Jacques Santiago Theriot Sr

  General Notes:

During the year 1785, nearly 1600 Acadians arrived in Louisiana. The government gave them money and paid for medical help, supplies, and housing. Each group stayed in New Orleans for about a month to recuperate while representatives scouted for the best place to settle. They were allowed to go where they chose, even though the commandants at Avoyelles and Arkansas tried to get Navarro to send the Acadians to them.

The Acadians didn’t even have to stay on the land that the representatives picked out for them (though most of them ... 84% ... did). Sixty-seven Acadian families from five of the seven ships joined relatives at Opelousas/Attakapas. Navarro even gave his blessing to this. But it was harder to join your relatives in eastern Acadiana, since things were so crowded.
Four of the seven groups headed for the Lafourche. Most of the rest (34%) headed for Baton Rouge, Manchac, and Bayou des Ecores. The Lafourche areas was more appealing because it was further away from the English communities; and since the area had few settlers, finding land and living close to relatives was easier. The lower part of Bayou Lafourche had only been explored in 1772.
After a ship would arrive, weddings (perhaps shipboard romances) took place. This meant celebration time. These occurred from Nov. 20 to Dec. 19, 1785. Besides the normal music, food, cider, and beer, they had long speeches recounting their history.


Ship People on Board Settlement Location How Many Settled There
Le Bon Papa 155 Manchac 124
La Bergere 268 Lafourche 242
Le Beaumont 175 Baton Rouge 145
St. Remi 311 Lafourche 303
L'Amitie 266 Lafourche 224
La Ville d'Arcangel 304 Bayou des Ecores 271
La Caroline 77 Lafourche 54

In

They were ready to settle in. As soon as the Acadians got to Manchac in September, for example, they began building a road along the levee and began building simple huts to live in.
They soon found that living in Louisiana meant making adjustments. Everything was quite different than in Acadia. The assistance of money from the government and the Acadians who had been there since the 1760s made things easier. For example, Ambroise Theriot bought some Attakapas beef and held a boucherie for the new Manchac Acadians in October 1785.
Smallpox epidemics in 1786 and 1787 killed a number of the Acadians.
Clearly, the appeal for the Lafourche area was because it was more removed from the influence of the government and the Creoles. Younger settlers who had been along the River also headed for Lafourche.
In August 1794, a hurricane took away the crops, livestock, and fences of the Bayou des Ecores settlement. So those families “went to establish themselves at Lafourche.”
At first (1767), the Acadians had settled only the area just below where the Lafourche joined the Mississippi River. By the early 1770s, 17+ families (mostly those who had been in Ascension Parish) had moved down the Lafourche ... along the west bank between Labadieville and Donaldsonville. The east bank was more prone to flooding, and saw few settlers till 1785 when 274 Acadians settled the Valenzuela area.
Six hundred Acadians settled the central Lafourche area, between Lafourche Crossing and Labadieville. The most “Acadian” area was around today’s Napoleonville, where 85% of the settlers were Acadians from France. Though most of the settlers between Napoleonville and Raceland were Acadians from France, there were many who had been living on the 1st and 2nd Acadian Coasts who had moved to the area .
As the population grew on the Acadian Coasts in the 1770s and 1780s, some families (18+) moved down to the lower Lafourche area. But once the 7 ships arrived, the upper and middle area of Bayou Lafourche was as crowded as the Mississippi ... the most crowded being at Lafourche Crossing, Thibodaux, Labadieville, and Napoleonville. Most grants were 6 by 40 arpents. By 1793, the grants went from Donaldsonville to all the way down to Lafourche Crossing, and had started branching out along the Bayou Terrebonne.

The Seven Ships

Le Bon Papa
The first ship left France, led by Captain Pelletier, on Tuesday, May 10, 1785. The 280 ton ship made the trip in 80 days, arriving in Louisiana on July 29, 1785. There were 36 families (156 people on board). Three additional families had signed up for the trip, but failed to report at the departure. One child died on the trip. After arriving in New Orleans, the group increased by 12 (3 births, 9 adults) and decreased by 13 (10 died, 3 deserted). There were 38 family groupings when it came time to settle down: 37 of them settled in the area around St. Gabriel along the Mississippi River, and 1 family chose to settled along Bayou Lafourche.

La Bergere
There were 73 families (273 people) scheduled to take the 300 ton La Bergere. It left France on Saturday, May 14, 1785 and arrived in Louisiana 93 days later on August 15, 1785. Besides the Acadians, there were five French passengers. On the way, there were 6 deaths and 7 births. While in New Orleans (till October 4), the group further increased by 10 (5 births, 5 adults) and decreased by 10 (9 died, 1 deserted). There were also 4 marriages. There were 74 family groupings (268 people) when it came time to settle down: 6 families (23 people) settled at Attakapas, 1 family (3 people) settled in the area around St. Gabriel along the Mississippi River, and the remainder chose to settled along Bayou Lafourche.

Le Beaumont
The small 180 ton Le Beaumont was led by Captain Daniel and left France on June 11, 1785. They made the trip in only 69 days and arrived in Louisiana on August 19, 1785. There were 51 families (178 people) scheduled for the trip. On the way, there were 2 deaths. While in New Orleans, the group further increased by 7 (1 birth, 6 adults) and decreased by 6 (4 died, 2 deserted). When it came time to settle down: 41 families settled near Baton Rouge, 5 families went to the Attakapas, and 3 families chose to settled along Bayou Lafourche.

Le Saint Remi
The Le Saint Remi, a 400 ton ship led by Captain Baudin, left France on Thursday, June 27, 1785. After 75 days at sea, they arrived on September 10, 1785. There were 325 people on board, along with 16 stowaways for a total of 341.families On the way, there were 15 deaths from scurvy and smallpox. While in New Orleans, the group further increased by 19 (including 8 births) and decreased by 16 deaths. When it came time to settle down: 2 families settled near Galveztown, 2 families went to the Attakapas, and 85 families chose to settled along Bayou Lafourche.

L'Amitie
The L'Amitie, a 400 ton ship led by Captain Joseph Beltremieux, left France on August 20, 1785. After 80 days at sea, they arrived on November 8, 1785. There were 270 people in 68 families on board On the way, there were 6 deaths after sickness spread through the ship (though there were no deaths once they got to New Orleans). The number of families increased to 93 due to 24 additional adults, 10 births, and 17 marriages. When it came time to settle down: 17 families settled near Galveztown, 3 families went to the Attakapas, and 71 families chose to settled along Bayou Lafourche. By the way, the ship was also called by its Spanish name, the La Amistad.

La Ville d'Archangel
The La Ville d'Archangel, a large 600 ton ship, left St. Malo, France on August 12, 1785. Upon reaching Balize, an outpost at the mouth of the Mississippi River, it ran aground on November 4. This, and the fact that they had already run out of food, caused a number of passengers to get sick. Finally the ship made it to New Orleans (after 113 days at sea) on December 3, 1785. The ship ended up with 60 familes of 299 people. The trip saw 15 deaths and 2 desertions. But there were also 7 marriage, 11 adult additions, and 2 births. This group didn't send most of its people to Lafourche. There were 53 families (271 people) who decided to go to Bayou des Ecores (near Thompson Creek, north of Baton Rouge). One family (7 people) stayed in New Orleans, while 6 families (21 people) decided to go to the Lafouche area. Of course, after a hurricane about a decade later, many of the Bayou des Ecores settlers moved south to join the other Acadians along the Lafourche.

La Caroline
The La Caroline was a 200 ton ship under the command of Captain Nicolas Baudin. It left France on October 19, 1785 and made the crossing in 64 days. After the 28 families (80 people) were let off, the ship took on a load of wood and headed back to Nantes. While in New Orleans, the group had 3 births, 2 marriages, and 5 additional adults. There was also 1 death and 1 person deserted. From this group, 6 families went to the Galveztown area, and 18 families went to the Lafourche area.

  Events:

• Sponsors (Godparents): Jacques Mousson and Madeleine Landry, 27 Jun 1760.

• Immigration, 12 May 1785, Nantes, France. In 1785, Spain paid for 7 ships to transport Acadians to settle in Louisiana. For Spain, it meant settlers to buffer the zone between Spanish land and the British land. For the Acadians, it meant a chance to join their fellow Acadians and to regain some of what they lost during the Exile
The 'LeBergere' was the second ship to set sail from Nantes on Saturday, May 14. 1785, and arrives on 15 August 1785, after a voyage of 93 days.
Family #7 on the ship's manifest is that of Jacques Theriot. Traveling with him are his 22 year old wife Francoise Guerin and nursing daughter Francoise Elizabeth. Jacque lists his vocation as gardner.

(I assume that the term gardner is what we refer to as farmer)

• Cemetery: Church of Assumption, Plattenville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana, 20 Apr 1836.

Jacques married Francoise Guerin in France. (Francoise Guerin was born on 5 May 1763 in St Malo, Ille Et Vilaine, France and was baptized on 5 May 1763 in Trigavou, Cotes Du Nord, France.)