APPENDICES

Acadians Who Found Refuge in Louisiana, February 1764-early 1800s

BERTRAND

[bear-TRONH, BER-tran]

ACADIA

Clément Bertrand, a carpenter from La Chaussée, Vienne, France, arrived at Port-Royal in 1642 and married Huguette Lambelot in 1645, but they had no children.  

~

Jean-François, called François, Bertrand, married Ozanne (Marie-Anne) Chevros in c1650 and settled at Plaisance, now Placentia, Newfoundland.  Jean-Francois died in c1671, and his wife remarried.  Their daughter married into the Rogeon (Royon) dit Le Suisse, Gilbert (Gillebert), Jouglas, and Balon dit Desfairens families.  They had two sons, François, born at Île de Ré, France, in c1653, and Ambroise, born at Plaisance in c1663, but only François created a family of his own.  He married Jeanne Giraudet of La Rochelle, France, at Plaisance in c1678, worked as a harbor pilot, and served as colonel of the local militia.  François and Jeanne had three sons who settled at Plaisance, La Baleine, Terre-Rouge, and Lorembec, Newfoundland, at the extreme northern edge of greater Acadia, and became influential merchants.  One of François's daughters, Renée, married Michel Le Neuf de La Vallière, son of the seigneur of Chignecto, in February 1710.  François's son Jean married Marie Le Borgne de Bélisle, granddaughter of Acadian governor Alexandre Le Borgne de Bélisle of Port-Royal, at Havre la Baleine, also called Port-aux-Baleines, on Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, in April 1717.  The Le Neuf de La Vallières and Le Borgne de Bélisles were still influential families in greater Acadia, so this branch of the Bertrand family must have enjoyed a higher status than most.  Marie-Renée Bertrand, age 28, "native of la Baleine," was living with husband Laurent Llermitte, "ploughman, native of Coutance," France, and two sons, ages 7 years and 15 months, at Rivière-de-Miré, Île Royale, in April 1752.  With them was Marie-Renée's mother Marie Le Borgne, "widow of the late Jean Bertrand," who, according to the census taker, was "Hoping to settle on the river de Miré," so "she is wintering here with all her family."  Her daughter Marie-Anne married Louis, fils, son of merchant Louis Bertin and Suzanne Dusseau of de Pont, Saintonge, at Louisbourg in July 1753; Louis, fils was a master surgeon. 

After Le Grand Dérangement, Jean and Marie's son Jean-Thomas, born probably at Havre-la-Baleine in c1740, emigrated to Louisiana, date unrecorded, evidently with a wife named Bernarda.  

[See also Book Four]

~

Not until Claude Bertrand, no kin to Clément or Jean-François, arrived at Port-Royal in the mid-1680s and married Catherine, daughter of Jean Pitre and Marie Pesseley, did a Bertrand family take root in peninsula Acadia.  Claude and Catherine had 10 children, including seven sons, four of whom created families of their own.  Their two daughters married into the Comeau, Le Breton, Martin, and Blanchard families.  According to Acadian genealogist Bona Arsenault, Claude moved to Port-Razoir, now Shelburne, Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic side of the peninsula northeast of Cap-Sable, in c1693, but he probably did not move there until the early 1700s.  He died by February 1727 probably at Port-Razoir.  

Oldest son Claude, fils, born at Port-Royal in c1686, survived childhood but may not have married.

René, born at Port-Royal in c1688, also survived childhood but may not have married.  

Jean l'aîné, born at Port-Royal in c1692, married Marie-Françoise, daughter of Jacques Léger dit Larosette, probably at Port-Royal in c1722 and settled at Chepoudy.  He died at Québec in December 1757 during Le Grand Dérangement.  

Jean-Baptiste le jeune, born probably at Port-Royal c1696, married Anne, daughter of Toussaint Doucet and widow of Denis Gaudet, probably at Port-Royal in c1731 and also settled at Chepoudy.  He died by September 1763 during Le Grand Dérangement.  

Pierre, born probably at Port-Royal in c1698, married Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Gabriel Moulaison of Pobomcoup, in c1731 and settled at Minas.  In the 1730s, Pierre and his family moved to Chignecto before moving again, this time to Pobomcoup to be near the Moulaisons.  Pierre died between 1734 and 1739 probably at Pobomcoup.  

Jacques, born at either Port-Royal or Port-Razoir in c1704, married Madeleine, another daughter of Gabriel Moulaison, in c1740 and settled at Minas.  He died by April 1766.  

Youngest son Charles was born probably at Port-Razoir in c1706 and may not have survived childhood.  

[For more of this family in pre- and post-disperal Acadia and Canada, see Book Three]

In the late 1740s or early 1750s, some of Claude Bertrand's children and grandchildren settled on Île St.-Jean, today's Prince Edward Island, probably to escape British authority in Nova Scotia.  In 1755, Claude's descendants could be found at Annapolis Royal, at Chepoudy, perhaps at Minas and Pobomcoup, and on Île St.-Jean. 

~

Michel, son of master fisherman Pierre Bertrand and Jeanne Tompigny, born in c1739, worked as a master carpenter at Louisbourg on Île Royale.  He would have been in his late teens when the British captured the French citadel in July 1758 and deported not only the French military, but also the island's civilians, to France. 

LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT

[For the family's travails during the Great Upheaval, see Book Six]

LOUISIANA:  RIVER SETTLEMENTS

The arrival date of an Acadian Bertrand who emigrated to Louisiana is difficult to determine: 

Jean-Thomas, son of Jean Bertrand and Marie Le Borgne de Bélisle of Havre-la-Baleine, Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, born probably at Havre la Baleine in c1741, emigrated to Louisiana, perhaps via France, after Le Grand Dérangement.  Unlike the other Acadian Bertrands in Louisiana, Jean-Thomas was a descendant of François of Plaisance, not Claude of Port-Royal and Port-Razoir.  Jean-Thomas settled at New Orleans and died there in November 1801.  The St.-Louis Cathedral priest who recorded his burial said that Jean-Thomas was about 60 years old when he died and that his wife was Bernarda Bertrand.  The priest said nothing about children.

LOUISIANA:  LAFOURCHE VALLEY SETTLEMENTS

Most of the Acadian Bertrands who emigrated to Louisiana came in two of the Seven Ships that reached New Orleans in 1785.  All of them chose to go to upper Bayou Lafourche:

Pierre-Jacques Bertrand, age 54, wife Catherine Bourg, age 36, and seven children--Ambroise-Bénoni, called Bénoni, age 19, Jean-Augustin, age 15, Marie-Catherine, age 13, Marie, age 11, Adélaïde, age 7, Louis, age 3, and infant Anne-Madeleine--crossed on La Bergère, the second of the Seven Ships, which reached New Orleans in August.  Pierre-Jacques and Catherine had no more children in Louisiana.  Jean-Augustin, Louis, and Anne-Madeleine were not with the family when it was counted in the Lafourche valley censuses of 1788 and 1791, so they may have died young.  Marie married Jean-Charles, son of fellow Acadian Joseph Boudreaux, at Lafourche in February 1793 and died at New Orleans in September 1796, age 22.  Marie-Catherine was well into her middle-age when she married Olivier Aubin, son of French Creole Jean Caillier, at Donaldson, today's Donalsonville, Ascension Parish, in January 1809; the Marie Bertrand who died in Assumption Parish in August 1856 at age "about 100 years" may have been Marie Catherine; the Plattenville priest who recorded her burial did not bother to give the grand old lady's parents' names or mention a husband and children; if the centenarian was Marie Catherine, she would have been "only" in her mid-80s.  Adélaïde married François-Georges, son of fellow Acadian Marin Bourg, at Assumption in March 1797 and died in Assumption Parish in October 1833, age 55.  Bénoni did not marry.  

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Pierre-Jacques's first cousin, Eustache Bertrand, age 49, wife Marguerite Landry, age 37, and four children--Madeleine-Marguerite, age 19, Marie-Geneviève, age 11, Marie-Josèphe, age 7, and Louis-Martin, age 1--crossed on L'Amitié, the fifth of the Seven Ships, which reached New Orleans in November.  Eustache and Marguerite had no more children in Louisiana.  Madeleine-Marguerite married fellow Acadian Moïse LeBlanc, a widower, at Lafourche in April 1786, soon after they reached the colony, and remarried to François, son of French Creole Andrés Dubois, at Lafourche in August 1792.  Marie-Josèphe was not with the family when Spanish officials counted them on the upper bayou in 1788 and 1791, so she may have died young, or she may have simply been overlooked by the census takers.  The Marie Bertrand who died in Lafourche Interior Parish in August 1825 at age 46 may have been Marie-Josèphe; the priest who recorded her burial did not give her parents' names or mention a husband and children.  Louis-Martin did not marry. 

Pierre-Jacques and Eustache's younger cousin, Jean-Nicolas Bertrand, age 20, and his widowed mother, Marguerite Blanchard, age 46, also crossed on L'Amitié.  Jean-Nicolas married at New Orleans soon after he reached Louisiana and followed his mother to upper Bayou Lafourche. 

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Only a single Bertrand family line survived on Bayou Lafourche: 

Descendants of Jean-Nicolas BERTRAND (c1765-1804; Claude, Jean le jeune)

Jean-Nicolas, called Nicolas and Colas, son of Jean Bertrand and Marguerite Blanchard, born in France in c1765, came to Louisiana with his widowed mother on L'Amitié, the fifth of the Seven Ships from France, in 1785.  Nicolas married Marguerite-Tarsille, daughter of fellow Acadians Amand Pitre and Geneviève Arcement, at New Orleans in December 1785 soon after he reached Louisiana.  Marguerite, also a native of France, had crossed on La Bergère, the second of the Seven Ships.  They settled with his widowed mother on upper Bayou Lafourche and may have lived briefly at nearby St.-Jacques on the river.  Nicolas, described by the recording priest as an "inhabitant of Bayou de la fourche," died at Opelousas, west of the Atchafalaya Basin, in February 1804; the Opelousas priest who recorded his burial said that Nicolas died "at age about 43 yrs.," but he probably was closer to 40; a civil record says that he died in December 1805, but that was the same day his succession inventory was filed at what became the Thibodauxville courthouse; in May 1807, his son Jean-Baptiste inventoried Nicolas's property.  All of the Acadian Bertrands of Louisiana are descended from Nicolas and his only son Jean Baptiste.  

Jean-Baptiste, born at St.-Jacques on the river in January 1789, married Henriette Adélaïde, daughter of fellow Acadians Jean François Rassicot and his second wife Marie Josèphe Robichaux, at Assumption in July 1806.  Their son Auguste was born in Assumption Parish in June 1810.  Their daughters married into the Bourgeois, Landry, LeBlanc, and Robichaux families.  Jean-Baptiste's succession inventory was filed at the Thibodauxville courthouse, Lafourche Interior Parish, in September 1816; he would have been age 27 that year.  

Auguste was 14 years old in June 1824 when his stepfather, Louis Guillan, was named his curator.  Auguste married Euphémie, daughter of fellow Acadians Étienne LeBlanc and Marguerite Melançon, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in May 1832; Euphémie's brother Étienne married Auguste's sister Azélie.  Auguste and Euphémie's son Auguste, fils was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in March 1833, Jean Baptiste Euphémon, called Euphémon, in December 1836, Charles Abel in December 1838, and Augustin in December 1840 but died at age 5 months the following May.  Their daughter married into the Legendre (Foreign French, not Acadian) family.  Auguste, père may have remarried to Louise Fiche or Fitch.  Their daughter married into the Delatte family.  Auguste, père's succession inventory was filed at the Thibodaux courthouse in November 1853; he would have been age 43 that year.  

Auguste, fils married Julie Marie, daughter of Bernard Romagosa and Azema Riche, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in September 1857.

During the War of 1861-65, Euphémon served in Company E of the 4th Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in Lafourche Parish, which fought in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama.  In 1862, a year after his enlistment, Euphémon returned home on sick leave and evidently did not rejoin his unit.  He married Marguerite Adèle, called Adèle, daughter of Pierre Roger, perhaps a fellow Acadian, and Adèle Guillon or Guillou, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in April 1863.  Their son Augustave Pierre was born in Lafourche Parish in February 1864.  Euphémon remarried to Elmire Euphrosine, daughter of fellow Acadians Hermogène Robichaux and Madeleine Hirma Bergeron, at the Thibodaux church in April 1869. 

Ambroise-Bénoni BERTRAND (1766-1814; Claude, Pierre)

Ambroise-Bénoni, called Bénoni, eldest son of Pierre-Jacques Bertrand and Catherine Bourg, born at Le Havre in October 1766, came to Louisiana with his parents and siblings aboard La Bergère, the second of the Seven Ships, in 1785, and followed his family to upper Bayou Lafourche.  Bénoni died in Assumption Parish in August 1814; he was only 48 years old.  He did not marry, and since he was the only one of his father's three sons to reach adulthood, his line of the family, except for its blood, died with him.  

Louis-Martin BERTRAND (c1784-1815; Claude, Jean l'aîné)

Louis-Martin, only surviving son of Eustache Bertrand and Marguerite Landry, born probably at Nantes, France, in c1785, came to Louisiana with his parents and siblings aboard L'Amitié, the fifth of the Seven Ships, in 1785, and followed them to upper Bayou Lafourche.  Louis Martin died in Assumption Parish in February 1815; the priest who recorded his burial said that Louis was 35 years old when he died, but he was in his early 30s.  Louis did not marry, and since he was the only one of his father's sons to reach adulthood, his line of the family, except for its blood, died with him.  

Other BERTRANDs in the Lafourche Valley

Area church and civil records make it difficult to link at least some Bertrands in the Bayou Lafourche valley to known Acadian and Creole lines of the family:

______ Bertrand died "during [a] yellow fever epidemic" in Lafourche Parish in November 1853.  The Thibodaux priest who recorded the burial did not give the decedant's first name, his or her parents' names, or mention a spouse. 

Marie Bertrand died "age ca. 100 years" in Assumption Parish in August 1856.  The Plattenville priest who recorded the burial and Marie's remarkable age did not give any parents' names or mention a husband. 

NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA

Bertrand is a common surname in France and French Canada, so it is no surprise that many members of the family settled in French Louisiana.  It is in fact one of the earliest surnames found in the colony.   Church and civil records reveal that a substantial number of French Creole Bertrand families were living in the colony before the Acadian Bertrands arrived in 1785, especially at New Orleans and on the German Coasts, and more came after 1785, creating additional lines of the family:

In 1699 and 1700, two Pierre Bertrands, one a freebooter, the other a master gunner, resided at Fort Maurepas, across the bay from present-day Biloxi, the first French settlement on the Gulf Coast.  They probably created no families in the colony.  

Claude Bertrand, a 17-year-old soldier from Grenoble, France, reached New Orleans in 1720.  He was assigned to the garrison at Natchitoches Post on the Red River, rose to the rank of sergeant, and was known as Bertrand dit Dauphiné.  By 1726, he was farming near the post.  His son Louis, born to an Indian woman, grew up, married, and settled in the Bayou Pierre Settlement northeast of the post.  His descendants may have later moved up to Caddo and Bossier parishes.  

André Bertrand and his family were counted in New Orleans on Bourbon Street in 1726.  

Barbe, daughter of Jean Michel Bertrand of Lorient, France, born at Elbrant, France, died at New Orleans, age 19, in October 1726.  

Marie-Thérèse, daughter of Pierre Bertrand and Françoise Poupon of Brest, France, married Nicolas, son of Claude Prevost of Boulogne, France, at New Orleans in June 1732.  

Enedemon Thomas dit Jourdant, son of Jean Bertrand and Jeanne Moularette of St.-Pierre, Diocese of Grenoble, France, was serving as a soldier in LeBlanc's company when he married Marie _____, widow of Jean-Baptiste Bocquet, at Pointe Coupée, a French Creole community on the river near Baton Rouge, in February 1743.  

Pierre, son of François Bertrand and Marie Lagarde of Paris, France, married Marie-Jacobine, daughter of Pierre Munich and Anne-Marie Sauterne and widow of René Fauche, at St.-Charles des Allemands, on the Lower German Coast, in February 1745.  Their son Pierre-Frédéric, called Frédéric, born at St.-Charles des Allemands in January 1750, married German Creole Geneviève Mayer of St.-Jean-Baptiste, on the Upper German Coast, in c1770.  Their son Alexis was born at St.-Jean-Baptiste in June 1783, and Christophe in July 1791.  When he came of age, Alexis moved from St.-Jean-Baptiste to St.-Jacques, upriver on the Acadian Coast, married an Acadian, and, with younger brother Christophe, crossed the Atchafalaya Basin and settled in the old Attakapas District in the early 1800s.  

Marie-Jacobinne Bertrand died at St.-Charles des Allemands in November 1748, age 18 months.  The priest who recorded her burial did not give her parents' names.  

Louis Bertrand died at St.-Charles des Allemands in March 1750.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give Louis's age, his parents' names or mention a wife.  

Antoine, son of Jean-Baptiste Bertrand and Marie Pottier of Moral, Québec, married Anne-Barbe, daughter of Erne Dervain and Anne-Marie Conrard of St.-Charles des Allemands, at St.-Charles des Allemands, on the First German Coast, in February 1751.  Their son Antoine, fils was baptized at St.-Charles des Allemands, age unrecorded, in January 1752, and Vincent was born in c1754.  They also had sons named Jean-Baptiste and Joseph.  Joseph married Isabelle, daughter of German Creole Nicolas Matherne, at St.-Jean-Baptiste, on the Second German Coast, in November 1798 and settled at St.-Jean-Baptiste.  Antoine, fils died at New Orleans in October 1799; the priest who recorded his burial said that Antoine, fils was age 49 when he died.  The priest said nothing about a wife, so Antoine, fils may not have married.  Vincent and Jean-Baptiste left the German Coast, crossed the Atchafalaya Basin, and settled in the old Atakapas District in the early 1800s.   

Jean-François Bertrand, "surgeon on the Acadian coast," married, according to one church record, Acadian Louise Leger.  Their son Jean-François, fils, born in January 1772, was baptized at the Pointe Coupée church a few days later.  

Marianne, daughter of Jean Bertrand and Françoise Léonard of New Orleans, married Joseph, son of Jacques Chapron, at New Orleans in November 1778.  

François, son of ____ Bertrand and Rosalie _____, was born at New Orleans in October 1794 and baptized at the New Orleans church the following May.  

Joseph Bertran married Élisabeth Matherne, place and date unrecorded, and settled at St.-Jean-Baptiste on the upper German Coast by the late 1790s. 

Jean, son of Jean Bertrand of Bordeaux, France, died at New Orleans in May 1800, age 50.  The priest who recorded the burial did not mention a wife.  

Honoré, son of Céleste Bertrand, was born at New Orleans in July 1802.  The priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not list the father's name.  He probably was not Acadian.    

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Two French-Canadian Bertrand brothers settled in the Opelousas District decades before their Acadian namesakes reached the colony.  One of the brothers had two Acadian wives, but, typical of non-Acadians in Opelousas, few of the brothers' descendants chose Acadian spouses:

Descendants of Amable BERTRAND dit Beaulieu (?-1802)

Amable dit Beaulieu, son of Gilles-Joseph Bertrand and Louse-Thérèse-Marie Troillet dite La Jeunesse of Boucherville, near Montréal, Canada, came to Louisiana about the time that several dozen Acadians from Halifax settled in the Opelousas District in 1765.  Amable married Anastasie, daughter of Acadian Timothée Guénard, at Opelousas in February 1766.  They farmed in the Plaisance area just west of the old post.  Their daughter married into the Lalande (French Canadian or Creole, not Acadian) family.  Amable remarried to Anne-Anastasie, daughter of Acadian Claude Aucoin, at Opelousas in December 1789.  Their daughters married into the Gallien and Pitre families.  Amable died at Opelousas in September 1802; the priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give Amable's age at the time of his death, noted that Amable was buried "free of charge," which meant that he was poor; his wife died under similar circumstances two weeks later; his succession was filed at what became the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, the following February.  Despite his material poverty, Amable was rich in other things:  some of his many descendants remained near Plaisance, while others moved westward into present-day Evangeline and Acadia parishes. 

1

Oldest son Amable, fils, by his father's first wife, married Marie, daughter of Étienne Ardoin of Illinois, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in February 1803.  Their son Antoine was baptized at the Opelousas church, age 17 months, in October 1804.  

2

Joseph-François, by his father's first wife, born probably at Opelousas in January 1772 but baptized by a Pointe Coupée priest the following July, married Marie Josèphe, daughter of Joseph Gallien of St.-Jean-Baptiste on the German Coast, at Opelousas in January 1798.  Their son Joseph, fils was born at Opelousas in October 1805, and Léandre, Léon, or Veillon dit Beaulieu in St. Landry Parish in June 1814.  They also had a son named Jean.  Their daughters married into the Hollier, Manuel, and Neville families.  

2a

Jean married Caroline, daughter of French Creole Jean Lacase, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1829.  Their son Jean Baptiste le jeune was born in St. Landry Parish in March 1835, and Alphonse in January 1838.  Their daughters married into the Bertrand, Chapman, and Hollay or Holley families.  

Alphonse married Félice or Félicia, daughter of French Creole Philippe Andrépont and his Acadian wife Émelie Pitre, at the Opelousas church in June 1860.  They settled at Quartier Plaisance.  Alphonse's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in November 1870; he would have been age 32 that year. 

2b

Joseph, fils married Théotiste, daughter of Spanish Creole Jean Baptiste Manuel, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1829.  Their son Joseph III was born in St. Landry Parish in March 1832, Solomon Joseph in October 1835, Jean Baptiste Joseph in May 1837, and Léandre Joseph in December 1841.  Their daughter married a Manuel cousin.  Joseph, fils died in St. Landry Parish in April 1843, age 37; his succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in June 1847.  

Solomon Joseph married French Creole Félicité or Célestine Marcellin Deshotel in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in August 1855.  Their son Alexandre was born in St. Landry Parish in May 1860, François near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in January 1866, and Solomon, fils near Chataignier in April 1868.  Their daughter married into the Aucoin family. 

Jean Baptiste Joseph married Adèle Perron in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1856.  Their son Joseph was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in January 1859.  Jean Baptiste Joseph remarried to Eugénie Philippe Paul, daughter of French Creole Philippe Paul Fontenot, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1861.  Their son Alcade was born in St. Landry Parish in July 1869. 

Léandre Joseph married Élodie Vallérie, daughter of French Creole Valéry Guillory, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in August 1861, and remarried to Amelia or Aurelia, daughter of French Creole François Fuselier, at the Ville Platte church, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in April 1867.  . 

2c

Léandre married Marie Louise, called Louise, daughter of Anglo-American John Langley, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1831.  Their son Joseph le jeune was born in St. Landry Parish in November 1833, Lasty in May 1835, and Léandre, fils, perhaps called Léon, in February 1841.  In July 1860, the federal census taker in Calcasieu Parish counted 2 slaves--a 19-year-old female and a 1-year-old female, both mulattoes, living in a single house--on Léandre Bertrand's farm next to Andrew Langley.  

Joseph le jeune married first cousin Rosalie or Rosaline, daughter of his uncle Jean Bertrand, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1853.  Their son Joseph, fils was born near Ville Platte in May 1859. 

Léandre, fils may have married French Creole Aurelia Fuselier in the late 1860s.  They settled near Eunice, St. Landry Parish.  Their son Joseph le jeune was born in February 1870. 

3

André, by his father's first wife, born probably at Opelousas in April 1773 but baptized by a Pointe Coupée priest later that month, probably died young.  

4

Pierre, by his father's second wife, baptized at Opelousas, age unrecorded, in December 1790, and baptized again at Opelousas, this time by a priest, age unrecorded, in May 1796, married Félicité Célesie, called Célesie, daughter of French Canadian Henry Vigé, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in July 1819.  Their son Pierre Philemon, called Philemon, was born in St. Landry Parish in May 1820, Onésime in October 1829, and Joachim Alcide in December 1836.  They also had a son named Charles Drosin, called Drosin.  Their daughters married into the Arnaud, Bellomie, Grabot, Lejeune, Roy, and Saucier families. 

4a

Pierre Philemon married Marie Jean or Josephine, daughter of Jean Baptiste Quincy, also called King and Jeannot, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in July 1841.  Their son Pierre Odille was born near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in January 1849, Onésime Blaise in February 1851, and Philemon, fils in January 1853.  

Pierre Odille married Élodie Doucet in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in November 1865. 

Lizin Philemon Bertrand married Victorine Jeanneaux in a civil ceremony n St. Landry Parish in November 1870.  Was this Philemon, fils?

4b

Charles Drosin married cousin Marie Louise Celima, Emelina, Evelina, Lezima, Melina, or Mélanie Françoise, called Celima or Mélanie, daughter of French Creole Jean François Vigé and widow of John McDaniel, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1846, again in May 1854, and sanctified the marriage at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1855.  Their son Charles Alcade or Arcade, called Arcade, was born in St. Landry Parish in December 1847, François D. in September 1849, Arcadius in October 1851, Louis Octave was baptized at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, age unrecorded, in September 1855, Lésime Omer was born in April 1857, and Sinea Drosin in June 1861.  

Charles Arcade married cousin Marie Mathilde or Mathilda, daughter of French Creole Gérard Vigé, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1866; Marie's mother, also, was a Vigé.  They settled near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, and Eunice.  Their son Charles Félix was born in July 1868. 

Arcadius married Deleoide Janeau in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in December 1869. 

4c

Onésime died in St. Landry Parish in November 1859.  The priest who recorded the burial, and who gave no parents' names nor mentioned a wife, said that Onésime was age 22, but he was 30.  

4d

Alcide L. married Acadian Mathilde Boudreaux in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1868.  Was this Joachim Alcide?

5

Jean-Baptiste, called Baptiste, by his father's second wife, born at Opelousas in December 1798, married Hortence, daughter of French Creole François Lebleu, at the Pointe Coupee church, Pointe Coupee Parish, in January 1821.  Their daughters married into the Beauvais, Grouzard, and Verneuil families.  Baptiste and Hortense may have had no sons.  

6

Youngest son Louis, by his father's second wife, born at Opelousas in May 1801, married Sidalise Eugénie, daughter of French Creole Eugène Ledoux, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1826.  Their son Louis Osémé was born in St. Landry Parish in February 1834, François in February 1836, Auguste Ducloisel in December 1837, Jean Baptiste Louis in September 1843, and Omer in December 1850.  They also had a son named Alces.  Their daughter married into the DeVille family.  In 1850, the federal census taker in St. Landry Parish counted 5 slaves--all male, all black, ranging in age from 30 to 2--on Louis Bertrand's farm.  

6a

Auguste married German Creole Ernestine Sittig in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in April 1857.  Their son Ithéogène was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1858, and Jules Damon in April 1861.  During the War of 1861-65, Auguste served in Company F of the 8th Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in St. Landry Parish, which fought in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania--one of General R. E. Lee's Louisiana Tigers.  Auguste was severely wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, in May 1864 and sent home to recover from his wounds.  Evidently he was unable to rejoin his unit.  

6b

Alces married Marie Louise, daughter of French Creole David Gaspard, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1866; Marie Louise's mother was a Jeansonne.  They settled near Plaisance.  Their son Louis was born in October 1868. 

6c

Omer likely married Celida Durio in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1869. 

Descendants of Jacques BERTRAND dit Beaulieu (?-)

Jacques dit Beaulieu, called Jacob, son of Gilles-Joseph Bertrand and Louse-Thérèse-Marie Troillet dite La Jeunesse of Boucherville, Canada, may have come to the Opelousas District by the mid-1760s with his brother Amable dit Beaulieu.  Jacques married Louise-Constance, daughter of French Creole Joseph De La Mirande, in December 1778; the marriage was recorded by a Pointe Coupée priest, but it probably took place at Opelousas.  Jacques and Louise-Constance settled perhaps near Jacques's brother.  Their daughters married into the Aucoin and Fontaine families.  In the 1800s, Jacques's descendants moved west from St. Landry into what became Evangeline and Acadia parishes. 

1

Oldest son Jacques, fils, called Jacob, baptized at Opelousas, age 2 months, in May 1779, married Françoise, daughter of French Creole Philippe Hébert dit Milan, at Opelousas in June 1803.  Their son Joseph Jacques or Jacob was baptized at Opelousas, age 7 weeks, in June 1804, and Cyprien was baptized at age 4 years in December 1810 but, according to a church record, died at age 9 (the priest said "about 7") in August 1815; perhaps there were two Cypriens in this family.  They also had a son named Joachim.  Jacob, fils died in St. Landry Parish in September 1812; the Opelousas priest who recorded the burial said that Jacob was "age about 30 years" when he died, but he was 33. 

1a

Cyprien married French Creole Catherine Milhomme in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in May 1830, and may have remarried to Marie Jacquimen or Sally Johnson.  

1b

Joseph Jacob married cousin Célesie, Celina, or Éloise Françoise, daughter of French Creole François Fontaine, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1835; Célesie's mother was Joseph's aunt Constance Bertrand.  Their son Joseph, fils was born in St. Landry Parish in February 1837, Alphonse in October 1843, Louis in January 1850, Gervais in October 1854; and Hyacinthe in July 1857.  

Alphonse married Angélique, called Bazilique, daughter of Anglo American Jean Baptiste Brown, at the Ville Platte church, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in January 1866. 

1c

Joachim married Célise Trahan, daughter of Célise Duplechin, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in May 1836. 

2

Noël, baptized at Opelousas, age 3 weeks, in December 1780, probably died young.

3

Joseph, baptized at Opelousas, age 6 weeks, in January 1783, also probably died young.

4

Charles dit Beaulieu, born at Opelousas in May 1784, married Marie Françoise, called Françoise, daughter of French Creole François Fontenot, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in February 1814.  Their son Aloyse was born in St. Landry Parish in October 1814, Charles, fils was baptized at the Opelousas church, age 2 1/2, in June 1821, Pierre le jeune was born in February 1823, Evariste in April 1833, and Jacques in April 1838.  Their daughters married into the Ardoin, Barzac or Berzat, Basine, and Bergeau families.  Charles dit Beaulieu's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in November 1838; he would have been age 54 that year.  

4a

Charles, fils married Domithilde, daughter of French Creole Jean Pierre Lafleur, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1839; Domithilde's mother was a Foret.  Their son Jean Pierre, called Pierre, was born in St. Landry Parish in September 1840, Charles III was baptized at the Opelousas church, age 3 months, in September 1843, Osémé was born in July 1851, another Charles III near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in January 1862, and Alibe, called Alilie by the baptizing priest, in September 1864.  Their daughters married into the David, Fontenot, and McColet families. 

Jean Pierre married cousin Marie Octavie, called Octavie and perhaps also Onesia, daughter of French Creole Jean Pierre Baptiste Fontenot, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in August 1860.  They settled near Ville Platte.  Their son Jean Pierre, fils was baptized at the Ville Platte church, age 2 months, in May 1869.  Jean Pierre, père remarried to Domitille, daughter of French Creole Jean Pierre Lafleur, at the Ville Platte church in May 1869; Domitille's mother was a Foret. 

4b

Pierre le jeune married cousin Célesie, daughter of French Creole Jules Jacques Fontenot, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1850. 

5

Youngest son Pierre, born at Opelousas in March 1786, died "a boy" in October 1792.  

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Area church and civil records make it difficult to link some Bertrands who lived in the old Opelousas District during the late colonial and antebellum periods with known family lines that settled there:

"Jacob Bolieu," called "poor" by the priest who recorded his burial, died at Opelousas in November 1796.  The priest did not give Jacob's age or his parents' names or mention a wife.  He probably was a Bertrand dit Beaulieu.  

Philippe Beaulieu, probably a Bertrand and son of either Amable dit Beaulieu or Jacques dit Beaulieu, married Marie _____, place and date unrecorded.  They settled in the Opelousas District by the early 1800s.  

Dior Bertrand married Céleste Étienne, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Jean Baptiste was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1837.  

Charles Bertrand married Carmélite Jacques Fontenot, widow of ____ Barjac, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1839.  The parish clerk did not give the couple's parents' names.  

Poussin Jean Bertrand married Euphrosie Guillory, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, by the early 1840s.  

Jean Baptiste Bertrand married Marie Doralise Lacase probably near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in the late 1840s.  Their son Joseph was born near Grand Coteau in August 1849, Félix in May 1852, and Lucien in December 1855.  

Roy Bertrand married Ageni Aurelie Bertrand, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Pachellie Célestine was born in St. Landry Parish in August 1856. 

Jean Baptiste Bertrand died in St. Landry Parish, age 3 months, in December 1857.  The priest who recorded the boy's burial did not give any parents' names.  

Félix H. Bertrand married French Creole Marie Théophile Vigé in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1860.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  They settled near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish. 

Antoine, son of Joseph Bertrand and Eugénie Landry, married Eugénie, daughter of Charles Chalonde, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in June 1861; Eugénie's mother was a Thibodeaux.  Their son Paul Antoine was born in St. Landry Parish in June 1862. 

Alfred Bertrand married Cephaline Ursine Manuel, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, by the early 1860s.  

Joseph Bertrand married Émelie or Amelie Humphrey, also called Amberes, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in September 1864.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Their son Louis was born near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in July 1867. 

Pierre Bertrand married Domelise Lafleur, widow of Adolphe H. Fuselier, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1866.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Auguste Bertrand married Acadian Emma L. Pitre in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1867.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Their son Albert was born in St. Landry Parish in March 1870 but died the following July. 

Joseph, son of Frédéric Bertrand and Eugénie Bolry, married Amélie, daughter of Messer Ambers, at the Church Point church, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in June 1867; Amelie's mother was an Hébert.

Lise[sic] Bertrand married Adélaïde Jacques, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, by the late 1860s. 

Oscar Bertrand married Elisa Speethster[sic], place and date unrecorded, and settled near Washington, St. Landry Parish, by the late 1860s. 

Élise, perhaps Élisée, Bertrand married Zélonise[sic] Fontenot in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in December 1870.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

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Two Bertrand brothers from the German Coast settled in the Attakapas District during the late colonial period.  One of them married a German Creole, the other an Acadian.  Typical of non-Acadians in Attakapas, their descendants often took Acadian spouses:

Descendants of Jean-Baptiste BERTRAND (?-1838)

Jean-Baptiste, son of Antoine Bertrand and Anne-Barbe Dervain of St.-Charles des Allemands on the Lower German Coast, and brother of Vincent, was born at St.-Charles des Allemands.  He married Marguerite, daughter of German Creole Andrés Schexnayder of the German Coast, at New Orleans in November 1785.  They crossed the Atchafalaya Basin and settled along the lower Bayou Teche in what became St. Mary Parish.  Their daughters married into the Andrus, Broussard, and Rentrop families.  Jean Baptiste, père's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in September 1838.  His son and most of his grandsons remained on the lower Teche; one grandson lived on upper Bayou Lafourche before returning to the Teche, and a great-grandson settled at the northern edge of Terrebonne Parish.  

Jean-Baptiste, fils, born at St.-Charles des Allemands probably in the late 1780s, married Célestine dite Céleste, daughter of German Creole Jacob Miller of Orlach, Germany, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in May 1813.  Their son Hubert, sometimes called Hebert, was born probably in St. Mary Parish in November 1815.  They also had a son named Lasty and may have had a son named Alexis.  Their daughter married into the Rentrop family.  Jean Baptiste, fils died by August 1824, when his succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse.  

Hubert married Azélie, also called Eulalie, daughter of Acadian Alexandre Comeaux, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in February 1836.  Their son Hubert Dolze was born in Assumption Parish in December 1836.  Their daughter married into the Bourg family.  In the late 1830s, they were back in the lower Bayou Teche valley, living near New Iberia, and by the late 1840s they were living near Pattersonville, now Patterson, St. Mary Parish.  

Hubert Dolze married cousin Joséphine, daughter of Acadian Simonet Comeaux, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in January 1867; the priest who recorded the marriage said that Hubert was "native of St. Mary Parish."  They settled near Pattersonville, now Patterson, St. Mary Parish. 

Lasty married Faustine or Justine, daughter of Acadian Auguste Doiron, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in March 1844 and sanctified the marriage at the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, in July 1845.  They moved to Bayou Lafourche.  Their son Auguste was born in Assumption Parish in November 1846, Lasty Hypolite in February 1852, and Dybone died near Lockport, Lafourche Parish, at age 2 1/2 in May 1870.  They also had older sons named Désiré and Alexandre.   

Désiré married Célestine, daughter of Acadian Narcisse Boudreaux, at the Chacahoula church, Terrebonne Parish, in April 1866.  Their son Joseph Edgard was born near Chacahoula in March 1867, and Alcide Henri in July 1868.  

Alexandre married Thilma, daughter of Acadian Narcisse Bourg, at the New Iberia church, Iberia Parish, in January 1869.  Their son Pierre Oleus was born near New Iberia in October 1869. 

Alexis married Marie Irma Lange, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Louis Phillip was born near Charenton, St. Mary Parish, in February 1849. 

Descendants of Vincent BERTRAND (c1754-1842)

Vincent, son of Antoine Bertrand and Anne-Barbe Dervain of St.-Charles des Allemands on the Lower German Coast, and brother of Jean-Baptiste, was born at St.-Charles des Allemands in c1754.  He married Marie-Victoire, called Victoire, daughter of Acadian Joseph Gravois, at St.-Jacques on the river in February 1798.  Like his brother Jean-Baptiste, Vincent took his family across the Atchafalaya Basin and settled in the old Attakapas District, on the upper Vermilion in what became St. Martin Parish.  Their daughters married into the Delhomme, Kidder, and Quebedeaux families.  Vincent, père died in Lafayette Parish in August 1842; the priest who recorded his burial said that Vincent was age 88 when he died.  His older sons moved to the southeast corner of St. Landry Parish around Grand Coteau.  One of his sons moved down to the Abbeville area of Vermilion Parish, another crossed the prairies to present-day Acadia Parish and settled near Rayne, and another one moved even farther west to Calcasieu Parish. 

1

Oldest son Vincent, fils, born at St.-Jacques in August 1800, married Marie Eméranthe, called Méranthe, daughter of Acadian François Richard, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1825.  Their son Vincent III was baptized at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, age 2, in February 1827, Octave was born in St. Landry Parish in February 1829, and Lucien Gustave, called Gustave, near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in October 1835.  Their daughter married into the Breaux family.  In September 1850, the federal census taker in Lafayette Parish counted 6 slaves--2 males and 4 females, all black, ranging in age from 35 to 1--on Vincent Bertrand's farm in the parish's western district.  

1a

Vincent III married cousin Eugénie, daughter of Acadian François Richard, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1851.  Their son Eugène was born in Lafayette Parish in August 1854.  In June 1860, the federal census taker in Lafayette Parish counted 5 slaves--2 males and 3 females, all black, ranging in age from 50 to 15--on Vincent Bertrand's farm next to Gustave Bertrand.  They were living near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in the late 1860s. 

1b

Lucien Gustave "of Laf." married Célestine, daughter of French American Théodore DeValcourt of Maryland and St. Charles Parish, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in July 1859.  Their son Joseph Gustave was born in Lafayette Parish in July 1862, and Jean Devalcourt in February 1867.  In June 1860, the federal census taker in Lafayette Parish counted 2 slaves--a 21-year-old female and a 1-month-old female, both black--on Gustave Bertrand's farm next to Vincent Bertrand.  

1c

Octave may have married Octavie Bernard, probably an Acadian.  His succession, naming his wife, was filed at the Vermilionville courthouse, Lafayette Parish, in February 1869; this Octave would have been age 40 that year.   

2

Joseph-Frédéric, born at St.-Jacques in November 1803, married Eugénie, 18-year-old daughter of Gabriel Rodrigue, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in April 1832, and sanctified the marriage at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in June 1846.  Their son Antoine was baptized at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, age 5 months, in September 1836, and Joseph was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1842.  Their daughter married into the LeBoeuf and Raby families.  

3

A son, name unrecorded, died at home on the Vermilion, age 20 months, in July 1808.

4

Charles Adélard, born in St. Martin Parish in March 1809, married Charlotte, 22-year-old daughter of French Creole Nicolas Gisclard, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in April 1842.  

5

Lucien, a twin, born in St. Martin Parish in June 1811, married Catherine, daughter of French Creole Francois Noël, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in May 1834.  Their son Lucien Dupréville was born in Lafayette Parish in July 1840.  Their daughter may have married into the Bourque family.  In July 1860, the federal census taker in Calcasieu Parish counted a single slave--a 24-year-old black female--on Lucien Bertrand's farm.  

Lucien Dupréville married Louisa Miller at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in August 1858.  Their son Joseph Delma was born near Abbeville in August 1866. 

6

Ursin, Lucien's twin, married Marie Césarine, called Césarine, daughter of French Canadian François Primeaux, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in August 1832.  Their son Joseph Théogime was baptized at the Vermilionville church, age 5 months, in August 1836, Théogène was born in Lafayette Parish in May 1838, Onésime in March 1840, Jean Baptiste in November 1844, Antoine Despalière, called Despalière, near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, in February 1848, and François Clerville in February 1854.  

Antoine Despalière, called Despalière, married Bohemian Creole Marguerite Touchet at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in July 1865.  Their son Alcide was born near Abbeville in November 1866. 

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During the early antebellum period, two more Bertrand brothers from the German Coast settled in the old Attakapas District.  They and many of their descendants married Acadians:

Marie, sister of Alexis and Christophe Paul, married first to Frédéric-Sylvain, son of Acadian Joseph Blanchard, at St.-Jacques on the river, and remarried to Charles, son of Bernard Cohen of Ovemba, Electorate of Mayence, and widower of Marguerite Kenny, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in May 1828.  Charles died in St. Martin Parish in 1834.  

Descendants of Alexis BERTRAND (1783-?)

Alexis, elder son of Frédéric Bertrand and Geneviève Mayer of St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands on the Upper German Coast and brother of Christophe, was born at St.-Jean-Baptiste in June 1783.  Alexis married Marguerite, daughter of Acadian Joseph Richard, at St.-Jacques on the river in December 1804.  Soon after their marriage, they crossed the Atchafalaya Basin and settled at L'Anse, also called Anse le Butte, on the upper Vermilion River east of present-day Lafayette, before moving to La Pointe on upper Bayou Teche near present-day Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish.  Their daughters married into the Landry and Vincent families.  With three of his sons, Alexis helped pioneer the settlement near Mermentau, then in eastern Calcasieu but now in western Acadia Parish, in the 1840s.  

1

Their oldest son, name unrecorded, died at L'Anse 4 days after his birth in January 1809.  

2

André died in St. Martin Parish, age unrecorded, in December 1809.  

3

Alexis, fils, born probably at L'Anse in February 1815, married Marie Carmélite, called Carmélite, daughter of Acadian Olivier Trahan and widow of Guillaume Pavy, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in April 1833 and registered the marriage at the Vermilionville courthouse in July 1836.  Their daughters married into the Breaux, Mire, and Trahan families.  Alexis, fils died by September 1841, when his succession record was filed at the Vermilionville courthouse; he would have been only age 26 that year.  He and his wife may have had no sons, so this line of the family, except for its blood, may have died with him. 

4

Sylvestre, born probably at La Pointe in January 1817, married Élisabeth, daughter of French Creole Guillaume Pavy, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in February 1837; Élisabeth's mother was a Trahan formerly married to Sylvestre's older brother Alexis, fils.  Sylvestre and Élisabeth's son Hermogène was born in Lafayette Parish in March 1842, Alexandre near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in April 1848, Charles probably in Calcasieu Parish in November 1860, and Hippolyte in August 1862.  Their daughter married a Trahan cousin. 

Hermogène married French Creole Delzinde Manceaux or Monceaux at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in February 1862.  Their son Hermogène, fils was born probably in Calcasieu Parish in May 1864. 

5

Joseph, born probably at La Pointe in May 1819, married Marie Ulalie or Uranie, called Uranie, another daughter of Olivier Trahan, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in July 1837.  Their son Joseph, fils was born in Lafayette Parish in October 1843, Jean Lasty, called Lasty, near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in October 1846, and Ernest in February 1849.  They also  had a son named Alexis le jeune.  Their daughter married into the Camel family.  Joseph may have remarried to Anastasie Faulk, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Joseph, fils was born near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, in January 1855, François Delmas in January 1858, and Numa in February 1863.  

5a

During the War of 1861, Lasty, by his first wife, served in Company I of the 29th (Thomas's) Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in Calcasieu Parish, which fought at Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Lasty married cousin Olivanie, daughter of Acadian Valentin T. Trahan, at the Youngsville church, Lafayette Parish, in December 1865.  Their son Lauvastie was born near Youngsville in May 1867. 

5b

Alexis le jeune married Élodie, daughter of Acadian Achille Breaux, at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in January 1870. 

6

Pierre Adrien, born probably at La Pointe in December 1820, may have died young.  

Descendants of Christophe-Paul BERTRAND (1791-1840)

Christophe Paul, sometimes called Paul, younger son of Frédéric Bertrand and Geneviève Mayer of St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands on the Upper German Coast and brother of Alexis, was born at St.-Jean-Baptiste in January 1791.  Christophe followed his older brother Alexis to the western prairies and married Marie-Victoire, called Victoire, daughter of Acadian Michel Cormier, fils, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in January 1809.  They settled at La Pointe on upper Bayou Teche near present-day Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish.  Their daughters married into the Dautreuil, Haynes, Hollier, and Jackson families.  Christophe died in St. Martin Parish in July 1840, age 49.  

1

Their oldest son, name unrecorded, died at birth probably at La Pointe in September 1809.

2

Théogène, born probably at La Pointe in February 1818, married Marie Azéma, daughter of Acadian Maximilien Melançon, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in July 1854.  In June 1860, the federal census taker in St. Martin Parish counted a single slave--a 15-year-old black male--on Théogène Bertrand's farm.  Théogène died in St. Martin Parish in February 1870; the St. Martinville priest who recorded the burial, and who did not bother to give any parents' names or even mention a wife, said that Théogène died "at age 58 yrs.," but he was 52; his succession was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse two days after his death.  Did he father any sons? 

3

Paul Hermogène, born probably at La Pointe in September 1819, married Elisa or Lysa, daughter of Acadian Louis Chiasson, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in August 1840.  Their son Paul Léopold was born in Lafayette Parish in June 1841 but died at age 2 in April 1843, Paulestine or Paul Ernestine was born in Lafayette Parish in December 1842 but died at age 10 months in September 1843, and Joseph Hermogène, called Hermogène, was born posthumously in St. Martin Parish in December 1843 but died at age 7 months the following July.  Paul died in St. Martin Parish in June 1843, age 23.  One can only imagine the pain and anguish his wife endured in 1843. 

4

Charles, born probably at La Pointe in July 1824, married Marie Aurore, daughter of French Creole Louis Dautreuil, in a civil ceremony in St. Martin Parish in April 1844.  Their son Charles Léonard, called Léonard, was born in St. Martin Parish in September 1845, and Charles Arthur in October 1853.  Their daughter married into the Thibodeaux family.  In October 1850, the federal census taker in St. Martin Parish counted a single slave--a 23-year-old black female--on Charles Bertrand's farm.  Charles's succession was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse in December 1855; he would have been age 31 that year.  

Léonard married Adolphine or Adolphina, daughter of Acadian Théodule LeBlanc, at the Breaux Bridge church, St. Martin Parish, in January 1868.  Their son Iréné Charles was born near Breaux Bridge in November 1868. 

5

Pierre Solomon, called Solomon, born in St. Martin Parish in January 1826, married Elina, daughter of Spanish Creole Domingo Domingue, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in December 1848.  

6

Eugène, born in St. Martin Parish in December 1827, married Ernestine, daughter of French Creole Hippolyte Barras, at the St. Martinville church in April 1850; Ernestine's mother was a Guilbeau.  Their son Paul was born in St. Martin Parish in May 1851, Norbert in October 1853 but died at age 2 (the recording priest said 3) in November 1855, Benjamin was born in November 1855, and Jean Eugène in September 1866. 

7

Youngest son Solomon Christophe married Hélène, daughter of Acadian Étienne Aurelien Bijeau, at the St. Martinville church in January 1855 (or this may have been a second marriage for Pierre Solomon).  Their son Paul Christophe was born in St. Martin Parish in January 1856, Auguste in January 1858, Théogène in February 1861, and Joseph Eugène in September 1870.  

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Area church and civil records fail to link other Bertrands who lived in the old Attakapas District during the antebellum and immediate post-war periods's with known family lines that settled there:

Alexis, son of Benjamin Boulieu, died in Lafayette Parish, age 1, in January 1823.  Were they Bertrands?

Marie Bertrand's son Maximilien was baptized at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, age 2 months, in June 1836.  The priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not give the father's name.  

In December 1850, the federal census taker in St. Mary Parish counted 5 slaves--3 males and 2 females, all black, ranging in age from 40 to 14--on Antoine Bertrand's farm.   Antoine Bernard's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in January 1859. 

Treville Bertrand's child, name unrecorded, perhaps a son, died in Lafayette Parish, age 3 months, in January 1860.  The priest who recorded the boy's burial did not give the mother's name.  

Pierre Dejean Bertrand married Sidonie Carlin, place and date unrecorded.  Their son John was born near Franklin, St. Mary Parish, in November 1859.  

John Bertrand married German Creole Sophie Schexnayder, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, by the early 1860s.  

Philogène Bertrand married Laura Romere, perhaps Romero, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Charenton, St. Mary Parish, by the mid-1860s. 

Célima Bertrand married Frozin Miller at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in June 1866.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Jean Baptiste Bertrand married Azélie, called Zelia, Rollin or Rollins at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in September 1867.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Their son Désiré was born near Abbeville in August 1869. 

Jean Bertrand married Louise Catherine, called Catherine, Lods, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Jules was born near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, in December 1868 but died in September 1869, and Léon was born in April 1870 but died a few weeks later. 

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During the antebellum period, non-Acadian Bertrands, families as well as individuals, appeared at Pointe Coupee, Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, and St. James on the river above New Orleans; on Bayou Lafourche, where their Acadian namesakes had settled; and at New Orleans.  One suspects that some of the Bertrands who lived in South Louisiana during the post-war period were Afro Creoles once owned by members of the family or whose progenitor bore the given name "Bertrand": 

Simon Bertrand, husband of Acadian Céleste Landry, died at Ascension on the river in October 1820, age 45.   

Benjamin Bertrand married French Creole Marie Susie Dué, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Louis Armogène was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in August 1826.  

Louis Bertrand married Marie Delphine Bertrand by the early 1830s, place unrecorded, and settled in Assumption Parish on upper Bayou Lafourche.  

Thomas or Théophile Bertrand married Françoise Boyle or Boid, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Irène Pauline Élizée was born near Baton Rouge in June 1840, Marie in August 1843, Marie Louise Palmire in October 1844.  Daughter Irène married into the LeBlanc family (French Creole, not Acadian) at Baton Rouge in December 1855.  

Jean Bertrand married Marie Faye or Fayte, widow of Paul Scotto, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1843.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  

Théophile, son of Raphaël Bertrand and Élisabeth Painquinet, married Joséphine, daughter of Paul Chrysostôme Lupé, at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, in October 1843; the priest who recorded the marriage did not say where Théophile was born.  Their son Joseph Raphaël was born near Baton Rouge in April 1846, Jean Chrysostôme in December 1849, Théophile, fils in August 1859, and René Hickey, called Hickey, in August 1862 but died at age 7 months the following March.  Théophile died near Baton Rouge, age unrecorded, in July 1866.   

Henry Bertrand died in Lafourche Interior Parish by January 1846, when his succession inventory was filed at the Thibodaux courthouse.  The parish clerk did not record his parents' names or mention a wife.  

Marie Bertrand, native of Lyon, France, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in January 1846, age 25.  The Thibodaux priest who recorded her burial did not give her parents' names or mention a husband or children.  

Jacob Bertrand, "native of Europe," died near Convent, St. James Parish, in September 1848, age 25.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give Jacob's parents' names or mention a wife.  

Joseph Auguste, called Auguste and sometimes G. Auguste, Bertrand married Louise Bertrand, place and date unrecorded, and settled at False River, Pointe Coupee Parish.  Their son Mathieu Oscar was born probably at False River in September 1849, Eugène was baptized at the Pointe Coupee church, age 16 months, in April 1853, and Auguste, fils was baptized there, age 15 months, in October 1856.  In August 1850, the federal census taker in Pointe Coupee Parish counted 3 slaves--a 38-year-old female, a 4-year-old male, and a 2-year-old female, all mulattoes--on August Bertrand's farm.  

In July 1850, the federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 3 slaves--all males, all black, ages 36, 29, and 19, the 26-year-old blind--in P. A. Bertrand's household in New Orleans Ward 1 of Municipality 1.  That same month, the census taker in New Orleans Ward 4 of Municipality 1 counted a single slave--a 27-year-old mulatto female--in ____ Bernard's household.  

In August 1850, the federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 5 slaves--2 males and 3 females, all mulattoes except for 1 black, ranging in age from 39 to 5--in J. Bertrand's household in New Orleans Ward 5 of Municipality 1, and 2 slaves--both female, both black, ages 28 and 7--in Jean Bertrand's household in the same ward.  That same month, the census taker in New Orleans Ward 3 of Municipality 3 counted a single slave--a 36-year-old black female--in M. Bertrand's household.  

In September 1850, the federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 3 slaves--a male and 2 females, all black, ages 35, 27, and 10--in Jean Bertrand's household in New Orleans Ward 5 of Municipality 1.  

In October 1850, the federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted a single slave--a 40-year-old black female--in Mrs. Bertrand's household in New Orleans Ward 5 of Municipality 1.  

In December 1850, the federal census taker in Lafourche Interior Parish counted a single slave--a 30-year-old black female--on John Bertrand's farm along the bayou.  In 1860, the federal census taker in Lafourche Parish counted a single slave--a 50-year-old black female--on Mrs. Jean Blanchard's farm in the parish's Eighth Ward.  This was probably the same slave counted in the household in 1850.

In December 1850, the federal census taker in Natchitoches Parish counted 6 slaves--3 males and 3 females, all black except for 1 mulatto, ranging in age from 33 years to 3 months--on C. Bertrand's farm.  

Jean Baptiste Bertrand married Hortense Lebeau, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Polyxene married Jean Grouzard at the Pointe Coupee church in August 1850, daughter Marie Felonise married Narcisse Beauvais there in July 1851, and daughter Emma married Pierre François Verneuil there in January 1856. 

Jean Pierre, called Pierre, Bertrand married Éloise or Héloise Decuir, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Pierre, fils was born in Pointe Coupee Parish in March 1851, Armand Bernard in July 1857 but, called Armand, died at age 8 (the recording priest said "7 years, 8 days") in August 1865, and Jean was born in March 1865.

Paul Bertrand married Mary Robertson, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Nathalie Phelonise was born near Baton Rouge in September 1851.  

François Bertrand married Acadian Irma Aucoin, place and date unrecorded.  Son Joseph was born near Labadieville, Assumption Parish, in October 1851.  

Henry, son of Raymond Bertrand and Marie Bernard of Grenoble, France, married Prussian German Pauline Huicke at the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, in October 1851.  

Joseph Bertrand, "res. False River," died in Pointe Coupee Parish, age 6, in June 1852.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give any parents' names. 

Barthélémy Bertrand, native of Callas, Department of Var, France, a baker's assistant, died in St. James Parish at the home of a fellow baker and neighbor, Mr. Dequoir, in September 1853.  Barthélémy was age 33.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give Barthélémy's parents' names or mention a wife.  

Louis Bertrand married, place and date unrecorded, Angeline LeBlanc, who probably was Acadian, and settled near Baton Rouge by the late 1850s.  

Eusèbe Bertrand married Acadian Marie Hébert, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Paulin Dalfenes was born in Lafourche Parish in June 1858.  

Pierre Hermengelde Besse or Basse Bertrand married Acadian Marie or Marine Landry, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Omer Hermenegilde was born in Assumption Parish in September 1858.

Clément Bernard married Léocadie Olivia, daughter of Acadian Paulin Gaudin, place and date unrecorded.  Their son François Xavier was born near St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in April 1860, Olivier in December 1865 and baptized at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in January 1867, and Joseph Osémé was born near Lockport, Lafourche Parish, in February 1868.  

In June 1860, the federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 2 slaves--both females, both black, ages 35 and 24--in Mrs. J. Bertrand's household in New Orleans Ward 2.  That same month, the census taker in New Orleans Ward 10 counted 5 slaves--2 males and 3 females, all black, ranging in age from 36 to 8--in Celest Bertrand's household.  

Xavier, son of Éloi Bertrand and Adélaïde Giard of Verchere, Canada, married Roséma Zulmée, daughter of Acadians Élie Landry and Anne Rosalie Boudreaux, at the Labadieville church, Assumption Parish, in July 1860. 

Hicky Bertrand died near Baton Rouge, age 7 months, in March 1863.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give the boy's parents' names. 

Léopold Bertrand married Olympiada Essureix, place and date unrecorded.  Son Bernise died near Convent, St. James Parish, age 5, in June 1863.   

Jean Émile Bertrand married Marie Angèlle Kroll, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Jean Armand was born in Ascension Parish in December 1867.

.

Throughout the antebellum period, dozens of Bertrands, who native Louisianians would have called Foreign French, arrived from ports in Mexico and Cuba as well as from France:  

Jean Bertrand, a 45-year-old planter from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Commodore Patterson out of Havana, Cuba, in April 1820.  He probably was a refugee from strife-torn Haiti.  

Joseph Bertrand, a 39-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, and 13-year-old Joseph Hyacinthe Bertrand, probably Joseph's son, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Édouard out of Le Havre, France, in April 1820.  They were on their way to Ohio.  

_____ Bertrand, a 23-year-old clerk and native of France, reached New Orleans about the ship New York Packet out of Bordeaux, France, in February 1823.  

Joseph Bertrand, a 28-year-old soldier from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Governor Henry out of Marseille in January 1826.  

J. Bertrand, a 25-year-old mechanic, J. P. Bertrand, a 27-year-old mechanic, and another J. Bertrand, a 28-year-old mechanic, all from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Meridian out of Bordeaux in January 1829.  They may have been brothers.  

____ Bertrand-Comte, age 23, and _____ Bertrand-Comte, age 21, probably brothers, both natives of France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Ann Louise out of Bordeaux in 1835.  

_____ Bertrand, a 20-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Olympia out of Le Havre, France, in January 1837.

Parfoit D. Bertrand, 17-year-old clerk from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Ville de Paris out of Le Havre in October 1838.  

Madeleine Bertrand, age 38, and M. Louise Bertrand, age 11, both natives of France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Ville de Bordeaux out of Le Havre in May 1839.  

John Bertrand, a 28-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Union out of Bordeaux in January 1840.  

_____ Bertrand, a 59-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Nathalie out of Bordeaux in April 1840.  

Alcide Bertrande, a 22-year-old tailor from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Helen Mac out of Bordeaux in April 1842.  

Conler(?)[sic] Bertrand, a 25-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship T Street out of Havana in March 1843.  

Michel Bertrand, a 27-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Wm. Bryan out of Port Lavaca, Texas, in April 1845.  

J. B. Bertrand, a 42-year-old merchant from France, and Nicolas Bertrand, a 39-year-old French farmer, perhaps kinsmen, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Brahma out of Le Havre in January 1846.   

Nicolas Bertrand, a 64-year-old weaver from France, Nicolas Bertrand, age 33, also a weaver, Catherine Bertrand, age 27, a weaver, Charles Bertrand, age 18, a weaver also, Jean-Georges Bertrand, age 4, Bertrand Bertrand, age 3, and Jacob Bertrand, age 1 1/2, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Aurélius out of Le Havre in December 1847.  They were heading to Mississippi.   

Louis Bertrand, a 35-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Vesta out of Le Havre in November 1848.  

Porte Bertrand, a 20-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Talma out of Bordeaux in November 1848.  

Marie-Antoine Bertrand, a 47-year-old male farmer from France, Peroline Bertrand, age 44, probably his wife, and Victorine-Hélène Bertrand, age 13, probably their daughter, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Brunswick out of Le Havre in December 1848.  

Ber. Bertrand, a 19-year-old laborer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Bengal out of Bordeaux in January 1850.  

X. Bertrand, a 27-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Pyramid out of Liverpool, England, in June 1850.  

François Bertrand, a 25-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Orlando out of Le Havre in August 1850.  

Anna Bertrand, a 32-year-old "lady" from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Ohio out of Le Havre in March 1851.  She was heading to Cuba.  

Pierre Bertrand, a 43-year-old cooper from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Adler out of Bordeaux in April 1851.  

Pierre Bertrand, a 51-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Isaac Bell out of Le Havre in November 1851.  Strangely, his destination was France.  

Jean Bertrand, a 26-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Windsor Fay out of Le Havre in May 1852.  

Charles Bertrand, a 24-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Niagara out of Le Havre in July 1852.  

.

Bertrands who lived in South Louisiana during the immediate post-war period were the result of the family's participation in the South's peculiar institution:

Ernestine Bertrand, affranchi [freedwoman] de Théogène Bertrand and daughter of Mary Brown, married Jean Baptiste Meyan, fils of West Baton Rouge Parish at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in September 1867. 

CONCLUSION

Bertrand is a common surname in France and French Canada, so it is no surprise that members of the family came early to Louisiana.  One of the earliest French Bertrand families settled near Natchitoches in the 1720s and spread northwestward, not southward, in the following decades, but most of the early Bertrands remained at New Orleans.  During the late 1700s, Acadian Bertrands came to the colony from France, as did more of their non-Acadian namesakes, resulting in a complex pattern of settlement in South Louisiana.  

Although several young Acadian Bertrand males came to Louisiana in 1785 aboard two of the Seven Ships from France, only one of them created a family of his own, and he had only one son, so the Acadian branch of the family is a very small part of the Bertrand presence in South Louisiana.  These few Acadian Bertrands remained on Bayou Lafourche.  The many Bertrands of the old Opelousas and Attakapas districts are French Canadians and French Creoles, not Acadians.  During the Spanish period, two French-Canadian brothers settled in what became St. Landry Parish; only a few of their descendants married Acadians.  About the same time, two sets of French-Creole brothers from the German Coast settled along upper and lower Bayou Teche and on the upper Vermilion before moving farther out into the western prairies; unlike their Canadian namesakes, however, these Bertrands favored Acadian spouses, as did their children and grandchildren.  Meanwhile, French-Creole and Foreign-French Bertrands settled on the river in East Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles parishes, and also emigrated to the Lafourche valley, settling near their Acadian namesakes already there.  New Orleans held a substantial population of Bertrands, both French Creole and Foreign French, from its earliest days up to the War Between the States.  ...

Dozens of Bertrands served Louisiana in uniform during the War of 1861.  Most of them, understandably, were non-Acadians. ...

By the twentieth century, many of the prairie Bertrands had moved on into East Texas.  ...

The family's name also is spelled Beltrand, Berterand, Berterant, Berthrand, Bertran, Bertrant.  [See Book Ten for the Acadian family's Louisiana "begats"]

Sources:  1850 U.S. Federal Census, Slave Schedules, Lafayette, Lafourche Interior, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, & St. Martin parishes; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Slave Schedules, Calcasieu, Lafayette, Lafourche, & St. Martin parishes; <acadian-home.org>; Arsenault, Généalogie, 429-30, 1105, 1539-40, 1685, 2185, 2207; Brasseaux, Foreign French, 1:48-49, 2:31-32, 3:27; BRDR, vols. 1a(rev.), 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; De La Roque "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2A:59, source of quotation; Hébert, D., Acadian in Exile, 30-32, 47, 273; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, vols. 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; NOAR, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; <islandregister.com/1752.html>; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/Supply.htm>, Family No. 25; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 10-11; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 11-13; West, Atlas of LA Surnames, 29-30, 152-53; White, DGFA-1, 134-39; White, DGFA-1 English, 30; Gerald Bertrand, descendant; Velia Bertrand, Jr., descendant (Bertrands in Louisiana).

Settlement Abbreviations 
(present-day civil parishes that existed in 1861 are in parenthesis; hyperlinks on the abbreviations take you to brief histories of each settlement):

For a chronology of Acadian Arrivals in Louisiana, 1764-early 1800s, see Appendix.

The hyperlink attached to an individual's name is connected to a list of Acadian immigrants for a particular settlement and provides a different perspective on the refugee's place in family and community. 

NOTES

01.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls her Adélaïde [BERTRAND], & lists her with her parents & 6 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13, Family No. 24, is her baptismal record at St.-Jacques, & shows her with the family of Jean BERTRAND on La Bergère; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls her Adélaïde, sa [Pierre BERTHRAND's] fille, age 7, on the embarkation list, does not include her on the debarkation list, calls her Adélaïde BERTRAND, his [Pierre BERTRAND's] daughter, age 7, on the complete listing, & says she was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with her parents & 6 siblings; BRDR, 2:87, 121 (ASM-2, 25), her marriage record, calls her Adélaïda BERTRAND of Nantes, France, says her husband was from St.-Malo, gives her & his parents' names, says her husband's father was deceased at the time of the marriage, & that the witnesses to her marriage were Pierre BOURQUE & Ambrosio HÉBERT; BRDR, 5(rev.):66 (ASM-3, 241), her death/burial record, calls her Adélaïde BERTRAND, age 55 yrs., wife of Francois BOURG, but does not give her parents' names.  

02.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls him Ambroise-Bélonny [BERTRAND], & lists him with his parents & 6 siblings; Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 30, his baptismal record at Notre-Dame, Le Havre, calls him Ambroise Bénony, gives his parents' names, & says his godparents were Ambroise BOURC, "an uncle," & Marie BERTRAND, "wife of Jean ROCHEFORT"; Robichaux, Acadians in Chatellerault, 11, calls him Bénony BERTRAND; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13, calls him Bénony BERTRAND & Ambroise-Bélony BERTRAND; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls him Amb[r]oise-Bélonny, fils [of Pierre BERTHRAND], journalier, age 18, on the embarkation list, does not include him on the debarkation list, calls him Ambroise-Bélony BERTRAND, son [of Pierre BERTRAND], laborer, age 18, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with his parents & 6 siblings; BRDR, 3:98 (ASM-3, 91), his death record, calls him Bélonio BERTRAND, age 48, single, & does not give his parents' names. 

Did he forgo marriage & a family to take care of his widowed mother, who died only a year before he did?

03.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls her Anne-Magdelene [BERTRAND], & lists her with her parents & 6 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13, Family No. 24, is her baptismal record at St.-Jacques, & shows her with the family of Jean BERTRAND on La Bergère; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls her Anne-Magdelene, à la mamelle, on the embarkation list, does not include her on the debarkation list, calls her Anne-Magdelaine BERTRAND, nursling, on the complete listing, & says she was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with her parents & 6 siblings.  See also Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13, Family No. 24.

04.  Wall of Names, 40, calls him Eustache BERTHRAND; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 10, Family No. 18, calls him Eustache BERTRAND, says he was born in c1743, calls his parents Jean BERTRAND & Françoise LEGER, says he was a ship's carpenter, & details his marriage, including his wife's parents' names; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 11, say he was born c1743.  See also Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 32, 164. 

Ages for him from the passenger list of L'Amitié & the Lafourche censuses of 1788 & 1791 disagree with the estimated birth year in Robichaux, cited above.  The estimated birth year used here is an average of the ages given in the passenger list & these censuses. 

05.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls him Jean-Augustin [BERTRAND], & lists him with his parents & 6 siblings; Hébert, Acadians in Exile, 30, his baptismal record at Tres-Ste.-Trinité, Cherbourg, gives his parents' names & says his godparents were Augustin D'ENTREMONT & Anne MOULAISON; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls him Jean-Augustin, fils [of Pierre BERTHRAND], journalier, age 15, on the embarkation list, does not include him on the debarkation list, calls him Jean-Augustin BERTRAND, son [of Pierre BERTRAND], laborer, age 15, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with his parents & 6 siblings.  See also Robichaux, Acadians in Chatellerault, 11; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13.

06.  Wall of Names, 40, calls him Joseph BERTHRAND; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 12, calls him Jean-Nicolas BERTRAND & Joseph BERTRAND, gives his parents' names, & details his family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s as well as its voyage to LA; NOAR, 4:28, 249 (SLC, M4, 44), his marriage record, calls him Juan BERTRAND, "native of Mique[*] in France," calls his wife Margarita PIKE, & says the witness to his marriage was Josef MARTINEZ; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-B:54-55 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.71), his burial record, calls him Nicolas BERTRAND, "inhabitant of Bayou de la fourche, married to Marguerite PITTRE," says he died "at age about 43 yrs.," but does not give his parents' names; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 1:67 (Thib.Ct.Hse.: Succ.: 1805), his succession inventory, calls him Nicholas BERTRAND m. Margaret PITRE, & says he died on 2 Dec 1805; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 1:66 (Thib.Ct.Hse.: Succ.: 1807), an inventory of property, calls him Jean Nicolas BERTRAND, & says the inventory was conducted by son Jean Baptiste.  See also Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 72-73; Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 42, 61, 95, 142, 173.

His estimated birth year is calculated from the ages given in the LA censuses, not his burial record.  Arsenault, Généalogie, 1540, the Chepoudy/Petitcoudiac section, calls him Jean & says he was born in c1764, no place given.  The census taker at Valenzuéla in 1791 called him Colas, short for Nicolas, so his full name was Jean-Nicolas, as revealed in the Valenzuéla censuses of 1795, 1797, & 1798, which called him Juan Nicolas & Nicolas. 

Why did he die at Opelousas and not at Assumption?  Was he visiting someone there at the time of his death?  This researcher has found no evidence that he settled there.  His was the only line of Acadian BERTRANDs to survive in the Bayou State, & they settled in the Lafourche valley, not on the western prairies amidst their many Creole namesakes. 

07.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls him Louis [BERTRAND], & lists him with his parents & 6 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13, is his baptismal record at St.-Jacques & shows him with the family of Jean BERTRAND on La Bergère; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls him Louis, fils [of Pierre BERTHRAND], age 2, on the embarkation list, does not include him on the debarkation list, calls him Louis BERTRAND, his [Pierre BERTRAND's] son, age 2, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with his parents & 6 siblings.  

He should not be confused with Louis-Martin, son of Eustache BERTRAND, who came to LA on L'Amitié.  

08.  Wall of Names, 40, calls him Louis-Martin BERTHRAND; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 12; BRDR, 3:98 (ASM-3, 96), his death/burial record, calls him Luis BERTRAND, age 35 yrs., single, & gives his parents' names.  See also Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth- Century Louisianians, 497; Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1777-98, 32, 164. 

When did he move from Ascension to Assumption?  Why is he not in the Assumption/Lafourche censuses of 1795, 1797, & 1798?

09.  Wall of Names, 40, calls her Magdeleine BERTHRAND; Robichaux, Acadians in Chatellerault, 10, calls her Madeleine-Marguerite; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 12, calls her Madeleine-Marguerite; BRDR, 2:87, 479 (ASC-2, 1), the record of her first marriage, calls her Magdelaine Margarita BERTRAND, does not give her or her husband's parents' names, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Eustachos BERTRAND [her father], Joseph GUIENNES, & Francois Bautista BOUDREAUX; BRDR, 2:88, 249 (ASC-2, 50), the record of her second marriage, calls her Maria Magdalena BERTRAND, widow of Moyses LEBLANC, says her husband was "of Paris," gives her & his parents' names, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Théodore DUGAS & Nicholas DOBLEIN.  

10.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls her Marie [BERTRAND], & lists her with her parents & 6 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in Chatellerault, 11, Family No. 20, her baptismal record, calls her Marie BERTRAND, & says her godparents were Jean-Francois DE LA MAZIERE & Ludivine MONEZEAU, "Acadians"; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13, Family No. 24; Hébert, D., Acadians Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls her Marie, sa [Pierre BERTHRAND's] fille, age 11, on the embarkation list, does not include her on the debarkation list, calls her Marie BERTRAND, his [Pierre BERTRAND's] daughter, age 11, on the complete listing, says she was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with her parents & 6 siblings, & that she was born in 1774 but gives no birthplace; BRDR, 2:87-88, 114 (ASC-2, 52), her marriage record, calls her Maria BERTRAND, gives her & her husband's parents' names, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Juan DAIGLE, Ambroise BERTRAND [her brother], & Joseph ROBICHO; NOAR, 6:24 (SLC, F4, 36), her death/burial record, calls her Maria BERTRAND, "native of city of Chatelmud, province of Poitou in France, 30 yr., sp. Juan Carlos BAUDREAU," & gives her parents' names in Spanish.

She should not be confused with her older sister Marie-Catherine, who was sometimes called Marie!  See below.

What was her family doing in New Orleans in 1796?  What killed her at such a young age?  Childbirth?  The priest who recorded her burial said that she was age 30 when she died, but she was only 22.  

11.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls her Catherine [BERTRAND], & lists her with her parents & 6 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 11; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 13; Hébert, D., Acadians Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls her Catherine, sa [Pierre BERTHRAND's] fille, age 13, on the embarkation list, does not include her on the debarkation list, calls her Catherine BERTRAND, his [Pierre BERTRAND's] daughter, age 13, on the complete listing, & says she was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with her parents & 6 siblings; BRDR, 3:98, 185 (ASC-2, 182), her marriage record, calls her Marie-Catherine BERTRAND, nat. Cherbourg, Normandie, France, says her husband was nat. Bretaigne, France, gives her & his parents' names, says that her father was deceased at the time of the marriage, & that the witnesses to her marriage were Louis DUFOUR, Bélonnie BERTRAND [her brother], & Marcel BRAUD; BRDR, 8:61 (ASM-10, 159), perhaps her death/burial record, calls her Marie BERTRAND, "age ca. 100 years," but does not give her parents' names or mention a husband.  See also Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 42, 60, 94, 144, 174. 

Wall of Names & Hebert, D., cited above, list daughters Catherine & Marie for Pierre BERTRAND & Catherine BOURG, but the Ascension censuses of 1788 & 1791, the Assumption censuses of 1795 & 1797, the Lafourche census of 1798, & her marriage record show that Catherine's full name was Marie-Catherine & that she was sometimes called Marie!  Robichaux's study of the Acadians in France manage to keep the 2 sisters straight.

Despite what her burial record says, she was "only" 84 years old when she died.  She was one of the last of the Acadian immigrants in LA to join our ancestors. 

12.   Wall of Names, 40, calls her Marie-Geneviève BERTHRAND.  See also Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 10; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 12.

Did she survive the crossing from France? 

13.  Wall of Names, 40, calls her Marie-Josèphe BERTHRAND; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 12; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 1:66 (Thib.Ch.: v. 1, p. 23), perhaps her death/burial record, calls her Marie [BERTRAND], says she died "at age 46 yrs.," but does not give her parents' names or mention a husband & children.

Did she ever marry & have children?

14.  Wall of Names, 30 (pl. 7L), calls him Pierre BERTRAND, & lists him with his wife & 7 children; Arsenault, Généalogie, 1105, calls him Pierre-Jacques BERTRAND, says he was born in 1734 but gives no place of birth, gives his parents' names, & details his marriage, including the names of his wife's parents; Robichaux, Acadians in Chatellerault, 10-11, Family No. 20, calls him Pierre-Jacques BERTRAND, says he was born c1734 but gives no place of birth, gives his parents' names, says they were from "Pobomecoup," which probably was his birth place, that he was a seaman, details his marriage, including his wife's parents' names, provides the birth/baptismal record of daughter Marie, baptized 2 Mar 1774 at St.-Jean L'Evangeliste, Châtellerault, goddaughter of Jean-Francois DE LA MAZIERE & Ludivine MONEZEAU, "Acadians," & details the family's participation in the Grand Ligne settlement in Poitou; Acadians in Nantes, 13, Family No. 24, calls him Pierre BERTRAIND, says he was born c1734 but gives no place of birth, that he was a seaman, provides the birth/baptismal & death/burial records of 5 of his children, son Francois, baptized 27 Nov 1776, St.-Jacques, Nantes, died 6 Jan 1777, Nantes, daughter Adélaïde, baptized 21 Dec 1777, St.-Jacques, Nantes, son Louis, baptized 22 Sep 1782, St.-Jacques, Nantes, son Francois, died age 3, buried 22 Dec 1782, St.-Jacques, Nantes, & daughter Anne-Madeleine, baptized 3 Mar 1785, St.-Jacques, Nantes, & details the family's participation in the Grand Ligne settlement as well as its voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 18-19, calls him Pierre BERTHRAND, manoevre, age 54, on the embarkation list, Pierre BERTRAND, on the debarkation list, & Pierre BERTRAND, manual labor[sic], age 54, on the complete listing, says he was in the 30th Family aboard La Bergère with his wife & 7 children, details his marriage, calling him Pierre-Jacques & including the names of his & his wife's parents, says daughter Marie was born in 1774 but gives no birth place, & lists the implements the Spanish gave to him & his family after they reached LA.  See also Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1777-98, 42, 174. 

His estimated birth year is taken not from Arsenault or Robichaux's studies of the Acadians in France but from the passenger list of La Bergère and the Ascension censuses of 1788 & 1791.  

15.  Not in Wall of Names.  NOAR, 7:28 (SLC, F4, 104), his burial record, calls him Juan Thomas BERTRAND, calls his parents Juan [BERTRAND] & Marie LE BORGNE, "natives of Habre de la Baleine on Isle Royale in the Diocese of Québec, residents of this parish," says his wife was Bernarda BERTRAND, & that he was "cir. 60 yrs." at the time of his death.  See also De La Roque, "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2A:59, source of quotation.

There is no doubt that Jean-Thomas BERTRAND was an Acadian and should be included on the Acadian Memorial's Wall of Names.  Arsenault, Généalogie, 2001-02, the Île Royale section, calls his father Jean, son of François BERTRAND & Jeanne GIRAUDET of Plaisance, Newfoundland, details Jean-Thomas's parents' marriage, including his mother's parents' names, says his mother died in 1753 but does not say where, & that his parents' children were Jean born in 1718 & died in 1740, Marguerite born in 1721, René born in 1722, Pierre born in 1725, François born in 1728, Jean-Thomas born in 1730, Pierre born in 1732, Françoise born in 1735, & another François born in 1735 but gives no birthplaces, & says the family settled at La Baleine, Île Royale; White, DGFA-1, 136, his father's profile, calls his father Jean BERTRAND, gives his father's parents' names, says his father was born at Plaisance, Newfoundland, but gives no date, that his father was counted at Newfoundland in 1691, 1693, & 1694, details his parents' marriage, including his mother's parents' names, & says his father died before 1749. 

His estimated birth year is based on the age given in his burial record, not from Arsenault's guesstimate.  If Jean-Thomas's burial record says his parents were residents of New Orleans, does this mean that they, too, emigrated to LA from greater Acadia?  Or does the New Orleans priest mean to say that Jean-Thomas & his wife, not his parents, were residents of the city?  White & Arsenault say that Jean-Thomas's parents died in Acadia.  Note that in the Île Royale census of 1752, the French official De La Roque calls his mother a widow. 

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