William,
called "Billy,"
Johnson, a native of Scotland, came to Port-Royal
in the autumn of 1710 as a British soldier. He got
into trouble with his superiors, was branded on the
forehead with the crow's foot, the sign of a
thief, and expelled from the garrison. Undaunted,
Billy sought refuge in the nearby Acadian
community, denounced Protestantism, and became a
Catholic. In c1714, he "married"
Isabelle, a daughter of Jean Corporon and
Françoise Savoie, at
Annapolis Royal and "became" an Acadian.
Seven years before, in September 1707, Isabelle had
given birth to a natural son, Louis dit Beaulieu, by
Sr. René Fontaine,
"a clerk in M. Raudot's office of the Marine in France," and in
September 1713 she gave birth to a natural daughter, Marie, whose father's
identity has been lost to history.
She may have borne natural children by Billy
Johnson before they married.
Among his Acadian in-laws, Billy was called Guillaume Johnson
dit Jeanson. His four sons, all
born at Annapolis Royal, created families of their own in the Annapolis Basin.
He and his wife had no daughters. Billy died at Annapolis Royal before
27 March 1732, when René LeBlanc sought a petition against "the Widow
Johnson, who had prevented him from taking possession of his house at
[Annapolis] Royal."
Oldest son Jean-Baptiste dit
Jeanson, born
in
January 1715, married Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Pierre Lord and
Jeanne Doucet, at
Annapolis Royal in February 1743.
Charles, born in July 1717, married Marie,
daughter of Joseph Aucoin and Anne Trahan, probably at
Annapolis Royal in
c1744.
Thomas dit Jeanson, born in June 1719,
married first to Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Alexandre Girouard and
Marie Le Borgne de Bélisle and widow of Louis Dugas, at
Annapolis Royal in January 1742, and then to another Marie-Josèphe, this one
daughter of Claude Granger and Jeanne Guilbeau and
widow of Denis dit Jean-Baptiste Petitot dit
Saint-Seine, at L'Assomption, Québec, in October 1768 during Le Grand Dérangement.
Youngest son Guillaume dit Billy, born
in July 1722, married Marie-Josèphe dite Josette, daughter of Pierre Aucoin
and Catherine Comeau, probably at Annapolis Royal in c1743.
[For more of this family in
pre- and post-dispersal Acadia and Canada, see
Book Three]
In 1755, descendants of
"Billy" Johnson dit Jeanson could still be
found at Annapolis Royal.
LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT
[For the family's travails
during the Great Upheaval, see
Book
Six]
LOUISIANA: RIVER
SETTLEMENTS
Descendants of "Billy" Johnson
the wayward soldier were among the earliest Acadians who found refuge in Louisiana.
Most likely all of
the Jeansons who came to the colony reached New Orleans from Halifax
via St.-Domingue in 1765. They settled
at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river above New Orleans where 20 Acadians
from Georgia had settled the year before:
According to the Acadian Memorial
in St. Martinville, Charles Jeanson, fils, age 20, came to Louisiana
with three younger siblings--Jean, age 19, Marie, age 18, and Paul, age
10. Interestingly, only Jean and Paul appear in the Cabanocé/St.-Jacques census
of April 1766, and not in the same household. Paul appears in the
censuses of 1766 and 1769 as a young orphan with the family of Claude-Amable
Duhon. Jean married Anastasie, daughter of fellow Acadian Amand
Préjean, at either Cabanocé or nearby Ascension in the late
1760s. Spanish officials counted him, his wife, and brother Paul on
the right, or west, bank of the river at Ascension in August
1770.
Joseph Jeanson, Jean and
Paul's first cousin, would have been only 17 in 1765. Although, like
cousins Charles and Marie, he does not appear in any of the early Cabanocé/St.-Jacques
or Ascension censuses, he may have come to colony with his Jeanson cousins
and settled at Cabanocé.
The Jeansons did not remain
on the river. Marie married French Creole Philippe Langlois perhaps at Cabanocé
in c1770 . Spanish officials counted them at Opelousas, west of the
Atchafalaya Basin, the following year. Evidently brother Jean, his
wife, and brothers Paul and Charles
followed their sister to the prairies. They, too, were counted at Opelousas in October
1774.
LOUISIANA: WESTERN
SETTLEMENTS
In the early 1770s, the Jeanson
siblings--Charles, fils, Jean, Marie, and Paul--led by Marie, crossed the Atchafalaya Basin and
settled in the Opelousas District, where Marie and her husband were counted
in 1771 and all four of the siblings in 1774. By May 1777, all of the Jeansons
in Louisiana had settled on the Opelousas prairie, including cousin
Joseph. Two of the brothers married, and one did not. Cousin
Joseph likely married. The two brothers who married set down deep roots in the wide, open
prairies of today's St. Landry Parish:
Descendants of Charles
JEANSONNE, fils (c1745-1790s; William/Billy)
Charles, fils, eldest son
of Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, born at Annapolis Royal in
c1745, followed his family into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and
then to a prisoner camp in British Nova Scotia. He most likely came to
Louisiana in 1765 with three of his younger siblings. They settled at
Cabanocé/St.-Jacques and Ascension on the river before moving to the
Opelousas District in the early 1770s. He first appears in Louisiana
records at Opelousas in 1774, still a bachelor. Spanish officials
counted him at Opelousas in May 1777; he was still a bachelor and in his
early 30s. He
married Marie-Rose, called Rose, daughter of fellow Acadians Cosme Brasseaux
and Élisabeth Thibodeau of
Grand-Pré and Maryland, probably at Opelousas in c1777. Their daughter married
into the Clark family. Charles's first succession was
filed at Opelousas in May 1788, years before his death. He died by May
1796, probably in his late 40s, when his wife was listed in an Opelousas
census as a widow. She remarried to Walter Mills in
the late 1790s and followed him to Avoyelles Parish.
1
Oldest son Louis-Marie or
Auguste-Louis, called Louis, baptized at Opelousas, age unrecorded, in May 1779, married Lise, daughter
of French Creole Jean-Baptiste Demaré or Desmarets, at the Opelousas church,
St. Landry Parish, in August 1810. Their child, perhaps a son, name
and age unrecorded, died in St. Landry Parish in April 1812, Auguste Louis,
fils, called Louis, was born in April 1816, Cyprien Louis in March 1821, Gérard in
November 1834, and twins Jean and Pierre in May 1838.
Their daughters married into the Gaspard, Hargrave, and Reed
families.
1a
Cyprien Louis married cousin Azema,
daughter of French Creole Jean Baptiste Desmarets, at the Opelousas
church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1840. Their son Jean
Baptiste le jeune was born in St. Landry Parish in November 1844, and
Louis le jeune in December 1846. Cyprien Louis's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in August 1851; he was
was age 30 that year.
1b
Auguste Louis, fils married
Hyacinthe, daughter of Scots American Henry McCauley, in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1843. Their son Théodule
was born in St. Landry Parish in December 1843, Jean Pierre in
July 1851, and Gérard le jeune in March 1858. Their daughter
married into the Frugé family. Auguste Louis, fils, in
his early 40s,
remarried to Céline, 22-year-old daughter of French Creole Jean Baptiste Frugé,
in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1860. Their son Gustave
was born in St. Landry Parish in May 1861, Osmin in October 1863, and
François Villeneuve near Grand Coteau in January 1869.
2
Charles, fils, baptized at
Opelousas, age 5 months, in November 1781, married Joséphine, daughter of
French Creole Baptiste Guillory of Avoyelles, at Opelousas in October
1806. Their son Louis le jeune, perhaps also called Don
Louis, was born in St. Landry Parish in
January 1812, and Aloyse, also called Florence, in October 1816. Their daughter
married into the Smith family. Charles, fils may have
remarried to Hélène Geofriant, Jeanprion, or Jeaufriant
in his late middle age. Their son Paul was born in St. Landry
Parish in March 1844, Napoléon, perhaps also called Léon, in June 1848, Apollinaire in
September 1849, and Hilaire near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but
now in Evangeline Parish, in April 1855.
2a
Louis le jeune, by his
father's first wife, may have married fellow Acadian Delphine Broussard.
Their son Jean Pierre was born in St. Landry Parish in August
1843, and Louis, fils in March 1848.
2b
Aloyse, called Florence by the
recording priest, from his father's first wife, married Azéline Louis Charles, daughter of fellow
Acadian Louis Charles Pitre, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry
Parish, in September 1846.
Their son Florence, fils was born in St. Landry Parish in August
1853. Their daughter married into the Fuselier family.
2c
Paul, by his father's second wife, may
have married Athanaise Brunet or Billeaudeau. Their son Prosper was
born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish,
in January 1867.
2d
Léon, by his father's second wife, may
have married Marie Charite Ives. Their son Austin
was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline
Parish, in February 1868.
3
Jean-Baptiste, called Baptiste,
born at Opelousas in September 1783, may have married fellow Acadian Judique Broussard
in St. Landry Parish during the early antebellum period.
Their daughter married into the De Ville family. Jean Baptiste
may have died in St. Landry Parish in July 1845; the priest who recorded his
burial said that Jean Baptiste died "at age 57 yrs.," but this one would
have been closer to 61. One wonders if he fathered any sons.
4
Youngest son Joseph le
jeune, born at Opelousas June 1784, may have died young.
Descendants of Jean JEANSONNE
(c1746-c1822; William/Billy)
Jean, second son of Charles Jeanson
and Marie Aucoin, born at Annapolis Royal in c1746, followed his family
into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and then to a prisoner of war
camp in Nova Scotia. He most likely came to Louisiana in 1765 with three
of his siblings. They settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques. Jean
married Anastasie, daughter of fellow Acadians Amand Préjean and his
first wife Madeleine Martin, on the river in the
late 1760s. Spanish officials counted them on the right, or west, bank
of the river at Ascension in 1770. By 1774, they had moved to the
Opelousas District. Their daughters married into the De Ville, Fontenot,
Fuselier, Guillory, Ledoux, and Ritter families.
Jean's succession record was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish,
in March 1822; he would have been in his late 70s that year. Only two
of his five sons seem to have created families of their own.
1
Oldest son Jean-Baptiste, born
probably at Opelousas in the early 1770s, married Isabelle, daughter of
French Creole Pierre Joubert, at Opelousas in November 1797;
Isabelle's mother was a Pitre. Their son, name unrecorded, born
at Opelousas in c1800, died at age 2 in October 1802, Jean-Baptiste,
fils, called Baptiste, baptized at Opelousas, age unrecorded, in
December 1800, died the same day, Pierre was baptized at Opelousas, age 2 months,
in September 1803, a child, name unrecorded, perhaps a son, died 19 days
after its birth in July 1805, and another child, name
unrecorded, died "as a child" in August 1805. After the
death of his wife, Jean Baptiste filed a succession record at the Opelousas
courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in April 1817. Jean Baptiste, whom the recording priest
described as a resident of Prairie de Langlois, "Captain of Militia and
president of the members de l'admistration de cette eglise (of the
church administration)," remarried to Marie Françoise, daughter of
French Creole Henry Fontenot of Grande Prairie, at the Opelousas
church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1817. Jean Baptiste's postmortem succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in August 1822; it
names his widow, so he was dead by then; he would have been in his late 40s
or early 50s that year. He probably died at his home on Prairie Ronde.
Pierre, by his first wife, married Clarisse,
daughter of French Creole Joseph Andrépont, at the Opelousas
church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1823. Their son Pierre,
fils was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1829. Their daughters
married into the Saucier and Vasseur families.
Pierre, fils married
Sophie, daughter of French Creole Hubert Doucet, in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in May 1850, and sanctified the
marriage at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in November
1869.
2
André, born at Opelousas in
c1777, died in St. Landry Parish in March 1812. The priest who
recorded his burial said that André died "at age 30 yrs,", but, according to
Acadian genealogist Bona Arsenault, he was closer to 35. André
probably did not marry.
3
Auguste or Augustin, baptized at
Opelousas, age 2 months, in September 1782, married Marie, daughter of
French Creole François Guillory, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry
Parish, in March 1810. Their son Augustin, fils was baptized at
the Opelousas church, age 2 months, in September 1812, Paulin, a
twin, called Babolin, was born in June 1818, Joseph died
at age 1 1/2 months in January 1821, Aurelien was born in December
1822, Terence in December 1828, and Jean Gerasime, called
Gerasime, in May
1836. Their daughters married into the Lavergne (French
Canadian, not Acadian) and Pitre families. Augustin, père
died in St. Landry Parish in December 1847; the Opelousas priest who
recorded his burial said that Augustin died "at age 62 yrs.," but he was 65;
his succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse later that
month.
3a
Paulin, called Babolin by the
recording priest and Olin by the recording parish clerk, married Amelina,
Alevine, Aveline, Avelina, or Evelina, daughter of French Canadian Joseph Lavergne, at
the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1837; Aveline's mother was
a Richard. Their son Joseph was baptized at the Grand
Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, age 2 months, in May 1838, Babolin,
fils was born in October 1839, Gustave François in February 1849,
and Louis Ophela in July 1852 but died at Washington, St. Landry
Parish, age 11, in December 1863. Their daughters married into
the Gautreaux and Lebarge families. Babolin's succession record was filed
at the Opelousas courthouse in July 1852; he would have been only age 34
that year.
3b
Augustin, fils married
Céleste or Célestine C., daughter of fellow Acadian Charles Pitre
and widow of Auguste Ledoux, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry
Parish, in September 1849; Augustin, fils was in his late 30s at
the time of the wedding, so
one wonders if this was his first marriage. Their son Bruno
Darmas was born in St. Landry Parish in October 1858 but died at age
7 1/2 in August 1866, and Paul
Augustin was born in November 1860. Their daughters married
into the Boudreaux family, and perhaps into the Whilock
family as well. Augustin, fils died "at Plaquemine" in
October 1870; the Opelousas priest who recorded the burial, and
who did not bother to give any parents' names or even mention a wife,
said that Augustin died "at age 60 yrs.," but he was 58; his
succession, naming his wife, was filed at the Opelousas
courthouse a few days after his passing.
3c
Aurelien married Céleste
Pierre, daughter of fellow Acadian Pierre Pitre and widow of
Napoléon Frulette, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in
December 1856. Their son Louis Durel was born in St. Landry
Parish in June 1859. ...
3d
Gerasime married Marie Melina,
called Melina, daughter of Jean Baptiste Rider, at the Opelousas
church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1861. Gerasime died at Bois
Mallet, near present-day Eunice, a notorious Jayhawker hideout, in
October 1863; the Opelousas priest who recorded his burial said that
"Gerasin" died "age 23 yrs.," but he was 27. One wonders if his
death was war-related.
4
Jean, fils, was buried at
Opelousas, "a boy," age unrecorded, in January 1793.
5
Youngest son Hippolyte,
born at Opelousas in c1787, died at age 12 in January 1799.
Joseph JEANSONNE (c1748-1806;
William/Billy)
Joseph, likely another son of
Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, was born
probably at Annapolis Royal in c1748, followed his family into exile on the
Gulf of St. Lawrence shore and then to a prisoner of war camp in Nova
Scotia. He may have come to Louisiana in 1765 with his brothers from Halifax,
but he does not appear in Louisiana records until May 1777, when he was
counted as a 29-year-old bachelor at Opelousas. If he did come to the
colony in 1765, he, too, likely lived for a time at
Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river. He may have married Scholastique, daughter of
fellow Acadians Paul Leger and Marie Savoie, at
Opelousas in the 1780s. Joseph died at Opelousas in October 1806; the
priest who recorded his burial said that Joseph was age 55 when he died, but he was
closer to 58. Did he father any children?
Paul JEANSONNE (c1755-?;
William/Billy)
Paul, third and youngest son of
Charles Jeanson and Marie Aucoin, born probably at Annapolis Royal
in c1755, followed his family into exile on the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore
and then to a prisoner of war camp in Nova Scotia. He most likely came to
Louisiana in 1765 with his three older siblings. They settled at
Cabanocé/St.-Jacques, where Paul was counted in 1766 and 1769 on the right,
or west, bank of the river, with the family of fellow Acadian Claude-Amable Duhon.
In 1770, still in his teens, he was living with older brother Jean on the
right bank of the river at Ascension. He followed his brother Jean to
the Opelousas District in the early 1770s and was counted there, still a
bachelor, in 1774 and 1777. He evidently
never married.
Other JEANSONNEs on the
Western Prairies
Area church and civil records make
it difficult to link many Jeansonnes in the western parishes,
especially in St. Landry Parish, with
known Acadian lines of the family there:
Raphaël Jeansonne
married Marcellite Salon, place and date unrecorded.
Their daughter Eléonore died near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, age 8 months, in November
1837.
Neuville Jeansonne married
French Creole Rosalie Labarde, place and date unrecorded. Their son Émile was born
in St. Landry Parish in March 1844.
Adélaïde Jean Baptiste
Jeansonne married Acadius, also called Arcadis, Buller in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1850. The parish clerk who
recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names. A succession
for Adélaïde, naming her husband, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in
April 1859. One wonders how old she may have been?
Marie Jeansonne
married Dorsin Jean Lacasse or Lacaze in
a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1850. The parish
clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names. Her
succession, calling her Marie A. and naming her husband but not her
parents, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in March 1854.
Marie Jeansonne
married Louis Deville in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in My 1851. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did
not give the parents' names.
Adelphine Louis
Jeansonne married Joseph Lewis Howell in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1851. The parish clerk who
recorded the marriage did not give the parents' names.
Zéline J. Jeansonne
married Aurelien L. Fontenot in a civil ceremony in St.
Landry Parish in August 1854. The parish clerk who recorded the
marriage did not give the bride's parents' names.
John Jeansonne
married Adélaïde Guidry, place and date unrecorded.
Daughter Marie Mathilda was born near Church Point, then in St. Landry but
now in Acadia Parish, in July 1855, Marie Lodoisca in July 1858, and Edmonia in February 1859.
Laurent Jeansonne
married Auline Richard Pitre, place and date unrecorded.
Son Louis was born in St. Landry Parish in December 1855.
Léon Jeansonne
married Charite or Charity Yve, Yves,
or Ives in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in June
1856. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the
parents' names. Daughter Émelie was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in
Evangeline Parish, in April 1857, Marguerite in St. Landry Parish in
May 1859, son Thomas near Ville Platte in October 1865,
Austin in February 1868, and Armele in August 1870.
Salomon Jeansonne
married Célestine Letourneur, place and date unrecorded.
Son Albert Varie was born in St. Landry Parish in July 1856,
daughter Marie Corinne in August 1857, and Marie Cora in August 1859.
Félicité Jean
Jeansonne's succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in
February 1857. The parish clerk who filed the document did not give
her parents' names or mention a husband. Was she the Félcité,
daughter of Jean Jeansonne, baptized at the Opelousas
church, age unrecorded, in August 1789 who married Louis Fuselier
at Opelousas in 1810?
Edvise, daughter of Joseph
Jeansonne, married David Clark, Jr. in a
civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in March 1857. The parish clerk
who recorded the marriage did not give the bride's mother's name.
Joachin Jeansonne
married Marie Anne Lacomb, place and date unrecorded.
Son Benoît was born in St. Landry Parish in April 1857. A
succession for Joachim Jeansonne, naming his wife, was
filed at the Opelousas courthouse the following August. Daughter
Louisa married into the Miller family.
Narcisse Jeansonne married
Marcellite or Marceline Clark, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in July 1857. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did
not give the couple's parents' names. Their daughter Marceline was
born in St. Landry Parish in October 1858, and son Joseph Martin near
Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in April
1866.
Élodie Jeansonne
married Ulysse Billaudeau in a civil ceremony in St.
Landry Parish in December 1858. The parish clerk who recorded the
marriage did not give the bride's parents' names. One suspects her
parents were Charles Jeansonne III and his second wife
Hélène Geofriant.
Deneige Jeansonne
married Louis Deville in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in July 1859. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did
not give the parents' names.
Thérèse Jeansonne
married Charles Clay in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in October 1858. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage
gave no parents' names.
Irma Jeansonne
married Lewis Hayes in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in December 1859. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did
not give the parents' names.
Susan Jeansonne
married Valcour Lafleur in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in January 1860. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage
gave no parents' names.
A succession for Julia Ann
Jeansonne, wife of Jacob Lyons, was
filed at the Opelousas courthouse in November 1860. The parish clerk
who recorded the succession did not give Julia Anna's parents' names.
.
Families who
lived in St. Landry Parish during the antebellum period and were called
Jeansonne in area church and civil records cannot be linked by
those records to other Jeansonnes in the area.
Some, if not all, of them may have been Anglo Americans
named Johnson:
Descendants of Joseph
JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?;
William/Billy?)
Joseph Jeansonne or
Johnson married German Creole Sophie Marks, place and date
unrecorded. Their daughter
married into the Fontenot family.
1
Hippolyte, perhaps their
son, married Anglo American Louisa Reed in a civil ceremony in St.
Landry Parish in September 1834. Their son Omer was baptized at the
Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, age 7 months, in April 1843, Jean
Baptiste was born in March 1845, Anam in August 1848, and
Anderson in July 1850. None of their daughters married by 1870.
2
Gérard Joseph married
Célise Don Louis Philippe, daughter of French Creole Don Louis Philip
Fontenot, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1842, and
sanctified the marriage at the Opelousas church in April
1843. Their son Jean Louis was baptized at the Opelousas
church, age 5 months, in April 1843, Gervais was born in February
1849, and Géramb or Gérard, fils in December 1850.
3
Joseph, fils, perhaps
their son, married Nancy dite Manette or Annette Carpenter
or Charpentier
in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in April 1848. Their son
Léonard was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1849,
Louis in December 1853, William in June 1860, and daughter
Sera near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish,
in January 1865.
Descendants of Gilbert
JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?;
William/Billy?)
Gilbert Jeansonne or
Johnson married
Barbara Baret or Barret probably in St. Landry Parish.
1
Older son Gilbert, fils,
born in St. Landry Parish in April 1838, may have married Sarah Hansley
in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in August 1869.
2
Younger son Abraham was
born in St. Landry Parish in
February 1844.
Descendants of Jean Baptiste
JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?;
William/Billy?)
Jean Baptiste Jeansonne or
Johnson married French Creole Marcelline Mayeux, place and
date unrecorded. Was
Jean Baptiste Anglo American or Acadian? Their daughter did not marry
by 1870.
1
Oldest son Benoît, born in
St. Landry Parish in May 1839, married Anglo-American Louise Clark
probably in St. Landry Parish in the late 1850s. They settled near Ville
Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish. Their twin sons
John David and Léonard were born in March 1860, Benoît,
fils in March 1861, and daughter Melina in January 1865.
2
Jean Baptiste, fils, was
born in St. Landry Parish in January 1841.
3
Youngest son Ambroise, born
in St. Landry Parish in February 1844, may have married French Creole Edrige
or Edvise Ardoin in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July
1867. They settled near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in
Evangeline Parish. Their son Élie was born in October 1870.
Descendants of Saintville
JEANSONNE/JOHNSON (?; William/Billy?)
Saintville Jeansonne or Johnson
married French Creole Pauline Guillory in a civil ceremony in St.
Landry Parish in October 1844, and remarried to French Creole Coralie Billeaudeau
in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1848. Their
daughters may have married into
the Daumont and Fontenot families. (So who was the Saintville
Jeansonne
who married Anne Kennison, widow of Louis George Stelly, in a
civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1848?)
1
Older son Lucius, by his
father's second wife, born in St. Landry Parish in December 1851, married Apolline,
21-year-old daughter of French Creole André Vidrine, at the Ville
Platte church, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in December
1869.
2
Younger son Michel, by his
father's second wife, was born in St. Landry Parish in January 1855 and
married Gabrielle Eugénie, 15-year-old daughter of ____ Gournet
and Marie John Davis, at the Ville Platte Baptist church in
January 1875.
NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in
LOUISIANA
Frenchmen, Anglos, and even
Scandinavians with surnames similar to the Acadian Jeansonnes lived
in South Louisiana during the late colonial period, and non-Acadian Johnsons and Jonsons emigrated to South Louisiana
during the antebellum period. They settled at New Orleans, Baton
Rouge, and Pointe Coupee, but they also lived in predominantly-Acadian
communities on the river in Ascension and St. James parishes, along bayous
Lafourche and Terrebonne, on lower Bayou Teche, and on the western prairies.
Some of them married Acadians. During these periods, Johnsons
who lived in South Louisiana were Afro Creoles
who either had been owned by members of the family or were descendants of
slaves or freedman named John:
Jean-Joseph, son of Joseph Jeanseaume and Marie
Arnaud of Caillols, near Marseille, France,
was a bachelor living at New Orleans when he died there in August 1803.
The priest who recorded his burial said that Jean-Joseph died at age "cir.
50 yr."
William Johnson settled in
the old Opelousas District. He was neither Acadian, French Creole, nor
Anglo American but was from Copenhagen, Denmark. He married Thérèse
Ritter, a German Creole, and fathered
a large family that settled near Grand Coteau, not far from his Acadian
namesakes. William Jeansonne, perhaps a son of
William Johnson,
married Melissa Meche, place and date unrecorded.
Daughter Emma was born near Grand Coteau in December 1855, and Mathilde in
October 1858. Joseph, son of William Jeansonne,
perhaps son or grandson of this William Johnson, was born
near Grand Coteau in March 1860 and died "at age a few days."
Joseph, fils, son of
Joseph Jeansonne, perhaps Johnson, and
Sophie Guilleau of Avoyelles, married, at age 25, Sophie,
daughter of Jean Chapman or Jacqueman
and Manette Roy, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry
Parish, in February 1835.
Joshua, son of Abraham
Jeansonne, probably Johnson, and Eléonore
Lasage, married, at age 19, Marie Anne or Maryann,
16-year-old daughter of Christophe Lacombe and Charlotte
Bolk or Buck, at the Opelousas church in
April 1836. Their daughter Louisa was born near Opelousas in
February 1838.
Sophia, daughter of Paul
Jeansonne, probably Johnson, and Élisa ____,
married John P. Stanley in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in
January 1855.
A succession for Robert E.
Jeansonne, probably Johnson, was filed
at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in March 1855.
Edmond, Jr. "of Calcasieu," son
of Edmond Jeansonne, probably Johnson,
and Susan Johnson, married Caroline, daughter of French
Creoles Antoine Lambert and Geneviève Fontenot
and widow of Pierre Joubert, at the Opelousas church in
September 1855.
Olina Mary Jeansonne,
probably Johnson, born in c1856, was baptized at the
Morgan City church, St. Mary Parish, age 24, in June 1880. The
priest who recorded the baptism did not give the young woman's parents'
names.
A succession for Serena
O'Brien, wife of George Jeansonne, was filed at
the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in June 1856. One suspects
that husband George was an Anglo Johnson.
Edmond Johnson,
sometimes called Jeansonne, married Sarah McDonal
Kimball, place and date unrecorded. Daughter Sugar married
into the Lebleau family at the Opelousas church in July
1857. Son Thomas married Emma Françoise, daughter of
Acadian François Pitre and his Creole wife Azèle or
Azélie Joubert, at the Opelousas church in June 1859.
Thomas and Emma's daughter Sarah was born in St. Landry Parish in August
1860. Edmond and Sarah's son James "de L'anse de la Chaudière," married Adeline, daughter of Acadian Étienne
Lejeune and his Creole wife Joachine Carrière,
at the Opelousas church in August 1860.
A succession for Patrick B.
Jeansonne, probably Johnson, was filed
at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in October 1858. The
parish clerk who recorded the document did not give the fellow's parents'
names or mentioned a wife.
Robert Hoyt Jeansonne,
probably Johnson, married Céleste Trahan,
place and date unrecorded. Daughter Joséphine was born near
Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, in October 1856, son Robert, fils in
September 1859, and daughter Martha in September 1860.
Jossiah, also Josaia,
Jeansonne, probably Johnson, married Amelia,
also Émilia, Ann Andrus or Andrews, in a
civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1856. Son Joseph
Adalbert was born near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in
Acadia Parish, in August 1858, and Louis near Grand Coteau in
June 1860.
John Jeansonne,
probably Johnson, married Petronille Arcenaux,
place and date unrecorded. Son John, Jr. was born in
Lafayette Parish in June 1857.
Charles F. Jeansonne's
succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse in
February 1859. Was he an Anglo Johnson?
Stephanus Jeansonne
"of Frank[lin]., La." married Dorothée Dupuis, place and
date unrecorded. Son Basile was born in St. Landry Parish
in June 1860.
A succession for Martha D.
Jeansonne, probably Johnson, wife of
William H. Eagleson, was filed at the St. Martinville
courthouse, St. Martin Parish, in August 1860.
CONCLUSION
Jeansons, originally Johnsons,
were not among the early settlers in Acadia, but they were among the
earliest Acadians to seek refuge in Louisiana. Five
descendants of William "Billy" Johnson, aka Guillaume Jeanson,
of Annapolis Royal,
came to Louisiana in the 1760s. When three of them got there is anyone's guess.
Two of them--brothers Jean and Paul--reached the colony in 1765 from Halifax
via St.-Domingue. Neither appears in the early
church records of the Acadian Coast, though Jean certainly married in one of
the river communities during the late 1760s. Both appear in the Cabanocé/St.-Jacques
census of 1766, Paul in the Cabanocé/St.-Jacques census of 1769, and both again in the
Ascension census of 1770 . Sister Marie first
appears in Louisiana records at Opelousas in 1771. Three of her
brothers, including oldest brother Charles, appear with her and her husband
at Opelousas in 1774. Three years later, in 1777, all five of the Jeansons
who came to Louisiana finally appear in a single census together. It
was again at Opelousas, and brother Joseph first appears in Louisiana
records.
Though three of the four Jeanson
males who came to the colony took wives, the Acadian Jeansonnes
of South Louisiana spring from brothers Charles and Jean of Opelousas. Although
the brothers married
fellow Acadians, their descendants, who remained on the Opelousas prairies
in what became St. Landry and Acadia parishes,
tended to marry French Creoles and other non-Acadians, who greatly
outnumbered Acadians in the Opelousas District. From 1790 to 1861, in
fact, Jeansonnes married only four fellow Acadians, all of them Pitres. The others took non-Acadian
spouses, a remarkable record of exogamy for an Acadian family. This
exogamy rate, and the fact that a number of Anglo-American and
even a Scandinavian Johnson family also settled in St. Landry Parish,
considerably complicated the genealogical picture for this family during the
antebellum period. ...
In Louisiana, the spelling of the
Acadian family's
surname evolved from Jeanson
to Jeansonne. The family's name also is spelled Janson,
Jansonne, Jaunie,
Jeanconne, Jeantonne, Johonson. [For the Acadian family's Louisiana
"begats," see
Book Ten]
Sources: AGE, May 2005, 10; Arsenault,
Généalogie, 607-09, 2517-19; BRDR, vols. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9, 10; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D.,
Southwest LA Records,
vols. 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Jehn, Acadian Exiles
in the Colonies, 249; White, DGFA-1,
416, 620-21, 873-75; White,
DGFA-1 English, 130, 185; Glen Saucier, family historian.