APPENDICES

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

MICHEL

[mee-SHELL]

ACADIA

Michel is a fairly common surname in France, so it is no wonder that a number of unrelated members of this family settled in greater Acadia.  Two Michel families emerged in the colony, founded perhaps by brothers or cousins:

Jacquette, daughter of Jacques Michel and Jeanne Dupont of Ste.-Catherine de La Flotte, Île de Ré, near La Rochelle, France, born in c1637, married first to Jean Gardin probably in Canada in c1660, and then to André, son of Michel Mignier dit Lagassé, at Québec in October 1668.  Colonial officials counted her at Charlesbourg, near Québec, in 1681, and at Chignecto in 1686.  She returned to Canada and died at Rivière-Ouelle, on the lower St. Lawrence, in November 1710, in her early 70s.

~

François Michel dit La Ruine, born in France in c1651, came to Acadia by 1686, when he was counted at La Hève on the Atlantic coast.  His first wife was Madeleine Germon, whom he married at Port-Royal in c1686.  She died in c1694 probably at La Hève before she could give him children.  François remarried to Marguerite, daughter of Jean Meunier and Marguerite Housseau, probably at Port-Royal in c1695.  They settled at Rivière-Ste.-Croix, Grand-Pré, and l'Assomption, Pigiguit, in the Minas Basin, and had 12 children, including four sons, all born at Minas, two of whom created families of their own.  Six of François dit La Ruine's eight daughters married into the Cyr, Bourg, Poirier, Vincent dit Clément, Doiron, and Savary families.  

Their oldest son, name unrecorded, born in c1701, died young.

Louis, born in c1702, married Marguerite, daughter of Michel Forest and Marie Petitpas, probably at Pigiguit in c1722.

Paul dit La Ruine, born in c1703, married Marie-Josèphe dit Clément, daughter of Clément Vincent and Madeleine Levron, at Annapolis Royal in June 1726.  Paul dit La Ruine died in c1751, in his late 40s. 

Their youngest son, name unrecorded, born in c1714, also died young.  

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

In 1755, descendants of François Michel dit La Ruine could be found at Cap-Sable and on Île St.-Jean.  

~

Another progenitor of the Michels of Acadia, Sr. Jacques Michel dit Saint-Michel, born in France in c1658, may have been a brother or cousin of François dit La Ruine (note the given name of Jacque's first son).  Jacques dit Saint-Michel reached Acadia in c1687 and married Catherine, daughter of Étienne Comeau and Anne-Marie Lefebvre, at Port-Royal in c1689.  They remained at Port-Royal, later called Annapolis Royal, where Jacques dit Saint-Michel died in February 1748, age 90.  He and Catherine had 13 children, including eight sons, all born at Port-Royal/Annapolis Royal, four of whom created families of their own.  Jacques dit Saint-Michel's five daughters married into the Savoie, Martin, Breau, Guilbeau, and Egan families.

Oldest son François, born in c1690, married first to Marie-Anne, daughter of Jacques Léger and Madeleine Trahan, at Annapolis Royal in February 1715.  In November 1751, at Port-La-Joye on Île St.-Jean, today's Prince Edward Island, he remarried to Élisabeth, or Isabelle, daughter of Guillaume Le Juge and Marie Mercier and widow of Pierre Benoit le jeune.  He and his family were at Anse-à-Pinnet on the southeast shore of Île St.-Jean in August 1752.  François died in c1759, in his late 60s, during Le Grand Dérangement.

Jean, born in c1692, died young.  

Charles, born in c1694, also died young.

Joseph, born in c1697, married Marie or Marie-Anne, daughter of François Boudrot and Madeleine Belliveau, at Port-Toulouse, Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, in c1724.  They evidently returned to Annapolis Royal.  Joseph died probably in Massachusetts in August 1763, in his 60s.

Jacques, fils, born in June 1704, married Jeanne, daughter of Jean Breau and Anne Chiasson, at Annapolis Royal in February 1730.  Jacques died at Mirebalais, French St.-Domingue, today's Haiti, in October 1764, age 60.  According to at least one source, Jacques, fils in his youth was a good friend of neighbor Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil, the future Acadian resistance leader.  A daughter and a son emigrated to Louisiana from Halifax and French St.-Domingue in 1765. 

Michel, born in December 1708, died a month after his birth.  

Pierre, born in February 1710, married Anne, daughter of Charles Guilbeau and Anne Bourg, at Annapolis Royal in November 1731. 

Youngest son Paul, born in July 1714, died at Annapolis Royal in January 1835, age 20.  He did not marry.  

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

In 1755, Sr. Jacques dit Saint-Michel's children and grandchildren could be found at Annapolis Royal, Minas, and on Île Royale and Île St.-Jean.  Most of the Acadian Michels who emigrated to Louisiana came from this branch of the family.  Descendants of Jacques, fils are especially numerous there.

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Anne Michel married Jean-Baptiste Villedieu in c1717 and died a few years later.

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Isabelle, or Élisabeth, Michel married Philippe, son of Philippe Pinet, in c1726.  She died at Louisbourg, Île Royale, in January 1733.  

~

Anne-Marie Michel, born in c1702, married, at age 56, Joseph, son of Pierre Martin III and Anne Godin dit Châtillon and widower of Isabelle Carret, in c1758.  She died at Cherbourg, France, in April 1772, age 70, a widow. 

~

Pierre Michel, "native of Brieux," age 30, was working as a hired fisherman for François Gouet at Pétit-Bras-d'Or, Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, in February 1752.  Petit-Bras-d'Or was not an Acadian community on the island. 

LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT

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

LOUISIANA:  WESTERN SETTLEMENTS

Descendants of Sr. Jacques Michel dit Saint-Michel were among the earliest Acadians to find refuge in Louisiana.  They came in February 1765 with the Broussard dit Beausoleil party from Halifax via Cap-Français, St.-Domingue, and followed the Broussards across the Atchafalaya Basin to the Attakapas District, where they helped created La Nouvelle-Acadie on the banks of Bayou Teche:

Madeleine, age 53, daughter of Sr. Jacques Michel dit Saint-Michel, came with husband Joseph dit L'Officier Guilbeau, age 55, and three of their children, ages 20, 16, and 8.  Joseph died that summer in an epidemic that killed dozens of his fellow Teche valley Acadians.  Madeleine and her children remained at Attakapas, where the Guilbeaus set down deep roots.

Anne, age 32, daughter of Jacques Michel, fils, came with second husband Victor Comeau of Chepoudy, age 25, and two sons, ages 2 and newborn.  Victor died in the late 1760s at Attakapas.  Anne remarried to widower Joseph Cormier of Chignecto at Opelousas in April 1771.  Her Comeaux sons settled in the Opelousas area, as did her sons by Joseph Cormier.  Anne died probably near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, a widow, in June 1818; the priest who recorded her burial said that she was age 92 years when she died, but she was 85.  Her first succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, later that month; a second succession was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in July 1820.

~

Not until the 1810s did an Acadian Michel--Thaddée, son of François, père of St. James Parish--settle on the western prairies.  Son Florentin died "at his parent's home" "at Vermillion," age 1 1/2, in July 1819, but by the next year, Thaddée had taken his family back to St. James Parish.  However, a generation later, one of Thaddée's sons, Marcellin, moved to St. Mary Parish on lower Bayou Teche, but no new family line came of it.

Marcellin MICHEL (1821/1823/1824-c1848; Jacques dit Saint-Michel, Jacques, fils, Pierre, François/Joseph)

Marcellin, also called Marcel, perhaps the third son of Joseph Michel, fils and Véronique Poché, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in February 1821, or the sixth son of Thaddée Michel and Marie Madeleine Carmélite Duhon of St. James and Ascension parishes, born in Ascension Parish in April 1823, or the only son of Pierre Marcellin Michel and Arthémise Ortiz, born near Convent in March 1824, may have been the Marcellin Michel who married Marie, also called Admira, daughter of Comoa Hartman or Hartement and Jeanne Hartman, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in September 1845.  Marcellin's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in June 1848.  The clerk who recorded the succession did not give Marcellin's parents' names.  Marcellin fathered a daughter, Marie Celaise, born near Charenton in November 1846, but no sons, so his family line probably died with him. 

~

During the early 1850s, an Acadian Michel from upper Bayou Lafourche lived for a time on lower Bayou Teche, but he did not remain there: 

In December 1850, the federal census taker in St. Mary Parish counted 2 slaves--a 26-year-old black male, and a 16-year-old black male--on Edmé Michelle's farm; this probably was François Edmé, called Edmé, Michel, a native of St. James Parish.   Edmé's son François Edmé, fils, by his first wife Judith Charpentier, was baptized at the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, at age 9 in March 1854.  Edmé, père had remarried to first cousin Émelie Michel at Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, in September 1847, before moving on to St. Mary Parish, and two of their sons were born in Assumption Parish in January 1852 and July 1855, so Edmé's stay on the lower Teche was temporary.  As a result, no Acadian lines of the Michel family were established west of the Atchafalaya Basin before the War of 1861-65. 

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Area church and civil records make it difficult to link some Michels in the western parishes with known Acadian lines of the family: 

Alexandre Michel married Rosalie Wouls at the Breaux Bridge church, St. Martin Parish, in February 1868.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give any parents' names.  Was Alexandre an Acadian from one of the settlements east of the Atchafalaya Basin?  If he was an Acadian, and if his line survived, his would have been one of the first Acadian Michel families established west of the Atchafalaya Basin. 

LOUISIANA:  RIVER SETTLEMENTS

Another descendant of Sr. Jacques Michel dit Saint-Michel came to Louisiana in 1765.  Pierre Michel, age 28, a young widower, came to the Spanish colony not from Halifax via French St.-Domingue but directly from St.-Domingue.  He did not follow the Broussards and his sister Anne to Bayou Teche but settled, instead, at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river above New Orleans where 20 Acadians from Georgia had settled the year before and where hundreds of other Acadians from Halifax had chosen to remain.  Pierre remarried at Cabanocé in March 1766 and put down deep roots in the community.  Most, if not all, of the Acadian Michels of South Louisiana are descended from Pierre, his sons, and grandsons. 

Descendants of Pierre MICHEL (c1737-1813; Jacques dit Saint-Michel)

Pierre, son of Jacques Michel, fils and Jeanne Breau, born at Annapolis Royal in c1737, was exiled to Connecticut in 1755 in his late teens.  He married Marguerite, daughter of fellow Acadian Jean-Baptiste Poirier, probably in Connecticut in c1762.  After the war with Britain ended in 1763, many Acadian exiles in Connecticut moved to the St. Lawrence River valley, but not Pierre and Marguerite.  At the behest of French officials who promised them a new life in one of their tropical colonies, they followed his father Jacques to French-controlled St.-Domingue, today's Haiti, which they reached in August 1764.  The French sent them to Mirebalais, where Pierre and Marguerite's marriage was "attested to" in September.  Pierre's brother, father, sister, and wife Marguerite died at Mirebalais over a five-month period, so Pierre left as soon as he could.  He either booked passage on his own or hooked up with one of the parties that came through Cap-Français in early 1765 and reached New Orleans later that year--one of the relatively few Acadians to come to Louisiana directly from the Caribbean Basin.  In his late 20s, he remarried to Marie, 22-year-old daughter of fellow Acadians François Léger and Madeleine Comeau of Annapolis Royal, at New Orleans in March 1766.  Marie, like Pierre, had been born in Annapolis Royal.  She, too, had been exiled to Connecticut in 1755 before moving to New York.  Like Pierre, she had come to Louisiana directly from St.-Domingue, in her case with two younger siblings, so one wonders if they had known one another during exile.  She and Pierre settled at Cabahannocer, and there they remained.  In 1766, Pierre was a member of Verret's company of the Cabanocé militia.  Spanish officials counted him and his family on the left, or east, bank of the river at St.-Jacques in January 1777.  Pierre owned two slaves in March 1779.  In November 1803, Pierre Clément de Laussat, the French colonial prefect who was supervising the transfer of Louisiana to France and then to the United States, made a tour of inspection up the Mississippi River and visited Pierre and Marie's habitation.  Laussat wrote of the visit in his memoirs:  "I wanted to see one of the Acadian families which populated this coast [Côte-des-Acadiens, he called it].  So I went to the house of Pierre Michel, a cotton and corn planter.  He and his wife are sexagenarians [he was 66, she was 59].  Both born in Acadia, they were married in Louisiana and had seven or eight children.  Everybody in the house was at work--one daughter was ironing; another was spinning; and the mother was distributing the cotton, while a number of little Negroes, all under twelve, were carding it, picking out the seeds, and drying it.  No one, more than these people, regretted not being able to remain French."   Pierre died near Convent, St. James Parish, in March 1813; the priest who recorded the burial said that Pierre was age 80 when he died, but he was closer to 76.  His daughters married into the Berteau, Harty or Hartley, Hébert, Landry, LeBlanc, Richard, and Theriot families.  All three of his sons married fellow Acadians and settled in St. James Parish, but some of his grandsons and great-grandsons moved to bayous Lafourche and Terrebonne and even to lower Bayou Teche, while others remained on the river.

1

Oldest son François, by his father's second wife, born probably at St.-Jacques in the late 1760s, married Marie, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre LeBlanc and Françoise Trahan, at St.-Jacques in January 1788.  Their daughters married into the Caillouet and Duhon families.  François, père died near Convent, St. James Parish, in May 1831; the priest who recorded the burial said that François was age 67 when he died.  Three of his four sons married and moved to Ascension Parish, one of them after living in the old Attakapas District for a few years.  François's youngest married son and most of his grandsons settled in the Lafourche/Terrebonne valley.  

1a

François, fils married Carmélite, daughter of fellow Acadians Laurent Arceneaux and Félicité Bourgeois, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in January 1809.  Their son Augustin was born near Convent, St. James Parish, in August 1818, Pierre Michel died in Ascension Parish 21 days after his birth in August 1821, Joseph Félix, called Félix, was born in March 1824, and Charles Clairville, called Clairville, in January 1828.  Their daughter married a Michel first cousin.  His sons moved to upper Bayou Lafourche.  In August 1850, the federal census taker in Ascension Parish counted a single slave--a 54-year-old black female--on F. Michelle's farm; this may have been François, fils.  François, fils died in Ascension Parish in June 1868; the Donaldsonville priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that François died at "age ca. 80 years"; he would have been several months shy of that age. 

Clairville married Adèle, daughter of Adélard Rousseau and Azélie Poché, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in May 1845.  They settled on Bayou Lafourche.  

Félix married first cousin Marie Adolesthine, called Adolesthine, daughter of fellow Acadians Benjamin Mire and Céleste Arceneaux, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1847, and sanctified the marriage at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, the following September; they had to secure dispensation for second degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  They settled in Ascension Parish on upper Bayou Lafourche, where Félix remarried in the 1850s.  By the late 1860s, however, he and his family were living at Baton Rouge. 

1b

Thaddée married Marie Madeleine Carmélite, called Carmélite, daughter of fellow Acadians François Duhon and Marie Madeleine Bourgeois, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in July 1812.  They moved to the old Attakapas District later in the decade and settled on Bayou Vermilion, but they returned to St. James Parish by 1820 and lived near the boundary between St. James and Ascension parishes.  Their twin sons Amand Adrien and Jean Pierre were born near Convent, St. James Parish, in May 1813, Thaddée, fils in November 1815, Florentin le jeune on Bayou Vermilion in December 1817 but died at his parents' home, age 19 months, in July 1819, Luc or Leufroi was born near Convent in June 1820, Marcellin in Ascension Parish in April 1823, and Justin near Convent in August 1827.  One of Thaddée's sons "returned" to lower Bayou Teche in the mid-1840s, but his other sons remained on the river.  

Thaddée, fils married Françoise Capitaine, Perico, or Perrique.  Their son Joseph Césaire was born near St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in November 1837, and Thaddée III in November 1839.  Their daughter may have married into the Black family. 

Joseph Césaire died in Ascension Parish in October 1858, age 21.  He probably did not marry.  

Jean Pierre, a twin, married Marie Rose, daughter of fellow Acadians Donat Guidry and Marie Rose Theriot, at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in October 1842.  Their son Jean Aristide was born in Ascension Parish in July 1843, Pierre Arthur in September 1844, Jean Pierre, fils in June 1848, Lucien Eusemi in February 1854, Omar in September 1855, Jean Albert in December 1861, and François in February 1868. 

Marcellin may have married Marie, daughter of Comoa Hartman or Hartement and Jeanne Hartman, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in September 1845.  Marcellin's succession record was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in June 1848.  He would have been age 25 that year.  He fathered a daughter, Marie Celaise, born near Charenton in November 1846, but no sons, so his family line, except perhaps for its blood, probably died with him. 

Leufroi married cousin Marie Renée, daughter of fellow Acadian François Duhon and his Creole wife Marie Rome, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in February 1846.  Their son Thomassin or Trasimond was born near Convent in December 1846 but died at age 9 in November 1855, and Numa was born in March 1855.  Leufroi died near Convent in November 1855; the priest who recorded his burial said that Leufroi was age 30 when he died; he was 35.  

1c

Florentin married first cousin Marguerite Arthémise, called Arthémise, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Theriot and Anastasie Michel, his uncle and aunt, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in February 1819; they had to secure dispensation for second degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  Florentin and Arthémise moved to upper Bayou Lafourche and resurrected that center of family settlement (as well as contributed to the creation of Toni Jean!).  

2

Joseph, by his father's second wife, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in June 1773, married Marie-Madeleine or -Marguerite, daughter of fellow Acadians Michel Bourgeois and Osite Gautreaux, at St.-Jacques in February 1793.  Their son Joseph, fils was born at St.-Jacques in September 1793, Pierre-Eugène, called Eugène, in April 1795, Pierre-Marcellin, called Marcellin, in April 1798, François-Anaclet in February 1800, and Élie-Rémi in October 1802.  Joseph, père remarried to Marie Rosalie, called Rosalie, daughter of fellow Acadians Simon Gautreaux and Marie Duhon of Ascension, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in April 1817.  Their son Simon was born near Convent in January 1818 but died at age 14 1/2 in October 1832, Onésime was born in September 1819, and Étienne in c1822.  Most of Joseph's sons remained in St. James Parish. 

2a

Eugène, by his father's first wife, married Manette, daughter of Christophe Roussel and Perrine Hydel, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in February 1813.  Their son Pierre Eugène, called Eugène, fils, was born near Convent, St. James Parish, in July 1817, Sylvère was baptized at the Convent church, age 2 months, in August 1820 but died at age 5 in May 1825, Victorin was born in June 1822 but died at age 15 months in September 1823, and Joseph Théodule was born in March 1828.  Their daughters married into the Roussel and St. Pierre families.  Eugène, père died near Convent in March 1832; the priest who recorded his burial said that Eugène was 35 years old when he died, but he was closer to 37.  In September 1850, the federal census taker in St. James Parish counted 2 slaves--a 30-year-old black female and a 3-year-old mulatto male--on Widow Eugène Michel's farm between Valéry Roussel, Jr. and Rosémond St. Pierre in the parish's Eastern District; these were the slaves of Eugène, père's widow, Manette Roussel. 

Eugène, fils married Séraphine, daughter of Pierre Rosémond St. Pierre and his Acadian wife Aurore David, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in May 1840.  Their son Adam was born near Convent in August 1845, Joseph Théogène, called Théogène, in April 1848 but died at age 2 1/2 in August 1850, Jules Pierre was born in January 1850 but died at age 13 in November 1863, Joseph Adam was born in July 1854, Florian in July 1856, and Louis Alphonse in January 1864.  Their daughter married into the Roussel family.  In June 1860, the federal census taker in St. James Parish counted 3 slaves--all female, all black, ages 17, 3, and 2, living in 1 house--on Eug. Michel's farm next to Valéry Roussel in the parish's Left Bank District 1; this may have been Eugène, fils, or it may have been his widowed mother.  Eugène, fils may have died Convent in August 1868; the priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Eug., as he called him, died at "age 55 years"; Eugène, fils would have been age 51. 

Joseph Théodule died near Convent, St. James Parish, in August 1866, age 38.  He may not have married.  

2b

Joseph, fils, by his father's first wife, married Véronique, daughter of Jacques Poché and Véronique Vicknair, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in July 1813.  Their son Joseph III was born near Convent in October 1814, Pierre Théodule, called Théodule, in December 1816 but died at age 2 1/2 in July 1819, Marcellin Florian was born in February 1821, Jules in June 1823, and Jean Théophile in September 1825.  Joseph, fils died near Convent in July 1828; the priest who recorded his burial said that Joseph was age 31 when he died; he was 34.  

Marcellin Florian may have married Marie, daughter of Comoa Hartman or Hartement and Jeanne Hartman, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in September 1845.  They settled on lower Bayou Teche.  Marcellin's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in June 1848.  He would have been age 27 that year.  He fathered a daughter, Marie Celaise, born near Charenton in November 1846, but no sons, so his family line, except perhaps for its blood, probably died with him. 

2c

Marcellin, by his father's first wife, called Paul by a recording priest, may have married Spanish Creole Anne Arthémise, called Arthémise, Ortiz in St. James Parish in the late 1810s or early1820s.  Their son Paul Marcellin was born near Convent, St. James Parish, in March 1824. 

Paul Marcellin, perhaps called Marcellin, may have married Marie, daughter of Comoa Hartman or Hartement, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in September 1845.  They settled on lower Bayou Teche.  Marcellin's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in June 1848.  He would have been age 24 that year.  He fathered a daughter, Marie Celaise, born near Charenton in November 1846, but no sons, so his family line, except perhaps for its blood, probably died with him. 

2d

Étienne, by his father's second wife, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in November 1843, age 22.  He probably did not marry.  

3

Youngest son Pierre, fils, by his father's second wife, baptized at St.-Jacques, age unrecorded, in November 1781, married Marguerite, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Blanchard and Marguerite Breaux, at St. James in February 1807.  Their son Pierre III was born in St. James Parish in January 1808, Joseph Joachim near Convent in August 1818, and Joseph Philippe in May 1824.  Their daughters married into the Becnel, Crane, and Theriot families.  Pierre, fils died near Convent in March 1834, age 52.  

3a

Pierre III married cousin Marie Cléonise, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Blanchard and Françoise Bernard, at the Convent church,  St. James Parish, in July 1831.  Pierre III died at his mother's house near Convent in October 1851, age 43.  

3b

Joseph Joachim married Eunice Harrison probably in St. James Parish in the late 1840s.  Their son William Harrison was born near Convent in September 1848, and Benjamin Auguste in December 1849.  

~

Most of the Acadian Michels who came to Louisiana--eight of them--arrived aboard two of the Seven Ships from France in 1785.  Most chose to go to upper Bayou Lafourche, but one of them settled on the river.  No new family line came of it, however:  

Anne Michel of Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit, age 51, a granddaughter of François Michel dit La Ruine, crossed with fourth husband Simon-Pierre Daigre of Rivière-aux-Canards, age 50, and his seven children, ages 26 to 9, aboard Le Beaumont, the third of the Seven Ships, which reached New Orleans in August.  They followed the majority of their fellow passengers to Manchac south of Baton Rouge.  Anne was the only member of her branch of the Michel family to make it to Louisiana.  She died at Manchac in July 1786; the priest who recorded her burial said that she was age 60 when she died, but she was closer to 52.  

~

Other MICHELs on the River

Area church and civil records make it difficult to link some Michels on the river with known Acadian lines of the family there:

Jean Pierre Michel died near Convent, St. James Parish, in August 1839 and was buried "at St. James Cemetery."  The priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Jean Pierre was age 55 when he died.

Charles Michel married Spanish Creole Victorine Gonzales probably in Ascension Parish in the late 1850s.  Their son Aristide was born near Gonzales, St. James Parish, in December 1863. 

Rosella Michel married Cléopha Dugas at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in July 1866.  The priest who recorded the marriage did give the couple's parents' names.  

Joseph Michel died near Convent, age 38, in August 1866.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give the parents' names or mention a wife. 

Marie Catherine, daughter of Henriette Joséphine Michel, was born near Convent in May 1867.  The priest who recorded the girl's baptism did not give the father's name or the mother's parents' names. 

Marie, daughter of ___ Ide Michel, was born in Ascension Parish in October 1867.  The original baptism record is too "torn" to fully identify the girl's birth/baptism. 

Émilie, daughter of Joseph ____ and Sophie Michel, married Joseph, son of John Wallace and Rachel Pauly, at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in January 1869.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the bride's father's surname.  Was Sophie Acadian? 

Marie Louis Michel married Nore Painlas at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in June 1869.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names, but he did note that the couple had to secure a dispensation for "mixed religions" in order to marry. 

Frosine Michel married Alexandre Brooks at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in February 1870.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  

LOUISIANA:  LAFOURCHE VALLEY SETTLEMENTS

Most of the Michels who came to Louisiana from France in 1785 chose to go to upper Bayou Lafourche:

Pierre Michel, age 48, a widower, and three children--Joseph-François, age 25; Gertrude-Olive, age 19; and Marie-Louise, age 5--crossed on Le St.-Rémi, the fourth of the Seven Ships, which reached New Orleans in September.  Pierre did not remarry.  His older daughter married into the Cherami family and settled on the Lafourche.  Son Joseph-François married on the Lafourche, but his line did not survive.

Anne Daigle, age 43, widow of Joseph-François Michel, also crossed on Le St.-Rémi, with daughters Marie-Madeleine, age 20; and Anne-Josèphe, age 15.  Anne's daughters married into the Dubois, Lancon, and Maronge families and settled on the Lafourche.  Anne Josèphe, widow of Lorenzo Lancon of Malta and wife of Constantin Maronge of Sardinia, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in March 1831; the Thibodauxville priest who recorded her burial said that Anne Marguerite, as he called her, died at "age 56 yrs."; she was 61; her succession was filed at the Thibodauxville courthouse in April. 

Marie-Madeleine Michel, age 21, crossed on Le St.-Rémi with husband Pierre-Grégoire Gautrot, age 25.  Their daughter Martine was born aboard ship.  Marie-Madeleine died at Assumption by April 1797, when her husband was listed in a Valenzuela District census without a wife.  

.

Although one of the Michels from France married and settled on the upper Lafourche, the family line, except for its blood, did not endure: 

Descendants of Joseph-François MICHEL (1760-1824; Jacques dit Saint-Michel, François)

Joseph-François, son of Pierre Michel and Marguerite Pitre, born at St.-Suliac near St.-Malo, France, in March 1760, followed his family to Poitou in 1773 and to the port city of Nantes in March 1776.  He was still a bachelor and living with his widowered father when his family sailed to Louisiana aboard Le St.-Rémi, the fourth of the Seven Ships, in 1785.  He followed his father and sisters to upper Bayou Lafourche, where he married Geneviève, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre LeBlanc and Françoise Trahan, in May 1786 soon after their arrival.  Geneviève also had crossed on Le St.-Rémi and followed her family to the upper Lafourche.  Their daughter married into the Boudreaux and Daigre families.  Joseph François, called François Joseph by the recording priest, died in Lafourche Interior Parish in February 1824, age 64.  His only son may have died young, so, except for its blood, this line of the family did not endure in the Bayou State.  

Jean-Charles, born at Ascension in February 1792, probably died young.  

~

Beginning in the 1830s, Michels from the river settled on Bayou Lafourche, creating a second center of family settlement.  Some of them moved down bayou to Terrebonne Parish by the 1850s:  

Descendants of Florentin MICHEL (1795-1855; Jacques dit Saint-Michel, Jacques, fils, Pierre)

Florentin, third son of François Michel, père and Marie-Madeleine LeBlanc, born at St.-Jacques in March 1795, married first cousin Marguerite Arthémise, called Arthémise, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Theriot and Anastasie Michel, his uncle and aunt, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in February 1819; they had to secure a dispensation for second degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  They moved to Ascension Parish by the early 1830s and settled on upper Bayou Lafourche.  Their daughters married into the Templet and Theriot families.  In December 1850, the federal census taker in Lafourche Interior Parish counted 14 slaves--7 males and 7 females, all black, ranging in age from 60 to 8--on Florentin Michel's farm along the bayou.  Florentin, at age 59, remarried to Eméranthe, daughter of fellow Acadians Louis Blanchard and Collette Landry and widow of Valéry Landry, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in March or April 1854.  Florentin died in Assumption Parish in September 1855; the priest who recorded the burial said that Florentin was age 70 when he died; he was 60.  Two of his sons moved down to Bayou Terrebonne.  The other three remained on Bayou Lafourche.  

1

Oldest son Pierre Florentin, by his father's first wife, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in December 1819, married cousin Zélima, daughter of fellow Acadians Michel Theriot and Marie Séraphine Thibodeaux, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in June 1839.  Their son Saturin Prospère was born in Assumption Parish in November 1843, Isidore Marguerithe on Bayou du Large, Terrebonne Parish, in April 1851, and Adam Michael in November 1852.  In November 1850, the federal census taker in Terrebonne Parish counted 3 slaves--2 males and a female, all black, ages 28, 23, and 22--on Pierre F. Michel's farm.  In June 1860, the federal census taker in Terrebonne Parish counted 24 slaves--17 males and 7 females, 21 blacks and 3 mulattoes, ages 60 to 1, living in 4 houses--on P. F. Michel's plantation in the parish's 11th Ward.  

Saturin Prospère married Marie Octavie, daughter of Nicolas Lirette and his Acadian wife Mélasie Boudreaux, at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, in October 1864. 

2

François Édouard or Édmé, called Edmé, from his father's first wife, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in November 1821, married Judith Charpentier, place and date unrecorded.  Their son François Edmé, fils, born in c1845, was baptized at the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, age 9, in March 1854.  François Edmé remarried to first cousin Émelie, daughter of fellow Acadians François Michel, fils and Carmélite Arceneaux, his uncle and aunt, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in September 1847; they had to secure dispensation for second degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  They settled at Pierre Part, Assumption Parish, north of Lake Verret.  Their son François Edmond died in Lafourche Interior Parish 20 days after his birth in August 1848, Tiburce was born near Plattenville in January 1852, and Lucien near Paincourtville in July 1855.  In December 1850, the federal census taker in St. Mary Parish counted 2 slaves--a 26-year-old black male, and a 16-year-old black male--on Edmé Michelle's farm; this was probably him.  Judging by the baptismal records of his two younger sons, Edmé and his family returned to upper Bayou Lafourche in the early 1850s. 

3

Delphin Telesphore, called Telesphore, from his father's first wife, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in December 1823, married fellow Acdian and cousin Marie Hélène, called Hélène, Theriot probably in Assumption Parish in the 1840s.  Their son Telesphore Euclide was born near Plattenville in January 1847, Joseph Dorcino near Paincourtville in December 1848, Pierre Théodule, called Théodule, in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1852 but died at age 14 in June 1866, and Joseph Telesphore was born posthumously near Paincourtville in June 1854.  Their daughter married into the Coupel family.  Telesphore died in Assumption Parish in February 1854; the Plattenville priest who recorded the burial said that Delphin Telesphore was age 22 when he died; he was 30.  A son, named and age unrecorded, died in Assumption Parish in June 1855; one wonders which son this may have been.  

4

Joseph Justinien, called Justinien and Justilien, from his father's first wife, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in June 1827, married Marguerite Azella, called Azella, daughter of Adélard Rousseau and Azélie Poché, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in July 1848.  They settled on Bayou Pigeon north of Lake Verret.  Their son Joseph Degue was born in October 1849, Hippolyte Savin Savillien, called Savillien, in August 1851, Joseph Nestor, called Nestor, in January 1854, and Joseph Myrtile, called Myrtile, in September 1856 (Toni Jean's paternal great-grandpa). 

5

Youngest son Paul Elphége, called Elphége, from his father's first wife, born in Ascension Parish in January 1833, married Aspasie, daughter of Ursin Prevost and Elisa Toups of Terrebonne Parish, at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, in April 1859.  Their son Paul Arthur was born in Terrebonne Parish in July 1862, and Prospère Elphége in March 1864.  

Descendants of Joseph Félix MICHEL (1824-; Jacques dit Saint-Michel, Jacques, fils, Pierre, François)

Joseph Félix, called Félix, third son of François Michel, fils and Carmélite Arceneaux, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in March 1824, nephew of Florentin, married first cousin Marie Adolesthine, called Adolesthine, daughter of fellow Acadians Benjamin Mire and Céleste Arceneaux, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1847, and sanctified the marriage at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, the following September; they had to secure a dispensation for second degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  Félix remarried to Marie Laure or Laura, Cabos, Cabosse, or Calosse, place unrecorded, in the 1850s and settled in Ascension Parish, perhaps on the upper bayou.  They were living near Baton Rouge in the late 1860s. 

1

Older son Joseph Félix, fils, by his father's first wife, was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1848. 

2

Younger son Pierre Lovinski, by his father's first wife, born in Ascension Parish in January 1850, died at age 2 months, 12 days, the following March.  

Descendants of Charles Clairville MICHEL (1828-; Jacques dit Saint-Michel, Jacques, fils, Pierre, François)

Charles Clairville, called Clairville, fourth and youngest son of François Michel, fils and Carmélite Arceneaux, born near Convent, St. James Parish, in January 1828, married Adèle, daughter of Adélard Rousseau and Azélie Poché, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in May 1845.  Their daughters married into the Acman and Lescale or Lescales families.  Clairville died in Ascension Parish in July 1850, age 22.  Did he father any sons?  

~

Other MICHELs in the Lafourche/Terrebonne Valley

Local church and civil records make it difficult to link some Michels in the Lafourche/Terrebonne valley with known Acadian lines of the family there:

H. Hippolyte Michel married Marie Letitia Verloin De Gruise, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Jean Albert was born in Lafourche Parish in October 1861.  

Joseph Michel died in Terrebonne Parish in July 1867, age 18.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give Joseph's parents' names.  Did he marry? 

Octave Michel married Claire Labadie at the Labadieville church, Assumption Parish, in May 1868.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Susanne Michel gave birth to son Auguste near Chacahoula, Terrebonne Parish, in September 1868.  The priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not give the father's name.  

Joseph Thecle Michel married Marie Blanchard, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Marie Cléona was born near Pierre Part, Assumption Parish, in January 1870. 

Charlotte Michel's son Auguste was baptized at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, age 7, in September 1872.  The priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not give the father's name.  

NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA

Michel is a common surname in France and is found in other European nations as well, so it is no wonder that some of the Michels of South Louisiana are descended not from Acadians but from Creoles of various nationalities and from Foreign French.  Belgian-, German-, French-, and even Italian-Creole Michels came to the colony decades before their Acadian namesakes arrived, as well as late in the colonial period.  They settled at New Orleans and on the Acadian Coast:  

According to a recent history of French colonial New Orleans and its people, "Marie Michel was among the the approximately 250 female forçats [deported criminals] sent to Louisiana.  She appears as one of the 'women and girls exiled for fraud' on the Deux Frères in 1719.  Nine years later she had become sole proprietor of a lot and house in New Orleans." 

Roch, son of François-Jacques Michel and Jeanne Fleau of Liege, Belgium, born in Paris and working for the Company of the Indies, married Louise, daughter of master cooper André Philippeaux of Maran near La Rochelle, France, and widow of Noel Le Feure, at New Orleans in September 1726.  Their son Thomas-Louis was born at New Orleans in January 1732.  

Anne-Catherine Michel died at New Orleans in August 1731, age 2.  The priest who recorded her burial did not give her parents'  names. 

Superior Council records show that in 1737, "after her husband's death, Françoise Michel, widow of Louis Jouaneaulx, moved to collect over 30,311 livres from a couple named Faucon who had owed the sum to her husband since 1714.  The records do not tell if she shared the wealth with a new husband or kept her financially secure independence, or if she did, in fact, manage to collect the debt." 

Johan- or Jean-Gaspard, called Gaspard, a gardener, son of Henry Michel and Élisabeth Ze__of Bamberg, Germany, married Anne-Marie, daughter of fellow German André Strimphel, at New Orleans in November 1743.  Anne-Marie was a native of the city.  Their son Simon was born at New Orleans in March 1746.  Gaspard died at New Orleans in September 1747; the priest who recorded his burial did not give Gaspard's age at the time of his death.  

Marguerite Michel died at New Orleans in January 1752.  The priest who recorded her burial did not give her parents' names, mention a husband, or give her age at the time of her death.

Honoré Michel de la Rouvillière, the colony's commissaire-ordonnateur since 1748, was accorded the honor of being buried "beneath the St.-Louis parish church" in 1752. 

Catherine Michel married François Olivier, place and date unrecorded, and settled at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands on the Upper German Coast as early as the 1770s.  

The unnamed infant son of master tailor ____ Michel and ____ Filibotte, died at New Orleans in January 1774.  

Jacqueline Michel, wife of ____ Doupard, died at New Orleans in February 1789, age 80.  

Margurita Miguel, wife of Josef Souisse, died at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands on the Upper German Coast in November 1794, age 40. 

Joseph Michel of Genoa, Italy, married Sophie Barriere of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Joseph was born "in North America" in December 1795 and baptized at New Orleans in October 1796.  

Marguerite Michel, a native of Rochefort, France, wife of Noël Pradine, died at New Orleans in September 1799, age 20.

Mélany, daughter of Michel-Bonaventure Michel and ____ Barbe, died at New Orleans in September 1799, age 2.

Jean-André Michel of Arles, Provence, France, married Anne-Henriette Bonet of Marseille, France, place and date unrecorded.  Their daughter Marie-Desaïde was born at Cap-Français, Haiti, in 1792, and son Joseph at Baltimore, Maryland, in June 1796.  Both children were baptized at New Orleans in December 1799.  

Ana Miguel, probably Spanish, was "native of New York in the United States of America."  She died at New Orleans in August 1801.  The priest who recorded her burial did not give her parents' names, mention a husband, or give her age at the time of her death.  

Midal Michel, called Miguel by the recording priest, was "native of Connecticut in America."  Midal died at New Orleans in August 1801.  The priest who recorded Midal's burial did not give his parents' names, mention a wife, or reveal his age at the time of his death.  

Théodore, son of Isaac Michel , married Marie, daughter of Isaac Wadels, place and date unrecorded.  Their daughter Priscille was born at St.-Gabriel in September 1801. 

Marcial, son of Jean-Baptiste Miguel, probably Michel, and Marie Nio of New Orleans, married Louise-Baptiste, daughter of Baptiste Christian, at New Orleans in December 1801.

.

A French or German Creole settled at St.-Jean Baptiste des Allemands on the Upper German Coast in the 1750s.  By the end of the colonial period, many of his children had moved upriver to St.-Jacques on the Lower Acadian Coast and settled near their Acadian namesakes.  During the early antebellum period, two of his sons settled among their Acadian namesakes on upper Bayou Lafourche and married Acadians, considerably clouding the genealogical picture of the family there also.  At least one of his grandsons settled on lower Bayou Teche during the late antebellum period:   

Descendants of Joseph MICHEL (?-?)

Joseph Michel married German Creole Marie-Agnès, called Agnès, Falgout probably at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands in the early 1760s.  Their daughters married into the Delaune, Montet, Pertuit, and Souisse families and settled at St.-Jacques and on Bayou Lafourche.  Their sons also settled on the Acadian Coast.  One of Joseph's sons and a grandson moved  to upper Bayou Lafourche. 

1

Oldest son Louis, born probably at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands in c1765, died at St.-Jean-Baptiste in August 1790, age 25.  He probably did not marry.  

2

Joseph, fils, born probably at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands in the 1770s, married Marie-Madeleine, daughter of French Creole François Pertuit, at St.-Jacques in February 1797.  Their son Joseph III was born at St.-Jacques in December 1798, Sylvère in December 1800,  Angèle Terence in March 1805, Jacques Ulzer in September 1807, Joseph Delphin, called Delphin, in January 1814, and Séraphin in September 1815.  Their daughters married into the Badeaux and Lambert families and remained on the river.  Joseph, fils moved his family to upper Bayou Lafourche in the 1810s.  A petition for a meeting of his family was filed at the Thibodauxville courthouse, Lafourche Interior Parish, in April 1820; he would have been in late 40s or early 50s that year.  One of his sons returned to the river.  One of his grandsons settled on lower Bayou Teche in the 1850s.  

2a

Joseph III, residing in Assumption Parish, married Fanny Basilisse, daughter of Acadian Joseph Boudreaux, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in March 1824.  Their son Vincent Joseph, also called Joseph IV, was born in Assumption Parish in February 1825.  

Joseph IV married Thérèse, daughter of French Creole Jean Falcon, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in January 1845.  They moved to lower Bayou Teche in the early 1850s.  Their twin sons Joseph V and Marcellin were born in Ascension Parish in April 1846, but Marcellin died 2 days after his birth, Jean Adam was born near Charenton, St. Mary Parish, in July 1853, and Adrien Cléopha in April 1857. 

2b

Joseph Delphin, called Delphin, married Célestine, daughter of French Creole Firmin LePretre, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in December 1848; Célestine's mother was a Guidry.  Their son Joseph Augustin was born near Convent in November 1851, and Alfred in August 1854.  Delphin died near Convent in September 1857; the priest who recorded the burial said that Delphin was age 40 when he died; he was 43.  

3

Alexandre, born at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands in July 1782, probably died young.

4

Pierre-Célestin, born at St.-Jean-Baptiste des Allemands in c1788, married Céleste, daughter of Acadian Jacques Guidry, at St.-Jacques in February 1807.  Their son Magloire was born in St. James Parish in October 1808, Paul Léon near Convent in July 1814, Éloi in April 1818 but died at age 10 in August 1828, Désiré was born in March 1820, and Jean Baptiste in c1825 but died at age 3 in August 1828.  They also had a son named Pierre, fils.  Their daughters married into the Guidry, Matherne, McAnespy, Oubre, and Rome families.  In the late 1820s or early 1830s, Pierre Célestin moved his family to upper Bayou Lafourche, where he died in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1831, age 43.  Two of his sons returned to the river.  

4a

Pierre, fils married cousin Adélaïde, 16-year-old daughter of Acadian Philemon Guidry, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Interior Parish in May 1837.  Their son Pierre III was born near Convent, St. James Parish, in May 1840, Philemon Arsène in March 1847 but, called Phinimon, died at age 6 1/2 (the recording priest said 7) in October 1853, and Antoine Elesse, called Elesse, was born in February 1849 but died at age 4 1/2 (the recording priest at Convent said 6) in November 1853.  Their daughters married into the Matherne, Nelson, and Rome families. 

4b

Magloire died near Convent, St. James Parish, in June 1838, age 29, and probably did not marry.  

~

During the antebellum period, Hispanic, French, and Anglo-American Michels settled on the prairies in St. Landry, Lafayette, and St. Martin parishes; in Pointe Coupee, East and West Baton Rouge, Iberville, and St. James parishes, and at New Orleans on the Mississippi; and in Natchitoches Parish on the upper Red River: 

Joseph Michel "of Spain" married Elizabeth, daughter of Anglo American William "Billy" Ford of Georgia, place and date unrecorded.  Their son William, Jr. was born on Prairie Mamou, St. Landry Parish, in February 1812.  

Joseph, son of François Michel and Thérèse Patard, married French Creole Marie Madeleine LeBoeuf, widow of Raymond Guignan, at the St. James church, St. James Parish, in May 1831.  

Antoine Bonaventure, son of Pierre-Étienne Michel and Marie-Françoise-Philippine Chopin of Gottes, Hautes-Alpes, France, married Constance, daughter of Pierre Dispan or Dispars "of Savary," at the Pointe Coupee church, Pointe Coupee Parish, in March 1833.  Their son Julien Henry was baptized at the Convent church, St. James Parish, age 2, in November 1835.  Antoine died in East Baton Rouge Parish in October 1841, age 29.  In July 1860, federal census takers in Iberville Parish counted 3 slaves--1 male and 2 females, all black, ages 35, 25, and 2, living in 1 house--on Antoine Michel's farm.  One wonders if this was a descendant of Antoine Bonaventure.  

Peter Michel married Elizabeth Welch or Welsh in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in January 1834.  One wonders if Peter was kin to Joseph Michel "of Spain." 

John Michel married Sarah Welch or Welsh in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1834.  One wonders if Peter and John were brothers and if Elizabeth and Sarah were sisters, and if they were kin to Siméon Michel, also of St. Landry Parish.  

Joseph, son of Cadeo Michel and Francisca Perrique, was born near St.-Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in November 1837. 

Siméon, son of Shadrac Michel, married Joséphine, daughter of Acadian Augustin Guidry, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in October 1837.  Their son Simon or Siméon, fils was born near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in January 1853, and Florestin S. near Opelousas in October 1855.  One wonders if Siméon, père was kin to Peter and John.  In late summer of 1860, the federal census taker in Calcasieu Parish counted a single slave--a 33-year-old black female--on Siméon Michel's farm next to Mrs. Augustin Guidry, probably his mother-in-law.  

Elizabeth, called Betzy, daughter of Sarah Michel, married Daniel, son of Anglo American William Keeting or Keeling, at the Baton Rouge church, East Baton Rouge Parish, in December 1837.  Betzy died in East Baton Rouge Parish in January 1850, age 45.    

An unnamed Michel died in St. Martin Parish, age 80, in October 1843.  One wonders why the St. Martinville priest included so little information about the deceased in the burial record. 

Michel Michel revalidated his marriage to French Creole Marie Anne Albany, Albanie Marie, or Anne Marie Albanie, called Albanie, Pourciau at the Pointe Coupee church, Pointe Coupee Parish, in December 1847.  Michel Michel, perhaps their son, died in Pointe Coupee Parish in October 1850, age 2 1/2 months.  Their daughter married into the Filliastre family.  In June 1860, the federal census taker in Pointe Coupee Parish counted 5 slaves--3 males and 2 females, 2 blacks and 3 mulattoes, ranging in age from 80 to 18, one of them blind, living in 2 houses--on Michel Michel's farm.  

In July 1850, a federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 4 slaves--all females, all black except for 1 mulatto, ranging in age from 25 to 14--on S. C. Michell's farm in the parish's Third District.  In the same month, another federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted a 30-year-old black female slave in Zulema Michel's household in the Fourth Ward of Municipality One, New Orleans.  In August, the same census taker counted a 35-year-old black female slave in ____ Michel's household in the Third Ward, a 35-year-old black female slave in Widow Michel's household, and 4 slaves--all females, 2 black and 2 mulatto, ranging in age from 39 to 13--in Edward Michel's household in the Fifth Ward, and a 49-year-old female slave in Ed. Michel's household in the Seventh Ward of Municipality One, New Orleans.  Another census taker that same month counted 4 slaves--1 male and 3 females, all black except for 1 mulatto, ages 58 to 20--in M. M. Michel's household in the Third Ward of Municipality Three, New Orleans.

In August 1850, the federal census taker in West Baton Rouge Parish counted 31 slaves--13 males and 18 females, all black, ranging in age from 64 to 5--on J. P. Michell's plantation.  

In September 1850, the federal census taker in East Baton Rouge Parish counted 5 slaves--3 males and 2 females, all black except for 1 mulatto, ranging in age from 30 to 2--in John Michel's household in the City of Baton Rouge.  In November, the same census taker counted 24 slaves--13 males and 11 females, all black, ranging in age from 90 to 1--on John T. Michel's plantation in the parish's Twelfth Ward; this may have been the same John Michel who had a house in Baton Rouge.  

In November 1850, the federal census taker in Jefferson Parish counted a 30-year-old black female slave in ____ Michel's household, a 42-year-old black female slave in ____ Michel's household, and 4 slaves--3 black males, ages 38, 21, and 20, and a 15-year-old mulatto female--in ____ Michel's household, in the city of Lafayette.  

In December 1850, the federal census taker in Natchitoches Parish counted 6 slaves--all males, all black, ranging in age from 50 to 6--on Pierre Michel's farm.  

Jean Pierre Michel died in East Baton Rouge Parish in February 1854.  The Baton Rouge priest who recorded the burial, and did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Jean Pierre died at "age ca. 73 years." .  

George Michel died "at A. Vela's" in Assumption Parish in July 1854.  The priest who recorded the burial, but did not give parents' names or mention a wife, said that George was "age ca. 49 years" when he died.  

Sosthène Michel married Azéline Simon, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Aurelien was born near Ville Platte, then in St. Landry but now in Evangeline Parish, in April 1855.    

Joseph Michel married Élisabeth Chauvin, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Louis Léopold, also called Paul, married Adèle, daughter of Michel Piroux, at the Convent church, St. James Parish, in November 1855.  Their son Joseph Théodore was born near Convent in August 1856, and Paul Charles in December 1857.  One wonders if Louis Léopold, a.k.a. Paul, was actually Paul Léon, son of Creole Pierre Célestin Michel and his Acadian wife Céleste Guidry of St. James Parish.  

In June 1860, the federal census taker in Avoyelles Parish counted 4 slaves--1 male and 3 females, 3 blacks and 1 mulatto, ranging in in age from 65 to 16, living in 2 houses--on the Widow Poein Michel's farm.  

In June 1860, a federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 6 slaves--all males, all black except for 1 mulatto, ranging in age from 45 to 30--in John Michel's household in the Third Ward of the city of New Orleans.  That same month, another census taker in Orleans Parish counted a single slave--a 30-year-old black female--in Daniel Michel's household in the city's Fifth Ward.  That month, yet another census taker in Orleans Parish counted a single slave--a 17-year-old black female--in M. Michel's household, and a single slave--a 49-year-old black female--in Madame Ed. Michel's household, in the city's Sixth Ward.  In July, yet another federal census taker in Orleans Parish counted 6 slaves--2 males and 2 females, all black, ranging in age from 30 to 2--in J. J. Michel's household in the city's Eleventh Ward.  

Charles Michel married Victorine Gonzales, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Virginie Félicie was born in Ascension Parish in September 1861.  Acadian Félix Melançon stood as the girl's godfather.  Was Charles an Acadian Michel? 

Élisabeth, daughter of "More" Michel, died near Ville Platte, age 10, in May 1866. 

Adrien Michel died in Pointe Coupee Parish at the end of February 1869.  The Pointe Coupee church priest who recorded the burial, and did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Adrien died at "age ca. 52 years." 

.

A Michel family, perhaps Anglo American, emerged on the western prairies during the late antebellum period: 

Descendants of François MICHEL (?-)

François "of New York & a Protestant," son of André Michel and Margaret Johnston, married Euphémie Carosine or Caroline, called Caroline, daughter of Acadian Jean Baptiste Chiasson, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in June 1848.

Pierre Alfred, called Alfred, born in Lafayette Parish in April 1849, married Émelie, daughter of Don Louis Fenetre or Lafenetre, at the Vermilionville courthouse, Lafayette Parish, in January 1866; Émelie's mother was a Richard.  

.

Dozens of Michels from France, called Foreign French by native Louisianians, came to New Orleans from France and the Caribbean Basin throughout the period; those who remained in Louisiana probably settled in the city: 

Charles Alexander Michel, a 45-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Virginia out of Le Havre, France, in August 1820.  He was heading to Kentucky.  

Antoine Michel, a 20-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Nymph out of Havana, Cuba, in August 1825.  

____ Michel, a 50-year-old teacher from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Three Sons out of Havana in December 1827.  

Albin Michel, a 52-year-old vice consul, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Crescent out of Le Havre in January 1829.  

John Michel, a 30-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship General Hand out of Cap-Haitien, formerly Cap-Français, Haiti, in April 1831.  He was returning to France.  

J. Michel, a 28-year old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Bonita out of Tampico, Mexico, in July 1835.  

Étienne Michel, a 54-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Dublin Packet out of Le Havre in November 1835.  Also on the same ship were Francis, probably François, Michel, a 43-year-old hatter, who may have been Étienne's brother; and Constance Michel, age 17; Victorine Michel, age 15; and Henry Michel, age 11, children of either Étienne or Francis.  

_____ Michel, a 27-year-old tailor from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Vaillant out of Bordeaux, France, in May 1838.  

C. Michel, a 25-year-old mechanic from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship McLellan out of Bordeaux in October 1838.  

Mme. Michel, a 28-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Cardinal de Chevenes out of Bordeaux in November 1839.  

Karolina Michel, a 39-year-old native of France, occupation not recorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Julia, port of departure not recorded,  in November 1839.  On the same ship were Pilipp Michel, age 13; and Mag Michel, age 1, probably  her children.  

Miss Michel, a 27-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Alexander Toussin out of Le Havre in December 1839.  

A. Michel, a 26-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Euphrates out of Marseille, France, in September 1841.  

Pierre Michel, a 36-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Andelle out of Le Havre in May 1842.  

Albin Michell, a 30-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Alabama out of Havana in May 1843.  

Jacques Michel, a 43-year-old day-laborer from Etival, France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Lyon out of Le Havre in October 1843.  

F. Michel, a 45-year-old hatter from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Denmark out of Sisal, Mexico, in August 1843.  

Roger Michael, a 19-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship William out of Bordeaux in August 1843.  

Jacques Michel, a 28-year-old spinner from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Diadem out of Le Havre in October 1843.  On the same ship was ____ Michel, a 23-year-old spinner and probably Jacques's brother.  

_____ Michel, a 32-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Andelle out of Le Havre in December 1845.  

John Michel, a 25-year-old bricklayer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Ana out of Veracruz, Mexico, in May 1846.  

Godefroi Michel, a 38-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Clifton out of Le Havre in December 1846.  With him was Madeleine, age 32, probably his wife, and their children Catherine, age 5; Lena, age 3; Georges, age 2; and Frédérique, age 1.  

In July 1847, a large family of Michels reached New Orleans aboard the ship Ducaillion out of Le Havre.  They included Georg-Pierre, age 28; Christine, age 23; Catherine, age 20; Jean and Nicola, age 17; Anna, age 15; Barbara, age 13; and Jean-Pierre, age 2, all classified as farmers and probably siblings.

Jacob Michel, a 47-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Puskina out of Le Havre in April 1848.  With him were Philipp, age 16; and Christian, age 12, probably his sons.  

_____ Michel, a 50-year-old merchant from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Croton out of Bordeaux in May 1848.  With him were Mrs. Michel, age 48; and two unnamed daughters, ages 7 and 5.  They were moving on to Havana.  

Barthélémy Michel, a 19-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Flor out of Le Havre in December 1848.  

F. Michel, an 18-year-old baker from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Cato out of Marseille in January 1849.  

Philippe Michel, a 20-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Scyane out of Le Havre in January 1849.  

Louis Michel, a 32-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, and Adélaïde Michel, age 31, probably his wife, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Sea Lion out of Le Havre in March 1849.  

Magdelena Michel, a 23-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Rouennais out of Le Havre in December 1849.  

Pierre Michel, a 36-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Brunswick out of Le Havre in March 1850.  He was heading up to Missouri.  

J. B. Michel, a 41-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Epindole out of Le Havre in April 1850.  He was heading to St. Louis, Missouri.  

Salomon and Samuel Michel, perhaps twins, both 25-year-old farmers from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Astrican out of Le Havre in December 1851.  

Zacharie Michel, a 30-year-old farmer from France, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Charles Hill out of Le Havre in May 1852.  

Jn.-Mathias Michel, a 28-year-old native of France, occupation unrecorded, reached New Orleans aboard the ship Olympus out of Le Havre in October 1852.  

.

During the antebellum and immediate post-war periods, Afro-Creole, or "colored," Michels appear in South Louisiana church and civil records.  Some were once owned and possibly freed by "white" Michels, or their surname may have come from a father or grandfather with the given name "Michel."  Area church and civil records do not always reveal their ethnicity, but the record keepers often provided tantalizing clues:

____ Michel died in St. Martin Parish in October 1843.  The priest who recorded his or her burial said that ____ died "at age over 80 yrs.," but did not give his or her parents' names or mention a wife or husband.  For all we know, ____ may have been a slave named Michel.  

Arsène Michel, a "mul. lib.," or free mulatto, was baptized at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, age unrecorded, in April 1852. 

Louis Michel of New Orleans, a "c.l.," that is, a couleur libre or "free colored," son of Futin Bitto, married Louise Célestine Prade, a "c.l.," at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in February 1858. 

Mary Ann, daughter of Helena Michel, perhaps a slave, was born "at Mrs. P. Michel's" near Baton Rouge in September 1860.  The priest who recorded the child's baptism did not name the father. 

Ulgère Michel married Françoise Joseph, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Charenton, St. Mary Parish, by the late 1860s. 

Alphonse Michel married Charlotte Boutain, also called Goute, place and date unrecorded, and settled between Eunice and Ville Platte, St. Landry Parish, by the late 1860s. 

Antoine Michel married Silvanie Charlot, place and date unrecorded, and settled in St. Martin Parish by the late 1860s.

Michel Michel married Ulalie ____, place and date unrecorded, and settled in Ascension Parish by the late 1860s. 

Joséphine Michel married Ursin Denis in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in December 1866.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Ernest Vincent was born in Ascension Parish in January 1867.  The Donaldsonville priest recorded his parents only as ____ Michel and Carmélite ____, so the full name of the boy's parents is anyone's guess.  

Sarah Michel, "colored," married William Onel in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Parish in January 1867.  

Louis Michel, "affranchi de [freedman of] Eclide Broussard," married Célestine Paul, "affranchie de Placide Thibodeaux," at the Breaux Bridge church, St. Martin Parish, in February 1867.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Franc or Frencs, probably short for François, Michel married Sara Claire Firmin at the Labadieville church, Assumption Parish, in April 1867.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couples' parents' names.  Daughter Marie was born near Labadieville in July 1868. 

Henry Michel, "colored," married Sally Ann in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Parish in April 1867.  

Justilien Michel married Justine Numa or Numas at the Vacherie church, St. James Parish, in June 1867.  Their son Aurelien was born near Vacherie in November 1865, and Winllaine Valérien in January 1869. 

Aurelia Michel married Willis James in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Parish in January 1868.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Philomène, daughter of Félix Michel and Adélaïde ____, married Georges, son of Manuel Washington and Mary ____, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in January 1868. 

Joseph Michel married Carmélite ____, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Joséphine was born in Ascension Parish in May 1868, and Mélitte Laura in August 1869. 

Lessin Pierre Michel, "freedman," son of Henriette Lambert, married Ursule, daughter of Lessin Comeaux and Ursule ____, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in January 1869.  Ursule Comeaux probably was a freedwoman. 

Ida Michel married Alexis Charles at the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, in February 1869.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Bernard "at Mr. Baptiste Lejeune's," son of Michel Michel and Hélène ____, married Constance, also called Martha, also "at Mr. Baptiste Lejeune's," daughter of Constant Antoine and Julie ____, at the Pointe Coupee church, Pointe Coupee Parish, in March 1869.  Their son Marcellin was born in Pointe Coupee Parish in November 1870. 

Patrick, fils, son of Patrick Michel and Annette ____, married Éloise, daughter of Clarisse Chenier, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1869. 

Pierre, also called Valéry, Michel married Henriette Davis at the Patoutville, now Lydia, church, Iberia Parish, in August 1869.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Mélisaire, daughter of Michel Michel and Marcellite ____, married Daniel, son of Naid Naid and Marie ____, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in November 1869. 

Théodule, son of Michel Michel and Sophie ____ of St. James Parish, married Alphonsine, daughter of Eugénie Huval, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in November 1869.  Their son Adam was born in St. Martin Parish in July 1870. 

Pierre Michel married Nellie Carere at the New Iberia church, Iberia Parish, in December 1869.  The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names. 

Hélène ____ gave birth to son Ben Michel near Gonzales, Ascension Parish, in January 1870.  The priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not give the father's name. 

Marie Rosa, daughter of former slave Nina Michel, married Michel, son of Pierre Pélisse Olinde and Euphrosine Robillard and widower of Julie Bergeron of Pointe Coupee Parish, at the Pointe Coupee church in February 1870. 

Dominique Michel married Carmélite ____, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Michel was baptized at the St. James church, St. James Parish, age 2 months, in March 1870.   

Henry Michel married widow Mary Stuart in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Parish in April 1870.  

Aurelia, daughter of Joseph Michel and Arthémise Lauvage, married Joseph, fils, son of Joseph William and Nancy ____, at the Abbeville church, Vermilion Parish, in November 1870. 

CONCLUSION

Michel is a common surname in France and can be found in other parts of Europe as well.  It is also a common given name and evolved into the surname of free persons of color especially after Louisiana's colonial period.  Members of the family, some French, some German, one even Italian, came early to French Louisiana and settled at New Orleans.  Michels were among the earliest Acadians to find refuge in Louisiana, in 1765.  Other Acadian Michels came to the colony from France 20 years later.  Meanwhile, non-Acadian Michels from the Upper German Coast settled among their Acadian namesakes on the Acadian Coast.  Not long after Acadian Michels from France moved to upper Bayou Lafourche, non-Acadian Michels from the Acadian Coast moved there also, followed by more Acadian namesakes from the river.  During the antebellum period, non-Acadian Michels, including Anglo Americans and Foreign French, settled on the western prairies, at New Orleans, on the river above the city, along the upper Red River, and on lower Bayou Teche, further clouding the genealogical picture of this far-flung family name.  

The first Acadian Michels to come to Louisiana arrived in February 1765 with the party from Halifax via St.-Domingue, today's Haiti, led by Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil.  Madeleine and Anne Michel, an aunt and her niece, came with their husbands and children.  Madeleine settled in the Attakapas District, and Anne in the Opelousas District.  That same year, a young widower, nephew of Madeleine and brother of Anne, Pierre Michel of Annapolis Royal and Connecticut, came to Louisiana not from Halifax but directly from St.-Domingue and settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques on the river.  He remarried in the colony, had three sons, and they created a robust family line in what became St. James Parish.  In fact, most, if not all, of the Acadian Michels of South Louisiana are descended from Pierre and his sons.  More Acadian Michels arrived from France in 1785.  Only one of them, Joseph-François, created a family line, this one on upper Bayou Lafourche, but, except for its blood, the line did not endure.  In the 1830s, one of Pierre Michel's grandsons moved from the river to upper Bayou Lafourche, resurrecting that center of family settlement.  Two of his descendants moved on to Bayou Terrebonne, where one of them became a planter.  By the 1850s, the number of Acadian Michels living on the southeastern bayous approached that of their kinsmen still living on the river.  Meanwhile, in the late 1810s, another of Pierre Michel's grandsons lived briefly on Bayou Vermilion, then in St. Martin Parish, before returning to the river.  In the 1840s, one of Pierre's great-grandsons settled on lower Bayou Teche in St. Mary Parish, but the line did not survive.  As a result, few, if any, Acadian Michels lived west of the Atchafalaya Basin during the late antebellum period, and no Acadian family lines emerged there until after the War of 1861-65.  

A number of Michels, mostly non-Acadians, appear on the federal slave schedules of 1850 and 1860, but two of the largest Michel slaveholders were Acadians.  In 1850, Florentin Michel of Assumption Parish owned 14 slaves.  In 1860, his son Pierre Florentin of Terrebonne Parish held 24 slaves on his plantation.  Michel cousins on the river owned a few slaves apiece during the 1850s, but most of their kinsmen participated only peripherally in the South's antebellum plantation economy.  

Dozens of Michels, including some Acadians, served Louisiana in uniform during the War of 1861-65.  At least one of them, an Acadian from Ascension Parish, died in Confederate service.  Aristide Michel, who served as a private and then as a corporal in Company E of the 29th (Thomas's) Regiment Infantry, raised in Ascension Parish in April 1862, died probably of disease at the regiment's Camp Pegues below Vicksburg, Mississippi, the following September, before the unit saw action.  ...

The family's name also is spelled Michell, Michelle, Miguel, Misel.  [For the Acadian family's Louisiana "begats," see Book Ten]

Sources:  1850 U.S. Federal Census, Slave Schedules, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafourche Interior, Natchitoches, Orleans, St. James, St. Mary, Terrebonne, & West Baton Rouge parishes; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Slave Schedules, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Iberville, Orleans, Pointe Coupee, St. James, & Terrebonne parishes; Arsenault, Généalogie, 695-700, 1421-22, 2247, 2557-58; Vaughan B. Baker, "Cherchez les Femmes: Some Glimpses of Women in Early Eighteenth-century Louisiana," in Conrad, ed., The French Experience in LA, 484-85, source of quotation; Baudier, The Catholic Church in LA, 84-85; Brasseaux, Foreign French, 1:380-81, 2:243-44, 3:217; BRDR, vols. 1a(rev.), 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11; Dawdy, Devil's Empire, 167, source of quotation about Marie Michel; De La Roque, "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2:89, 99-100, 106, 163-64; Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 115, 121, 326-27; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, vols. 1-A, 2-A, 2-B, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9; <islandregister.com/1752.html>; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 15, 176-77, 204-05, 252, 267; Laussat, Memoirs, 64; McMichael, Atlantic Loyalties, 10; NOAR, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; Marshall, Acadian Resistance, 16; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/5bateaux.htm>, Family Nos. 164, 179; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 77-78; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 131-32; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 283, 621-25; White, DGFA-1, 277, 1181-86; White, DGFA-1 English, 253.

Settlement Abbreviations 
(present-day civil parishes that existed in 1861 are in parentheses; 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, 15, calls her Anne MICHEL; Stephen A. White, <umoncton.ca/etudeacadiennes/centre/white/cormier.html>, details her marriages; BRDR, 2:203, 542 (PCP-2, part 2, 109a; PCP-4, 70), a record of her third marriage, calls her Anne MICHEL, widow of Victor COMMAUT, gives her & her husband's parents' names & his first wife's name, says both sets of parents were "of Acadia" & that her husband was "res. at Opelousas," & says the witnesses to her marriage were Jean BERNARD & ____ GREVEMBERG; Hébert., D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:568-89 (SM Ch.: Folio A-1, p.9), another record of her third marriage, calls her Anne MICHEL, "of Acadia and living in Attakpas, widow of Victor COMMAU, says her husband was "of Acadia and living in Opelousas, widr. of Marguerite SAUNIER, " gives her & his parents' names, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Jean BERARD, J. GAIGNARD, ____ GREVEMBER, & ____ MERCIER; Hébert., D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:569 (SM Ch.: v.1, p.20), yet another record of her third marriage, calls her Anne MICHEL "of Acadia, wid. of Victor COMMAUT of Attakpa," says her husband was "de l'Acadie, now of Opelousas," gives her & his parents' names & his first wife's name, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Jean BERARD, J. GAIGNARD, ____ GREVEMBER, & ____ MERCIER; Hébert., D., Southwest LA Records, 2-A:684 (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.179), her death/burial record, calls her Anne MICHEL, "widow of Joseph CORMIER," says she died "at her home at age 92 years after receiving all the sacraments," that she was buried next day "in the parish cemetery," but does not give her parents' names; Hébert., D., Southwest LA Records, 2-A:684 (Opel.Ct.Hse.: Succ.#108), her succession, calls her Anne MICHEL, "wid. Joseph CORMIER," says she had 1 child, Jean COMEAU, that "he" [Joseph] had 3 children [by his first wife, Marguerite SONNIER, Félice CORMIER m. Joseph BABINEAU, Louison m. dec. THIBODEAUX, Susanne m. Baptiste GRANGER, that "Together Joseph and Anne had 3 children," Anaclet, Joseph, & dec. wid. of Mr. ARCENEAUX"; Hébert., D., Southwest LA Records, 2-B:679 (LSAR: Opel.: 1820), another abstract of her succession, dated 1 Jul 1820, calls her Anne [MICHEL], "widr. of Joseph CORMIER."  See also Arceneaux, D. J., Attakapas Post in 1769, 18, 37; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 252. 

Her first husband's parents' names & their estimated marriage year, as well as the names of her parents, are from White, DGFA-1, 297.  One wonders what happened to the child by her first husband counted with her at Halifax on 12 Aug 1763.  Was it a son or a daughter? 

Her older son by second husband Victor COMEAUX was 2 years old in 1765, so she probably married Victor soon after the Aug 1763 counting at Halifax.  Her second son by Victor was born at Cap-Français, St.-Domingue, on their way from Halifax to New Orleans. 

Her third marriage, to Joseph CORMIER, was recorded at Pointe Coupée because Opelousas did not have a church of its own until 1776, so Pointe Coupée priests crossed the upper Atchafalaya Basin & administered the sacraments in the Opelousas District even after the Opelousas church was established.  

She was 3 years younger than her first husband & 7 years older than her second & third husbands. 

02.  Wall of Names, 32 (pl. 8L), calls her Anne MICHEL, & lists her with her third husband & his 7 children; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 283, Family No. 346, calls her Anne MICHEL, says she was born in c1734 but gives no birthplace, calls her first husband Joseph DUBOIS, says he was born in c1725, does not gives his parents' names, says he was a sailor, that she remarried to Félix LEBLANC, includes the birth/baptismal & marriage records of daughter Marguerite-Ange DUBOIS, born in c1757 but gives no birthplace, married 9 Jan 1770, Jean DAIGLE, St.-Servan, son Louis-Marie DUBOIS, born 16 Dec 1759 "on the English transport which left Halifax and disembarked at Cherbourg on January 15, 1760," baptized 15 Jan 1760, Ste.-Trinité de Cherbourg, daughter Marie-Blanche DUBOIS, born 7 Aug 1761, baptized next day, Ste.-Trinité de Cherbourg, goddaughter of Dominique GODET & Marie BERTRAN, & daughter Madeleine DUBOIS, born & baptized 6 Mar 1763, Ste.-Trinité de Cherbourg, goddaughter of Michel BELLEFONTAINE & Marie GRANGER, says "On July 1, 1768, Joseph DUBOIS, Anne MICHEL, his wife and their children: Marguerite, Louis-Marie and Marie-Blanche DUBOIS arrived at St.-Malo from LeHavre on the ship, Le Joseph, & that the family resided at St.-Servan from 1768-70 & at Pleurtuit from 1771-72; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 67, Family No. 135, calls her Anne MICHEL, widow of Joseph DUBOIS, says she was born in c1720 but gives no birthplace, gives his parents' names, details her second marriage, says Félix LEBLANC was born 30 Sep 1719, St.-Charles-des-Mines, Acadie, gives his parents' names, says he was godson of Pierre BABIN & Jeanne TÉRRIOT, that he was buried 13 Nov 1775, St.-Jacques, Châtellerault, gives his first wife's name, says she was born in c1721 but gives no birthplace, says she was daughter of Jean TÉRRIOT & Madeleine BOURG, that he married her 10 Oct 1742, St.-Charles-des-Mines, Acadie, &, says "Anne MICHEL, widow first of Joseph DUBOIS & second of Félix LEBLANC, and her two children from her first marriage: Louiis DUBOIS and Marie-Blanche DUBOIS were in the Third Convoy leaving Châtellerault for Nantes on December 7, 1775"; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 105, Family No. 194, calls her Anne MICHEL, widow of Félix LEBLANC, says she was born in c1727 "in the Parish of Saint-Famille in Acadie," which was Pigiguit, gives her parents' names, says that she was "resident of the Parish of Saint-Nicolas at Bignon Lestard," probably in Nantes & probably where she was living when she married Jean LANDRY, says he was born in c1717 "in the Parish of Saint-Charles in Acadie," which was Grand-Pré, son of René LANDRY & Madeleine MELANSON, & widower of Blanche LEBLANC, died age 66 & was buried 12 Aug 1783 at St.-Jacques, Nantes, details her third marriage, & says she remarried to Simon-Pierre DAIGLE on 3 Feb 1785, St.-Martin de Chantenay; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 48-49, Family No. 94, calls her Anne MICHEL, widow of Jean LANDRY, says she was born in c1727 but gives no birthplace, gives her parents' names, says her fourth husband was born in 1735 but gives no birthplace, gives his parents' names, says he was an innkeeper & a ship's carpenter, says his first wife was born in c1739 but gives no birthplace, that she was daughter of Jean TÉRRIOT & Marie LANDRY, that they married in 1758 in Falmouth, England, that she died age 45 & was buried 10 Jan 1784, Paimboeuf, & details Anne MICHEL's fourth marriage as well as her & her fourth husband's family's voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 30-31, calls her Anne MICHEL, sa [Simon DAIGRE's] femme, age 58, on the embarkation list, Ana MICHEL, su [Simon D'AIGLE's] muger, on the debarkation list, & Anne MICHEL, his [Simon DAIGLE's] wife, age 58, on the complete listing, says she was in the 1st Family aboard Le Beaumont with her fourth husband & his 7 children, & details her fourth marriage, including her & her husband's parents' names, says they were married in 1785 but gives no place of marriage; BRDR, 2:542 (SGA-8, 4, #15), her death/burial record, calls her Ana MICHEL, age 60 years, wife of Pedro DUIGRE of Acadia, but does not give her parents' names or other husbands' names.

The estimated birth year used here is from Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, cited above, because it makes more sense in the light of her 4 marriages.  

Note that when she sailed to LA in 1785 with her fourth husband, all of "their" children were his by his first wife.  Only her daughter Marguerite-Ange DUBOIS, by her first husband, came to LA.  One wonders what happened to her other children, Louise-Marie DUBOIS & Marie-Blanche DUBOIS.  They obviously remained in France, but did they die after Dec 1775 or marry at Nantes/Chantenay & have families of their own?  

Although her burial was recorded at St.-Gabriel, Anne probably was buried at the southern edge of the Baton Rouge District near Fort Bute, where her family settled.  Baton Rouge did not have its own church until 1793, so before then priests from St.-Gabriel administered the sacraments to the settlers north Bayou Manchac until it did.  According to McMichael, Atlantic Loyalites, 10, she died intestate, & her belongings were inventoried by Spanish officials in Sep 1787. 

She evidently was the only member of her branch of the MICHEL family--the one descended from François dit La Ruine--who came to LA. 

03.  Wall of Names, 38 (pl. 10L), calls her Anne MICHEL, & lists her with her widowed mother & a sister, with the notation:  suplement a la liste des Acadiens embarques dans le navire Le St. Rémi pour la Nouvelle Orleans [additional list of Acadians embarked on the ship Le St.-Rémi bound for New Orleans]; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 621-23, Family No. 719, her birth/baptismal record, calls her Anne-Josèphe MICHEL, gives her parents' names, says she was goddaughter of Joseph DUBOIS & Marguerite DUBOIS, & that her family lived at St.-Servan from 1763-72; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 77-78, Family No. 152, calls her Anne [MICHEL], gives her parents' names, & details her family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 131-32, Family No. 240, calls her Anne [MICHEL], gives her parents' names, & details her family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s as well as its voyage to LA; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 60-61, calls her Anne, sa [Anne DAIGLE, veuve MICHEL's] fille, age 15, on the embarkation list, & Anne MICHEL, her [Anne DAIGLE, widow MICHEL's] daughter, age 15, on the complete listing, says she was in the 5th Family on Supplément à la liste des Acadiens embarqués dans le navire Le St.-Rémi pour la nouvelle-orleans [Additional list of Acadians embarked on the ship Le St.-Rémi bound for New Orleans] with her widowed mother & a sister, & that she was born in 1770 but gives no birthplace; BRDR, 2:542 (ASC-2, 29), the record of her first marriage, calls her Anna MICHEL, calls her husband Lorenzo LANCON, "called Michael," gives her & his parents' names, but gives no witnesses to her marriage; BRDR, 2:517-18, 542 (ASM-2, 21), the record of her second marriage, calls her Ana MICHEL, "widow of Lorenzo LARZON," calls her second husband Juan MARONGE "of Island of Sardinia in Italy & widower of Margarita PITRE," gives her & his parents' names, says her parents were from Nantes, & that the witnesses to her marriage were Jacques DUBOIS [her sister's husband] & Ambrosio HÉBERT; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 1:393 (Thib.Ch.: v. 1, p. 64), her death/burial record, calls her Anne Marguerite MICHEL, gives her parents' names, so this is her, calls her second husband Jean Constantin MARONGE, & says she was age 56 when she died; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 1:393-94, her succession, calls her Anne Marguerite MICHEL m. Jean MARONGES, says her children were Rosalie LANCON m. Jean Baptiste BERGERON, Marie Madeleine LANCON m. Emanuel ALBARADO, Philippe LANCON, Jean François MARONGES, Marie Thérères MARONGES m. Antoine LUCA, Hortence Adélaïde MARONGES m. André P. SKINNER, Eloi [MARONGES], Justine Joseph [MARONGES] m. Jean Prior SAUNDERS, & Antoine Florentin MARONGES, & dates her inventory 12 Apr 1831.  See also Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 29; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 503.

Her first husband's nationality can be found in son Phelipe LANCON's marriage record, dated 2 Oct 1814, in BRDR, 3:520 (ASM-2, 226).  Phelipe, also called Philippe, married an Acadian HÉBERT.  The LANCONs, who were Maltese Creoles, should not be confused with the Acadian MELANÇONs, as South LA church records sometimes do. 

She died at age 61, not 56. 

Anne-Marguerite was the name of an older sister, called Marguerite, who was born at St.-Servan in Jul 1768 & died at Nantes, age 8,  in Jan 1776.  See Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 622, Family No. 719; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 131, Family No. 240.  

04.  Wall of Names, 35 (pl. 9L), calls her Gertrude [MICHEL], & lists her with her widowed father & 2 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 624-25, Family No. 722; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 132, Family No. 241, calls her Gertrude [MICHEL], & details her 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, 44-45, calls her Gertrude, sa [Pierre MICHEL's] fille, age 19, on the embarkation list, & Gertrude MICHEL, his [Pierre MICHEL's] daughter, age 19, on the complete listing, & says she was in the 8th Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with her widowed father & 2 siblings; BRDR, 2:186, 544-45 (ASC-2, 5), her marriage record, calls her Chartou MIGUEL, "an Acadian," calls her husband Joseph CHERMAI, "an Acadian," does not give her or hiss parents' names nor the name of a previous wife for him, & says the witness to her marriage was Mathurin COMMO. 

According to Arsenault & White, there was no family in Acadia named CHERAMI/CHERAMIE/CHERAMY.  Joseph CHERAMIE's parents' marriage at Mauron, France, dated 5 Jun 1753, is documented in Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 1147, so he was French, not Acadian.  His marriage to Anne, daughter of Pierre AUCOIN & Marguerite DUPUIS, who was Acadian, at St.-Vincent, Nantes, on 27 Apr 1784 can be found in Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 1152-53; both marriage records spell his surname CHERAMY.  The baptismal record of his son Joseph CHERAMIE, dated 7 May 1786, in BRDR, 2:186 (ASC-5, 6), says the boy's father was Joseph CHERAMI & the mother Ana OCUAN, & that he was born on 7 Apr 1786, so his parents emigrated to LA probably in 1785.  However, Joseph CHERAMIE & Anne AUCOIN are not listed as passengers on any of the 7 Ships of 1785.  Why not?  When did they reach New Orleans, & on which vessel?  Their going to Lafourche, the destination of the majority of the 7 Ships passengers, does not help to determine the vessel on which they arrived.  The fact that Joseph CHERMIE remarried to Gertrude MICHEL in Oct 1786 indicates that Anne AUCOIN may have died giving birth to their son back in Apr.  Note that in the Valenzuéla census of 1788, Joseph CHERAMIE & second wife Gertrude MICHEL had no children.  So what happened to Joseph, fils, born in Apr 1786?  The Joseph CHERAMIE, fils counted in the Valenzuela census of 1791 was 3 years old, giving him a birth year of c1788, so he was not the one born in the spring of 1786.  He was actually Joseph-Baptiste, son of Gertrude, born on 18 Oct 1787 & baptized on 9 Mar 1788.  See BRDR, 2:186 (SJA-3, 14).

05.  Wall of Names, 35(pl. 9L), calls him Joseph [MICHEL], & lists him with his widowed father & 2 sisters; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 624-25, Family No. 722; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 132, Family No. 241, calls him Joseph [MICHEL], & details his family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s as well as their voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 44-45, calls him Joseph, son [Pierre MICHEL's] fils, marin, age 25, on the embarkation list, & Joseph MICHEL, his [Pierre MICHEL's] son, sailor, age 25, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 8th Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with his widowed father & 2 sisters; BRDR, 2:465, 543 (ASC-2, 3), his marriage record, calls him Joseph-Francois MICHEL "of Acadia," says his wife also was "of Acadia," does not give his or her parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Geronimo THERAN & Pierre GOTREAU; Hébert, D., South LA Records, 1:394 (Thib.Ch.: v. 1, p. 12), his death/burial record, calls him François Joseph MICHEL but does not give his parents' names or mention a wife.

When his marriage record says that he & his wife were "of Acadia," does it mean they were born there, or that their parents were from there?  Probably the latter, because he & his wife were born in France.  

He was age 63, almost 64, when he died. 

06.  Wall of Names, 18, calls her Madeleine MICHEL; White, DGFA-1, 1184, calls her Madeleine [MICHEL], gives her parents' names, details her birth & baptism, says her godparents were Jean-Baptiste LANDRY & Madeleine PETITOT, details her marriage, including her husband's parents' names, & says she died "(selon l'acte de décès de son fils David [GUILBEAU] Rg Port-Louis 28 janv 1804) en Louisiane," but does not give her age at the time of her death.  See also Arceneaux, D. J., Attakapas Post in 1769, 19, 37.

Where is her burial record in Father Hébert's Southwest LA Records?  Why would her death be recorded in the civil records of Port-Louis, France?  She had a grandson, not a son, named David.  Strange.  So when did she die, & where en Louisiane? 

07.  Wall of Names, 35 (pl. 9L), calls her Magdelaine MICHEL, & lists her with her husband & no children; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 624-25, Family No. 722; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 44-45, calls her Magdelaine MICHEL, sa [Pierre GAUTRAU's] femme, age 21, on the embarkation list, & Magdelaine MICHEL, his [Pierre GAUTROT's] wife, age 21, on the complete listing, says she was in the 9th Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with her husband & no children, & says son Étienne GAUTREAUX was born 1 Sep 1788, daughter Marguerite-Rosalie GAUTREAUX was born 10 Sep 1794, & daughter Marie-Magdalen GAUTREAUX was born 2 Feb 1793, but gives no birthplaces in LA.

Her first name also can be found in the record of her husband's second marriage, dated 6 May 1805, in BRDR, 3:359, 427 (ASM-2, 107).

Her father's family is just above hers on the passenger list of Le St.-Rémi.  

08.  Wall of Names, 38 (pl. 10L), calls her Marie MICHEL, & lists her with her widowed mother & a sister, with the notation:  suplement a la liste des Acadiens embarques dans le navire Le St. Remy pour la Nouvelle Orleans [additional list of Acadians embarked on the ship Le St.-Rémi bound for New Orleans]; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 621-23, Family No. 719, her birth/baptismal record, calls her Marie-Madeleine MICHEL, gives her parents' names, says she was goddaughter of Olivier ROY & Madeleine LEBLANC, & that her family resided at St.-Servan from 1763-72; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 77-78, Family No. 152, calls her Marie-Madeleine [MICHEL], gives her parents' names, & details her family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 131-32, Family No. 240, calls her Marie-Madeleine [MICHEL] & Marie [MICHEL], gives her parents' names, & details her family's participation in the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s as well as its voyage to LA; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 60-61, calls her Marie, sa [Anne DAIGLE, veuve MICHEL's] fille, age 20, on the embarkation list, & Marie MICHEL, her [Anne DAIGLE, widow MICHEL's] daughter, age 20, on the complete listing, & says she was in the 5th Family on Supplément à la liste des Acadiens embarqués dans le navire Le Saint-Rémi pour la nouvelle-orleans [Additional list of Acadians embarked on the ship Le Saint-Rémi bound for New Orleans] with her widowed mother & a sister; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile, 62-63, under Lista parcial de vientitres casamientos acadianos arregalados par Navarro, 20 novembre 1785 [Partial List of 23 marriages Navarro arranged on 20 November 1785], A. Marriages celebrated on 20 November 1785, calls her Marie MICHEL, says she was in the 60th Family aboard Le St.-Rémi, calls her husband Jacques DAVOIR, says he was from L'Amitié, &, calling her Maria MIGUEL of St.-Malo, details her marriage, calls her husband Jacobo DUBOIS, native of Normandy, France, & gives her & his parents' names; NOAR, 4:104, 210 (SLC, M5, 43), her marriage record, calls her Maria MICHEL, "native of St.-Malo," calls her husband Jacobo DUBOIS, "native of Normandy in France," gives her & his parents' names, & says the witnesses to her marriage were Vicente LLORCA & Josef MARTINEZ.  See also Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 47, 135, 160; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 503.

I am assuming that her husband was an Acadian until I find evidence to the contrary.  

09.  Wall of Names, 35 (pl. 9L), calls her Marie [MICHEL], & lists her with her widowed father & 2 siblings; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 132, Family No. 241, her birth/baptismal record, calls her Marie-Louise MICHEL, does not give her godparents' names, &, calling her Marie, details the family's voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 44-45, calls her Marie, sa [Pierre MICHEL's] fille, age 5, on the embarkation list, & Marie MICHEL, his [Pierre MICHEL's] daughter, age 5, on the complete listing, & says she was in the 8th Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with her widowed father & 2 siblings.

What happened to her in LA?  Did she survive the crossing from France?

10.  Wall of Names, 23 (pl. 5L), calls him Pierre MICHEL, & lists him singly; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2558, calls him Pierre MICHEL, says he was born in 1736 but gives no birthplace, that he was son of Paul MICHEL & Marie-Josèphe VINCENT of Pigiguit, that he married Marie LÉGER, born in 1744, c1762 but gives no place of marriage, says nothing of a previous marriage, that he was at St.-Jacques in 1777, & that his children were François, born 1768, Marie, born 1770, Anastasie, born 1771, Joseph, born 1773, Scholastique-Anastasie, born 1775, & Rosalie, born 1777; Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 327, 364 (St.-Domingue: Mirebalais), the record of his first marriage, calls him Pierre MICHEL, says his parents were Jacques MICHEL & Jeanne BRAU, gives his wife's parents' names, gives no witnesses to his marriage, & says his marriage "was attested to" 23 Sep 1764, so he may have married Marguerite earlier, perhaps in CN; NOAR, 2:182, 205 (SLC, B5, 190), the record of his second marriage, calls him Pierre MICHEL, "native of Port Royal in Acadia," calls his wife Marie LEGER, "native of Port-Royal in Acadia," gives his & her parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were ____ JOURDAIN, Amand PRÉJEAN, & Nicole LÉGER; BRDR, 3:633 (SMI-1, 15; SMI-8, 13), his death/burial record, calls him Pierre MICHEL, "age 80 yrs., nat. of Acadia," does not give his parents' names or the names of any of his wives, & says he was buried in the "presence of Pierre LANDRY & Joseph LANDRY."  See also Bourgeois, Cabanocey, 161; De Ville, Acadian Coast, 1779, 20; De Ville, St. James Census, 1777, 15; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 205; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 114.

Genealogist/historian Roger A. Rozendal says:  "Pierre MICHEL is one of the few refugees from Saint-Domingue that I have documented as coming to Louisiana."   According to Rozendal's research in the church records of Mirebalais, Pierre's brother Isidore, his father, his mother, & his wife all died at the French settlement during the brief period from 22 Sep 1764-31 Mar 1765.  For brother Isidore MICHEL's death on 22 Sep 1764, age 12, at Mirebalais, see Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 327.  Father Jacques MICHEL's death on 20 Oct 1764, age 60, at Mirebalais, is in D. Hébert, 327; he is called Gabriel for some reason.  See also White, DGFA-1, 1184.  Wife Marguerite POIRIER's death on 21 Feb 1765, age 24, is in D. Hébert, 364.  Mother Jeanne BREAUX's death at Mirebalais on 31 Mar 1765, age 56, is in D. Hébert, 53; she is called Marie BREAUX, widow MICHEL, so this is her.

These deaths in St.-Domingue no doubt prompted Pierre to flee to LA.  He may have taken a vessel to New Orleans in 1765 that contained fellow Acadians coming from Halifax via Cap-Français, on their way to the lower Mississippi valley, or he may have gotten to New Orleans on his own.  His older sister Anne was in one of the parties from Halifax, the one, in fact, led by Joseph BROUSSARD dit Beausoleil.  She traveled with her husband Victor COMEAU & 2 young sons, but they arrived in New Orleans in early Feb, a few weeks before Pierre's wife died in St.-Domingue.  Pierre probably did not leave St.-Domingue until after his wife died.  Still, he could have taken one of the many vessels filled with other Acadians from Halifax that left Cap-Français for New Orleans throughout the rest of 1765; French officials in New Orleans noted that Acadians were still coming in as late as Nov of that year.  Most of the Acadians who reached LA in 1765--& also 1766--settled at Cabanocé/St.-Jacques, where Pierre went.  The Acadians who reached LA in 1766 came from MD, not Halifax, via Cap-Français & did not arrive until Sep.  But if Pierre had booked passage on a packet from Cap-Français on his own, he could have reached New Orleans as late as Feb 1766 (we have to give him some time to meet & court Marie LÉGER).  See Appendix for a list of Acadians who, like Pierre, came to LA directly from the Caribbean Basis. 

Arsenault says he married Marie LÉGER in c1762, which would likely have been in CN, so this may be the year he married his first wife.  By listing him singly, Wall of Names hints that he was not married when he reached LA, so I am assuming he was a widower when he stepped off the ship from St.-Domingue.  

If Pierre & Marie LÉGER were married at New Orleans in Mar 1766, who was the girl in their household in Apr 1766?  A daughter from his previous marriage?  An orphan?  One of his wife's sisters?  See Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 114.  

Pierre's older brother Basile MICHEL, husband of Cécile DOUCET, remained in St.-Domingue when Pierre left for LA but eventually resettled near Le Havre, France.  He died at his home at Petit Quai Notre Dame, Le Havre, at 7:00 p.m., Friday, 25 Sep 1807, age 63, & was buried the next day.  See Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 327.  

For the 1803 visit, see Laussat, Memoirs, 64; Book Eight. 

11.  Wall of Names, 35 (pl. 9L), calls him Pierre MICHEL, & lists him with no wife & 3 children; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 624-25, Family No. 722; Robichaux, Acadians in Châtellerault, 78, Family No. 153, calls him Pierre MICHEL, says he was born in c1737 but gives no birthplace, does not give his parents' names, says he was a ploughman & a carpenter, that he married in c1757 but gives no place of marriage, that his wife was born in c1739 but gives no birthplace, gives her father's but not her mother's name, says she was sister of Charles PITRE, includes the birth/baptismal record of son Jean-Louis, baptized 23 Sep 1774, Bonneuil-Matours, Vienne, godson of Joseph MICHEL (his paternal uncle) & _____ GIROIRE, & details the family's participation the Poitou settlement of the early 1770s, saying that he had 9 persons in his family on the convoy to Nantes; Robichaux, Acadians in Nantes, 132, Family No. 241, calls him Pierre MICHEL, says he was born c1737 but gives no birthplace, does not give his parents' names, says he was a day-laborer, that he married in c1758 but gives no place of marriage, that his wife was born in c1739 but gives no birthplace, that she died age 45 & was buried 20 Mar 1784, St.-Nicolas, Nantes, includes the birth/baptismal & death/burial records of son Jean, died age 3 & buried 26 Dec 1777, St.-Nicolas, Nantes, son Pierre, died age 9 & buried 9 Oct 1780, St.-Nicolas, Nantes, & daughter Marie-Louise, baptized 7 Mar 1781, St.-Nicolas, Nantes, & details the family's participation in the Poito settlement of the early 1770s, saying that he had 9 persons in his family on the convoy to Nantes, as well as its voyage to LA in 1785; Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 44-45, calls him Pierre MICHEL, journalier, age 46, on the embarkation list, & Pierre MICHEL, day laborer, age 46, on the complete listing, & says he was in the 8th Family aboard Le St.-Rémi with no wife & 3 children; AGE, Oct 2009, 66, citing a note from Acadian genealogist Stephen A. White to fellow genealogist Karen Theriot Reader, calls him Pierre MICHEL, gives his parents' names, his age & place of residence in 1752, & details his sojourn in France, based largely on Robichaux.  See also De La Roque, "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives, 2A:123; White, DGFA-1, 1322. 

He was the brother-in-law of Pierre-Olivier PITRE, whose family was above his on the passenger list of Le St.-Rémi.  

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