APPENDICES

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

JEANSONNE

[jzonh-SONH]

ACADIA

William, called "Billy," Johnson, a native of Scotland, came to Port-Royal in the autumn of 1710 as a British soldier.  He got into trouble with his superiors, was branded on the forehead with the crow's foot, the sign of a thief, and expelled from the garrison.  Undaunted, Billy sought refuge in the nearby Acadian community, denounced Protestantism, and became a Catholic.  In c1714, he "married" Isabelle, a daughter of Jean Corporon and Françoise Savoie, at Annapolis Royal and "became" an Acadian.  Seven years before, in September 1707, Isabelle had given birth to a natural son, Louis dit Beaulieu, by Sr. René Fontaine, "a clerk in M. Raudot's office of the Marine in France," and in September 1713 she gave birth to a natural daughter, Marie, whose father's identity has been lost to history.  She may have borne natural children by Billy Johnson before they married.  Among his Acadian in-laws, Billy was called Guillaume Johnson dit JeansonHis four sons, all born at Annapolis Royal, created families of their own in the Annapolis Basin.  He and his wife had no daughters.  Billy died at Annapolis Royal before 27 March 1732, when René LeBlanc sought a petition against "the Widow Johnson, who had prevented him from taking possession of his house at [Annapolis] Royal."  

Oldest son Jean-Baptiste dit Jeanson, born in January 1715, married Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Pierre Lord and Jeanne Doucet, at Annapolis Royal in February 1743. 

Charles, born in July 1717, married Marie, daughter of Joseph Aucoin and Anne Trahan, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1744.  

Thomas dit Jeanson, born in June 1719, married first to Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Alexandre Girouard and Marie Le Borgne de Bélisle and widow of Louis Dugas, at Annapolis Royal in January 1742, and then to another Marie-Josèphe, this one daughter of Claude Granger and Jeanne Guilbeau and widow of Denis dit Jean-Baptiste Petitot dit Saint-Seine, at L'Assomption, Québec, in October 1768 during Le Grand Dérangement.

Youngest son Guillaume dit Billy, born in July 1722, married Marie-Josèphe dite Josette, daughter of Pierre Aucoin and Catherine Comeau, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1743.

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

In 1755, descendants of "Billy" Johnson dit Jeanson could still be found at Annapolis Royal.  

LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT

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

LOUISIANA:  RIVER SETTLEMENTS

Descendants of "Billy" Johnson the wayward soldier were among the earliest Acadians who found refuge in Louisiana.  Most likely all of the Jeansons who came to the colony reached New Orleans from Halifax via St.-Domingue in 1765.  They settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river above New Orleans where 20 Acadians from Georgia had settled the year before:

According to the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville, Charles Jeanson, fils, age 20, came to Louisiana with three younger siblings--Jean, age 19, Marie, age 18, and Paul, age 10.  Interestingly, only Jean and Paul appear in the Cabanocé/St.-Jacques census of April 1766, and not in the same household.  Paul appears in the censuses of 1766 and 1769 as a young orphan with the family of Claude-Amable Duhon.  Jean married Anastasie, daughter of fellow Acadian Amand Préjean, at either Cabanocé or nearby Ascension in the late 1760s.  Spanish officials counted him, his wife, and brother Paul on the right, or west, bank of the river at Ascension in August 1770.  

Joseph Jeanson, Jean and Paul's first cousin, would have been only 17 in 1765.  Although, like cousins Charles and Marie, he does not appear in any of the early Cabanocé/St.-Jacques or Ascension censuses, he may have come to colony with his Jeanson cousins and settled at Cabanocé.  

The Jeansons did not remain on the river.  Marie married French Creole Philippe Langlois perhaps at Cabanocé in c1770 .  Spanish officials counted them at Opelousas, west of the Atchafalaya Basin, the following year.  Evidently brother Jean, his wife, and brothers Paul and Charles followed their sister to the prairies.  They, too, were counted at Opelousas in October 1774.  

LOUISIANA:  WESTERN SETTLEMENTS

In the early 1770s, the Jeanson siblings--Charles, fils, Jean, Marie, and Paul--led by Marie, crossed the Atchafalaya Basin and settled in the Opelousas District, where Marie and her husband were counted in 1771 and all four of the siblings in 1774.  By May 1777, all of the Jeansons in Louisiana had settled on the Opelousas prairie, including cousin Joseph.  Two of the brothers married, and one did not.  Cousin Joseph likely married.  The two brothers who married set down deep roots in the wide, open prairies of today's St. Landry Parish:  

Descendants of Charles JEANSONNE, fils (c1745-1790s; William/Billy)

Charles, fils, eldest son of Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, born at Annapolis Royal in c1745, followed his family into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and then to a prisoner camp in British Nova Scotia.  He most likely came to Louisiana in 1765 with three of his younger siblings.  They settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques and Ascension on the river before moving to the Opelousas District in the early 1770s.  He first appears in Louisiana records at Opelousas in 1774, still a bachelor.  Spanish officials counted him at Opelousas in May 1777; he was still a bachelor and in his early 30s.  He married Marie-Rose, called Rose, daughter of fellow Acadians Cosme Brasseaux and Élisabeth Thibodeau of Grand-Pré and Maryland, probably at Opelousas in c1777.  Their daughter married into the Clark family.  Charles's first succession was filed at Opelousas in May 1788, years before his death.  He died by May 1796, probably in his late 40s, when his wife was listed in an Opelousas census as a widow.  She remarried to Walter Mills in the late 1790s and followed him to Avoyelles Parish.

1

Oldest son Louis-Marie or Auguste-Louis, called Louis, baptized at Opelousas, age unrecorded, in May 1779, married Lise, daughter of French Creole Jean-Baptiste Demaré or Desmarets, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in August 1810.  Their child, perhaps a son, name and age unrecorded, died in St. Landry Parish in April 1812, Auguste Louis, fils, called Louis, was born in April 1816, Cyprien Louis in March 1821, Gérard in November 1834, and twins Jean and Pierre in May 1838.  Their daughters married into the Gaspard, Hargrave, and Reed families.

1a

Cyprien Louis married cousin Azema, daughter of French Creole Jean Baptiste Desmarets, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1840.  Their son Jean Baptiste le jeune was born in St. Landry Parish in November 1844, and Louis le jeune in December 1846.  Cyprien Louis's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in August 1851; he was was age 30 that year. 

1b

Auguste Louis, fils married Hyacinthe, daughter of Scots American Henry McCauley, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1843.  Their son Théodule was born in St. Landry Parish in December 1843, Jean Pierre in July 1851, and Gérard le jeune in March 1858.  Their daughter married into the Frugé family.  Auguste Louis, fils, in his early 40s, remarried to Céline, 22-year-old daughter of French Creole Jean Baptiste Frugé, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1860.  Their son Gustave was born in St. Landry Parish in May 1861, Osmin in October 1863, and François Villeneuve near Grand Coteau in January 1869.

2

Charles, fils, baptized at Opelousas, age 5 months, in November 1781, married Joséphine, daughter of French Creole Baptiste Guillory of Avoyelles, at Opelousas in October 1806.  Their son Louis le jeune, perhaps also called Don Louis, was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1812, and Aloyse, also called Florence, in October 1816.  Their daughter married into the Smith family.  Charles, fils may have remarried to Hélène Geofriant, Jeanprion, or Jeaufriant in his late middle age.  Their son Paul was born in St. Landry Parish in March 1844, Napoléon, perhaps also called Léon, in June 1848, Apollinaire in September 1849, and Hilaire near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in April 1855. 

2a

Louis le jeune, by his father's first wife, may have married fellow Acadian Delphine Broussard.  Their son Jean Pierre was born in St. Landry Parish in August 1843, and Louis, fils in March 1848.

2b

Aloyse, called Florence by the recording priest, from his father's first wife, married Azéline Louis Charles, daughter of fellow Acadian Louis Charles Pitre, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1846.  Their son Florence, fils was born in St. Landry Parish in August 1853.  Their daughter married into the Fuselier family. 

2c

Paul, by his father's second wife, may have married Athanaise Brunet or Billeaudeau.  Their son Prosper was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in January 1867. 

2d

Léon, by his father's second wife, may have married Marie Charite Ives.  Their son Austin was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in February 1868. 

3

Jean-Baptiste, called Baptiste, born at Opelousas in September 1783, may have married fellow Acadian Judique Broussard in St. Landry Parish during the early antebellum period.  Their daughter married into the De Ville family.  Jean Baptiste may have died in St. Landry Parish in July 1845; the priest who recorded his burial said that Jean Baptiste died "at age 57 yrs.," but this one would have been closer to 61.  One wonders if he fathered any sons. 

4

Youngest son Joseph le jeune, born at Opelousas June 1784, may have died young.

Descendants of Jean JEANSONNE (c1746-c1822; William/Billy)

Jean, second son of Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, born at Annapolis Royal in c1746, followed his family into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and then to a prisoner of war camp in Nova Scotia.  He most likely came to Louisiana in 1765 with three of his siblings.  They settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques.  Jean married Anastasie, daughter of fellow Acadians Amand Préjean and his first wife Madeleine Martin, on the river in the late 1760s.  Spanish officials counted them on the right, or west, bank of the river at Ascension in 1770.  By 1774, they had moved to the Opelousas District.  Their daughters married into the De Ville, Fontenot, Fuselier, Guillory, Ledoux, and Ritter families.  Jean's succession record was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in March 1822; he would have been in his late 70s that year.  Only two of his five sons seem to have created families of their own. 

1

Oldest son Jean-Baptiste, born probably at Opelousas in the early 1770s, married Isabelle, daughter of French Creole Pierre Joubert, at Opelousas in November 1797; Isabelle's mother was a Pitre.  Their son, name unrecorded, born at Opelousas in c1800, died at age 2 in October 1802, Jean-Baptiste, fils, called Baptiste, baptized at Opelousas, age unrecorded, in December 1800, died the same day, Pierre was baptized at Opelousas, age 2 months, in September 1803, a child, name unrecorded, perhaps a son, died 19 days after its birth in July 1805, and another child, name unrecorded, died "as a child" in August 1805.  After the death of his wife, Jean Baptiste filed a succession record at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in April 1817.  Jean Baptiste, whom the recording priest described as a resident of Prairie de Langlois, "Captain of Militia and president of the members de l'admistration de cette eglise (of the church administration)," remarried to Marie Françoise, daughter of French Creole Henry Fontenot of Grande Prairie, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1817.  Jean Baptiste's postmortem succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in August 1822; it names his widow, so he was dead by then; he would have been in his late 40s or early 50s that year.  He probably died at his home on Prairie Ronde.  

Pierre, by his first wife, married Clarisse, daughter of French Creole Joseph Andrépont, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1823.  Their son Pierre, fils was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1829.  Their daughters married into the Saucier and Vasseur families. 

Pierre, fils married Sophie, daughter of French Creole Hubert Doucet, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in May 1850, and sanctified the marriage at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1869.

2

André, born at Opelousas in c1777, died in St. Landry Parish in March 1812.  The priest who recorded his burial said that André died "at age 30 yrs,", but, according to Acadian genealogist Bona Arsenault, he was closer to 35.  André probably did not marry.  

3

Auguste or Augustin, baptized at Opelousas, age 2 months, in September 1782, married Marie, daughter of French Creole François Guillory, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in March 1810.  Their son Augustin, fils was baptized at the Opelousas church, age 2 months, in September 1812, Paulin, a twin, called Babolin, was born in June 1818, Joseph died at age 1 1/2 months in January 1821, Aurelien was born in December 1822, Terence in December 1828, and Jean Gerasime, called Gerasime, in May 1836.  Their daughters married into the Lavergne (French Canadian, not Acadian) and Pitre families.  Augustin, père died in St. Landry Parish in December 1847; the Opelousas priest who recorded his burial said that Augustin died "at age 62 yrs.," but he was 65; his succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse later that month. 

3a

Paulin, called Babolin by the recording priest and Olin by the recording parish clerk, married Amelina, Alevine, Aveline, Avelina, or Evelina, daughter of French Canadian Joseph Lavergne, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1837; Aveline's mother was a Richard.  Their son Joseph was baptized at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, age 2 months, in May 1838, Babolin, fils was born in October 1839, Gustave François in February 1849, and Louis Ophela in July 1852 but died at Washington, St. Landry Parish, age 11, in December 1863.  Their daughters married into the Gautreaux and Lebarge families.  Babolin's succession record was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in July 1852; he would have been only age 34 that year. 

3b

Augustin, fils married Céleste or Célestine C., daughter of fellow Acadian Charles Pitre and widow of Auguste Ledoux, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1849; Augustin, fils was in his late 30s at the time of the wedding, so one wonders if this was his first marriage.  Their son Bruno Darmas was born in St. Landry Parish in October 1858 but died at age 7 1/2 in August 1866, and Paul Augustin was born in November 1860.  Their daughters married into the Boudreaux family, and perhaps into the Whilock family as well.  Augustin, fils died "at Plaquemine" in October 1870; the Opelousas  priest who recorded the burial, and who did not bother to give any parents' names or even mention a wife, said that Augustin died "at age 60 yrs.," but he was 58; his succession, naming his wife, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse a few days after his passing. 

3c

Aurelien married Céleste Pierre, daughter of fellow Acadian Pierre Pitre and widow of Napoléon Frulette, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1856.  Their son Louis Durel was born in St. Landry Parish in June 1859.  ...

3d

Gerasime married Marie Melina, called Melina, daughter of Jean Baptiste Rider, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1861.  Gerasime died at Bois Mallet, near present-day Eunice, a notorious Jayhawker hideout, in October 1863; the Opelousas priest who recorded his burial said that "Gerasin" died "age 23 yrs.," but he was 27.  One wonders if his death was war-related. 

4

Jean, fils, was buried at Opelousas, "a boy," age unrecorded, in January 1793.  

5

Youngest son Hippolyte, born at Opelousas in c1787, died at age 12 in January 1799.  

Joseph JEANSONNE (c1748-1806; William/Billy)

Joseph, likely another son of Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, was born probably at Annapolis Royal in c1748, followed his family into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and then to a prisoner of war camp in Nova Scotia.  He may have come to Louisiana in 1765 with his brothers from Halifax, but he does not appear in Louisiana records until May 1777, when he was counted as a 29-year-old bachelor at Opelousas.  If he did come to the colony in 1765, he, too, likely lived for a time at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river.  He may have married Scholastique, daughter of fellow Acadians Paul Leger and Marie Savoie, at Opelousas in the 1780s.  Joseph died at Opelousas in October 1806; the priest who recorded his burial said that Joseph was age 55 when he died, but he was closer to 58.  Did he father any children? 

Paul JEANSONNE (c1755-?; William/Billy)

Paul, third and youngest son of Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, born probably at Annapolis Royal in c1755, followed his family into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and then to a prisoner of war camp in Nova Scotia.  He most likely came to Louisiana in 1765 with his three older siblings.  They settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques, where Paul was counted in 1766 and 1769 on the right, or west, bank of the river, with the family of fellow Acadian Claude-Amable Duhon.  In 1770, still in his teens, he was living with older brother Jean on the right bank of the river at Ascension.  He followed his brother Jean to the Opelousas District in the early 1770s and was counted there, still a bachelor, in 1774 and 1777.  He evidently never married.  

Other JEANSONNEs on the Western Prairies

Area church and civil records make it difficult to link many Jeansonnes in the western parishes, especially in St. Landry Parish, with known Acadian lines of the family there:

Raphaël Jeansonne married Marcellite Salon, place and date unrecorded.  Their daughter Eléonore died near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, age 8 months, in November 1837. 

Neuville Jeansonne married French Creole Rosalie Labarde, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Émile was born in St. Landry Parish in March 1844. 

Adélaïde Jean Baptiste Jeansonne married Acadius, also called Arcadis, Buller in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1850.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names.  A succession for Adélaïde, naming her husband, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in April 1859.  One wonders how old she may have been? 

Marie Jeansonne married Dorsin Jean Lacasse or Lacaze in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1850.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names.  Her succession, calling her Marie A. and naming her husband but not her parents, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in March 1854. 

Marie Jeansonne married Louis Deville in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in My 1851.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names. 

Adelphine Louis Jeansonne married Joseph Lewis Howell in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1851.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names. 

Zéline J. Jeansonne married Aurelien L. Fontenot in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in August 1854.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the bride's parents' names. 

John Jeansonne married Adélaïde Guidry, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Marie Mathilda was born near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in July 1855, Marie Lodoisca in July 1858, and Edmonia in February 1859. 

Laurent Jeansonne married Auline Richard Pitre, place and date unrecorded.  Son Louis was born in St. Landry Parish in December 1855. 

Léon Jeansonne married Charite or Charity Yve, Yves, or Ives in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in June 1856.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names.  Daughter Émelie was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in April 1857, Marguerite in St. Landry Parish in May 1859, and son Thomas near Ville Platte in October 1865. 

Salomon Jeansonne married Célestine Letourneur, place and date unrecorded.  Son Albert Varie was born in St. Landry Parish in July 1856, daughter Marie Corinne in August 1857, and Marie Cora in August 1859. 

Félicité Jean Jeansonne's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in February 1857.  The parish clerk who filed the document did not give her parents' names or mention a husband.  Was she the Félcité, daughter of Jean Jeansonne, baptized at the Opelousas church, age unrecorded, in August 1789 who married Louis Fuselier at Opelousas in 1810? 

Edvise, daughter of Joseph Jeansonne, married David Clark, Jr. in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1857.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the bride's mother's name. 

Joachin Jeansonne married Marie Anne Lacomb, place and date unrecorded.  Son Benoît was born in St. Landry Parish in April 1857.  A succession for Joachim Jeansonne, naming his wife, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse the following August.  Daughter Louisa married into the Miller family. 

Narcisse Jeansonne married Marcellite or Marceline Clark, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1857.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Their daughter Marceline was born in St. Landry Parish in October 1858, and son Joseph Martin near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in April 1866. 

Élodie Jeansonne married Ulysse Billaudeau in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in December 1858.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the bride's parents' names.  One suspects her parents were Charles Jeansonne III and his second wife Hélène Geofriant

Deneige Jeansonne married Louis Deville in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1859.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names. 

Thérèse Jeansonne married Charles Clay in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1858.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage gave no parents' names. 

Irma Jeansonne married Lewis Hayes in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in December 1859.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names. 

Susan Jeansonne married Valcour Lafleur in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1860.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage gave no parents' names. 

A succession for Julia Ann Jeansonne, wife of Jacob Lyons, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in November 1860.  The parish clerk who recorded the succession did not give Julia Anna's parents' names. 

.

Families who lived in St. Landry Parish during the antebellum period and were called Jeansonne in area church and civil records cannot be linked by those records to other Jeansonnes in the area.  Some, if not all, of them may have been Anglo Americans named Johnson

Descendants of Joseph JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?; William/Billy?)

Joseph Jeansonne or Johnson married German Creole Sophie Marks, place and date unrecorded.  Their daughter married into the Fontenot family.

1

Hippolyte, perhaps their son, married Anglo American Louisa Reed in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in September 1834. Their son Omer was baptized at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, age 7 months, in April 1843, Jean Baptiste was born in March 1845, Anam in August 1848, and Anderson in July 1850.  None of their daughters married by 1870. 

2

Gérard Joseph married Célise Don Louis Philippe, daughter of French Creole Don Louis Philip Fontenot, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1842, and sanctified the marriage at the Opelousas church in April 1843.  Their son Jean Louis was baptized at the Opelousas church, age 5 months, in April 1843, Gervais was born in February 1849, and Géramb or Gérard, fils in December 1850. 

3

Joseph, fils, perhaps their son, married Nancy dite Manette or Annette Carpenter or Charpentier in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in April 1848.  Their son Léonard was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1849, Louis in December 1853, William in June 1860, and daughter Sera near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in January 1865. 

Descendants of Gilbert JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?; William/Billy?)

Gilbert Jeansonne or Johnson married Barbara Baret or Barret probably in St. Landry Parish. 

1

Older son Gilbert, fils, born in St. Landry Parish in April 1838, may have married Sarah Hansley in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in August 1869. 

2

Younger son Abraham was born in St. Landry Parish in February 1844.  

Descendants of Jean Baptiste JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?; William/Billy?)

Jean Baptiste Jeansonne or Johnson married French Creole Marcelline Mayeux, place and date unrecorded.  Was Jean Baptiste Anglo American or Acadian?  Their daughter did not marry by 1870. 

1

Oldest son Benoît, born in St. Landry Parish in May 1839, married Anglo-American Louise Clark probably in St. Landry Parish in the late 1850s. They settled near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish. Their twin sons John David and Léonard were born in March 1860, Benoît, fils in March 1861, and daughter Melina in January 1865.

2

Jean Baptiste, fils, was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1841. 

3

Youngest son Ambroise, born in St. Landry Parish in February 1844, may have married French Creole Edrige or Edvise Ardoin in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1867.  They settled near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish.  Their son Élie was born in October 1870. 

Descendants of Saintville JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?; William/Billy?)

Saintville Jeansonne or Johnson married French Creole Pauline Guillory in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1844, and remarried to French Creole Coralie Billeaudeau in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1848.  Their daughters may have married into the Daumont and Fontenot families.  (So who was the Saintville Jeansonne who married Anne Kennison, widow of Louis George Stelly, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1848?)

1

Older son Lucius, by his father's second wife, born in St. Landry Parish in December 1851, married Apolline, 21-year-old daughter of French Creole André Vidrine, at the Ville Platte church, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in December 1869. 

2

Younger son Michel, by his father's second wife, was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1855 and married Gabrielle Eugénie, 15-year-old daughter of ____ Gournet and Marie John Davis, at the Ville Platte Baptist church in January 1875. 

NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA

Frenchmen, Anglos, and even Scandinavians with surnames similar to the Acadian Jeansonnes lived in South Louisiana during the late colonial period, and non-Acadian Johnsons and Jonsons emigrated to South Louisiana during the antebellum period.  They settled at New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Pointe Coupee, but they also lived in predominantly-Acadian communities on the river in Ascension and St. James parishes, along bayous Lafourche and Terrebonne, on lower Bayou Teche, and on the western prairies.  Some of them married Acadians.  During these periods, Johnsons who lived in South Louisiana were Afro Creoles who either had been owned by members of the family or were descendants of slaves or freedman named John: 

Jean-Joseph, son of Joseph Jeanseaume and Marie Arnaud of Caillols, near Marseille, France, was a bachelor living at New Orleans when he died there in August 1803.   The priest who recorded his burial said that Jean-Joseph died at age "cir. 50 yr." 

William Johnson settled in the old Opelousas District.  He was neither Acadian, nor French Creole, nor Anglo American but was from Copenhagen, Denmark.  He married Thérèse Ritter, a German Creole, and fathered a large family that settled near Grand Coteau, not far from his Acadian namesakes.  William Jeansonne, perhaps a son of William Johnson, married Melissa Meche, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Emma was born near Grand Coteau in December 1855, and Mathilde in October 1858.  Joseph, son of William Jeansonne, perhaps son or grandson of this William Johnson, was born near Grand Coteau in March 1860 and died "at age a few days." 

Joseph, fils, son of Joseph Jeansonne, perhaps Johnson, and Sophie Guilleau of Avoyelles, married, at age 25, Sophie, daughter of Jean Chapman or Jacqueman and Manette Roy, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in February 1835. 

Joshua, son of Abraham Jeansonne, probably Johnson, and Eléonore Lasage, married, at age 19, Marie Anne or Maryann, 16-year-old daughter of Christophe Lacombe and Charlotte Bolk or Buck, at the Opelousas church in April 1836.  Their daughter Louisa was born near Opelousas in February 1838. 

Sophia, daughter of Paul Jeansonne, probably Johnson, and Élisa ____, married John P. Stanley in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1855. 

A succession for Robert E. Jeansonne, probably Johnson, was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in March 1855. 

Edmond, Jr. "of Calcasieu," son of Edmond Jeansonne, probably Johnson, and Susan Johnson, married Caroline, daughter of French Creoles Antoine Lambert and Geneviève Fontenot and widow of Pierre Joubert, at the Opelousas church in September 1855. 

Olina Mary Jeansonne, probably Johnson, born in c1856, was baptized at the Morgan City church, St. Mary Parish, age 24, in June 1880.  The priest who recorded the baptism did not give the young woman's parents' names. 

A succession for Serena O'Brien, wife of George Jeansonne, was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in June 1856.  One suspects that husband George was an Anglo Johnson

Edmond Johnson, sometimes called Jeansonne, married Sarah McDonal Kimball, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Sugar married into the Lebleau family at the Opelousas church in July 1857.  Son Thomas married Emma Françoise, daughter of Acadian François Pitre and his Creole wife Azèle or Azélie Joubert, at the Opelousas church in June 1859.  Thomas and Emma's daughter Sarah was born in St. Landry Parish in August 1860.  Edmond and Sarah's son James "de L'anse de la Chaudière," married Adeline, daughter of Acadian Étienne Lejeune and his Creole wife Joachine Carrière, at the Opelousas church in August 1860. 

A succession for Patrick B. Jeansonne, probably Johnson, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in October 1858.  The parish clerk who recorded the document did not give the fellow's parents' names or mentioned a wife. 

Robert Hoyt Jeansonne, probably Johnson, married Céleste Trahan, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Joséphine was born near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, in October 1856, son Robert, fils in September 1859, and daughter Martha in September 1860. 

Jossiah, also Josaia, Jeansonne, probably Johnson, married Amelia, also Émilia, Ann Andrus or Andrews, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1856.  Son Joseph Adalbert was born near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in August 1858, and Louis near Grand Coteau in June 1860. 

John Jeansonne, probably Johnson, married Petronille Arcenaux, place and date unrecorded.  Son John, Jr. was born in Lafayette Parish in June 1857. 

Charles F. Jeansonne's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse in February 1859.  Was he an Anglo Johnson?

Stephanus Jeansonne "of Frank[lin]., La." married Dorothée Dupuis, place and date unrecorded.  Son Basile was born in St. Landry Parish in June 1860. 

A succession for Martha D. Jeansonne, probably Johnson, wife of William H. Eagleson, was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse, St. Martin Parish, in August 1860. 

CONCLUSION

Jeansons, originally Johnsons, were not among the early settlers in Acadia, but they were among the earliest Acadians to seek refuge in Louisiana.  Five descendants of William "Billy" Johnson, aka Guillaume Jeanson, of Annapolis Royal, came to Louisiana in the 1760s.  When three of them got there is anyone's guess.  Two of them--brothers Jean and Paul--reached the colony in 1765 from Halifax via St.-Domingue.  Neither appears in the early church records of the Acadian Coast, though Jean certainly married in one of the river communities during the late 1760s.  Both appear in the Cabanocé/St.-Jacques census of 1766, Paul in the Cabanocé/St.-Jacques census of 1769, and both again in the Ascension census of 1770 .  Sister Marie first appears in Louisiana records at Opelousas in 1771.  Three of her brothers, including oldest brother Charles, appear with her and her husband at Opelousas in 1774.  Three years later, in 1777, all five of the Jeansons who came to Louisiana finally appear in a single census together.  It was again at Opelousas, and brother Joseph first appears in Louisiana records. 

Though three of the four Jeanson males who came to the colony took wives, the Acadian Jeansonnes of South Louisiana spring from brothers Charles and Jean of Opelousas.  Although the brothers married fellow Acadians, their descendants, who remained on the Opelousas prairies in what became St. Landry and Acadia parishes, tended to marry French Creoles and other non-Acadians, who greatly outnumbered Acadians in the Opelousas District.  From 1790 to 1861, in fact, Jeansonnes married only four fellow Acadians, all of them Pitres.  The others took non-Acadian spouses, a remarkable record of exogamy for an Acadian family.  This exogamy rate, and the fact that a number of Anglo-American and even a Scandinavian Johnson family also settled in St. Landry Parish, considerably complicated the genealogical picture for this family during the antebellum period. ...

In Louisiana, the spelling of the Acadian family's surname evolved from Jeanson to Jeansonne.  The family's name also is spelled Janson, Jansonne, Jaunie, Jeanconne, Jeantonne, Johonson.  [For the Acadian family's Louisiana "begats," see Book Ten]

Sources:  AGE, May 2005, 10; Arsenault, Généalogie, 607-09, 2517-19; BRDR, vols. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; 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; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 249; White, DGFA-1, 416, 620-21, 873-75; White, DGFA-1 English, 130, 185; Glen Saucier, family historian.

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):

Asc

Ascension

Lf

Lafourche (Lafourche, Terrebonne)

PCP

Pointe Coupée

Asp

Assumption

Natc

Natchitoches (Natchitoches)

SB San Bernardo (St. Bernard)

Atk

Attakapas (St. Martin, St. Mary, Lafayette, Vermilion)

Natz

San Luìs de Natchez (Concordia)

StG

St.-Gabriel d'Iberville (Iberville)

BdE

Bayou des Écores (East Baton Rouge, West Feliciana)

NO

New Orleans (Orleans)

StJ

St.-Jacques de Cabanocé (St. James)

BR

Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge)

Op

Opelousas (St. Landry, Calcasieu)

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. 

Name Arrived Settled Profile
Charles JEANSONNE, fils 01 1765? StJ, Op born c1745, probably Annapolis Royal; son of Charles JEANSONNE & Marie AUCOIN; brother of Jean, Joseph, Marie, & Paul; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, called Cherle JEANSONE, with 2 "children" [probably siblings]; arrived LA 1765, age 20?; moved to Opelousas District; in Opelousas census, 1774, a bachelor with 0 slaves, 0 cattle, 1 horse or mule, 0 swine; in Opelousas census, May 1777, called Charle JEANSONNE, age 32, a bachelor, head of "family" number 97, with 0 slaves, 6 cattle, 8 horses, 0 hogs, 0 sheep; married, age 32, Marie-Rose, called Rose, daughter of Cosme BRASSEAUX & Élisabeth THIBODEAUX of Grand-Pré, c1777, Opelousas; in Opelousas census, 1785, called Ch, with 7 unnamed free individuals, 0 slaves; in Opelousas census, 1788, Bellevue, called Chs., with 5 unnamed males, 1 unnamed woman [wife Marie-Rose], 1 unnamed girl, 75 cattle, 12 horses, 10 arpents; succession dated 23 May 1788[sic], St. Landry Parish Courthouse; on Opelousas militia list, Jul 1789, fusilier, called Charles JEANSONNE; died before May 1796, when his wife was called a widow in an Opelousas census
Jean JEANSONNE 02 1765 StJ, Asc, Op born c1746, probably Annapolis Royal; son of Charles JEANSONNE & Marie AUCOIN; brother of Charles, fils, Joseph, Marie, & Paul; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, unnamed, with siblings?; arrived LA 1765, age 19; in Cabanocé census, 1766, VERRET's Company, Cabanocé Militia, called Jean JAUNIE, with no one else in his household so probably still a bachelor; married Anastasie, daughter of Amand PRÉJEAN & his first wife Madeleine MARTIN, late 1760s, Cabanocé or Ascension; in Ascension census, 1770, right [west] bank, age 23, head of family number 1, with wife Anastasie age 20, brother Paul age 15, & 6 arpents; moved to Opelousas District; in Opelousas census, 1774, with 2 children, 0 slaves, 7 cattle, 2 horses & mules, 6 swine; in Opelousas census, 1777, age 31, head of family number 99, with wife Marie[sic] age 25, son Jean age 2, daughters Rosalie age 7, Mannon age 5, 0 slaves, 18 cattle, 5 horses, 10 hogs, 0 sheep; in Opelousas census, 1785, with 9 unnamed free individuals, 0 slaves; in Opelousas census, 1788, Bellevue, with 5 unnamed males, 1 unnamed woman [wife Anastasie], 4 unnamed girls, 0 slaves, 80 cattle, 10 horses, 8 arpents; on Opelousas militia list, Jul 1789, fusilier; in Opelousas census, 1796, Bellevue District, called Jean JOHONSON, with wife [Anastasie], 5 white males, 7 white females, & 1 male slave; died probably Opelousas 1800, age 54
Joseph JEANSONNE 03 1765? StJ, Op born c1748, probably Annapolis Royal; son of probably Charles JEANSONNE & Marie AUCOIN; brother of Charles, fils, Jean, Marie, & Paul; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, unnamed, with siblings?; arrived in LA 1765, age 17?; in Opelousas census, 1777, age 29, bachelor, head of "family" number 100, with 0 slaves, 4 cattle, 2 horses, 8 hogs, 0 sheep; married Scholastique, daughter of Paul LÉGER & Marie SAVOIE, 1780s, Opelousas?; in Opelousas census, 1785, called J., with 7 unnamed free individuals, 0 slaves; in Opelousas census, 1788, Bellevue, called Jn., with 2 unnamed males, 1 unnamed woman [wife Scholastique?], 1 unnamed girl, 1 slave, 68 cattle, 25 horses, 8 arpents; on Opelousas militia list, Jul 1789, corporal, called Joseph JEANSONNE; in Opelousas census, 1796, Bellevue District, called Joseph JANSON, with 1 unnamed white male, 2 unnamed white females [including wife Scholastique?], & 0 slaves; died Opelousas 16 Oct 1806, age 55[sic]
Marie JEANSONNE 04 1765? StJ, Op born c1747, probably Annapolis Royal; daughter of Charles JEANSONNE & Marie AUCOIN; sister of Charles, fils, Jean, Joseph, & Paul; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, unnamed, with siblings?; arrived LA 1765, age 18?; married Philippe LANGLOIS, c1770, St.-Jacques; moved to Opelousas District; in Opelousas census, 1771, unnamed, age 28[sic], with husband age 30, 1 unnamed son age 3, 1 unnamed daughter [Thérèse?] age 4, 2 Negroes ages 12 & ?, 1 cattle, 3 horses, 6 arpents without title; in Opelousas census, 1777, called Marie JEAN-SONNE, age 30, with husband age 45 who was head of family number 50, daughters Thérèse age 8, Sicille age 5, Suzanne age 3, 2 slaves, 20 cattle, 10 horses, 10 hogs, 0 sheep; in Opelousas census, 1785, unnamed, with husband LANGROIS & 7 unnamed free individuals, 0 slaves
Paul JEANSONNE 05 1765 StJ, Asc, Op born c1755, probably Annapolis Royal; son of Charles JEANSONNE & Marie AUCOIN; brother of Charles, fils, Jean, Joseph, & Marie; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, unnamed, with siblings?; arrived LA 1765, age 10; in Cabanocé census, 1766, right [west] bank, called Paul DUYON, orphan, age 12, with family of Claude DUYON; in Cabanocé census, 1769, right [west] bank, called Paul JEANTONNE, orphan, age 14, with family of Claude DUAN; in Ascension census, 1770, right [west] bank, age 15, with brother Jean & his wife; moved to Opelousas District; in Opelousas census, 1774, called Polle, a bachelor, with 0 slaves, 2 cattle, 1 horse or mule, 0 swine; in Opelousas census, 1777, called Mr. Paul JEAN-SONNE, age 22, a bachelor, head of "family" number 34, with 0 slaves, 10 cattle, 1 horse, 0 hogs, 0 sheep; probably never married

NOTES

01.  Wall of Names, 19, calls him Charles JEANSON; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2517-18, the LA section, calls him Charles JEANSON, says he was born in 1754, gives his parents' names, says he was vraisemblablement son of Charles [JEANSON] & Marie AUCOIN, that he was 2 years younger than brother Jean, that he married Marie-Rose BRASSEUX of Grand-Pré in c1775 but gives no place of marriage, & lists his children as Francoise, born in 1777, Louis-Marie in 1779, Charles in 1781, Jean-Baptiste in 1783, Joseph in 1784, Marguerite in 1789, Marie-Louise in 1793, & Dionysia in 1794, but gives no birthplaces; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:434, his succession recorded, dated 23 May 1788, calls him Charles [JANSONE] but gives no parents' names or mentions a wife.  See also De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1777, 24; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 249. 

His estimated birth year is based on the Opelousas census of May 1777, the only one that gives his age, not on Arsenault's guestimation.  

His presence at Cabanocé before he moved to the Opelousas District is inferred from his being listed in Wall of Names as having come to LA with his 3 siblings & the fact that 2 of them, Jean & Paul, were in the Cabanocé census of 1766.  Why is Charles not in the Cabanocé censuses of 1766 & 1769 & the Ascension census of 1770 with his brothers?  Where was he during those years?

The Opelousas census of 1777 says that he was still a bachelor that year.  His wife is in fact listed in the same census as a "spinster" & probably was his neighbor.  

Glen Saucier, family historian, based on research in LA records, suggests a death date for Charles, fils of late 1793.  He also questions the date of Charles, fils's succession in Father Hébert's vol. 1-A.  He says it likely was 1798, not 1788. 

02.  Wall of Names, 19, calls him Jean JEANSON; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2517, the LA section, calls him Jean JEANSON, says he was born in 1752, which makes him 2 years older than brother Charles, gives his parents' names, says he married Anastasie PREJEAN, daughter of Amand [PREJEAN] & Madeleine MARTIN in c1774 but gives no place of marriage, & lists his children as Rosalie, born in c1775, Jean-Baptiste in c1776, André in c1777, Marie-Sophie in 1780, Marie-Madeleine in c1781, Augustin in 1782, Marie in c1784, Appolonie in c1786, Félicité in 1789, Euphrosine in 1794, & Céleste in 1798 but died in 1800, but gives no birthplaces.  See also De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1777, 24; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 249; Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 1.  

His estimated birth year is based on the average of the ages given in the Cabanocé censuse of Apr 1766, the Ascension census of Aug 1770, & the Opelousas census of May 1777, not Arsenault.  

The Ascension census of Aug 1770 shows that Jean & Anastasie were married years before Arsenault's date of c1774.  Why did the census taker at Opelousas in May 1777 call her Marie?  She is called this nowhere else.

03.  Wall of Names, calls him Joseph JEANSON, & lists him singly; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2517, the LA section, calls him Joseph JEANSON, says he was born in 1753, probablement son of Jean-Baptiste [JEANSON] & Marie-Josèphe LAURE [LORD] of Port-Royal, & that he died at Opelousas on 16 Oct 1806; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-B:396 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.87), his death/burial record, calls him Joseph JANSONNE, says he died "at age about 55 yrs.," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife.  See also De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1777, 25; De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1785, 28; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 323, 355, 412.  

Arsenault saying he was son of Jean-Baptiste JEANSON makes him a first cousin of the other JEANSON brothers, not their brother. Sadly, no LA church record gives Joseph's parents' names.  One likely has to wait for Stephen White's DGFA-2 to find the answer, though family historian Glen Saucier's work will do for now.  Saucier's search in Canadian records makes clear that Joseph, son of Jean-Bapitste  JEANSON & Marie-Josèphe LORD, is not the one who went to LA, that the Joseph JEANSON in LA is likely a brother of Charles, Jean, & Paul. 

Arsenault gives him a brother named Louis, born in 1749, who married Madeleine DAVID in c1774 & was at St.-Jacques in 1777, but Wall of Names, followed here, lists no Acadian named Louis JEANSONNE.  A Louis JOSOSNE, actually Louis-Medisierre JOUSSON dit Josson, a French Creole, with wife Marie-Madeleine, called Madeleine, DAVID, an Acadian, & an orphan boy named Louis, can be found in De Ville, St. James Census, 1777, 18, doubtlessly the source of Arsenault's "Acadian" Louis JEANSONNE.  See also NOAR, 3:165 (SLC, B9, 29), for the 19 Sep 1778 baptismal record of their daughter Marie-Louise at New Orleans. 

Did Joseph ever marry?  Arsenault lists no wife for him, & there is no marriage record for him in Fr. Hébert's compilation, but Scholastique LEGER of the Opelousas District did marry a Joseph JEANSONNE, & this probably was him.  See her burial record, dated 28 Jan 1817, in Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 2-A:613 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.157).  Notice that, starting with the Opelousas census of 1785, he seems to be head of a family.  

04.  Wall of Names, 19, calls her Marie JEANSON.  See also De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1771, 11-12; De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1777, 21; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 249.

Her presence at Cabanocé before she moved to the Opelousas District is inferred from her being listed in Wall of Names as having come to LA with her 3 brothers & the fact that 2 of them, Jean & Paul, were in the Cabanocé census of 1766.  Why wasn't she counted in the Cabanocé censuses of Apr 1766 & Sep 1769?  Where was she during those years?  When, and where, did she marry her husband?

She is the first of the JEANSONNEs to appear in an Opelousas census--in 1771.  Her three brothers do not appear there until Oct 1774, so they may have followed her & her husband to Opelousas in the early 1770s.  

05.  Wall of Names, 19, calls him Paul JEANSON.   See also Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 249.  

Why did he not marry? 

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