie Marsel." The document carries the date 22 November 1797. On the same sheet as the above item we find a document of the same date recording an agreement between Patrick Clark and Madame Marie Marcel. The contributor has been unable to determine the true nature of the agreement. It may indicate that Marie Marcel would be able to harvest the crop before meeting an obligation. Marie was designated as "Madame Marsel" in her receipt given to Monsieur Joseph Jeofrion and as "dame marie Marce" and "Madame Marie Marcel" in her agreement with Patrick Clark. [13] On 11 July 1798 Edward Marchel in Baton Rouge signed a deed conveying seven and one half acres front by the usual depth, land lying in Avoyelles, to Richard Wade of Avoyelles. The deed states that "Edward Marshall" was of the Baton Rouge District. The land was sold for forty dollars cash. We note that the seller's family name was spelled as "Marshall" in the deed and that the seller gave his signature as "Ed Marchel." The deed was written in English.[14] With the exception of the land sale by Edward Marchel in 1798 we find no record of Marchel's presence in Baton Rouge. His name does not appear in the Spanish West Florida Records. On 17 February 1806 the families of John Langley, Jr. and Joseph Buller, Sr. assembled for three religious celebrations. These three ceremonies were (1) the ratification of the marriage of John Langley, Jr. and Marie Anne Olivier, (2) the baptism of Marguerite Langley, daughter of John Langley, Jr. and Marie Anne Olivier, and (3) the baptism of Joseph Buller, Jr., son of Joseph Buller, Sr. and Eleanor Sideck. We assume that a number of family members were present in St. Landry Catholic Church on that day. One of the witnesses at the marriage of John Langley, Jr. and Marie Anne Olivier was "Ed Marchel." [15] On 22 July 1809 Mary Marshall "of St. Landry Parish," sold six arpens of land in Avoyelles to Cornelius Voorhies for one hundred dollars cash. Mary Marshall made her mark on the deed.[16] We have no information showing that she was the same Mary Marchel who contracted to work in Thomas Berwick's shoe shop in 1787. We find no succession file for Edward Marchel and his date of death and place of death are unknown. SOURCE NOTES 1. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Colonial Documents, 357, St. Landry Parish, Opel: 1784-357, July 29." 2. De Ville, Winston, F.A.S.C., Southwest Louisiana Families in 1785, p. 18, citing original record as legajo 2360, Papeles Procedentes de Cuba, General Archives of the Indies, Seville, folio 12. 3. Robichaux, Jr., Albert J., Louisiana Census and Militia Lists, 1770-1789, Vol. I, p. 414, citing original record as legajo 187-A-2, Papeles Procedentes de Cuba, Archive General de Indias, Seville, Spain. 4. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Opel: 1787 July 20 - Labor contract between Thomas Berwick and Edward and Mary Marchal." 5. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Opel: 1787 July 2 (obvious error in date, should be July 27), Land sale from Edouard Marchall to William Parett." 6. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: 1791-19 Dec. 5 - Agreement between John Sullivan and Edward Marchel to teach Sullivan the trade of shoe-making." 7. Saucier, Corrine A.,M.A., History of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, Appendix C. p. 507, showing document No. 22. 8. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: 1792-421 - Land sale of ten arpents by Jean Baptiste Lejeune to Edouard Marchel." 9. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: l793-l3l Sale of four arpents of land to Pierre Letang by Edouard Marsell." 10. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: 1794-158 - Partnership agreement between Hedouard Marechalle, Francois Floriaux and Jeorge Edger, for working at shoe-making and tanning. Feb. 26." 11. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: 1795-200 - Jan. 20 Sale of ten arpents of land by Edouard Marchel to Christophe Branten." 12. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: 1795-227 Sept. 30 Petition of Edward Marchel against Godefroi Gillen for payments incurred while nursing and making arrangements for the burial of deceased Edward Gafney." 13. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "Av: 1797-297 Nov. 22 Agreement between Marie Marsel and Patrick Clark." 14. Photocopy: Louisiana State Archives. Found in calendar as "BR: 1798 July 11 - Land sale from Edward Marshall to Richard Wade, land located at Avoyelles." Also, found in Louisiana State Archives as "St. Landry Document P-85-4 March, 1798-1799, Box 7 327-4-1." 15. Certificate of Marriage: Jean Langlois and Marguerite Anne Olivier, Vol. I p. 156, St. Landry Catholic Church. Also, Hebert, Rev. Donald J., Southwest Louisiana Records Vol. I. Certificate of Baptism: Joseph Bouler, Baptismal Book I. p. 368, No. 9, St. Landry Catholic Church. Also, Hebert, same volume, showing baptism of Marguerite Langlois, citing Vol. I. p. 368, St. Landry Catholic Church. 16. Photocopy: Clerk of Court, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Found in Vendor's Index to Conveyances, Volume A-0 1805- 1860 and designated as Suite 1805-A- Marshall, Mary Cornelius Voorhies - Land 425."