APPENDICES

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

LEGENDRE

[luh-JHON-druh, luh-JHOND]

ACADIA

Antoine dit Bélair, son of Pierre Legendre and Susanne Graindorge, born at La Rochelle, France, in January 1668, married Anne, daughter of François Guyon dit Després, at Beauport, Québec, in April 1690.  Antoine was a sergeant in the company of Bouraillan stationed in Québec before he was promoted to ensign of infantry.  He and Anne had four children, two sons and two daughters.  One of their daughters married into the Bonfils family.  Antoine returned to his native La Rochelle, where he died in June 1698.  Anne remarried to widower Jean Chevalier at Québec in July 1710 and died at Louisbourg, Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, in August 1744, in her late 70s. 

Older son Antoine, born at Beauport in November 1691, evidently never married.  

Younger son Pierre dit Bélair, born at Québec in September 1693, married Marie-Anne, daughter of Gaspard Zemard, at the French fortress of Louisbourg in January 1738.  

No member of this family emigrated to Louisiana.

~

François, son of Mathurin Legendre and Marie Morel of Maillard (some sources say St.-Malo), France, probably no kin to Antoine dit Bélair, came to Louisbourg, Île Royale, probably in the 1740s and worked as a pécheur en chaloupe, or fisherman, there.  He married Marguerite, daughter of Acadians Antoine Labauve and Catherine Lejeune of Grand-Pré, at Louisbourg in April 1750.  Soon after their marriage, they moved to Havre-St.-Pierre, Île St.-Jean, where a French official counted them with 18-month-old daughter Henriette in August 1752.  Marguerite gave François at least two more children on the island:  Jean-François born in August 1754; and Anastasie-Angélique in February 1757.  The couple had at least three more children in France during Le Grand Dérangement. 

[See also Book Four]

LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT

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

LOUISIANA:  RIVER SETTLEMENTS

In May 1785, Marguerite Labauve, age 55, widow of François Legendre, and four of her surviving children left Paimboeuf, the lower port of Nantes, aboard Le Bon Papa, the first of the Seven Ships, which reached New Orleans in July.  After a short stay in the city, the family followed most of their fellow passengers to Manchac south of Baton Rouge: 

Jean Baptiste Legendre, age 25, a carpenter, crossed with his wife of two years, Frenchwoman Marie-Rose LeTullier, age 20, whose mother was Acadian, and infant daughter Rose.  They had a son in Louisiana. 

Henriette Legendre, age 32, crossed with husband Daniel Benoit, age 36, and their 7-year-old daughter.  Henriette died a widow near Baton Rouge in February 1798, age 46.  

Louis-Joseph Legendre, age 22, and Yves-François Legendre, age 17, were still bachelors when they crossed.  They married in Louisiana. 

The Acadian Legendres of South Louisiana are descended from one, perhaps two, of Marguerite Labauve's sons:  

Descendants of Jean-Baptiste LEGENDRE (1760-?)

Jean-Baptiste, second and oldest surviving son of François Legendre and Marguerite Labauve of Île St.-Jean, born at Meillac, France, near St.-Malo, in January 1760, married Marie-Rose, called Rose, daughter of René LeTullier of Normandy and his Acadian wife Collette Renaud, at St.-Martin de Chantenay, near Nantes, in September 1783.  Marie-Rose was a native of Cherbourg, where her father was from, but her mother was from Île St.-Jean.  Jean-Baptiste, Rose, and their infant daughter followed Jean-Baptiste's widowed mother, brothers, and married sister to Louisiana aboard Le Bon Papa, the first of the Seven Ships, and settled at the southern edge of the Baton Rouge District north of Bayou Manchac.  They had more children in Louisiana, including a son.  Their daughters married into the Clément (French Creole, not Acadian) and Grenier families. 

Jean, born at Manchac in December 1790, may have died young, unless he was the Jean Michel, called Michel, Legendre who married Jeanette, Jeanifer, or Jeanne Élisabeth Cevallo or Sevallo.  If so, their son Dominique was born near Baton Rouge in August 1839.  Their daughter married into the Clifton family. 

During the War of 1861-65, Dominique served in Company F of the 4th Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in West Baton Rouge Parish, which fought in Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.  However, Dominique's service in the unit was short and ... dishonorable.  He married Amelia, daughter of fellow Acadian Simon Comeaux, at the Brusly church, West Baton Rouge Parish, in August 1864, a year after he had deserted his unit at Jackson, Mississippi, in July 1863; this was the second, and perhaps the final, time he had deserted his regiment.  One wonders what he did for the rest of the war and what his former comrades thought of him after the war ended. 

Descendants of Louis-Joseph LEGENDRE (1762-?)

Louis-Joseph, third son of François Legendre and Marguerite Labauve of Île St.-Jean, born at Châteauneuf on the river south of St.-Malo, France, in July 1762, followed his widowed mother, brothers, and married sisters to Manchac in 1785.  He married first cousin Adélaïde, daughter of fellow Acadians Antoine Labauve and Anne Vincent, his aunt and uncle, at St.-Jacques on the Lower Acadian Coast in December 1785, and the marriage was re-recorded at New Orleans in January 1792.  Adélaïde had been born at St.-Jacques in the early 1770s and was a sister of Louis-Joseph's brother Yves-François's wife Marie-Ludivine.  As the re-recording of their marriage shows, Louis-Joseph and Adélaïde moved on to New Orleans in the late 1780s or early 1790s.  They were still there in the early 1800s.  Their children, born at St.-Jacques and New Orleans, included Mélicite at St.-Jacques in November 1787; Louis, fils in c1791; Reine-Marcelline, called Marcelline, at New Orleans in August 1792; Raphaël-Jean-Baptiste in August 1794; Célestin in August 1796; and Joseph died at New Orleans, a "very young child," in August 1800.  Louis-Joseph may have died in the city soon after son Joseph's death, and Adélaïde evidently remained there.  She did not remarry, but she continued to have children.  Her daughter Marie, also called Maneta, was born in the city in June 1802; and son François-Hippolyte in July 1803.  The New Orleans priest who recorded the children's baptisms in September and November 1803 did not list Louis-Joseph Legendre as the childrens' father; he, in fact, listed no father for them.  The priest called the children Labauves and gave the names only of the maternal grandparents, so they probably were not Louis-Joseph's.  The burial of Louis Legendre, "age 66, an immigrant," was recorded at St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, near Baton Rouge, in December 1812.  Louis-Joseph, were he still living, would have been age 50 at the time, so this probably was another, non-Acadian Louis Legendre.  Evidently Louis Joseph's widow left the city by the early 1810s:  daughter Marie/Maneta Labauve "of St. James of Cabahanoce parish" died on upper Bayou Lafourche in October 1814, age 12, while Adélaïde's sons by Louis-Joseph were living at Baton Rouge.  Her and Jean-Louis's daughter Marcelline married into the L'Amie family at Baton Rouge.  Only one of her and Louis Joseph's sons seems to have married.  He lived on the lower Teche before returning to Baton Rouge, but the line died out early.  

1

Oldest son Louis, born probably at New Orleans in c1791, died near Baton Rouge in August 1813, age 22.  He did not marry.  

2

Raphaël-Jean-Baptiste, born at New Orleans in August 1794, died near Baton Rouge in October 1845.  The priest who recorded his burial said that Raphaël died at "age ca. 55 years"; he was 51.  He probably did not marry.  

3

Célestin, born at New Orleans in August 1796, married Madeleine Estelle, called Estelle, daughter of fellow Acadians Donat Breaux and Anastasie Guilbeau of Fausse Pointe, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in May 1818.  One wonders how a boy from New Orleans hooked up with a girl from the old Attakapas District.  They joined his cousins on the river.  Their son Charles Célestin was born near Baton Rouge in March 1819 but died at age 8 in November 1827.  Célestin died near Baton Rouge in October 1823, age 27.  His only son did not survive childhood, so this line of the family, except for its blood, died with him.  

4

Youngest son Joseph died at New Orleans as a "very young child" in August 1800.  

Descendants of Yves-François LEGENDRE (1767-1834?)

Yves-François, called François, fourth and youngest son of François Legendre and Marguerite Labauve of Île St.-Jean, born at St.-Servan-sur-Mer, near St.-Malo, France, in April 1767, came to Louisiana with his widowed mother, brothers, and married sister aboard Le Bon Papa, the first of the Seven Ships, in 1785.  He married first cousin Marie-Divine or -Ludivine, another daughter of Antoine Labauve and Anne Vincent, his uncle and aunt, at St.-Jacques in January 1791.  They remained at St.-Jacques for a few years and then moved upriver to the Baton Rouge area and settled in present-day West Baton Rouge Parish.  Their daughters married into the Charotte, Dalcourt, and Dumond families.  Yves François may have died near Baton Rouge in April 1834; he would have been age 67 that year.  The age of "Ivon" Legendre in the Baton Rouge church register, who was buried on 27 April 1834, is illegible, and the recording priest did not list Ivon's parents' names or mention a wife.  Most of his sons married.   

1

Oldest son Félix, born at St.-Jacques in November 1792, may have died young.  

2

François-Jean, also called Jean-Baptiste, born near Baton Rouge in April 1797, married Rosalie, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean Louis Firmin Arbour, probably at Baton Rouge by the mid-1810s.  They had a son named Joseph. 

Joseph married cousin Corinne, also called Pauline, daughter of Acadians Michel Gaudin and Scholastique Hébert, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in August 1858; they had to secure a dispensation for third degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  Their son Joseph, fils was born near Baton Rouge in August 1860, Louis in July 1864 but may have died at age 1 1/2 in March 1866, Jean Baptiste was born in March 1867, and Augustin Ives near Convent in October 1870. 

3

François, fils, also called Joseph, baptized at Baton Rouge, age 5 months, in November 1801, married Joséphine, daughter of Jean Baptiste Altazin and his Acadian wife Geneviève Arbour, at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, in August 1828.  Their son Wilfred was born near Baton Rouge in May 1829, and Adolphe in November 1831.

4

Louis, baptized at Baton Rouge, age 4 months, in June 1802, died a week after his baptism.  

5

Maurice, born at Baton Rouge in August 1805, married Léonise, daughter of Gaspard Tilano and Anna Dias, at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, in October 1826.  Their son Leufroi was born near Baton Rouge in January 1836.  Their daughters married into the Bogan, Bouché, and Lockwood families.  Maurice remarried to Céleste or Célestine Laffiton, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Carlos Maurice was born near Baton Rouge in June 1858, and Cajetan in September 1867, when his father was in his early 60s.

Leufroi, by his father's first wife, died near Baton Rouge in May 1866, age 30.  He probably did not marry. 

6

Youngest son Lucien, born near Baton Rouge in November 1816, married Anglo American Louise Jeanne Webb probably at Baton Rouge in the late 1830s or early 1840s, and remarried to Eugénie Amelina, called Amelina, daughter of fellow Acadians Charles Comeaux and Carmelite Hébert, at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, in May 1850.  Their son Lucien Aurelius was born near Baton Rouge in February 1852, Andrew Herron in January 1858, and Charles Jefferson Davis in July 1861. 

Other LEGENDREs on the River

Area church records make it difficult to link some Legendres in the Baton Rouge area with known Acadian lines of the family there:

Hippolyte Legendre died near Baton Rouge in May 1830, age 27.  The priest who recorded Hippolyte's burial did not give his parents' names or mention a wife.  Which one of the Acadian Legendres was his father?

Zénon Legendre married Melvina Daigle, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Joseph Ursin was baptized at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, age unrecorded, in August 1838.  Was Zénon the same person as Félix, oldest son of Yves-François?

Mme. Legendre died at Baton Rouge in October 1840.  The priest who recorded her burial did not tell anything more about her, so one wonders which Madame Legendre this may have been. 

Joseph Legendre married Élisabeth Broussard, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Rosalie Eudoxie was born near Baton Rouge December 1852.  How was Joseph kin to the Acadian Legendres there?

A child, name unrecorded, "of Mr. Legendre of West Baton Rouge Parish and" ____, died at "age ca. 6 months" near Baton Rouge in March 1857.  One can only wonder which Legendre couple were the child's parents. 

Edmond Legendre died at Baton Rouge in either April or May 1866.  The priest who recorded the burial said nothing more about Edmond, including his age at the time of his death. 

Féliciana Legendre died at Baton Rouge in May 1866.  Again, the priest who recorded the burial said nothing more about Féliciana, including her age at the time of her death. 

Leufroy Legendre died at Baton Rouge in May 1866.  The priest who recorded the burial, true to form, said nothing more about Leufroy, including his age at the time of his death. 

Donatien Legendre married Mirza Landry, place and date unrecorded.  Their son George was born near Baton Rouge in September 1870. 

NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA

Not all of the Legendres of South Louisiana were Acadians.  Most of them, in fact, were not.  Legendres, who would have been called Foreign Frenchmen by native Louisianians, came to the Bayou State from France and the Caribbean Basin during the antebellum period:

A Legendre settled on upper Bayou Lafourche by 1810.  French as well as area church and civil records do not link him to the Acadian members of the family at Baton Rouge.  By the late antebellum period, this family greatly outnumbered their Acadian namesakes on the river.  Most of the Legendres of South Louisiana most likely descend from this Foreign Frenchman:

Descendants of François LEGENDRE, fils (?-1847)

François, fils, son of François Legendre and Françoise Menoux of Chantenay near Nantes, France, married Henriette Adélaïde, called Adélaïde, daughter of Acadians Basile Marie Richard and Marie Comeaux, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in May 1810.  They lived in New Orleans before moving to upper Bayou Lafourche.  Their daughters married into the Lagarde, Ledet, and Rivière families.  François died in Lafourche Interior Parish in November 1847.  The Thibodaux priest who recorded the burial did not give François's age at the time of his death.  A petition for François's succession inventory was filed at the Thibodaux courthouse in December.  Most of his many sons created families of their own and settled in Lafourche Interior and Terrebonne parishes.  Many of François's descendants married Acadians. 

1

Oldest son Pierre François, born in Assumption Parish in April 1811, was still alive and in his mid-30s when he was listed in his father's succession in December 1847.  He died in Lafourche Parish in April 1869, age 58, and evidently did not marry. 

2

Auguste or Augustin, born in Assumption Parish in August 1812, married Adeline Basilice, 17-year-old daughter of Acadians Louis François Dantin and Anne Hébert, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in April 1834.  They settled in Lafourche Interior and Terrebonne parishes.  Their son Louis Augustave was born in February 1840, Charles Ulysse le jeune, called Ulysse, in January 1842, François Émile in September 1852 but, called Émile Auguste, died at age 3 in September 1855, Joseph was born in June 1854, and Evariste Ernest in May 1857.  They also had a son named Mathieu Augustin, called M. Augustin and Augustin.  Their daughters married into the Aycock and Gautreaux families.

2a

Mathieu Augustin married Mathilde, daughter of Acadian Florestal Dugas, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in September 1858.  They settled on the upper Lafourche near the boundary between Lafourche and Assumption parishes.  Their son Vildrid Augustin was born in December 1860 but died at age 2 1/2 in April 1863, Albert Félix was born in May 1864, and Hamilcar Augustin in July 1866. 

2b

During the War of 1861-65, C. U., as he was called in Confederate records, served as a bugler in the St. Mary Cannoneers, later dubbed the 1st Battery Louisiana Light Artillery, raised in St. Mary Parish that fought in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.  Charles Ulysse married Letitia, daughter of Acadian Euphémon Boudreaux, at the Chacahoula church, Terrebonne Parish, in January 1868; the marriage also was recorded in Lafourche Parish.  Their son Charly Augustave was born near Chacahoula in January 1869, and Henri Luc in April 1870. 

3

Jean Adolphe, called Adolphe, born probably in Lafourche Interior Parish, married Adélaïde or Adeline Céleste or Célesie, daughter of French Creole Antoine Ledet, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in December 1836.  Their son Adolphe Norbert or Norbert Adolphe was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in February 1844, Joseph in November 1848, François Alexis, called Alexis, in November 1850, Joseph Antoine, called Antoine, in November 1852, and Joseph Abdon, called Abdon, posthumously in November 1854.  Their daughters married into the Bergeron, Gaubert, Lenain, and Pitre families.  Jean Adolphe died in Terrebonne Parish in August 1854, age unrecorded; a petition for his succession inventory, naming his wife and listing his children, was filed at the Houma courthouse in May 1855. 

3a

Adolphe Norbert married Edmire, daughter of Acadian Jean Pierre Doucet, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in April 1866.

3b

Alexis may have married Marie Bourgeois in Lafourche Parish in the late 1860s. 

4

Victor, born in Lafourche Interior Parish, married Adélaïde or Adèle, daughter of French Creole Guillaume Joseph Gaubert and his Acadian wife Marie Adélaïde Rassicot, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in October 1839.  Their son Victor, fils was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in September 1840, Joseph Alfred in March 1843 but died at age 11 in August 1854, Augustin Adrien was born in March 1847, Julien in December 1850, and François Augustave in January 1857.  Their daughters married into the Rodrigue family.  One of Victor's sons settled south of the river in St. James Parish. 

4a

Victor, fils married Adolphine, daughter of Acadian Jean Baptiste Bergeron, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in January 1861, and remarried to Agathe, daughter of German Creole Georges Trosclair, at the Thibodaux church in January 1866.  Their son Joseph was born near Vacherie, St. James Parish, in October 1866, and Noël Adrien in Lafourche Parish in December 1870. 

4b

Augustin married Dolsina or Folsina, daughter of Alphonse Borne, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Parish in September 1868, and sanctified the marriage at the Vacherie church, St. James Parish, in October. 

5

François Hippolyte, perhaps a twin, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in August 1820, married Marguerite, daughter of Acadian Auguste Bertrand, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in February 1850.  Their son Émile Hippolyte was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in November 1859, and François Marie in August 1861.  François H., also called Frank, remarried to Léonide, daughter of Acadian Noël Aucoin, at the Thibodaux church in October 1867.  Their son Jules was born in Lafourche Parish in July 1868.

6

Charles, perhaps François Hippolyte's twin, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in November 1836.  The priest who recorded the burial gave Charles's parents' names and said he died "at age 16 yrs."

7

Ypaliere, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in March or April 1822, died at age 5 years, 4 months, in August 1827.  

8

Jacques Hyacinthe, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in June 1823, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in July 1846, age 23, and did not marry.   

9

Charles Ulysse, called Ulysse, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in January 1825, married Irma, daughter of Acadian Louis Gaudet le jeune, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in June 1847.  Their son Charles Ulysse, fils was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in April 1850 but died at age 1 1/2 in December 1851, François Arthur was born in November 1852, Joseph Albert in April 1862, and Louis Léonard in June 1864. 

10

Florien Joseph or Joseph Florestan, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in February 1829, married Rose Célestine, called Célestine, daughter of French Creole Joseph Jérôme Riviere and his Acadian wife Céleste Eulalie Guillot, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in April 1850.  Their son Joseph Octave was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in June 1852, Émile Joseph in April 1858, Joseph Oscar in February 1860, François Philippe in March 1864, and Joseph Amilcar in February 1866. 

11

Youngest son Jules Armand, called Armand, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in October 1833, married Marguerite Adela, called Adela, daughter of Acadians Eugène Babin and Adèle Broussard, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in February 1855.  A daughter, Marie Armentine, called Armentine, was born with a club foot a year after their marriage.  Son Félicien Jules was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in March 1860.  During the War of 1861-65, Armand served in Company H of the 30th Battalion/Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in Lafourche Parish.  He enlisted in the company at Thibodaux in March 1862, age 28, and was discharged for disability the following September.  He nevertheless was captured in the Battle of Labadieville in late October, and the Federals paroled him at Thibodaux a week later.  After the war, son Pierre Eugène Edgar was born near Chacahoula, Terrebonne Parish, in February 1865, and Grégoire Klebert in Lafourche Parish in May 1870.  Armand worked as a brick layer and died probably at his home near Lockport in September 1909, age 77, a widower.  His September 11 obituary in the Thibodaux Sentinel describes him as "an old and respected citizen of this town..." and notes that his funeral in St. Joseph's church "was largely attended by friends and relatives."  His older daughter, the one with the club foot, married into the Diez family.  A younger daughter, also born after the war, married a Legendre cousin.  Sons Félicien and Grégoire married into the Toups and Malbrough families. 

.

Other Legendres, probably Foreign French, appeared in the Lafourche/Terrebonne valley, along the Acadian Coast, and at New Orleans and Pointe Coupee during the antebellum period:

Louis Legendre, described by the priest who recorded his burial as "an immigrant," died near St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in December 1812.  The priest said that Louis "the immigrant" was age 66 when he died, which gives him an estimated birth year of c1746.  Sadly, the priest did not record the "immigrant's" birthplace, his parents' names, or mention a wife.  

Georges Legendre, a 19-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Jérôme out of Bordeaux, France, in February 1821. 

A. Legendre, a 30-year-old blacksmith from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Express out of Santiago de Cuba in February 1829. 

François Ernest Legendre, "a native of Bordeau[sic]," died in Ascension Parish in March 1842, age 45.  The Donaldsonville priest who recorded the burial did not name François Ernest's parents or mention a wife. 

Pierre Émile, called Émile, son of Louis George Legendre and Charlotte Émelie Derbigny of New Orleans, married Louise Anaïs, daughter of French Creoles Joseph Séraphin Armant and Louise Amélie Fusillier, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in November 1845.  Two of Pierre Émile and Louise Anaïs' children, names and ages unrecorded, were buried on the same day in St. James Parish in August 1852.  One wonders if they were victims of an epidemic.  Émile and Louise Anaïs's daughter Marie Amélie was born in St. James Parish in November 1853.  The family then disappears from St. James Parish church records.  They evidently returned to New Orleans, where their son James Gilbert was born in November 1856.  James Gilbert became a lawyer in the city.  He married Cora Morris, daughter of James Rody Jennings and Katharine Sharpe of Hawkesville, Kentucky.  They had at least five children, a daughter and four sons, between 1892 and 1903.  James Gilbert died at New Orleans in October 1922, age 65, a widower. 

Jean Baptiste Legendre married Marianne Legendre, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Joseph Onésippe was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in September 1846.  Was Jean Baptiste yet another son of François Legendre of Nantes?

Berthile, probably Bathilde, Legendre, "spouse" of V. [Isidore Victor] Letulle, died near Convent, St. James Parish, in August 1852.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give Bathilde's parents' names or her age at the time of her passing. 

Coralie Legendre gave birth to son Georges Levienston in Terrebonne Parish in April 1862.  The Houma priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not give the father's name. 

CONCLUSION

François Legendre, progenitor of the Acadian family in Louisiana, settled late in Acadia, and his descendants came "late" to Louisiana.  In fact, if the Spanish government had not coaxed over 1,500 Acadians in France to emigrate to its colony on the lower Mississippi, there probably would be no Legendres in the Bayou State today, at least none with Acadian ancestry.  In July 1785, Marguerite Labauve, François Legendre's widow, came to Louisiana with a married daughter and three sons--one married, the others still bachelors--and settled at Manchac, south of Baton Rouge.  The middle son married and lived in New Orleans before joining his brothers at Baton Rouge.  François Legendre's descendants remained in the Baton Rouge area.

Meanwhile, during the antebellum period, Foreign-French Legendres settled in predominantly-Acadian communities in South Louisiana as well as at New Orleans and Pointe Coupee.  François Legendre of Chantenay near Nantes, France, probably not kin to the Acadian Legendres of Baton Rouge, came to Louisiana by 1810, married a Richard, and settled on Bayou Lafourche, where he and his wife had many children, including at least 10 sons.  As a result, by the late antebellum period, the Lafourche valley Legendres greatly outnumbered their Acadian namesakes along the river.  In the 1840s, a native of New Orleans started a family in St. James Parish on the old Acadian Coast.  ...

The family's name also is spelled Gendre, Jandre, LeChandre, Legandre, Legendra, Lejeandre, Lejendre, Leseandre, Lexandre, Logendre.  [For the Acadian family's Louisiana "begats," see Book Ten]

Sources:  Arsenault, Généalogie, 2125; Brasseaux, Foreign French, 1:331; BRDR, vols. 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11; De La Roque, "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2A:133; Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 262, 295; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, vols. 1-A, 2-A; <islandregister.com/1752.html>; NOAR, vols. 5, 6, 7; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/5bateaux.htm>, Family No. 181; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 582-83, 1150; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 123-24; White, DGFA-1, 1040-41; Alan Benoit, descendant.

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, 28 (pl. 6R), calls her Henriette LEGENDRE, & lists her with her husband & daughter; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/5bateaux.htm>, Family No. 181, shows that on the crossing to St.-Malo in 1758-59, she was the only survivor of her parents' 3 children (for details, see the footnote for her mother's profile); Robichaux, Acadian in St.-Malo, 581-82, Family No. 657; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 8-9, calls her Henriette LEGENDRE, sa [Daniel BENOIT's] femme, age 32, on the embarkation list, Henriqueta LEGENDRE, su [Daniel BÉNOIT's] muger, on the debarkation list, & Henriette LEGENDRE, his [Daniel BENOIT's] wife, age 32, on the complete listing, says she was in the 26th Family aboard Le Bon Papa with her husband & daughter, & details her marriage, including the names of her & her husband's parents; BRDR, 2:491 (SJO-4, 11), her death/burial record, calls her Henriette LEGENDRE, widow of Daniel BENOIT, & says she was 46 at the time of her death.  See De La Roque, "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives, 2A:133; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 8; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 11.  

Her birth year is taken not from the passenger list of Le Bon Papa but from the Île St.-Jean census of 1752.  See De La Roque. 

02.  Wall of Names, 28 (pl. 6R), calls him Jean-Baptiste LEGENDRE, & lists him with his wife Marie-Rose TULLIER & a daughter; Robichaux, Acadian in St.-Malo, 581-82, Family No. 657; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 123, Family No. 225; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 124, Family No. 226; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 10-11, calls him Jean Bte LEGENDRE, charpentier, age 25, on the embarkation list, Juan Bautista LEGENDRE, on the debarkation list, & Jean-Baptiste LEGENDRE, carpenter, age 25, on the complete listing, says he was in the 34th/35th Family aboard Le Bon Papa with his wife Marie-Rose TULLIER/Maria Rosa TULLIER/Marie-Rose LETULLIER, age 20, & a daughter, details his marriage, including his & his wife's parents' names, & says that daughter Rose was baptized in 1784.

03.  Wall of Names, 28 (pl. 6R), calls him Louis [LEGENDRE], & lists him with his widowed mother & brother; Robichaux, Acadian in St.-Malo, 581-82, Family No. 657; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 123, Family No. 225; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 10-11, calls him Louis, son [Margueritte LA BEAUVE, veuve LEGENDRE's] fils, charpentier, age 22, on the embarkation list, Luis LEGENDRE, su [Margarita LAVEAUX, viuda LEGENDRE's] hijo, on the debarkation list, & Louis LEGENDRE, her [Marguerite LABAUVE, widow LEGENDRE's] son, carpenter, age 22, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 33rd Family aboard Le Bon Papa with his widowed mother & brother; BRDR, 2:401, 491 (SJA-2, 1), his marriage record, calls him Luis LEGENDRE, calls his wife Adélaïde LABAUVE, gives his & her parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Juan GRIGUA & Maria MICHEL; NOAR, 5:219, 239 (SLC, M5, 77), also his marriage record, calls him Luis LEGENDRE, "native of Châteauneuf, Diocese of St.-Malo in Brittany in France," calls his wife Margarita LA BAUVE, "native of Louisbourg in Acadia," gives his & his wife's parents' names, says his father was native of Meart, Diocese of Dol in Brittany, his mother was native of Louisbourg in Acadia, & his wife's parents were natives of Acadia, & that the witnesses to his marriage were Estevan LEBLANC, Tranquilo PITRE, Joseph GUCDERIE, "all natives of Acadia, residents of La Fourche in this province"; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:454, 510 (NO Ch.: v.2, p.77, #331), also his marriage record, calls him Louis LEGENDRE, "native of Châteauneuf, Diocese of St.-Malo in Bretagne in France," calls his wife Adélaïda LABAUVE, "native of Santiago [St. James]," gives his but not her parents' names, says his parents were "native of Meart, Diocese of Dole in Bretagne and living in LuisBourg, Acadie," but gives no witnesses to his marriage; BRDR, 3:568 (SGA-8, 59), perhaps his death/burial record, calls him Louis LEGENDRE, "age 66, an immigrant," but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife.    

Why were they remarried in New Orleans 6 years after their marriage at St.-Jacques?  Did it have anything to do with the fact that they were first cousins? 

If he died at St. Gabriel in 1812, the recording priest missed his age by 16 years. 

04.  Wall of Names, 28 (pl. 6R), calls her Rose [LEGENDRE], & lists her with her parents; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 10-11, calls her Rose, sa [Jean Bte LEGENDRE's] filles, à la mamelle, on the embarkation list, Rosa, su [Juan Bautista LEGENDRE's] hija de pecho, on the debarkation list, & Rose LEGENDRE, daughter [of Jean-Baptiste LEGENDRE], nursling, on the complete listing, says she was in the 34th/35th Family aboard Le Bon Papa with her parents, & says she was baptized in 1784 but gives no place of baptism.

What happened to her in LA? 

05.  Wall of Names, 28 (pl. 6R), calls him Yves [LEGENDRE], & lists him with his widowed mother & brother; Robichaux, Acadian in St.-Malo, 581-82, Family No. 657; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 123, Family No. 225; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 10-11, calls him Yves, son [Margueritte LA BEAUVE, veuve LEGENDRE's] fils, charpentier, age 17, on the embarkation list, Ydes, su [Margarita LAVEAUX, viuda LEGENDRE's] hijo, on the debarkation list, & Yves LEGENDRE, her [Marguerite LABAUVE, widow LEGENDRE's] son, carpenter, age 17, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 33rd Family aboard Le Bon Papa with his widowed mother & brother; BRDR, 2:402, 490 (SJA-2, 12), his marriage record, calls him Francisco LEGENDRE, calls his wife Maria LAVOB (LABAUVE), gives his & her parents' names, says his parents were from St.-Malo, France, & that the witnesses to his marriage were Luis LEGENDRE [his brother] & Adelayda LABAUVE [his brother's wife & the bride's sister].  

He and his wife were first cousins!

The baptismal records & a burial record of a number of his children in BRDR, 2:490-91, & BRDR, 3:567-68, reveal his full name & also the full name of his wife:  the baptismal record of son Félix (SJA-3, 57), dated 17 Dec 1792, calls him Francisco & his wife Maria; the baptismal record of son Francisco Jean (SJO-1, 99), dated 28 Jul 1799, calls him Ive-Francois & his wife Maria Divigne; the baptismal record of son Francisco (SJO-1, 161 & 162), dated 2 Nov 1801, calls him Francisco & his wife Maria; the baptismal record of son Luis (SJO-1, 181), dated 22 Jun 1802, calls him Evan & his wife Maria Divine; the burial record of son Luis (SJO-4, 28), dated 28 Jun 1802, calls him Ive Francois & his wife Maria Divine; the baptismal record of daughter Maria (SJO-1, 229), dated 7 Jul 1804, calls him Francisco & his wife Maria; the baptismal record of son Mauricio (SJO-6, 12), dated 10 Sep 1806, calls him Yve Francois & his wife Maria Divina; the baptismal record of his daughter Maria Dorotea (SJO-6, 103), dated 15 Jun 1811, calls him Juan Francisco & his wife Maria Diana; the baptismal record of daughter Josefina (SJO-6, 208), dated 5 Feb 1815, calls him Hiveau & his wife Maria Divina; the baptismal record of son Luciano (SJO-6, 258), dated 26 Feb 1817, calls him Hiveau Francisco & his wife Maria Divina.  

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