Pierre Richard and Marguerite Dugat 1825, St. Landry, LA submitted by: Lee Crockett ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** PIERRE RICHARD & MARGUERITE DUGAT Court Case #970 dated April 27, 1825 To the honorable Seth Lewis, Judge of the Fifth District Court in and for the parish of St. Landry The petition of LOUIS RICHARD, OLIVIER RICHARD, PHILLIPPE RICHARD, FRANCOIS RICHARD, MARGUERITE RICHARD wife of JOHN BOURQUE who authorizes this suit, all of the parish of St. Landry, in their own right as the legitimate children of PIERRE RICHARD & MARGUERITE DUGAT, both deceased at the parish of St. Landry. Of ANCELET RICHARD, PHILLIPPE RICHARD, LOUIS RICHARD, LIZI RICHARD wife MOISE HEBERT who authorizes this suit all of the parish of Lafayette legitimate children of FABIAN RICHARD (winston's note: in the original document Fabian Richard's name is scratched thru), PIERRE RICHARD deceased, and representing him in the succession of his deceased father and mother the aforesaid PIERRE RICHARD and his wife MARGUERITE DUGAT. Of URSIN HEBERT of the parish of Lafayette natural tutor of URSIN HEBERT, fils, JOSEPH HEBERT, GIDEON HEBERT, LOVINSKI HEBERT, CAROLINE and URANIE HEBERT, minors under the age of puberty, and his children by his deceased wife MARGUERITE RICHARD, and representing her in the succession of the aforesaid PIERRE RICHARD and MARGUERITE DUGAT his deceased wife and grandfather and grandmother of the said MARGUERITE RICHARD, deceased. Of PIERRE RICHARD, EUPHROSINE RICHARD, JOSEPH RICHARD, JEAN RICHARD AUGUSTINE RICHARD wife JOSEPH LAVERNE who authorizes this suit all of the parish of St. Landry and LENILE RICHARD of the parish of Lafayette legitimate children of FABIEN RICHARD deceased and representing him in the succession of his deceased father and mother PIERRE RICHARD and MARGUERITE DUGAT. Of NOEL VASSEUR of the parish of St. Landry, natural tutor of LOUIS VASSEUR, CELISE VASSEUR, JEAN VASSEUR, LUGERE VASSEUR, LISAS VASSEUR and ISRAEL VASSEUR, minors under the age of puberty and his children by his deceased wife ANGELIQUE RICHARD, and representing her in the succession of her grandfather and grandmother the aforesaid PIERRE RICHARD and MARGUERITE DUGAT his wife deceased as aforesaid. Of ARSENE THIBODEAUX wife of HYPPOLITE THIBODEAUX of the parish of St. Landry who authorizes this suit in right of her deceased mother FRANCOISE RICHARD, and representing her in the succession of her grandfather and grandmother, the aforesaid PIERRE RICHARD and his wife MARGUERITE DUGAT deceased as aforesaid. With respect represents that your petitioners are the legal heirs and representatives of the aforesaid PIERRE RICHARD and his wife MARGUERITE DUGAT deceased as aforesaid, and that as such they are entitled to the property belonging to their succession, and particularly that in the said capacities they are the legal owners and proprietors of a certain negro woman named CELESTE about twenty eight years of age, and a slave for life, and her children JEAN LOUIS a negro boy about twelve, CADET a negro boy about ten years of age, SOSTHENE a negro boy about eight years of age, VALIERE a negro boy about six years of age, CELESTINE a negro girl about three years. ******** Submitters note:This is a transcription of a few pages of a court case of the Pierre Richard, Sr. and Marguerite Dugas family. It was a suit brought by the Richard descendents against a slave woman named Celeste. The Richard family was claiming she was a slave and that they were therefore entitled to own her and her children. The end result of this court case was in the favor of Celeste who had claimed she was emancipated by Pierre Richard, Sr. prior to his death. Celeste, the supposed slave, married a free man of color,Jean Baptiste Malvaux, in 1812. Here is the marriage record from Father Hebert's SW LA records. It is this record that helped Celeste win her case against the Pierre Richard, Sr. descendants. "Malvaux, Jean Baptiste negre libre (Catherine, originally libre) m. 14 July 1812 Celeste, negresse libre (Opel. Ch.: Vol. 1, P. 292)" to a free man of color, Jean Baptiste Malveaux. I am not really sure why the Richard family lost the case. There were people who testified that Celeste had never gone by the name "Theotiste" the emancipated slave as she had claimed and that she had always been known as Celeste and had always been a slave. I think perhaps the judge did not like slavery and therefore ruled in her favor. There is a St. Landry Parish court document dated 1798 and written in French which is the emancipation record of a slave named Theotiste. Pierre Richard, Sr. emancipated her or him before he died. This was the basis for the defense of Celeste. Pierre Richard, Sr. is a recognized Louisiana DAR Patriot. He fought under Governor Bernardo de Galvez. I descend through his son, Pierre Richard, Jr. who married Marie Josephe Dugas. Their daugher Marie Marguerite Richard married Ursin Hebert. Their daughter Caroline Hebert married Charles Emile Sonnier. Their daughter Marguerite Anunciad Sonnier married her first cousin, Savenia Sonnier. Their daughter Caroline Sonnier married Charles William Jackson. Their daughter Dora Jackson married Jesse Emmett Crockett. Their son, Stanley T. Crockett is my father.