APPENDICES

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

CLÉMENT

[KLAY-monh]

ACADIA

Clément Vincent, born at Port-Royal in c1674, was the youngest son of Acadian pioneer Pierre Vincent and his wife Anne Gaudet.  Clément married Madeleine, daughter of François Levron, at Port-Royal in c1698.  Unlike his two older brothers, who took their families to the Minas Basin, Clément remained in the Port-Royal area, where he and Anne had seven sons, four of whom created families of their own.  Each of the married sons adopted their father's first name as a dit, or nickname, and all of them left Annapolis by 1750 and moved to Île St.-Jean

Oldest son Jean dit Clément, born at Annapolis Royal in June 1713, married first to Isabelle, or Élisabeth, daughter of François Michel, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1731, and remarried to Marguerite, daughter of Charles Hébert, probably at Annapolis Royal c1747.  He took his family to Île St.-Jean in c1750. 

Joseph dit Clément, born at Annapolis Royal in September 1715, also married twice, first to Marguerite, daughter of Jean Hébert, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1740.  They settled at l'Assomption, Pigiguit, before going on to Île St.-Jean in c1750.  Joseph married again in France during Le Grand Dérangement.

Pierre dit Clément, born at Annapolis Royal in October 1723, married three times, first to Blanche, daughter of Louis Michel, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1743, and then to Rosalie dite Rose, daughter of Antoine Barrieau and Angélique Thibodeau, at Port-La-Joye, Île St.-Jean, in May 1752, two years after he came to the island.  They settled at Rivière-du-Moulin-à-Scie near her family.  Pierre dit Clément married a third time in Canada during Le Grand Dérangement.

Youngest son François dit Clément, born at Annapolis Royal in October 1726, married Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Philippe Doiron, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1747.  By 1750, he, too, had moved to Île St.-Jean, settling at Petit-Marais before moving to Anse-au-Matelot, where his two oldest brothers had settled. 

The descendants of these four sons of Clément Vincent called themselves Clément instead of Vincent.  In 1755, they all lived on Île St.-Jean, where they had gone to escape British authority in Nova Scotia.  

[See also Book Three]

~

Cléments who were not Vincents also lived in greater Acadia before Le Grand Dérangement:

Jean Clément, fisherman, native of Jeffrets, Diocese of Coutances, France, came to Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, in the early 1720s, where he likely worked at Port-Toulouse.  In 1752, when a French official counted him with his family at St.-Esprit on the island's Atlantic coast, he was age 45 and, according to the census taker, "30 years in the colony."  Living with him were his wife Marie Brus, actually Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Benjamin Druce and Madeleine Henry dit Robert of Minas, age 40, called a "native of La Cadie," and six children, all natives of St.-Esprit:  Jean, age 20; Pierre, age 18; another Jean, age 11; another Pierre, age 9; Louise, age 4; and Chapin, age 10 months.  Jean and Marie-Josèphe's son Hilaire was born probably at St.-Esprit in c1753, soon after the counting.  Living near their parents were daughter Catherine, age 22, wife of fisherman Jacques Lirard of Plerin, Diocese of St.-Brieux, northern Brittany, France, and daughter Marguerite, age 15, wife of François LeHardy, also a fisherman, from St.-Maudé, Diocese of St.-Malo, also in northern Brittany.  Jean and Marie-Josèphe had married at Port-Toulouse on Île Royale in c1726, but Marie-Josèphe's roots were in British Nova Scotia.  Her father Benjamin was an Englishman, son of John Druce and Anne Turner of Benson, Oxfordshire.  Benjamin had been baptized an Anglican there on 25 January 1685.  He came to Acadia by 1710, probably as a British soldier.  He had to convert to Catholicism to marry Madeleine, daughter of Acadians Robert Henry and Marie-Madeleine Godin of Minas.  Witnesses to his profession of faith, recorded on 6 December 1710, were Pierre Melanson and Pierre Thériot of Minas.  Benjamin died at Minas in March 1714, only 29 years old.  Daughter Marie-Josèphe, born at Minas in late January 1712, was his only child.  Benjamin's widow Madeleine remarried to Jean-Baptiste Radoux in c1715, and he likely took them to Île Royale. 

[See also Book Four]

LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT

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

LOUISIANA:  LAFOURCHE VALLEY SETTLEMENTS

Compared to other Acadian families, the Cléments came "late" to Louisiana.  In June 1785, Hilaire Clément, a widower in his early 30s, took his daughter Marie, age 10, and son Jean-Hilaire, age 8, to Louisiana aboard Le St.-Rémi, the fourth of the Seven Ships from France.  They reached New Orleans in September and followed their fellow passengers to upper Bayou Lafourche, where Hilaire died in his mid-30s soon after he reached the Spanish colony.  His children remained on the bayou with maternal kin until they came of age.   Marie married François, son of fellow Acadian Joseph Dugas, at Assumption in February1797 and died in Lafourche Interior Parish in April 1842, age 67.  Hilaire's son also married on the upper bayou and perpetuated the family line there. 

Descendants of Jean-Hilaire CLÉMENT (1776-1844; Jean)

Jean-Hilaire, older son of Hilaire Clément and Tarsile Naquin, born at Chantenay near Nantes, France, in November 1776, followed his widowed father and his older sister to Louisiana and to upper Bayou Lafourche.  After his father died, he lived with his sister and relatives on the upper bayou.  He married Geneviève-Sophie, called Sophie, daughter of fellow Acadians Victor Boudreaux and his second wife Geneviève Richard, at Assumption in September 1801.  Sophie had come to Louisiana in 1785 aboard La Ville d'Archangel, the sixth of the Seven Ships.  The Acadian Cléments of Louisiana are descended from this union.  Their daughters married into the Benoit, Hébert, Levron, and Morvant families.  Jean-Hilaire died in Lafourche Interior Parish in October 1844; the priest who recorded his burial said that Jean Hilaire died "at age 69 yrs.," but he was "only" 67.  His sons and grandsons settled in the Bayou Lafourche valley around present-day Thibodaux.  Two of his grandsons married first cousins.  Some of his descendants moved on to the Bayou Teche valley after the War of 1861, but most of them remained on Bayou Lafourche. 

1

Oldest son Jean-Hilaire, fils, called Hilaire, born at Assumption in April 1803, married Marie Florine, daughter of fellow Acadians Michel Archange Bernard and Justine Arceneaux, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in September 1826.  Their son Jean Hilaire III, also called Hilaire, was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in October 1827, Georges Edmondville in April 1829, and Trasimond Dumini in August 1839.  Their daughters married into the Guillot family.  

1a

Georges Edmondville married Marie Roseline, daughter of fellow Acadian Olivier Guillot and his Creole wife Anne Marguerite Oncale, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in June 1849.  Their son Joseph Glalsey was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1850, Maurice Théophile in September 1852, Georges Dosilien in July 1859, Jean Trasimond in January 1862, Liber Cleodomi in March 1867, and Joseph Alphonse in February 1870.  During the War of 1861-65, Georges Edmondville served as a lieutenant in the Lafourche Parish Regiment of Militia.  

1b

Jean Hilaire III married Marie Aglae, called Aglae, daughter of fellow Acadians Marcellin Breaux and Azélie Dugas, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in June 1850.  Their son Cordeluis Hilaire was born in Lafourche Parish in November 1856, Jean Beauregard in July 1861, Émile in c1863 but died at age 3 in May 1866, Simplice Césaire Camille was born in March 1866, and Émile Julien was born in May 1867.  

1c

Trasimond married Odile, another daughter of Marcellin Breaux and Azélie Dugas, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in April 1864.  Their son Grégoire Alcée was born in Lafourche Parish in September 1866, Joseph Alfred in June 1868, and Alphonse in October 1870.  

2

Paul Valéry, called Valéry, born in Assumption Parish in March 1811, married Delphine, another daughter of Michel Archange Bernard and Justine Arceneaux, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in February 1835.  Their son Joseph Paul was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in January 1839, Joseph Michel in August 1840 but died at age 12 in July 1852, Onésiphore Ulysse was born in September 1842, Odesoe in April 1846, Michel Oleus or Élisée, called Élisée, in December 1848, and Louis Joseph in September 1853.  Their daughter married into the Tauzin family on upper Bayou Teche.  One of Valéry's sons also moved to upper Bayou Teche after the war. 

Élisée married first cousin Eliska, daughter of Eugène Morvant and his Acadian wife Delphine Clément, Élisée's paternal aunt, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in April 1867.  Soon after their marriage, Élisée and Eliska moved to upper Bayou Teche.  Their son Edgard was born near Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish, in April 1868. 

3

François Ursin, called Ursin, born in Assumption Parish in December 1812, married Adeline Severine, daughter of fellow Acadians Jean Marie Benoit and Marie Élisabeth Darois, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in January 1836.  Their son Jean Arsène, called Arsène, was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in February 1839, Arsène or Ursin Ulysse in November 1839, Joseph Marcellin, called Marcellin, in September 1841 but died at age 11 months in August 1842, and Auguste died at age 6 months in December 1843.  Their daughter married a Clément cousin.  Ursin remarried to Azéma, daughter of Michel Sevin and his Acadian wife Théotiste Hébert, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in July 1853.  Their son Émile was born probably in Lafourche Parish in c1854 but died at age 4 in November 1858, Joseph Paul was born in October 1854, Jean Baptiste in September 1856, Joseph Treville Clémile in November 1859, Joseph in January 1862, and Arthur Ulysse in October 1868.  

Arsène, by his father's first wife, married Adèle, daughter of Noël Navarre and his Acadian wife his Acadian wife Doralise Naquin, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in January 1864.  Their son Anatole Olésime was born in Lafourche Parish in February 1869.  

4

Youngest son Charles Joseph, or Joseph Charles, called Charles, born probably in Assumption Parish in the 1810s, married Marie Arthémise, called Arthémise, daughter of Nicolas Sevin and his Acadin wife Marie Hébert, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in July 1836.  Their son Charles Joseph Adam, called Joseph, was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in January 1838, Auguste Ovile in October 1839, Théophile in August 1843, Paulin in February 1853, Joseph Paul in October 1854, Joachim Émile in February 1855 but died at age 3 in October 1858, Bernard Clesia was born in August 1857, and Joseph Treville Clémile in November 1859.  They also had a son named Alexis or Félix.  Their daughters married into the Morvant and Sevin families.  

4a

Auguste married Josephine, daughter of fellow Acadians Guillaume Boudreaux and Françoise Gautreaux, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in May 1861.  Their son Oleus Joseph was born near Labadieville, Assumption Parish, in March 1864, Octave Émile in Lafourche Parish in January 1866, Justilien in c1867 but died at age 15 months in March 1869, and Camille Klebert in July 1870.  

4b

Joseph married Marie Rose, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph Boudreaux and Marie Rosalie Hébert, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in January 1862.  Their son Joseph Deve was born in Lafourche Parish in October 1862, Davis Anatole in February 1868, and Isidore Cyprien in April 1870.  During the War of 1861-65, Joseph served in the Lafourche Parish Regiment of Militia.  

4c

Théophile married first cousin Melina, daughter of fellow Acadians Ursin Clément and Severine Benoit, his uncle and aunt, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in January 1864.  Their son Émile Ulysse was born in Lafourche Parish in September 1868.  Théophile remarried to Victorine, daughter of fellow Acadian Olivier Hébert and Tersile Boudreaux and widow of Pierre Rabbas or Robbas, at the Thibodaux church in February 1870.  

4d

Alexis or Félix married Victorine, daughter of Polinaire Durocher and Mathilde Jolibois, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in March 1869.  Their son Marcel Félicien was born in Lafourche Parish in January 1870.  

Other CLÉMENTs in the Lafourche Valley

Area church records make it difficult to link some Cléments in the upper Bayou Lafourche valley with known Acadian lines of the family there:

Marie Madeleine Clément "of Lafourche Parish" married Henry Ernest "of Lafourche Parish" at the Labadieville church, Assumption Parish, in February 1868.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Was Marie Madeleine Acadian? 

Omer or Omère Clément married Rosalie Montecino at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in April 1869.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Their son Jean Théodule was born in Ascension Parish in late Decembe 1869 and died soon after.  Omer likely died in Ascension Parish, perhaps on the upper bayou, in June 1870; the Donaldsonville priest who recorded the burial, and who, true to form, did not give any parents' names or even mention a wife, said that Omer L. died at "age 24 years."  Was Omer Acadian? 

NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA

The great majority of the Cléments of Louisiana are not Acadian but French Creole or Foreign French.  At least a dozen of them came to South Louisiana from the 1770s well into the early 1800s, and many of them created families of their own.  They settled in St. John the Baptist Parish just above New Orleans, farther up the river at St. James and Baton Rouge, along Bayou Lafourche among their Acadian namesakes, south into the Terrebonne marshes, and west of the Atchafalaya Basin near Grand Coteau, on the Opelousas prairies, along Bayou Teche and the lower Vermilion River, and in the coastal marshes west of the Vermilion valley in present-day Cameron Parish:  

A French-Creole family settled on the German Coast during the late colonial period and, as far as church records show, did not intermarry with Acadians:

Descendants of François CLÉMENT (?-?)

François, son of Antoine Clément and Marie Mangot of Chamberi, Savoie, in southeastern France, married Anne, daughter of Louis Barbé, at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands on the Upper German Coast, now St. John the Baptist Parish, in October 1773 or 1775.  Their daughters married into the Elfre or Helfer, Jacob, and Vicknair families.  This Clément family probably remained in St. John the Baptist Parish, where a number of them served in the local militia during the War Between the States.  

1

Oldest son Michel, born at St.-Jean-Baptiste in May 1778, died a bachelor at St.-Jean-Baptiste in July 1798.  The priest who recorded his burial said that Michel was age 24 when he died, but, according to his baptismal record, he was 20.  

2

François, fils, born at St.-Jean-Baptiste in January 1787, also probably died young.

3

Jacques married Thérèse, daughter of German Creole Maurice Elfre or Helfer, at St.-Jean-Baptiste in February 1801; Thérèse's brother was Jacques's sister Brigitte's husband.  Their son Jacques, fils, was born near Edgard the following September.  Jacques, fils must have died young, however, because in May 1803 Jacques, père and Thérèse baptized another son named Jacques at the Edgard church.  

4

Nicolas married Rosalie, daughter of German Creole Jean Schexnayder, at Edgard in July 1803.  

~

Most of the Clément families of South Louisiana were created during the late colonial and antebellum periods, and most were what native Louisianians called Foreign French.  Some were Anglo Americans.  And others who lived in South Louisiana during the immediate post-war period were Afro Creoles once owned by members of the family or whose ancestors bore the given name Clément:

François, son of Phillipe Clément and Marie-Josèphe Alexandre of Paimboeuf, France, married Pélagie, daughter of French Creole Joseph Fremaux, at Opelousas in February 1800.  Their son Phillip was baptized at Opelousas in March 1801, and Joseph was born in St. Landry Parish in September 1807.  

François Clément came to Louisiana from St.-Domingue, now Haiti, probably as a refugee from the violence there in the early 1800s.  He died in Pointe Coupee Parish in December 1822, age 44.  The priest who recorded François's burial did not mention a wife or children.  

Another refugee from St.-Domingue, Joseph, son of Jean-Baptiste Clément of Cap dans l'Isle, Haiti, married Rosalie, daughter of French Creole Louis Verret of Assumption Parish, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in January 1824, after they had been married by a judge in St. Mary Parish the year before.  Joseph's succession record was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in December 1835.   

François Abel Clément, native of Hucquigny, Brittany, France, died in Ascension Parish in July 1836, age 30.  The priest who recorded his burial did not give François Abel's parents' names or mention a wife. 

Jean-Baptiste, son of Laurent Clément and Élisabeth Meauroux of the Bordeaux area of France, married Caroline, daughter of Noel Jourdan of Mississippi, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in June 1836. 

Jean-Baptiste-Constant, son of Jean-Baptiste Clément and Marie-Josèphe Beaupretre of France, married Eve Théodora, daughter of Acadian Valmont Girouard, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in August 1853, and remarried to Acadian Azina Broussard in a civil ceremony in Lafayette Parish in October 1859. 

In November 1850, Jules Clément, described as an associate of Jean Courtade and Company, died near Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, age 66.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give Jules's parents' names or mention a wife or children.  

Joseph Clément married Adèle Bellanger, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Aimée was born in Terrebonne Parish in February 1853. 

Simon Clément married Marie Dupuis, probably an Acadian, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Jean Louis was born in Terrebonne Parish in August 1853. 

Joseph Clément, native of the Department of Éloi, France, died in Assumption Parish in November 1853, age 25.  The priest who recorded the burial said nothing of Joseph's parents or a wife. 

"Marie" Clément married Catherine Mathilde Flinn, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Léontine Zélie was born in Lafayette Parish in July 1858. 

Auguste S., son of Michael Clément and Louise Barry, married Marie Constance, daughter of Acadian Drosin Breaux, at the Plaquemine church, Iberville Parish, in October 1858.  The marriage record notes that both of Auguste S.'s parents were deceased at the time of the wedding. 

Benegas Clément married Catherine Flyan, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Anne Clarice was born in St. Martin Parish in October 1860.  

Sylvain "of France," son of Louis Clément and Françoise Die, married Joséphine, daughter of Acadian Valéry LeBlanc, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in April 1864.

Marie Benigne Clément married Catherine ____, place and date unrecorded.  Son Fernand Emmanuel was born in St. Martin Parish in November 1866. 

Aimée Clément married Frank Piearce in Ascension Parish in October 1867.  The Donaldsonville priest who recorded the marriage gave no parents' names. 

Jean Baptiste, called Baptiste, Clément married Rosa Abraham, also called Brown, at the Breaux Bridge church, St. Martin Parish, in January 1868.  Son Arthur was born near Breaux Bridge in March 1868.   Were they Afro Creoles?

Mary L. Clement married Anglo American A. Hugh Moss in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in June 1868.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  Was Mary L. French or Anglo?

Stephen H. Clement married Anglo Creole Telisma Lyons in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in September 1868.  Was Stephen H. an Anglo?

Coralie Clément, freedwoman, married Levi Walker, freedman, in a civil ceremony in Lafayette Parish in June 1869.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Jean Clement died "a few months [old]" in Ascension Parish in December 1869.  The Donaldsonville priest who recorded the burial, true to form, gave no parents' names. 

.

A French-Creole family settled in the Baton Rouge area and intermarried with Acadians there:

Descendants of Pierre CLÉMENT (?-?)

Pierre, son of Olivier Clément and Jacqueline Le Bernier, married Marie-Madeleine, daughter of Acadian Jean-Baptiste Legendre, at Baton Rouge in June 1807.  They settled in the Baton Rouge area.  Their daughter married into the Babin family.  

1

Oldest son Clemente, born near Baton Rouge in March 1808, probably died young.  

2

J. Fergus, called Fergus, born near Baton Rouge in December 1810, married Rosalie, daughter of Acadian Joseph Doiron, at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, in March 1835.  Their son Victorin was born probably near Brusly Landing, West Baton Rouge Parish, in April 1838 but died at age 14 in October 1852, Stanislas was born in November 1839, Léo Paul in c1843 but died at age 7 in October 1850, Adamis was born in c1845 but died at age 13 in December 1858, Célestin was born in November 1846 but died at age 20 months in August 1848, Eustache Aristide was born in March 1849, Timon Victor in April 1850, and Deville Joseph in March 1857.  

Stanislas married Acadian Eulalie Doiron probably in West Baton Rouge Parish in the late 1850s.  Their son Joseph was born near Brusly in July 1860, and Fergus Stanislas in October 1864.  

3

Youngest son François Dumas, born near Baton Rouge in the 1810s or 1820s, married Rosalie, daughter of Jean Raffray and widow of Jean-Baptiste Tullier, at the Brusly church, West Baton Rouge Parish, in May 1848; Rosalie's mother was a Martin.  Their son Eustache Aristide was born near Brusly in March 1849, Alcide Gervais in June 1853, and Alcée in October 1855.  

.

A French-Creole family settled among their Acadian namesakes in Assumption, Lafourche Interior, and Terrebonne parishes and intermarried with Acadians: 

Descendants of Jean-Pierre CLEMENT (?-?)

Jean-Pierre, called Pierre, Clément married Adélaïde, daughter of Acadian Jean Delaune, in the first decade of the 1800s.  Their daughters married into the Arbonneaux, Ayot, Hael, and Hains families.  

1

Oldest son Léo, born in Assumption Parish in c1810, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in September 1835, age 25, and did not marry. 

2

Siméon, born in Assumption Parish in January 1813, married Marie Pauline, daughter of French Creole Jean François Olivier, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in May 1837.  They lived for a time on Bayou Black in Terrebonne Parish.  Their son Adam was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1839, Édouard in April 1843, Joseph Fauls or Folse, called Folse, in February 1846, and Léon Edmond in Terrebonne Parish in December 1853.  Their daughters married into the Hendegriff or Hangriff and Robichaux families.  

2a

Adam married Pauline, daughter of Acadian Joseph Chiasson, at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, in April 1861.  Their son Joseph Léonie was born in Terrebonne Parish in June 1862, and Laurent Taylor in June 1870.  

2b

Édouard married Adeline, daughter of Pierre Marcellin Bonvillain and his Acadian wife Émilie Thibodeaux, at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, in July 1869. 

2c

Folse married Aspasie, daughter of Pierre Daspit and his Acadian wife Arcade Guidry, at the Houma church in May 1870.  

3

Eusilien Evariste, born in Assumption Parish in April 1815, married Scholastique, daughter of French Creole Louis Savant, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in April 1839.  Their son Joseph Evariste had been born in Assumption Parish in June 1837, a son, name unrecorded, died in Lafourche Interior Parish 6 days after his birth in December 1840, Evariste Brutus was born in Terrebonne Parish in February 1857, and Adam Oleus in February 1860.  Their daughters married into the Breaux, Duplantis, and Perrin families.  

Joseph Evariste married Rosalie, daughter of Acadian Augustin Trahan, at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, in February 1864.  Their son Augustin was born in Terrebonne Parish in April 1866, and Ulisse Eusilien in June 1868.  

4

Louis Joachim, born in Assumption Parish in October 1817, married Adèle Pélagie, daughter of French Creole Cyprien Maillet or Mayer, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in August 1839; Adele's mother was a Dugas.  Their son Henry Louis, called Louis, was born in Assumption Parish in July 1840 but died at age 4 in February 1845, Louis Desonville was born in January 1846, Osil Vileor in November 1850, Osémé Napoléon in January 1853, and Devillier Adolphe in February 1855.  

Louis Desonville may have married Marie O'Neil probably in Lafourche Parish in the 1860s.  

5

Edmond Adrien, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in November 1826, married Acadian Olesida or Elesida Boudreaux probably in Assumption Parish in the late 1840s or early 1850s.  Their son Edmond Jean Pierre was born in Assumption Parish in March 1854, Léon Bible near Attakapas Canal, Assumption Parish, in October 1858, Cléopha Siméon in March 1861, Henry Adrien in November 1863, and Émile Joseph in March 1866.  

6

Youngest son Pierre, born in c1833, died at age about 10 in August 1843.  

.

A French-Creole family lived in the old Opelousas District and also intermarried with Acadians:  

Descendants of Louis CLÉMENT (?-?)

Louis, son of Charles Clément and Marguerite Varfaille of Marseille, France, married Marie Anne, daughter of German Creoles Georges Stelly and Marie Barbe Miller, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in February 1810.  The couple settled at La Prairie Basse near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, and raised a large family.  Their daughters married into the Breaux, Caruthers, Cormier, Gaspard, Hanks, and Lormand families.  Before she married Onésime Cormier at the Grand Coteau church in June 1851, Louis, père's daughter Urasie had a daughter named Marie Virginie, born near Grand Coteau in April 1849; the priest who recorded the girl's baptism did not name the father; Marie Virginie married into the Schexnayder family.  Five of Louis, père's seven sons also married.  His second son's line was especially robust:

1

Oldest son Louis, fils, called Don Louis, born near Grand Coteau in July 1811, married French Canadian Carmélite or Marguerite Lantier in a civil ceremony in Lafayette Parish in March 1838.  Their son Don Louis, fils was born near Grand Coteau in November 1838.  Don Louis, père remarried to Clémence or Clémentine, daughter of Acadian Joseph Benoit and widow of Samuel Royer, in a civil ceremony in Lafayette Parish in July 1843, and sanctified the marriage at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in June 1845.  Their son Jean Percival was born near Grand Coteau in August 1850.  Their daughter married into the Thibodeaux family.  Louis, fils died by June 1855, when his wife remarried at Grand Coteau; he would have been only in his early 40s at the time of his death; his successions were filed at the Opelousas courthouse in November 1857 and December 1858.  

1a

Don Louis, fils, by his father's first wife, married Acadian Phelonise or Zélonise LeBlanc, widow of Auguste Perret, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1858, and sanctified the marriage at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in October 1860.  They settled at Pointe Émile Mouton in present-day Acadia Parish.  Their son Adam was born in October 1859, and Alcée in July 1866.  

1b

Jean Percival, by his father's second wife, married Felonise, daughter of Bohemian Creole Jacques Touchet, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in August 1869, and sanctified the marriage at the Church Point church, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in September.  Their son Louis le jeune was born near Church Point in July 1870. 

2

Charles, born near Grand Coteau in February 1817, married French Creole Denise Bergeau in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1838, and sanctified the marriage at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1846.  Their son Charles Onésime was born in Lafayette Parish in February 1842, Octave near Grand Coteau in February 1844, Denis in December 1847, Gustave in November 1850, Don Louis le jeune in August 1855, and Julien or Jules in June 1857 (one wonders if these were twins).  Their daughter married into the Guillory family.  Charles remarried to Olivia, daughter of German Creole Julien Miller and his Acadian wife Marie Dugas, at the Grand Coteau church in February 1862.  Charles's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in February 1866; he would have been age 49 that year; his succession was "transferred to Acadia Parish Courthouse," date unrecorded. 

2a

Charles Onésime, by his father's first wife, married French Creole Marie Zéolide Maillard in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in May 1862.  

2b

Denis, by his father's first wife, married Julie, another daughter of Julien Miller, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1866, and sanctified the marriage at the Church Point church, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, the following May.  Their son Julien le jeune was born near Eunice, St. Landry Parish, in March 1870. 

2c

Gustave, by his father's first wife, married Marie Olezia or Olisia, also called Melise, yet another daughter of Julien Miller, at the Church Point church, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in June 1866. 

2d

Jules, by his father's first wife, married Marie Anaïs, called Anaïs, daughter of Acadian Jean Doucet, at the Eunice church, St. Landry Parish, in October 1877.  Jules and Anaïs moved to western Acadia Parish in the late 1800s, and it was on their land near the village of Evangeline, on the east side of Bayou Nezpique, a few miles east of Jennings, that oil was first drilled in Louisiana in September 1901--the birth of the major industry that transformed the Bayou State.  A road in Acadia Parish is named after Jules.

3

Guilien or Julien was born in St. Landry Parish in February 1819.  He probably did not survive childhood.  

4

Eugène, called Jean in the church record, baptized at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, age 5 months, in November 1823, married Pélagie, daughter of Acadian Alexandre Trahan and his French-Canadian wife Céleste Primeaux, in a civil ceremony in Lafayette Parish in April 1844.  By the late 1840s, they had moved to the Abbeville area of Vermilion Parish, where son Zéphirin was born in September 1854, Adrien le jeune in March 1857, Alcide in June 1859, and Ovide in August 1862.  

After the War of 1861-65, Alcide left Vermilion Parish and moved westward into the coastal marshes of present-day Cameron Parish, settling on Little Chenier, north of Grand Chenier.  Alcide married Acadian Amelia Benoit in the late 1880s probably in Cameron Parish.  She died at Little Chenier in April 1893, age 25.  Son Adam died at age one month only 10 days after his mother's death, so Amelia probably died from complications of childbirth.  Alcide remarried to Marianne, daughter of French Creole André Suire and Bohemian Creole Marguerite Touchet, at the Creole church, Cameron Parish, in December 1894.  Their son Pierre was born on Little Chenier in November 1895, daughter Marianne in December 1897, and Marguerite in December 1899.  [Marguerite married Jean Louis, son of German Creole Joseph Ozincourt Miller and his second wife Marie Odalie Miller of Bayou Blue, Allen Parish, in February 1920 at Jennings, Jefferson Davis Parish.  They settled at Evangeline in Acadia Parish and near Hathaway, north of Jennings.  Marguerite died at Jennings in April 1971, age 71.  She is the author's maternal grandmother.]

5

Désiré, born near Grand Coteau in April 1833, married French Creole Angèle or Angela Maillard or Myer in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in September 1856, and sanctified the marriage at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1857.  Their son Aurelien was born near Grand Coteau in February 1862.  During the War of 1861-65, Désiré served in Company K of the 3rd (Harrison's) Regiment Louisiana Cavalry, raised in St. Landry Parish, which fought in Louisiana and Arkansas.  

6

Joachim, baptized at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, age 1, in September 1836, married Ederige or Edvige, daughter of Manuel Maillard or Mayer, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in August 1856; she may have been a sister of his older brother Désiré's wife.  Their son Joseph Neuville was born near Grand Coteau in October 1858, and Valentine in February 1861.  Joachim's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in December 1862; one wonders if his death was war-related.  

7

Youngest son Adrien, born near Grand Coteau in May 1837, died at age 12 in July 1849.  

CONCLUSION

In Acadia, some Cléments were actually Vincents--descendants of Clément Vincent of Port-Royal; they chose their ancestor's first name as a dit and then as their surname--but no member of this family emigrated to Louisiana.  Only one Acadian Clement came to the colony, from France in 1785.  Hilaire Clement of Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, part of greater Acadia, was a widower with two small children when he came to Louisiana.  He took them to upper Bayou Lafourche, where he died in the late 1780s.  His only son Jean-Hilaire married a fellow Acadian and settled on the bayou.  Jean-Hilaire's sons and grandsons, most of whom married fellow Acadians, settled on the middle Lafourche around present-day Thibodaux.  Soon after the War of 1861-65, one of Jean-Hilaire's descendants moved from the Lafourche valley to upper Bayou Teche, but most of his descendants remained on the Lafourche. 

Beginning in the 1770s, non-Acadian Clements, including refugees from Haiti, came to Louisiana.  They settled on the Lower German Coast just above New Orleans, farther up the river at St. James and Baton Rouge, along Bayou Lafourche among their Acadian namesakes, south into the Terrebonne marshes, on the Opelousas prairies, along Bayou Teche and the lower Vermilion, and in the coastal marshes west of the Vermilion valley.  

The largest Clement family in South Louisiana was that of Louis of Marseille.  He came to Louisiana at the beginning of the antebellum period, married a German Creole in St. Landry Parish in 1810, and settled near Grand Coteau.  His sons and grandsons moved out into the western prairies and coastal marshes of St. Landry, Acadia, Vermilion, and Cameron parishes.  In 1901, the first oil well in Louisiana was drilled on the Acadia Parish farm of one of his grandsons, Jules Clement, who lived a few miles east of Jennings [the author's hometown]. ...

The family's name also is spelled Clemant, Clemente, Climent.  [See Book Ten for the Acadian family's Louisiana "begats"]

Sources:  Arsenault, Généalogie, 819, 1454, 1457-58, 2009, 2187; BRDR, vols. 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11; "Census for Ile Royale by Sr de la Rocque," in <acadian-home.org>; De La Roque "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2A:10, 104, 107, 109; Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 80; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, vols. 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, CD; <islandregister.com/1752.html>; NOAR, vols. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/Reine_d_Espagne.htm>, Family No. 15; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 27; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 41; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 202, 780-82; Robichaux, German Coast Families, 202-08, 318-19; Taylor, J. G., Louisiana, 147; White, DGFA-1, 552, 1575, 1582-83.

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

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

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

NOTES

01.  Wall of Names, 36 (pl. 9L), calls him Hilaire CLIMENT, & lists him with 2 children; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/Reine_d_Espagne.htm>, Familiy No. 15, shows that in the crossing to St.-Malo in 1758-59 his sister Marguerite died at sea, but his brother-in-law & 6-year-old nephew survived the crossing; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 202, "Family" No. 247, calls him Hilaire CLEMENT, says he was born in c1753 but gives no birthplace, calls his parents Jean CLEMENT & Marie-Josèphe RUDOUX [RADOUX, her stepfather's surname], says he "disembarked with the family of François HARDY, his uncle at St. Malo on November 17, 1758 from the English packet, La Reine d'Espagne," & says he resided at St.-Malo from 1759-61 & at Trigavou from 1761-72; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 27, Family No. 56, calls him Hilaire CLEMENT, says he was born in c1746 but gives no birthplace, says he was a "native of Acadie," calls his parents Jean CLEMENT & Marie-Joseph RUDOUZE, says they were from the parish of Monthoiron & were deceased at the time of his marriage, that he was a domestic, details his marriage, including his wife's parents' names, says they were deceased & that his wife resided in the parish of Leigne-les-bois at the time of the marriage, provides the birth/baptismal record of daughter Marie, baptized 16 Jul 1775, Bonneuil-Matours, goddaughter of Charles DAIGLE & Marie GAUTROT, & details the family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 41, Family No. 79, calls him Hilaire CLEMENT, says he was born in c1746 but gives no birthplace, does not give his parents' names, calls him a domestic, details his marriage but does not give his wife's parents' names, says his wife was born in c1746 but gives no birthplace, that she died at age 38 & was buried 16 Apr 1784, St.-Nicolas, Nantes, includes the birth/baptismal & death/burial records of son Jean-Hilaire, baptized 29 Nov 1776, St.-Martin-de-Chantenay, daughter Madeleine, baptized 6 Feb 1779, St.-Martin-de-Chantenay, died age 7 mos. & buried 15 Aug 1779, St.-Nicolas, Nantes, & son Francois, baptized 4 Oct 1780, St.-Martin-de-Chantenay, & details the family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s as well as its voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 50-51, calls him Hilaire CLIMENT, charpentier, age 39 (the source of his c1746 birth year in Robichaux's studies of the Acadians at Poitou & Nantes), on the embarkation list, & Hilaire CLÉMENT, carpenter, age 39, on the complete listing, says he was in the 33rd Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with no wife & 2 children, details his marriage, including his & his wife's parents' names, calls his parents Jean [CLÉMENT] & Marie-Josèphe RUDOUZE, & says daughter Marie was born in 1775 but gives no place of birth.  

This researcher has found no direct link for him with the VINCENT dit CLÉMENTs of Acadia.  That Hilaire was an Acadian there is no doubt--he lived on Île Royale, which was part of greater Acadia, & was exiled to France with his fellow Acadians--but he hailed from a different CLÉMENT family of greater Acadia.  He not listed with the family of Jean CLEMENT, fisherman, native of the parish of Jeffrets, Diocese of Coutances, & Marie BRUS [DRUCE] at St.-Esprit, Île Royale, in Feb 1752.  Hilaire, if he had been born in c1746, would have been age 6 that year, so unless he was living with relatives--the Feb 1752 counting does not show that he was--he should have been counted with his family.  See "Census for Ile Royale by Sr de la Rocque," in <acadian-home.org>; De La Roque "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2A:10.  That he was not listed with them may be explained by the simple premise that he had not been born yet. 

For his wife's name, see also the marriage records of his children in BRDR, 2:191.  

02.  Wall of Names, 36 (pl. 9L), calls him Jean [CLIMENT], & lists him with his widowed father & sister; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 41; Family No. 79, his baptismal record, calls him Jean-Hilaire CLÉMENT, gives his parents' names, does not give his godparents' names, details his family's participation in the Poitou settlement in Poitou of the early 1770s (of which he was not a part), &, calling him Jean, details his family's voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 50-51, calls him Jean, son [Hilaire CLIMENT's] fils, age 8, on the embarkation list, & Jean CLÉMENT, his [Hilaire CLÉMENT's] son, age 8, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 33rd Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with his widowed father & sister; BRDR, 2:118, 191 (ASM-2, 61), his marriage record, calls him Juan CLÉMENT "of Nantes, France," calls his wife Sophia BOUDRAUX "of St.-Malo," gives his & her parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Carlos BERGERON & Pablo BOURQUE; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 2:104 (Thib.Ch.: v.1, #151), his burial record, calls him Jean Hilaire CLÉMENT, says he died "at age 69 yrs.," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife.  

Mathurin DAUNIS's wife was Rose-Marie, called Marie, GAUTREAUX, whose mother was Anne NAQUIN.  Marie, who was Jean-Hilaire's sister's godmother, also died not long after reaching LA, so, after their father died, Jean-Hilaire & his sister lived with a maternal in-law. 

03.  Wall of Names, 36 (pl. 9L), calls her Marie [CLIMENT], & lists her with her widowed father & brother; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 27, Family No. 56, her baptismal record, calls her Marie CLÉMENT, gives her parents' names, says her godparents were Charles DAIGLE & Marie GAUTROT, & details her family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s as well as its voyage to LA 1785; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 41, Family No. 79, calls her Marie [CLÉMENT], & details her family's participation in the Poitou settlement in Poitou of the early 1770s as well as its voyage to LA 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 50-51, calls her Marie, sa [Hilaire CLIMENT's] fille, age 10, on the embarkation list, & Marie CLÉMENT, his [Hilaire CLÉMENT's] daughter, age 10, on the complete listing, says she was in the 33rd Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with her widowed father & brother, & says she was born in 1775 but gives no birthplace; BRDR, 2:191, 255 (ASM-2, 17), her marriage record, calls her Maria CLÉMENT, says the wedding date was 8 Feb 1796, gives her & her husband's parents' names, says her father was deceased at the time of the marriage, & that the witnesses to her marriage were Josef AUCOIN & Ambroiso HÉBERT; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 2:105 (Thib.Ch.: v.1, #11), her burial record, calls her Marie CLEMENT m. François DUGAT, but does not give her parents' names.  

Bonneuil-Matours is in the present-day Department of Vienne, near Châtellerault, so she was born in the interior of Poitou. 

After her father died, she & her brother lived with the husband of her deceased godmother, Rose-Marie, called Marie, GAUTREAUX, whose mother was Anne NAQUIN. 

Her appearance in the Valenzuéla census of 1797 (taken in Apr) without her husband hints that she was married in 1797, not 1796.  

What was a "minor premise"?  Was it a kind of female engagé?  A live-in babysitter/housekeeper?  Or simply a young, unmarried woman?

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