Acadians Who Found Refuge in Louisiana, February 1764-early 1800s
[sah-VWAH, sah-VOY]
ACADIA
Francois Savoie, a farmer from Martaize, near Loudun, south of the Loire valley in France, born in c1621, came to Acadia probably in the 1640s and married Catherine, sister of Edmée Lejeune, wife of early Acadian settler Francois Gautrot. Francois Savoie and Catherine Lejeune had nine children, only two of them sons: Germain, born at Port-Royal in c1654, and Francois, fils, in c1663. Their six daughters married into the Corporon, Triel dit Laperrière, Pellerin, Levron dit Nantois, Préjean dit Le Breton, and Chiasson families.
Germain was the only one of Francois's son to create a family of his own. In c1678, he married Marie, daughter of Vincent Breau dit Vincelotte, at Port-Royal. Germain and Marie remained in the Port-Royal area and had a dozen children, including five sons, all born at Port-Royal, who created families of their own. Three of their daughters married into the Blanchard, Babineau dit Deslauriers, and Poirier families.
Oldest son Germain, fils, born in c1682, married Geneviève, daughter of Nicolas Babineau, at Port-Royal in January 1709. They had 10 children, including fives sons who married into the Landry, Blanchard, Martin, and Bourg families. Three of their daughters married into the Dupuis, Pellerin, and Lanoue families. Germain, fils and his family also remained in the Port-Royal area.
Francois, born in c1684, married Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Alexandre Richard, at Port-Royal in November 1707. They had 13 children, including seven sons who married into the Thibodeau, Haché, Comeau, Arcand, Richard, Arseneau, Préjean, Lord, and Melanson families. Five of their daughters married into the Arseneau, Comeau, Hébert dit Manuel, and Thibodeau families.
Jean, born in c1692, married first to Marie, daughter of Jean Dupuis, at Port-Royal in November 1718, and then to Ursule, daughter of Pierre Thibodeau le jeune, probably at Port-Royal in c1745.
Paul, born in c1696, married Judith, daughter of Jacques Michel, at Port-Royal in November 1722. Unlike his father and his brothers, who remained at Port-Royal, Paul and his family moved to Chepoudy probably in the 1720s.
Youngest son Charles, born in May 1703, married Francoise, daughter of Étienne Martin, at Port-Royal in January 1730. ...
LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT
Le Grand Dérangement of the 1750s scattered this large family to the winds. ...
LOUISIANA: WESTERN SETTLEMENTS
Savoies settled early in Acadia, and they were some of the earliest Acadians to seek refuge in Louisiana. Most, if not all, of them came to the colony in 1765 from Halifax via St.-Domingue. The first of them to arrive--three wives and a bachelor--settled on the western prairies:
A Savoie wife came to New Orleans in February 1765 with the party led by Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil. After a brief respite in New Orleans, she and her husband followed his Broussard kin to the Atakapas District, where they helped created La Nouvelle-Acadie on the banks of Bayou Teche:
Marguerite Savoie, age 29, came with husband Joseph dit Petit Jo Broussard dit Beausoleil of Petitcoudiac, age 41, and a 12-year-old son. Marguerite was pregnant when she reached New Orleans; a daughter was born at Atakapas in April, perhaps the first Acadian child born west of the Atchafalaya Basin. Marguerite died a widow at a son-in-law's home at Côte Gelée in October 1816; the priest who recorded her burial said that she died "suddenly at age about 77 years," but she was closer to 80; her succession record was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse the following February.
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A bachelor and two wives, one of them a sister of the bachelor, went to Opelousas, north of the Atakapas District:
Pierre Savoie, age 24, came probably with his younger sister and her husband. He married at Opelousas in 1772 and started a western branch of the family.
Anastasie Savoie of Chepoudy, age 21, Pierre's sister, came with husband Charles Comeau of Chepoudy, age 23. Their children were born at Opelousas. Anastasie died at Opelousas in October 1802, in her late 50s.
Marie-Modest Savoie of Port-Royal, age unrecorded, widow of Paul Léger, came with two children, their ages also unrecorded. Marie remarried to Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Missonniere of Paris probably at Opelousas in January 1769.
Descendants of Pierre SAVOIE (c1741-1788)
Pierre, younger son of Paul Savoie and Judith Michel, born probably at Chepoudy in c1741, escaped the British roundup at Chignecto in 1755 and found refuge on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore. He ended up a prisoner of war in Nova Scotia in the early 1760s and came to Louisiana in 1765 with several of his siblings. He married Louise, daughter of fellow Acadian Charles Bourg, at Opelousas in July 1772. Their daughters married into the David, Dupré, Guidry, and Richard families. In 1785, Pierre owned four slaves, 60 head of cattle, 12 horses, and 20 hogs. Although still a resident of the Opelousas District, he died at St.-Gabriel in the river in March 1788; he was only 47 years old; his succession record was filed at what became the Opelousas courthouse the following May. One wonders what he was doing at St.-Gabriel on the Mississippi at the time of his death. Only his older son had sons of his own, and only one of his grandsons lived long enough to marry, but he had several sons of his own. Pierre and his older son settled far out on the northwestern prairies in present-day Evangeline Parish. Pierre's younger son settled in what became Lafayette Parish, but, except for its blood, his line died out.
1
Older son Pierre dit Placide, baptized at Opelousas, age 5 months, in August 1781, married Adélaïde, daughter of fellow Acadian Joseph Babin, at Atakapas in October 1801. They settled on Prairie Faquetaique near present-day Ville Platte. Their son Pierre Valcourt, called Valcourt, was baptized at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, age 3 months, in December 1808, a son, name unrecorded, died 10 days after his birth in November 1813, and Joseph Devalcourt was born in January 1817 but died at age 13 in December 1829. Their daughters married into the Aguillard, McGee, Teller or Taylor, and Young (formerly Lejeune) families. Pierre dit Placide's succession record was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in December 1833; he would have been 52 years old that year.
Valcourt married Eugènie, daughter of German Creole Jean Ritter, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in 1828. Their son Pierre, fils was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1832, Éloi in February 1834, and Valentin in May 1836. ...
2
Younger son Hippolyte, born probably at Opelousas in c1784, married Marie, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Comeaux of Atakapas, at Opelousas in July 1807. Their daughter married into the Broussard and Thibodeaux families. Hippolyte died in Lafayette Parish in November 1827; he was only 43 years old; his succession record was filed at the Vermilionville courthouse the following January. He and his wife had no sons, so, except for its blood, this line of the family did not continue.
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In the late 1760s and early 1770s, two Savoies from the river, one of them an older brother of Pierre of Opelousas, crossed the Atchafalaya Basin and settled on the Opelousas prairies:
Descendants of Francois-Joseph SAVOIE (c1730-1780)
Francois-Joseph, elder son of Paul Savoie and Judith Michel, born probably at Chepoudy in c1730, married Anne Aucoin perhaps before Le Grand Dérangement. They escaped the British roundup at Chignecto in 1755, found refuge on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore, and ended up as prisoners of war in Nova Scotia in the early 1760s. Anne did not survive Le Grand Dérangement. Francois came to Louisiana in 1765 as a widower with several of his younger siblings. He remarried to fellow Acadian Marie Landry of Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit, widow of Joseph Bourg, at New Orleans in July 1765; theirs was one of the earliest Acadian marriages in Louisiana. Marie died soon after the wedding, and Francois remarried again--his third marriage--to fellow Acadian Anne Thibodeaux at Cabanocé in October 1766. They moved to the Atakapas District soon after their marriage, and Anne died there in the late 1760s. Their daughter married into the Benoit and Guidry families. Francois remarried again--his fourth marriage--to Marie-Jeanne, daughter of fellow Acadian Ambroise Martin dit Barnabé of Chignecto, at Atakapas in August 1769. Spanish authorities counted them on the left, or east, bank of the river at St.-Jacques in January 1777. That May, however, they were counted at Atakapas, where they remained. In 1777, he owned a single slave, four head of cattle, and three horses. Most of his children came from his fourth wife. Their daughters married into the Gilchrist, LeBlanc, and Prejean families. Francois died at Atakapas in December 1780; the priest who recorded his burial said that Francois was 50 years old when he died. No Acadian immigrant in Louisiana married more often than this fellow.
1
Oldest son Francois, fils, by his third wife, born at St.-Jacques in the late 1760s, married Apolline-Lucie or Lucie-Apolline, also called Anne-Apolline, daughter of fellow Acadian Pierre Potier, at Opelousas in September 1792. Apolline was a native of Le Havre, France, and had come to Louisiana in 1785 aboard Le Beaumont, the third of the Seven Ships. They settled at Grand Coteau. Their son Francois III was born in March 1797, Paul, called Hippolyte, was baptized at Opelousas, age unrecorded, in April 1801, Louis was born in September 1804, and Alexandre in April 1810. Their daughters married into the Andrus, Boudreaux, Kennison, Marks, and Meche families. Francois, fils died "at prairie du Grand Coteau" in February 1822; the priest who recorded his burial said that Francois, fils was 57 years old when he died, but he probably was closer to 55.
1a
Francois III married Elise or Louise Emeranthe, daughter of French Canadian Jean Baptiste Morin of Prairie Basse du Grand Coteau, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in October 1816. They settled at Grand Coteau. Their son Louis was born in July 1817, Joseph Diogène in February 1822 but died at age 2 1/2 in September 1824, and Jean Baptiste was born in August 1830. ...
1b
Hippolyte, living at Opelousas, married Eugènie, daughter of Anglo-American Édouard Rose, at the Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in May 1821. They settled at Grand Coteau. Their son Hippolyte Azolin was born in February 1822, Francois le jeune in July 1824, and Sylvain died at day after his birth in September 1831. ...
1c
Louis married Marie Céleste, daughter of fellow Acadian Augustin Boudreaux, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1827. They settled at Grand Coteau. Their son Louis, fils had been born in December 1821. Louis remarried to Clementine, daughter of French Creole Hippolyte Barras, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in April 1832. Their son Julien was born in St. Martin Parish in June 1833, Hippolyte le jeune in September 1835 but died at age 4 in September 1839, and Charles was born in February 1837. ...
2
Pierre-Joseph, called Joseph, from his fourth wife, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in February 1771, married Marie Anne, called Manon, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean-Baptiste Cormier, at Atakapas in October 1796. They settled at Carencro. Their daughters married into the Frozard, Ritter, Stelly, and Teal or Tear families. Joseph remarried to Marie Henriette, called Henriette, daughter of fellow Acadian Joseph Blanchard and widow of Jean Baptiste Breaux, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in May 1810. They settled at La Pointe on upper Bayou Teche. Their son Joseph Éloi was born in December 1811 but died at age 1 in December 1812, and Francois le jeune was born in March 1814. Joseph remarried to cousin Francoise, daughter of fellow Acadian Joseph Martin of La Pointe and widow of Pierre Doucet, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in June 1824. Joseph died at La Pointe in November 1826; the priest who recorded his burial said that Joseph was 48 years old when he died, but he was closer to 55; his succession records were filed at the St. Martinville courthouse in February and August 1828 and revealed that he had a son named Cyprien, too (whose mother may have been Marie-Anne Arceneaux).
Cyprien, called "Cyprien of Laf." by the recording priest, married Madeleine, daughter of French Creole Auguste Nezat, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in April 1839. ...
3
Youngest son Hippolyte, by his fourth wife, born at Atakapas in c1778, married Marie-Victoire, daughter of fellow Acadian Francois Guilbeau, at Atakapas in January 1800. They settled at La Grand Pointe and Grand Bois on upper Bayou Teche. Their son Hippolyte, fils was born in May 1802, Francois le jeune in February 1806, Alexandre in November 1807 but died at age 10 in November 1817, Éloi was born in May 1809 but died at age 5 1/2 in January 1815, a son, name unrecorded, died 4 days after his birth in September 1811, and Achille was born in June 1813. They also had a son named Valcour. Their daughters married into the Duhon and Melançon families. Hippolyte died "at his home 'au large du' (around the countryside of) Grand Bois" in February 1814; he was only 36 years old; his succession record was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse the following August. His sons settled in Lafayette Parish.
3a
Hippolyte, fils married fellow Acadian Adélaïde Hébert probably in Lafayette Parish in the mid-1820s. Their son Hippolyte III was baptized at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, age 3 months, in October 1826, Hilaire was born in December 1827, Désiré was baptized at age 6 months in January 1830, Octave in July 1831, and Gustave was born in January 1833. ...
3b
Valcourt married Marie Aspasie, called Aspasie, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Dugas, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in November 1828. Their son Osémé was born in Lafayette Parish in March 1833. ...
3c
Achille married Marie Phelonise, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Bourg, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette parish, in April 1833. Their son Émile was baptized at the Vermilionville church, age 3 months, in July 1836 but died at age 2 1/2 in September 1838, and Jean was born in February 1840. ...
Descendants of Jean dit Valois SAVOIE (c1751-1803)
Jean, son of Charles Savoie and Francoise Martin, born probably at Port-Royal in c1751, escaped the British roundup in Nova Scotia in 1755 and found refuge on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore. He ended up a prisoner of war in Nova Scotia in the early 1760s and came to Louisiana as a teenage orphan in 1765. He followed his kinsmen to Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river and married Marguerite, daughter of fellow Acadian Pierre-Paul Boutin of Île Royale, at nearby Ascension in November 1773. Marguerite had come to Louisiana from Maryland in 1767. They followed her family to the Opelousas District not long after their marriage and settled on Bellevue Prairie, south of present-day Opelousas. Their daughters married into the Andrus, Caruthers, Inogoso, Leger, Meche, Peck, Smith, and Venable families. In 1788, Jean owned four slaves, 24 head of cattle, 20 horses, and 13 arpents of land. He died at Opelousas in October 1803; the priest who recorded his burial said that Jean died "at age about 50 yrs."; his succession record, which calls him Jean dit Valois, was filed at what became the Opelousas courthouse in March 1804.
1
Older son Joseph, baptized at Opelousas, age 8 months, in September 1782, married Marie Madeleine, called Madeleine, daughter of German Creole Jean Baptiste Stelly, at Opelousas in February 1802. They settled near Grand Coteau. Their son Pierre was born in February 1803, Joseph, fils was baptized at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, age 3 months, in December 1807, and Ursin was born in February 1814. Their daughters married into the Dantin, Higginbotham, Mayer, Miller, Mouton, and Woods families. Joseph died near Grand Coteau in March 1830; the priest who recorded his burial said that Joseph was 45 years old when he died, but he was 48; his succession record was filed at the Opelousas courthouse the following May.
1a
Pierre married Marie Angélique, called Angélique, daughter of Jean Miller, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1824. ...
1b
Ursin married Pauline, daughter of French Canadian Francois Quebedeaux, at the Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in April 1833. Their son Francois was born near Grand Coteau in June 1836, and Joseph in August 1838. ...
1c
Joseph, fils married fellow Acadian Louise, also called Eloise and Lise, Boudreaux at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1834. Their son Idelphonse was born near Grand Coteau in January 1835 but died at age 1 in February 1836, Terence was born in February 1837, and Émile in February 1839. ...
2
Younger son Jean-Baptiste, called Jean, born at Opelousas in August 1786, married Marie Modeste, called Modeste, daughter of fellow Acadian Marin Prejean, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1808. They settled at Carencro. Their son Jean Achille, called Achille, was born in September 1813, a child, perhaps a son, died 8 days after its birth in December 1814, and Joseph was born in July 1819. Their daughters married into the Boudreaux, Bourque, Jagneau, and Miller families. ...
Achille married cousin Marie Elise, called Elise or Elisa, 17-year-old daughter of fellow Acadian Maximilien Prejean, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1834. Their son Joseph Maxille was born near Grand Coteau in October 1838 but died the following January. ...
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A Savoie from upper Bayou Lafourche moved to the Bayou Teche valley in the late colonial period:
Descendants of Amédée SAVOIE (c1770-1830)
Amédée, second son of Charles Savoie and his second wife Judith Arceneaux, born probably at St.-Jacques in c1770, married Victoire, daughter of fellow Acadian Michel Bourgeois, at St.-Jacques in May 1790. They lived for a time on upper Bayou Lafourche before moving to Fausse Pointe on Bayou Teche in the late 1790s. Their daughter married into the Prince family. Amédée died at Fausse Pointe in January 1830, "at age about 60 years." He had only one son, but that son had many sons of his own.
Pierre-Cyprien, born at Ascension on the river in September 1792, married Marie Césarienne, daughter of French Creole Paul Bonin of Mobile, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in July 1811. They settled near Fausse Pointe in what became Iberia Parish. Their son Pierre Dervigny was born in April 1814, a son, name unrecorded, died at age 5 weeks in September 1817, Pierre, fils was born in November 1818, Émilien in December 1820, Joseph in July 1824, Hippolyte Octave in October 1831, and Jean Baptiste in February 1835. Their daughters married into the Deyris, Dugas, and LeBlanc families. ...
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Other SAVOIEs on the Western Prairies
Area church and civil records make it difficult to link some Savoies in the western parishes with known lines of the family there:
Marcellite Moral Savoie gave birth to son Sylvestre, fils near Grand Coteau in December 1823. The priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not call him a "natural child" but gave only the father's given name--Sylvestre--and not his surname. One wonders if Marcellite Moral was Hippolyte Savoie and Victoire Guilbeau's daughter Marcelle.
LOUISIANA: RIVER SETTLEMENTS
Most of the Savoies who came to Louisiana from Halifax in 1765--three families--did not go to the western prairies but settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river above New Orleans where 20 Acadians had settled the year before:
Charles dit Jean-Charles Savoie of Port-Royal, age 44, came with second wife Judith Arseneau of Île St.-Jean, age 29, son Jean-Baptiste, age 2, and orphan Basile Deroche of Île St.-Jean, age 11. Charles and Judith had more children in Louisiana and settled on upper Bayou Lafourche.
Joseph Savoie of Port-Royal, age 38, Charles's brother, came with wife Anne Préjean, age 30, and daughter Marguerite, age 5. Anne was pregnant when they reached New Orleans. Son Joseph-André was born at Cabanocé soon after they reached the colony. Joseph, père died at Cabanocé by c1767, when his wife remarried there. Joseph-André created a family of his own and settled on upper Bayou Lafourche.
Francois-Joseph Savoie of Chepoudy, age 35, a widower, came with two sisters--Marie, age unrecorded, and Rose, or Rosalie, age 24. Francois remarried three times in Louisiana and moved to the Atakapas District in the late 1770s. Rosalie married into the Berteau family and died at St.-Jacques in May 1794, in her early 50s.
Jean Savoie dit Valois of Port-Royal, age 14, an orphan, married at nearby Ascension but moved to the Opelousas District in the mid-1770s.
Descendants of Joseph SAVOIE (1727-c1767)
Joseph, younger son of Francois Savoie and Marie-Josèphe Richard, born at Port-Royal in June 1727, married Anne Préjean probably at Port-Royal in c1752. They escaped the British roundup in Nova Scotia in 1755 and found refuge on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore. They ended up as prisoners of war in Halifax, where British officials counted them in August 1763. They came to Louisiana via St.-Domingue in 1765 and settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on what became known as the Acadian Coast. Joseph died probably at Cabanocé before 1767, when his wife remarried there. His older son settled on upper Bayou Lafourche.
1
Older son Joseph-André, called André, born either aboard ship or at New Orleans in 1765 and baptized at New Orleans in September of that year, married fellow Acadian Marguerite Landry at St.-Jacques in May 1787. They settled on upper Bayou Lafourche.
2
Younger son Joseph-Barbe, born at Cabanocé or New Orleans in November 1766 and baptized at New Orleans the following March, may have died young.
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The arrival date of one member of the family is difficult to determine:
Marie, daughter of Jean Savoie of Port-Royal, first appears in Louisiana records at New Orleans in July 1767. Did she come to the colony in 1765 with her kinsmen? Or did she come with other Acadians from Maryland in 1766 or 1767? She married Francois Jacquet, a soldier from Piedmont serving in the Louisiana Regiment, at New Orleans in June 1768. He was stationed at Fort St.-Louis at the time of their marriage. She remarried to
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Two Savoie brothers whose family had moved from the river to upper Bayou Lafourche in the late 1780s, returned to the river and established the only lines of the family there, in what became St. James and Ascension parishes:
Descendants of Francois-Paul SAVOIE (c1774-)
Francois-Paul, called Paul, fourth son of Charles Savoie and his second wife Judith Arceneaux, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in February 1774, may have married French Creole Marie Rome at St.-Jacques in the late 1790s.
Benjamin, born at St.-Jacques in July 1803, ...
Descendants of Simon-Pierre SAVOIE (c1777-1830)
Simon-Pierre, also called Simonet, fifth and youngest son of Charles Savoie and his second wife Judith Arceneaux, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in October 1777, married Rosalie, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Duhon, at St.-Jacques in January 1802. They settled near the boundary of what became Ascension and St. James parishes. Their daughters married into the Huguet, Lanoux, Marchand, and Thomelette families. Simon Pierre died near Convent, St. James Parish, in September 1830; the priest who recorded his burial said that Simon was 50 years old when he died, but he was closer to 53.
1
Oldest son Joseph le jeune, born at Ascension in September 1804, married cousin Marie Doralise, called Doralise, daughter of fellow Acadian Laurent Arceneaux, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in February 1828. Their son Joseph, fils died near Convent 7 days after his birth in April 1829. ...
2
Simon Neuville, called Neuville, born in Ascension Parish in October 1809, married Rosalie, daughter of fellow Acadian Simon Lanoux, at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in January 1836. Their son Antoine was born in Ascension Parish in October 1836, and a son, name unrecorded, died at age 20 days in February 1838. ...
3
Jean Francois, born in Ascension Parish in December 1818, ...
4
Pierre, born probably in Ascension Parish in the early 1820s, ...
5
Youngest son Julius, born in Ascension Parish in November 1825, ...
LOUISIANA: LAFOURCHE VALLEY SETTLEMENTS
During the late 1780s and early 1790s, Spanish officials were counting Savoies from the river on upper Bayou Lafourche. They were, in fact, some of the first Acadians to settle along the bayou:
Descendants of Charles dit Jean-Charles SAVOIE (1721-1790s)
Charles dit Jean-Charles, elder son of Francois Savoie and Marie-Josèphe Richard, born at Port-Royal in May 1721, married Marie-Madeleine, daughter of Pierre Richard and widow of Pierre Forest, probably at Port-Royal in c1750. They escaped the British roundup in Nova Scotia in 1755 and found refuge on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore. Charles remarried to Judith, daughter of Claude Arceneau of Île St.-Jean, at Restigouche in January 1761. They ended up as prisoners of war in Halifax, where British officials counted them in August 1763. They came to Louisiana via St.-Domingue in 1765 and settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river. Charles and Judith had more children in Louisiana, including more sons. Spanish authorities counted them on the left, or east, bank of the river at Cabanocé in 1766, 1769, and 1777. Their daughters married into the Bourgeois and Broussard and families, and one of them settled on the western prairies. Charles and two of his sons were among the first Acadians to settle on upper Bayou Lafourche. His second son moved to the lower Bayou Teche. His two youngest sons returned to the river. Charles died by December 1795, when his wife remarried at Assumption. His second and third sons' lines were especially vigorous. Some of his grandsons settled in Terrebonne Parish.
1
Oldest son Jean-Baptiste, called Baptiste, from his second wife, born at Halifax in c1763, married Marie-Rose, called Rose, daughter of fellow Acadian Hilaire Landry, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in 1796. Their son Charles-Hilaire was born at Assumption in January 1797, Cyprien in August 1799, Francois-Valéry in April 1801, and Édouard Nicolas in November 1807. ...
Édouard married Marie Delphine, also called Josephine, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Baptiste Bergeron, in a civil ceremony in Terrebonne Parish in August 1836. Their son Théodose D. was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in January 1838, and Marcellin Thiburse in April 1840. ...
2
Amédée, by his second wife, born at St.-Jacques in c1770, married Victoire, daughter of fellow Acadian Michel Bourgeois, at St.-Jacques in May 1790. They moved to the Atakapas District in the late 1790s and settled at Fausse Pointe on Bayou Teche.
3
Joseph, by his second wife, born probably at St.-Jacques in the early 1770s, married Marie-Francoise, called Francoise, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean-Baptiste Bergeron, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in July 1794. They settled near the boundary of what became Ascension and Assumption parishes. Their son Ursin was born at Assumption in May 1799, Joseph, fils in March 1802, Jourdain in c1805, Césaire at Ascension in January 1807, Pierre Lucien, called Lucien, in June 1809, Edmond in Lafourche Interior Parish in December 1811, and Narcisse in October 1817. Their daughters married into the Dales, Guidry, and Landry families. ...
3a
Ursin married Marie Elise, daughter of French Creole Pierre Dufrene, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in October 1819. Their son Pierre Norval was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in June 1824, Joseph Léon Paul in January 1829, Telesphore in December 1833, Christophe Homere in September 1834, and Louis Félix in May 1840. ...
3b
Lucien married Marcelline, 18-year-old daughter of French Creole Louis Chauvin, at the Thibodauxville church Lafourche Interior Parish, in February 1829; Marcelline's mother was a Robichaux. Their son Pierre Lucien was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in October 1833, Louis Félicien in November 1837, and Joseph Donatien in April 1840. ...
3c
Jourdain married Clémence, 18-year-old daughter of fellow Acadian Joseph Benoit Richard, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in July 1831. Their son Édouard Jourdain was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in December 1832, and Jules Homere in January 1840. ...
3d
Narcisse married Ordalie, 17-year-old daughter of fellow Acadian Joseph LeBlanc, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in October 1837. ...
3e
Edmond married cousin Alderine or L'Adverine, 16-year-old daughter of fellow Acadian Éloi Melançon, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in August 1838; L'Adverine's mother, also, was a Bergeron. Their son Raphaël was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in November 1839. ...
4
Francois-Paul, called Paul, by his second wife, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in February 1774, may have married French Creole Marie Rome at St.-Jacques in the late 1790s and settled in what became St. James Parish.
5
Youngest son Simon-Pierre, also called Lucien and Simonet, from his second wife, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in October 1777, married Rosalie, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Duhon, at St.-Jacques in January 1802. They settled on the river near the boundary of what became Ascension and St. James parishes.
Descendants of Joseph-André SAVOIE (1765-)
Joseph-André, called André, elder son of Joseph Savoie and Anne Prejéan, born either aboard ship or at New Orleans in 1765, was baptized at New Orleans in September of that year. He married fellow Acadian Marguerite Landry at St.-Jacques in May 1787. They settled on upper Bayou Lafourche. ...
1
Older son Joseph le jeune, born at St.-Jacques in May 1788, married Marcellite, daughter of French Creole Jacques Rousseau of Ascension Parish, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in July 1808. Their son Joseph Jacques was born in Assumption Parish in July 1809, and Paul Victorin, called Victor, in July 1811. They also had a son name Théodule, unless he was Joseph Jacques. His daughter married into the St. Germain, Tonnellier, and Trahan families. Joseph le jeune died in Assumption Parish in July 1821; he was only 33 years old. His daughter Aloisa, called Loise, was born the following December.
1a
Théodule married Emilite, daughter of fellow Acadian Benjamin Landry, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in August 1831. Their child, perhaps a son, died in Assumption Parish 10 hours after its birth in July 1832, Joseph le jeune died at birth in May 1833, another Joseph le jeune died at age 3 months in September 1834, and Joseph Victor was born in May 1837. ...
1b
Victor married Victoire Célestine, daughter of fellow Acadian Simon Aucoin, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in January 1839. ...
2
Younger son Paul-Francois, born at Assumption in February 1790, married Félicité, daughter of French Creole Joachim Marois and widow of Benjamin LeBlanc, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in April 1819; Félicité's mother was a Foret. Their son Raymond Leufroi was born in Assumption Parish in February 1820, and Noël Bernard in August 1826. ...
Other SAVOIEs in the Lafourche Valley
Area church and civil records make it difficult to link some Savoies in the Bayou Lafourche valley with known lines of the family there:
Charles Savoie married Henriette Savoie. Their daughter married into the Stoufflet family in Lafourche Interior Parish in March 1837.
NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA
Although Savoy is not an uncommon surname in France, Louisiana church records show no one with that name in colonial Louisiana. However, during the antebellum period, several of them--called Foreign French in South Louisiana--came to New Orleans from France:
____ Saloy, perhaps Savoy, a 25-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Anne Louise out of Bordeaux, France, in December 1836.
Widow Savoy, age 47, a native of France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Vaillant out of Bordeaux in late November 1845. With her was her 18-year-old son, Charles.
CONCLUSION
Savoies settled early in Acadia and came early to Louisiana. All of them arrived in 1765 on at least three expeditions from Halifax via St.-Domingue. A Savoie wife followed her Broussard husband to the Bayou Teche valley. A young bachelor and two wives, one of them his sister, went to the Opelousas District and settled on the open prairies near the present city. But most of the Savoies who came to the colony that year settled not on the western prairies but at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river above New Orleans. In the late 1760s and early 1770s, two Savoies cousins moved from St.-Jacques to the Opelousas District and joined their kinsman, who was one of their brothers, already living there. They added substantially to the western branch of the family. Meanwhile, the Savoies still at St.-Jacques moved to upper Bayou Lafourche and were some of the first Acadians to settle there. Two Savoie brothers from the upper Lafourche returned to the river at the end of the colonial period, and one of them created a vigorous line in what became St. James and Ascension parishes, but that center of family settlement remained a small one compared to one along Bayou Lafourche. During the antebellum period, Savoies on the prairies settled in a number of communities from Prairie Faquetaique near present-day Ville Platte to Fausse Pointe on lower Bayou Teche. They were especially numerous at Carencro and Grand Coteau on the prairies south of Opelousas, and at La Pointe on upper Bayou Teche. On the Lafourche, they settled from Ascension and Assumption on the upper bayou all the way down into the Terrebonne country. ...
Church records show no Savoies or Savoys living in Louisiana during the entire colonial period, and only a few of them came to Louisiana after the Louisiana Purchase. Most, if not all, of the Savoies/Savoys of South Louisiana, then, are descendants of Francois Savoie of Martaize and Port-Royal, Acadia. ...
The family's name also is spelled Savois, Savoit, Savoix, Savoye, Scavois, Scavoit.
Sources: Arsenault, Généalogie, 794-99, 1572-74, 1664, 2588-92; Brasseaux, Foreign French, 1:481, 2:296; BRDR, vols. 1a(rev.), 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.); Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 404; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vol. 1; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, vols. 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, 3; NOAR, vols. 2, 3, 4; West, Atlas of LA Surnames, 135-36, 190-91; White, DGFA-1, 1456-63; White, DGFA-1 English, 306-07.
Settlement Abbreviations
(present-day parishes that existed
during the War Between the States in parenthesis; hyperlinks on the
abbreviations take you to brief histories of each settlement):
|
Ascension |
Lafourche (Lafourche, Terrebonne) |
Pointe Coupée |
|||
|
Assumption |
Natchitoches (Natchitoches) |
SB | San Bernardo (St. Bernard) | ||
|
Atakapas (St. Martin, St. Mary, Lafayette, Vermilion) |
San Luìs de Natchez (Concordia) |
St.-Gabriel d'Iberville (Iberville) |
|||
|
Bayou des Écores (East Baton Rouge, West Feliciana) |
New Orleans (Orleans) |
St.-Jacques de Cabanocé (St. James) |
|||
|
Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge) |
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 |
| Anastasie SAVOIE/SAVOY 01 | 1765 | Op | born c1744, probably Chepoudy; daughter of Paul SAVOIE & Judith MICHEL; sister of Francois-Joseph, Marie, Pierre, & Rosalie; married, age 21, Charles COMEAUX, son of Jean COMEAUX & Madeleine AMIREAU of Chepoudy, c1765, probably Halifax; arrived LA 1765, age 21; in Opelousas census, 1766, unnamed, probably the woman in the household of Carlos COUMAU; in Opelousas census, 1771, unnamed, age 27, with husband, brother Pierre, & 2 sons; in Opelousas census, 1777, age 34, with husband, 2 sons, & 3 daughters; in Opelousas census, 1785, unnamed, with husband & 13 others; in Opelousas census, 1788, Bellevue, unnamed, with husband & 12 others; in Opelousas census, 1796, Bellevue District, unnamed, with husband & 13 others; died [buried] Opelousas 18 Oct 1802, age 58 |
| Charles dit Jean-Charles SAVOIE/SAVOY 02 | 1765 | StJ, Asp? | born & baptized 30 May 1721, Port-Royal; son of Francois SAVOIE & Marie-Josèphe RICHARD; brother of Joseph; married, age 29, (1)Marie-Madeleine RICHARD, daughter of Pierre RICHARD & Marie-Madeleine GIROUARD, & widow of Pierre FORET, c1750, probably Port-Royal; married, age 39, (2)Judith ARCENEAUX, daughter of Claude ARCENEAUX & Marguerite RICHARD of Île St.-Jean, 7 Jan 1761, Restigouche; on list of Acadians prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, called Cherl SAVOIS, with wife & 3 children; arrived LA 1765, age 44; in Cabanocé census, 1766, left [east] bank, JUDICE's Company, Cabanocé Militia, called Carlos SABOYE, age 44, with wife Judith age 30, son Jean[-Baptiste] age 3, & orphan Basile DES ROCHES age 12, 0 slaves, 6 arpents next to brother Joseph, 0 cattle, 0 sheep, 0 hogs, 1 gun; in Cabanocé census, 1769, occupying lot number 92, left [east] bank, called Charles SAVOY, age 46, with wife Judique age 32, sons Jean-Baptiste age 6, Pierre & Jean age 2 mos., & orphan Bazille DEROCHE age 14; in St.-Jacques census, 1777, left [east] bank, called Charles SAVOY, age 51[sic], with wife Judicq age 40, sons Jean-Baptiste age 14, Joseph & Emédée [same as Pierre & Jean in 1769?] age 8; in St.-Jacques census, 1779, called Charles SAVOY, with 7 unnamed whites, 0 slaves, 6 qts. rice, 10 qts. corn; died by Dec 1795, when his wife was listed in the Assumption census without a husband |
| Francois-Joseph SAVOIE/SAVOY 03 | 1765 | StJ, Atk | born c1730, probably Chepoudy; son of Paul SAVOIE & Judith MICHEL; brother of Anastasie, Marie, Pierre, & Rosalie; married (1)Anne AUCOIN; arrived LA 1765, age 35; married, age 35, (2)Marie LANDRY of Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit, widow of Joseph BOURQUE, 22 Jul 1765, New Orleans, one of the earliest Acadian marriages in LA; married, age 26, (3)Anne THIBODEAUX, 5 Oct 1766, Cabanocé; moved to Atakapas District; married, age 39, (4)Marie-Jeanne MARTIN dit Barnabé, daughter of Ambroise MARTIN dit Barnabé & his second wife Madeleine dite Émilienne COMEAUX of Chignecto, 22 Aug 1769, Atakapas, now St. Martinville; in St.-Jacques census, 1777, left [east] bank, age 37[sic], with wife Marie MARTIN age 31, sons Francois age 13, Pierre[-Joseph] age 10, Jean age 7, daughter Marie age 6; returned to Atakapas District, Apr or May 1777; in Atakapas census, 1777, called Francois SCAVOIS, age 46, head of family number 86, with wife Marie [MARTIN dit] BARNABÉ age 29, sons Francois age 9[sic], [Pierre-]Joseph age 6[sic], daughters Manetee[Anne/Nanette] age 8, Marie age 5, & Marguerite age 3, 1 slave, 4 cattle, 3 horses, 0 hogs, 0 sheep; died Atakapas 3 Dec 1780, age 50 |
| Jean dit Valois SAVOIE/SAVOY 04 | 1765 | StJ, Op | born c1751, probably Port-Royal; son of Charles SAVOIE & Francoise MARTIN; arrived LA 1765, age 14; in Cabanocé census, 1766, VERRET's Company, Cabanocé Militia, called Juan SAVOIES, with no one else in his household; married, age 22, Marguerite BOUTIN, daughter of Pierre-Paul BOUTIN & his first wife Ursule GUIDRY, 3 Nov 1773, Ascension, now Donaldsonville; moved to Opelousas District; in Opelousas census, 1777, called Jean SCAVOIS, age 25, head of family number 114, with wife Marguerite age 13[sic], daughters Anastasie age 3, Aimee age 1, 0 slaves, 25 cattle, 4 horses, 0 hogs, 0 sheep; in Opelousas census, 1788, Bellevue, called Jn. SAVOYE, with 4 males, 1 unnamed woman [wife Marguerite], 4 unnamed girls, 4 slaves, 24 cattle, 20 horses, 13 arpents; on Opelousas militia list, Jul 1789, fusilier, called Jean SAVOYE; in Opelousas census, 1796, Grand Coteau District, called Jean SAVOY, with wife [Marguerite], 4 white males, 5 white females, 4 male slaves, & 2 female slaves; died [buried] Opelousas 13 Oct 1803, age 50[sic]; succession record dated 31 Mar 1804, St. Landry Parish courthouse |
| Jean-Baptiste SAVOIE/SAVOY 05 | 1765 | StJ, Asp, Lf | born c1763, Halifax; son of Charles SAVOIE & his second wife Judith ARCENEAUX; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, unnamed, with parents & siblings?; arrived LA 1765, age 2; in Cabanocé census, 1766, left [east] bank, called Jean, age 3, with parents & orphan Basile DES ROCHES; in Cabanocé census, 1769, left [east] bank, age 6, with parents, 2 brothers, & orphan Bazille DEROCHE; in St.-Jacques census, 1777, left [east] bank, age 14, with parents & 2 brothers; moved to Lafourche valley; in Assumption census, 1795, called Juan Bautista, age 32, with widowed mother & siblings; married, age 33, Marie-Rose, called Rose, LANDRY, daughter of Hilaire LANDRY & Marie-Josèphe RICHARD, 18 Apr 1796, Assumption, now Plattenville; in Assumption census, 1797, called Jean Baptiste, age 33, with wife Rose age 21, & son Jean-Baptiste age 1, 0 slaves, next to widowed mother; in Lafourche census, 1798, called Jean-Baptiste SAVOYE, age 33[sic], with wife Rose age 22, son Francois age 1, 6/20 arpents, 0 slaves |
| Joseph SAVOIE/SAVOY 06 | 1765 | StJ | born 8 Jun 1727, baptized 15 Jul 1727, Port-Royal; son of Francois SAVOIE & Marie-Josèphe RICHARD; brother of Charles; married, age 25, Anne PRÉJEAN, c1752, probably Port-Royal; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, called Joseph SAVOIS, with unnamed wife & 2 unnamed children; arrived LA 1765, age 38; in Cabanocé census, 1766, left [east] bank, JUDICE's Company, Cabanoce Militia, called Joseph SAVOYE, age 37[sic], with wife Anne age 38, daughter Marguerite age 7, 0 slaves, 6 arpents next to brother Charles, 0 cattle, 0 sheep, 1 hog, 1 gun; died before 1767, when his wife remarried at Cabanocé |
| Joseph-André SAVOIE/SAVOY 07 | 1765 | StJ | born aboard ship or at New Orleans; baptized 22 Sep 1765, New Orleans; called André; son of Joseph SAVOIE & Anne PRÉJEAN; brother of Marguerite; not in Cabanocé census, 1766; in Cabanocé census 1769, right [west] bank, called Joseph SAVOY, stepson, age 3, with mother, stepfather Joseph HÉBERT, stepbrother, & sister Margueritte; in St.-Jacques census, 1777, right [west] bank, called Joseph, no surname given, age 9[sic], with mother, stepfather, 2 half-brothers, & sister Margueritte; in St.-Jacques census, 1779, unnamed, with stepfather, mother, & others; married, age 22, Marguerite LANDRY, 28 May 1787, St.-Jacques |
| Marguerite SAVOIE/SAVOY 08 | Feb 1765 | Atk | born c1736; married, age 27, Joseph dit Petit Jo BROUSSARD dit Beausoleil, son of Alexandre BROUSSARD dit Beausoleil & Marguerite THIBODEAUX of Petitcoudiac, & widower of Anastasie LEBLANC, c1763, probably Halifax; arrived LA Feb 1765, age 29, in party from Halifax via St.-Domingue led by her husband's uncle, Joseph BROUSSARD dit Beausoleil; in Atakapas census, 1766, District of the Pointe, unnamed, probably the woman in the household of Joseph BROUSSARD; in Atakapas census, 1771, unnamed, age 35, with husband & 3 daughters; in Atakapas census, 1774, unnamed, with husband & 6 children; in Atakapas census, 1777, called Marguerite SCAVOIS, age 35[sic], with husband, 2 sons, & 4 daughters; in Atakapas census, 1781, unnamed & unlisted; in Atakapas census, 1785, unnamed, with husband & 9 others; "died ... suddenly at the home of Michel BROUSSARD her son-in-law at La Côte Gelée," then in St. Martin Parish, 19 Oct 1816, age 77[sic], a widow, buried next day "in the parish cemetery"; succession record dated 16 Feb 1817, St. Martin Parish courthouse |
| Marguerite SAVOIE/SAVOY 09 | 1765 | StJ | born c1760, probably Halifax; daughter of Joseph SAVOIE & Anne PRÉJEAN; sister of Joseph-André; on list of Acadian prisoners at Halifax, Aug 1763, unnamed, with parents & sibling; arrived LA 1765, age 5; in Cabanocé census, 1766, left [east] bank, age 7, with parents; in Cabanocé census, 1769, right [west] bank, called Margueritte, stepdaughter, no surname given, age 9, with stepfather Joseph HEBERT, mother, brother Joseph SAVOY, & 1 stepbrother; in St.-Jacques census, 1777, right [west] bank, age 17, with stepfather, mother, brother Joseph SAVOIE, & 2 half-brothers; married, age 18, Louis BOULÉ, son of Louis BOULÉ & Ursule ROUSSEAU of Québec, 7 Sep 1778, St.-Jacques |
| Marie SAVOIE/SAVOY 11 | 1765 | StJ | daughter of Paul SAVOIE & Judith MICHEL; sister of Anastasie, Francois-Joseph, Pierre, & Rosalie |
| Marie SAVOIE/SAVOY 12 | 176? | NO | born Port-Royal; daughter of Jean SAVOIE & his second wife Ursule THIBODEAUX; in report on Acadians in New Orleans, July 1767, called Marie SAVOY, unmarried, young woman, with the notation: "These people have not yet received their food supplies for the month of July"; married, (1)Francois JACQUET, son of ____ JACQUET & Cécile VEMONIQUE of Turin, Piedmont, Italy, "royal soldier in the company of Don Francisco RIU" of the Louisiana Regiment, stationed at Fort St.-Louis, 15 Jun 1768, New Orleans; married (2)Fernando ALVAREZ, son of Manuel ALVAREZ & Maria GARCIA DEL BARENO of Astorga, Spain, a corporal in the Louisiana Battalion, 24 Aug 1777, New Orleans |
| Marie-Modeste SAVOIE/SAVOY 10 | 1765 | Op | born Port-Royal; married (1)Paul LÉGER; arrived LA 1765, a widow; in Opelousas census, 1766, called Widow Maria SAVOYE, with 1 boy & 1 girl in her household; married (2)Jean-Baptiste MISSONNIERE of St.-Nicolas des Champs Parish, Paris, France, son of Jean-Baptiste MISSONNIERE, "agent of College of Four Nations," & Louise-Marguerite DESMAILLETS, 30 Jan 1769, probably Opelousas |
| Pierre SAVOIE/SAVOY 13 | 1765 | Op | born c1741, probably Chepoudy; son of Paul SAVOIE & Judith MICHEL; brother of Anastasie, Francois-Joseph, Marie, & Rosalie; arrived LA 1765, age 24; in Opelousas census, 1766, COURTABLEAU's Company militia, called Pedro SAVOYE, with no one else in his household; in Opelousas census, 1771, age 26[sic], living with family of brother-in-law Charles COMEAUX; married, age 31, Louise BOURG, daughter of Charles BOURG & Anne BOUDREAUX, 11 Jul 1772, probably Opelousas; in Opelousas census, 1774, with no children, 0 slaves, 30 cattle, 6 horses or mules, 15 swine; in Opelousas census, 1777, called Pierre SCAVOIE, age 36, head of family number 111, with wife Louise age 20, daughter Scolastie age 3, 0 slaves, 60 cattle, 12 horses, 20 hogs, 0 sheep; in Opelousas census, 1785, called Pre SAVOYE, with 7 unnamed free individuals, 2 male slaves, 2 female slaves; died St.-Gabriel though "res. of Opelousas" 23 Mar 1788, age 47, a widower, buried next day; death certified by Opelousas priest, 3 Jun 1788; succession record dated 10 May 1788, St. Landry Parish courthouse |
| Rosalie/Rose SAVOIE/SAVOY 14 | 1765 | StJ | born c1741, probably Chepoudy; called Rose; daughter of Paul SAVOIE & Judith MICHEL; sister of Anastasie, Francois-Joseph, Marie, & Pierre; arrived LA 1765, age 24; married Pierre BERTEAU, son of probably Pierre BERTEAU dit Montory & Marie MARTIN of St.-Pierre-du-Nord, Île St.-Jean, 25 Aug 1766, Cabanocé; in Cabanocé census, 1766, probably the woman in the household of Pedro BERTEAU; in St.-Jacques census, 1777, left [east] bank, called Roze SAVOY, age 36, with husband, 2 sons, & 4 daughters; in St.-Jacques census, 1779, unnamed, with husband & 6 others; died [buried] St.-Jacques 11 May 1794, age 58[sic] |
NOTES
01. Wall of Names, 14, calls her Anastasie SAVOIE; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-B:644 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.58), her death/burial record, calls her Anastasie SAVOIE, "spouse of Charles COMAUX," but does not give her parents' names or her age at the time of her death.
02. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Charles SAVOIE; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2588, says he was born in 1721; White, DGFA-1, 1461 See also Bourgeois, Cabanocey, 167; De Ville, St. James Census, 1777, 13.
03. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Francois SAVOIE, & lists him with siblings Marie, Rosalie, & Jean [not really his brother]; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2589, says he was born in 1724, & that he married Anne THIBODEAUX on 14 Oct 1766 at Ascension, now Donaldsonville; NOAR, 2:167, 251 (SLC, B5, 188, M2, 19), the record of his second marriage, calls him Francois SAVOYE, "native of Annapolis Royal, St. Charles Parish, Diocese of Québec, widower of Anne AUCOIN," calls his wife Marie LANDRY, "native of Holy Family at Pequedete (Apequidete) in Acadia, widow of Joseph BOURDE," does not give any parents' names, & says the witness to his marriage was Olivier LANDRY; Bourgeois, Cabanocey, 171, & Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 424, the record of his third marriage, calls him Francois SAVOY, & says he married Anne THIBAUDOS on 5 Oct 1766 at Kabahannossé (Cabahannocer); Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:546, 698 (SM Ct.Hse.: OA-vol1, #6), the record of his fourth marriage, calls him Francois SAVOIE, "widr. of Anne THIBAUDEAU," calls his wife Marie MARTIN, "native of Isle St.-Jean in the province of Acadie," gives her but not his parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Pierre BLANCHARD, Pierre BERTRAND, Jean SAVOY, Pierre MICHEL, Ambroise MARTIN, Joseph MARTIN, & Joseph SAULAIS; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:698 (Opel. Ch.: Folio OA, p.10), his death/burial record, calls him Francois SAVOIE, says he died "at age 50 yrs.," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife. See also De Ville, St. James Census, 1777, 15.
The burial record of daughter Marianne, dated 25 Apr 1785, in NOAR, 4:283 (SLC, F2, 4), calls him Francisco Jaque [SAVOIRE] & shows that he & his family may have lived for a time in New Orleans. According to the burial record, Marianne was only 16 years old when she died, which gives her an estimated birth year of c1769. Was she a daughter of his third or fourth wife? The burial record of son Hippolyte, dated 20 Feb 1814, in Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 2-A:843 (SM Ch.: v.4, #881), calls him Joseph, so his name was Francois-Joseph, not Francois-Jacques.
His estimated birth year is based on the age given in the Atakapas census of 1777, which conforms to his burial record. Why the dramatic differences in his ages for him in the St.-Jacques & Atakapas censuses of 1777, which were taken less than a month apart (St.-Jacques in Apr Atakapas in May)? It's as though we are looking at 2 different men here. There are even differences in the members of his household. Did son Jean die between Apr & May of that year? Where were daughters "Manetee" & Marguerite at St.-Jacques?
The date of his second marriage gives an idea of when his contingent from Halifax via St.-Domingue reached New Orleans. His was one of the earliest Acadian marriages in LA.
No Acadian male of the first generation in LA married more often than this fellow.
04. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Jean SAVOIE, & lists him with Francois, Marie, & Rosalie as though they were his siblings; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2589-90, calls him Jean SAVOIE dit Valois, says he was born in c1750, that his parents were probablement Paul SAVOIE & Judith MICHEL of Chepoudy, calls his wife Marguerite BOUTIN, says they were married in c1773 but does not give the place of marriage or her parents' names, lists his children as Anastasie, born in 1774, Marie in 1777, Marie-Rose dite Rosalie in 1779, Joseph in 1782, Émilienne in 1784, Jean-Baptiste in 1786, Lise in c1787, Salomée in 1788, Marguerite in 1790, & Céleste in 1792, & says that he settled at Opelousas; BRDR, 2:170, 666 (ASC-1, 125), his marriage record, calls him Jean SAVOY, calls his wife Marguerite BUTEN, gives his & her parents' names, calls his parents Charles SAVOIS & Francoise MARTIN of Acadia, says her parents were "of St.-Gabriel," & that the witnesses to his marriage were Joseph BUTEN & Jean-Charles COMO; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-B:645 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.66), his death/burial record, calls him Jean SAVOIE, says he died "at age about 50 yrs.," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-B:646 (LSAR: Opel.: 1804), his succession record, calls him Jean dit Valois SAVOIE, & lists his 3 minor children as Jean, Céleste, & Lise.
In the marriage record of Francois SAVOIE's son Joseph, dated 18 Oct 1796, in Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:699 (SM Ch.: v.4, #134), a witness to the marriage, Jean SAVOIE, is identified by the editors as "groom's uncle." This is mistaken. As revealed in his own marriage record, cited above, Jean was a younger cousin, not a brother, of Francois. Wall of Names also labors under the false impression that Francois & Jean were brothers--an impression probably created by Arsenault's misidentification of Jean's parents.
05. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Jean-Baptiste SAVOIE; BRDR, 2:442, 666 (ASM-2, 19), his marriage record, calls him Juan Bautista SAVOYE, gives his & his wife's parents' names, says all parents were "of Acadia," & that the witnesses to his marriage were Charle CELLIER & Grégoire LEBLANC.
The baptismal record of son Francois-Valéry, dated 15 Sep 1801, in BRDR, 2:666 (ASM-1, 213), calls him Bautista of Halifax.
06. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Joseph SAVOIE; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2589, says he was born in 1727; White, DGFA-1, 1461; BRDR, 1a(rev.):177-78 (SGA-2, 77), his birth/baptismal record, calls him Joseph SAVOIE, gives his parents' names, & says his godparents were Joseph BREAUX & Marie-Joseph[e] SAVOIE. See also Jehn, Acadians Exiles in the Colonies, 249; Bourgeois, Cabanocey, 167.
If, as White says, he was born at Port-Royal, why was his birth/baptism recorded at Grand-Pré?
He had 2 children at Halifax in Aug 1763, including daughter Marguerite, but his son Joseph-André was not born until a couple of years later. What happened to the other child? Was it a son or a daughter?
07. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Joseph-André SAVOIE, & lists him with his parents & a sister; NOAR, 2:251 (SLC, B5, 103), his baptismal record, calls him André SAVOYE, gives his parents' names, calls his father an Acadian, but does not give his birth date; BRDR, 2:436, 666 (SJA-2, 3), his marriage record, calls him Josef SABOA (SAVOIS), calls his wife Margarita LANDRI, does not give his or her parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Fermin LANDRI & Sofia BURSUA. See also Bourgeois, Cabanocey, 173; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 443.
The baptismal record of son Paul-Francois, dated 11 Apr 1790. in BRDR, 2:667 (ASC-5, 39), calls him Joseph Francisco & says that he & his wife Margarita LANDRY were residents of Valenzuela, which was Assumption.
08. Wall of Names, 14, calls her Marguerite SAVOIE; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 2-A:845 (SM Ch.: v.4, #1084), her death/burial record, calls her Marguerite SAVOIE, "wid. of Joseph BROUSSARD," says she "died suddenly at age about 77 years at the home of Michel BROUSSARD her son-in-law at La Côte Gelée," that she was buried "in the parish cemetery," but does not give her parents' names; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 2-A:844 (SM Ct.Hse.: Succ.#256), her succession record, calls her Marguerite SAVOIE m. Joseph BROUSSARD dit Petit Joe.
09. Wall of Names, 25, calls her Marguerite SAVOIE; BRDR, 2:119, 666 (SJA-1, 48a), her marriage record, calls her Marguerite SAVOIS "of Acadia," calls her husband Louis BOULÉ "of Québec," gives her & his parents' names, says both her parents were deceased at the time of the wedding, & that the witnesses to her marriage were Jean ROZER, Jean-Baptiste BERGERONT, & Jean GISCLARD. See also Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 443.
10. Wall of Names, 22, calls her Marie SAVOIE veuve Paul LÉGER; BRDR, 1b:124, 169 (PCP-4, 35; PCP-3, 272), the record of her second marriage, calls her Marie-Modeste SAVOIE, "native of Port-Royal, Acadia, widow of Paul LEGER," calls her husband Jean-Baptiste MISSONNIERE, "native of Parish, Parish of St.-Nicolas des Champs," does not give her but gives his parents' names, says his father was deceased at the time of the wedding & had been "agent of College of Four Nations," & that the witnesses to her marriage were ____ BENOIST, _____ EMONT, & _____ MARCANTEL.
Her second marriage was recorded at Pointe Coupée because Opelousas, where she lived, did not give a church of its own until 1776. Pointe Coupée priests served as missionaries to the Opelousas District in the 1760s & early 1770s.
11. Wall of Names, 25, calls her Marie SAVOIE, & lists her with siblings Francois, Rosalie, & Jean [who was not really her brother]. How old was she in 1765?
What happened to her in LA?
12. Wall of Names, 25, calls her Marie SAVOIE, & lists her singly; NOAR, 2:154, 252 (SLC, M2, 36 & 41), the record of her first marriage, calls her Marie SAVOYE, says she was "native of (S?)ehipout(y?), province of Acadia," calls her husband Francois JACQUET, "native of Turin in Piedmont, royal soldier in Louisiana (soldier in the company of Don Francisco RIU, presently at the royal Fort of St. Louis," gives hers parents' names but only his mother's name, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Francois DEFEU, Jean BELVEDER (BELLEVEDER), Louis POIRSON, & Jean BRETAGNE; NOAR, 3:4, 273-74 (SLC, M4, 12), the record of her second marriage, calls her Maria SAVOY, "native of Port Royal in Acadia, widow of Francisco NIETO," calls her husband Fernando ALVAREZ, "corporal of the battalion of the province of Louisiana," gives her mother's name & his parents' names, says his parents were "natives of (Astorga?)," & that the witness to her marriage was Joseph SANCHES.
When did she reach LA? 1765? 1766? 1767? Did she come from Halifax or MD? Her being a native of Port-Royal hints that she came in ... 1765. She certainly had an affinity for soldiers.
13. Wall of Names, 25, calls him Pierre SAVOIE, & lists him singly; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2589; BRDR, 2:124, 667 (PCP-2, part 2, 137), his marriage record, calls him Pierre SAVOIE, gives his & his wife's parents' names, says his parents were "both decd., & natives of St. Ann Parish, Acadia," that her parents were "of St. Louis Parish, Acadia," & that the witnesses to his marriage were Donat BELLO, Jean DUBRODES, & J. CHEVALIER; BRDR, 2:667 (SGA-8, 7, #34), his death/burial record, calls him Pedro SAVOIS, "res. of Opelousas," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:702 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.5), another death/burial record, calls him Pierre SAVOIE, "inhabitant of this parish ... Buried by Fr. Bernardo de DEVA, priest of St.-Gabriel Parish at Iberville on the Mississippi River, This act is certified by Fr. Joseph de ARAZENA [priest at Opelousas] on 3 June 1788," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:702 (LSAR: Opel.: 1788), his succession record, calls him Pierre SAVOIE, "widr. of Louise BOURG." See also De Ville, Opelousas Post Census, 1771, 10; De Ville, Southwest LA Families, 1777, 25.
Arsenault says he was born in 1741, but the Opelousas census of 1771 says otherwise. However, the Opelousas census of 1777 agrees with Arsenault, whose birth year is used here.
Why did he go to the Opelousas District in 1765 when most of his siblings went to Cabanoce/St.-Jacques? Did he follow sister Anastasie & brother-in-law Charles COMEAUX to the prairies? Notice how close he was in age to sister Rosalie. He was, in fact, the same age as she was. Were they twins?
What was he doing in St.-Gabriel at the time of his death?
A Pierre SAVOYE appears on the Jul 1789 militia list for Opelousas. Was there a Creole in the Opelousas District also named Pierre SAVOY? See Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 413.
14. Wall of Names, 25, calls her Rosalie SAVOIE, & lists her with siblings Francois, Marie, & Jean [who was not really her brother]; Bourgeois, Cabanocey, 171, & Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 424, her marriage record, which calls her Rose SAVOY; BRDR, 2:667 (SJA-4, 1), her death/burial record, calls her Rosalia SAVOIS, "age 58 years of Acadia & wife of Pedro BARTEAU," but does not give her parents' names.
Birth & baptismal records of her children in BRDR, 2:85-86, call her Rosa, Rose, Rosalia, Rosalie.
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