Pierre Olivier, a tailor, born
in c1692 in
the Parish of St.-Mederic, Paris, came to Acadia by 1718, the year he married
Françoise, daughter of Jacques Bonnevie and François Mius
d'Azy, at Annapolis Royal. They had eight children, including
four daughters who married into the Caissie, Dubois,
and Haché dit Gallant families.
Their three
sons, all born at Annapolis Royal, also created families of their own:
Oldest son Paul, born in c1727, settled first at Chignecto
and then at Pigiguit before moving on to Île St.-Jean, today's Prince Edward
Island, where he married Marguerite, daughter of François Poirier and
Marie Haché dit Gallant, in
September 1749.
Jean-Baptiste, called Baptiste,
born in c1728, also settled at Chignecto. He married twice, first
to Susanne Pitre in c1749, but the marriage evidently did not last.
He was counted at Rivière-du-Nord-Est on the island with his stepfather Jean
Hélie and his mother in August 1752; the census taker, who
said nothing of a wife for him, noted that Jean-Baptiste was age 19.
He remarried to Marie, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Haché
dit Gallant and Marie Gentil of
Île St.-Jean, at St.-Servan, France, in January 1767 during exile.
Youngest son Joseph, born in c1730, moved to
Chignecto, where he married Marguerite, daughter of Paul Martin dit
Barnabé and Marguerite Cyr, in c1752. They remained at Chignecto.
[For more of this family in
pre- and post-dispersal Acadia, see
Book Three]
In 1755, descendants of Pierre Olivier
the tailor could be found at Chignecto and on Île St.-Jean.
LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT
[For the family's travails
during the Great Upheaval, see
Book
Six]
LOUISIANA: RIVER
SETTLEMENTS
An Acadian Olivier may have
come fairly early to Louisiana. Joseph Olivier, his wife Marguerite Martin dit
Barnabé, and their young son, Jean-Baptiste, reached the colony by July 1767,
when Spanish officials recorded them at New Orleans:
Descendants of Joseph OLIVIER
(c1730-?; Pierre?)
Joseph, son of perhaps Pierre Olivier
and Françoise Bonnevie, born at Annapolis Royal in c1730, moved to
Chignecto, where he married Marguerite, daughter of Paul Martin dit
Barnabé and Marguerite Cyr, in c1752. They remained at Chignecto. The British
deported them to South Carolina in 1755. Colonial officials counted
them there in August 1763. Soon afterwards, they likely emigrated to
French St.-Domingue, today's Haiti, with other Acadian exiles. They
came to Louisiana from St.-Domingue
by July 1767, when Spanish officials counted them at New Orleans.
Unlike most Acadian immigrants, Joseph and his family
remained at
New Orleans, but the family line probably did not survive in the
Bayou State.
1
Older son Jean-Baptiste,
born at Cap-Français, St.-Domingue, in the mid- or late
1760s, married Marie-Madeleine-Adélaïde, daughter of Pierre Mioton of
Lyon and Jeanne Ocler of La Rochelle, France, at New Orleans
in June 1785. A daughter was born at New
Orleans in August 1782, several years before their marriage. Their son Joseph
le jeune was born at New Orleans in June 1787, and Guillaume or Étienne
in August 1791 but died at age 1 in September 1792. Two of their
children, Guillaume/Étienne and Eulalie, died in New Orleans nine days apart in September
1792. Their daughters married into the Boswell, Perrilliat, and
Turpin families. Jean Baptiste died "suddenly" at New Orleans
in August 1808; the priest who recorded the burial said that Jean Baptiste
died at age 46; he probably was in his early 40s. His line of the family, except
for its blood, probably died with him.
2
Younger son Marc, born at
New Orleans in February 1768, probably died young.
~
After her even longer ordeal in
France, Joseph's older sister Anne Olivier, widow of Jean-Baptiste
Haché dit Gallant, came to Louisiana with a daughter of
her dead husband's niece aboard L'Amitié, the fifth of the Seven
Ships from France, which reached New Orleans
in November 1785. She and her husband's grand-niece, Madeleine-Apolline
Haché, settled south of the city in the largely-Isleño community of San
Bernardo, now St. Bernard Parish.
NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in
LOUISIANA
Olivier is a fairly common
name in France, both as a surname and as a masculine given name, and the name also
can be found in other European countries. Non-Acadian Oliviers,
English and Spanish as well as French, came to Louisiana as early as the
1740s and settled at New Orleans, Pointe Coupée, and on the German and
Acadian coasts:
Michel Olivier married
Anne-Toussaine Robert by the mid-1740s, place unrecorded, and settled at New
Orleans.
Michel Olivier dit
Masson married Anne Robert, place and date unrecorded, and settled at Pointe Coupée by 1750,
when a daughter was born there. Their son Joseph-Michel was born at
Pointe Coupée in February 1752 but died at age 3 in May 1755, and Jean-Baptiste
was born in April 1762. Their daughters married into the Bonaventure
and Daniel families.
Jean Olivier, a soldier,
died at Pointe Coupée in August 1764. The priest who recorded the burial did not give
any parents' names or Jean's age at the time of his death.
Jean, son of Thomas Olivier
and Susanne Hoops of London, England, married French Creole
Marie-Thérèse Drouillan of New Orleans, widow of Pierre Sebin,
at Pointe Coupée in June 1769.
Antoine Olivier of
Marseille, France, a merchant, died at New Orleans in March 1773, age 50.
The child, name unrecorded, of a merchant
named Olivier died at New Orleans in March 1773.
The son, name unrecorded of a tavern keeper
named Olivier died at New Orleans in April 1773.
Baptiste Olivier died at
Pointe Coupée in November 1777. The priest who recorded Baptiste's
burial did not give his parents' names or his age at the time of
his death.
Marie Olivier died at New
Orleans in January 1786, age 70.
Pélagie, daughter of Francois Olivier
and Anne-Marie Olivier, married Jean-Baptiste, son of François Campo,
at New Orleans in September 1786.
Madame Olivier died at New
Orleans in October 1786, age 30.
Nicolas Olivier died at New
Orleans in March 1788, age 6. The priest who
recorded the boy's burial did not give his parents' names.
Jayme Olivier du Bois
married Marie-Madeleine Michel, place and date unrecorded. Their son André was
baptized at New Orleans, age 5 months, in December 1790.
Marguerite Olivier died at
New Orleans in October 1797, age 50.
Augustin, son of Marie Olivier,
was baptized at New Orleans, age 19 days, in December 1797. The priest
who recorded the boy's baptism did not give the father's name.
François, son of Étienne Olivier
and Marguerite Glaize of Bastide de Jourdan, Provence, France,
married Félicité, daughter of Léandre Delor-Treget of Illinois, at
New Orleans in February 1800. Their son Jean-François was born
at New Orleans in December 1800.
Pedro, son of Santiago Olivier
and Maria Curais of Spain, married Madeleine, daughter of German
Creole Sébastien Loupe of St.-Charles des Allemans on the Lower
German Coast, widow of
François Larrieux, at St.-Jacques on the Acadian Coast in June
1801. Their son Noël was born at St.-Jacques in December
1802.
Clamas Olivier died at New
Orleans in March 1802, age 40.
.
One of the most prolific Olivier
families in Louisiana was that of a high colonial official whose full
surname hints that he was of the French aristocracy. During the late
colonial period, his oldest son settled on Bayou Teche and created
a prominent family
there:
Descendants of
Pierre-François OLIVIER du Closel de Vézin (1716-1776)
Pierre-François, also called
François-Pierre, son of Hughes Olivier du Closel de Vézin and Louise
Le Roux de Dinjolincour, was born at Nancy, Lorraine,
France, in 1716. By 1738, he settled at St.-Maurice, just upriver from
Trois-Rivières, Canada, and established an iron foundary there, the Forge
St.-Maurice. He married Marie-Josèphe, called Josèphe, Duplessis Gatinot
or Gatineau Duplessis
of Trois-Rivières, probably at Trois-Rivières in June 1747. They moved
from Canada to Louisiana by October of that year, when Governor Vaudreuil
appointed Pierre-François inspector of the King's roads and surveyor-general
of the province. In the early 1750s, Pierre-François was
appointed to the colony's Superior Council and remained a colonial official
after the Spanish took control of the colony. His titles during the Spanish
regime were regidor and alcade mayor. He was, in fact,
one of the original members of the Spanish cabildo created by
Governor-General Alejandro O'Reilly in 1769. Pierre-François's daughters
married into the De Reggio, Dreux, Fagot de la Garsinier,
and Lalande d'Alcour families. He died at New
Orleans in April 1776, age 60. His second son and a grandson
from his third son settled on Bayou Teche. His daughter Adélaïde
and her husband Étienne Lalande d'Alcour were the parents of Adélaïde,
wife of colonial-era officer Joseph de Goutin de Ville Bellechasse,
son of Joseph de Goutin de Ville of Port-Royal, Acadia. The names of
the families
into which his descendants married are a who's-who of the affluent families
of the region. Surprisingly, two of his great-great grandsons married Acadians,
which may say something about the changing socio-economic status of the
family.
1
Oldest son Pierre-François,
fils, like his father, was a military engineer. In the spring of 1765,
he assisted retired military engineer Lieutenant Louis-Antoine Andry in
leading the Broussard dit Beausoleil party of Acadians from
New Orleans to Attakapas via the Atchafalaya Basin. Did
Pierre-François, fils marry?
2
Charles-Honoré-Hughes
or Hughes-Charles-Honoré, called Charles-Honoré and Honoré,
born at New Orleans in June 1751, married Marie-Madeleine Marigny de Mandeville
in the 1770s. Charles-Honoré served as permanent regidor of
the city. His son Charles, fils was born at New Orleans in November
1778, and Pierre in April 1782. Charles-Honoré
moved his family to the Attakapas District at the end of the Spanish regime. His daughter married into the
DeBlanc family. Charles Honoré
died "on the east side of Bayou Teych (Teche) at his home below New
Iberia" in St. Mary Parish in April 1815; the priest who recorded the burial said that Charles Honoré was
age 65 when he died; he was
63.
2a
Charles, fils married Céleste-Mathilde, daughter of Louis-Charles Chevalier DeBlanc
of Natchitoches, at Attakapas in April 1798. Céleste's brother
married Charles's sister Adélaïde two years later. Charles, fils
served as major des milices, or major of the militia, at Attakapas
and settled near his father on lower Bayou Teche in what became St. Mary
Parish. Charles's son Pierre-Louis or Pierre-Charles was
born at Attakapas in January 1802 but died at age 11 in September 1812, and Joseph de Vezin
was born in July 1806. Charles, fils and Céleste-Mathilde's daughters married into the Delahoussaye, Ducros,
and Pellerin (French Creole, not Acadian) families. In 1819, one of
Charles, fils's daughters married a son of Governor
Jacques Villeré. Charles, fils remarried to Anne
Willelmina, called Mina or Minie, daughter of French Creole Jean Baptiste Perrault
probably in St. Martin Parish in the 1810s. Their son Jules
Germain was born in c1820, Barthélémy
Eugène in St. Mary Parish in April 1822, Alexandre de
Vezin in March 1827, Louis Oscar de Vezin in March 1831, Adolphe
or Adolphus Pierre de Vezin in October 1833, and Alexandre Albert or Albert
Alexandre near New Iberia, then in St. Martin but now in Iberia
Parish, in December 1840 but died at age 4 1/2 in
July 1845. They also had sons
named Charles A. or N. and Jules Germain.
Charles, fils and Minas's
daughters married into the Fuselier, Grevemberg, Reggio, and Vidrine
families. Charles, fils died near New Iberia in November
1861; the priest who recorded the burial, and who did give
any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Charles died "at
age 85 yrs."; he was 83; his succession was filed at
the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, a few days after his death.
Charles A. or N., by his
father's second wife, married Félicia, daughter of French Creole Hippolyte Chretien,
at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in October 1836; the
marriage had been recorded in St. Mary Parish the month before.
They settled near Grand Coteau. Did the family line survive?
Jules Germain, by his father's second
wife, married Marie Adèle Despanet, called Adèle, daughter of French Creole Jean
Baptiste Despanet DeBlanc of Orleans Parish, at the St.
Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in 1843. Their son
Joseph Georges was born in St. Martin Parish in August 1854,
Joseph Alexandre perhaps near Franklin, St. Mary Parish, in 1856,
and George Michel in December 1863.
Their daughters married into the Dumatrait and Lanaux
(French Creole, not Acadian) families in St. Mary Parish. Jules
Germain died in St. Martin Parish in April 1870; the St. Martinville
priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any
parents' names or mention a wife, died "at age 50 yrs."; his
succession, calling him Jules G., was filed at the Franklin
courthouse, St. Mary Parish, the day of his death.
Adolphe or Adolphus Pierre de Vezin, by his
father's second wife, married Charlotte L., daughter of William Wickoff,
at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1855. They
settled in St. Mary Parish before returning to St. Landy Parish. Their son William was born near
Franklin in April 1860, and Adolphe, fils in St. Landry Parish in June 1862 but may
have died "at Plaquemine Ridge," St. Landry Parish, age 8, in October
1870. Adolphe's succession was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St.
Mary Parish, in September 1865; he would have been age 32 that
year. If this was a post-mortem succession, one wonders if his
death was war-related.
Alexandre de Vezin, by his
father's second wife, married Amande, Amanda, or Armanda, daughter of Ludger
Lastrapes, at the Opelousas church in December
1855. Their son Lucien Albert was born near New Iberia,
then in St. Martin but now in Iberia Parish, in September 1860,
Agricole Charles in January 1862, Laurent P. in March 1866,
and Jules Joseph in December 1869.
2b
Pierre married Marie-Jeanne-Aspasie, daughter of French Creole Alexandre
Bienvenu de Vince, at New Orleans in March 1802. They followed
his father to the Attakapas District. Their son Charles du Closel
was born at Attakapas in March 1803, Pierre Alexandre
Derneville du Closel in June 1806, and a son,
name unrecorded, died at his parents' home in St. Martin Parish, age 9
days, in May 1808. Their daughters married into the Bienvenu
de Vince, Delahoussaye,
and Fontenette families. Pierre remarried to Marie Josèphe, called Josette,
daughter of French Creole Joseph Latiolais of Bayou Teche, at the
St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in April 1812. Their son Joseph
du Closel was born at his parents' home at "le quartier de
l'église (near the area around the church)" at St. Martinville
in February 1814, Charles St. Maurice du Closel at his parents' home at
La Pointe on upper Bayou Teche in January 1816, Alcide du Closel
died at his parents' home on the Teche, age 14 months, in August 1818, Paul
du Closel was born in May 1819, and Paul Sydney, called Sydney,
du Closel, born in c1820, died "at his grandmother's house at
l'ance des Charpentiers," St. Martin Parish, age 4 1/2, in July 1824. Josette's
succession was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse in February
1820, so she may have died giving birth to Sydney. Pierre
and Josette's home near La Pointe on Bayou Teche was probably the original
version of today's Maison Olivier in Longfellow-Evangeline
State Park, north of St. Martinville, which his son Charles du Closel inherited perhaps in the 1820s.
Charles du Closel, by his
father's first wife, married Marie Eméranthe, called Eméranthe, another daughter
of Joseph Latiolais and his stepmother's sister, at the St.
Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in December 1821. Their
plantation home north of St. Martinville on the west side of Bayou
Teche, inherited from his father, is today's Maison Olivier
in the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site. The park's historian
describes the maison as "an excellent example of a simple and
distinctive architectural form called a Raised Creole Cottage, which
shows a mixture of Creole, Caribbean, and French influences. The
ground floor walls, 14 inches thick, are made of bricks from the clays
of the adjacent Bayou Teche. The upper floor walls consist of a
mud and moss mixture called 'bousillage' which is placed between cypress
uprights." (Despite what the park historian claims, the original
house probably was built not by Charles but by his father Pierre;
Charles would have been only 12 in c1815, when the
original part of the house was supposed to have been constructed;
however, the structural improvements
to the house in the 1840s would have been the work of Charles du Closel,
in his middle age.) Charles and Eméranthe's son, name unrecorded, died at the
family home on Bayou Teche in October 1822, Louis Joseph du Closel
was born there in December 1823 but died at his grandfather's home in
St. Martinville, age 2, in March 1826, Charles Ovignac was born probably at Maison Olivier in
August 1825, Pierre du Closel in July 1827 but died at age 8 in
March 1835, Charles Derneville
du Closel was born in March 1830, and François du Closel in August
1832 but died at age 15 months in October 1833. Their daughter
married into the Voorhies family. Their two surviving sons
married Acadians.
Charles Ovignac married
cousin Marie Françoise Élodie, called Élodie, daughter of Acadian Jean Sosthène Mouton
and his firstr wife Creole Eugénie Latiolais, at the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in October 1845. Their son
Joseph Ernest was born in St. Martin Parish in June 1850,
Pierre in April 1853, Joseph Félix, perhaps theirs, in
Lafayette Parish in March 1854, Jean Ovignac in October 1855, and
Charles, fils in February 1857. Their daughter married
into the Guerinière family. Charles Ovignac, called
Charles O. by the recording priest, remarried, at age 41, to Marie Aurelia,
called Aurelia, daughter
of Acadian Pierre Dugas and his second wife, Creole Marie
Clarisse Milhomme, at the Vermilionville church in July
1866.
Their son Édouard du Closel was born in St. Martin Parish in
April 1870.
Charles Derneville du
Closel married
Marie Corinne, called Corinne, daughter of Acadians Louis Valsin Mouton
and his second wife Marie Carmélite Dugas, at
the Vermilionville church, Lafayette Parish, in October 1849.
Their son Emérand Olias or Olius was born in St.
Martin Parish in February 1851 but died at age 1 1/2 in September
1852, Louis Carlos was born in June 1852, Joseph Félix,
perhaps theirs,
in Lafayette Parish in March 1854, Derneville Charles,
fils in October 1855, Jean Gaston in February 1861,
Paul de Vezin in January 1862, and Charles Derneville,
fils in May 1868.
Pierre Alexandre Derneville du
Closel, by his father's first wife, died "at his father's home" at La Pointe, St. Martin
Parish, in September 1825, age 19, and did
not marry.
Joseph du Closel, by his
father's second wife, married Louise Charlotte, daughter of Joseph Jacques Pose Eyssalenne,
at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in April 1836.
Their son Joseph Charles Eyssalenne was born in St. Martin Parish
in June 1837. Joseph du Closel died in St. Martin Parish in
October 1837, age 23. His succession was filed
at the St. Martinville courthouse the following December.
Charles St. Maurice du Closel,
by his father's second wife, married Charlotte Aminthe or Amynthe, daughter of French Creole
Jean Baptiste Bérard, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin
Parish, in November 1839. Their son Aurelien was born in
St. Martin Parish in January 1848, Charles Maurice in May 1850, and Louis Alcide in September 1856.
They also had older sons named Félix and Pierre D. Their daughters married into the Mouton
family.
Félix married Théodora,
daughter of French Creole Antoine Ledoux and his Acadian wife
Ludivine Cormier, at the St.
Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in May 1866. Their son Félix Antoine
was born in St. Martinville in May 1867.
Pierre D. "of Laf[ayette
Parish]," married Corinne, daughter of French Creole Diogènes
Bossier, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in
November 1866.
3
Charles-Frédéric, born at
New Orleans in September 1752, married Marie-Françoise LaMollère de
D'Orville, at New Orleans in February 1777. Their son Charles-Frédéric,
fils was born at New Orleans in April 1778, and Joseph-Marie-François
in March 1786. His younger son settled on the western
prairies.
Joseph Marie François followed his
uncle and cousins to the Bayou Teche valley, where he married Marguerite Célima, daughter of French Creole Louis Judice,
at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in June 1811. Did
they remain in the Teche valley?
4
Pierre-Louis-Olivier-Derneville, born at New
Orleans in October 1753, may have married L____ DeReggio at New
Orleans in October 1789.
5
Youngest son Nicolas-Joseph-Godefroi
or Joseph-Nicolas, born at New Orleans in May 1757, married Eulalie,
daughter of Jacques Toutant Beauregard, regidor of the city,
at New Orleans in December 1782. Their son Charles was born at
New Orleans in December 1782, and Vincent-Godefroi in June 1786 but
died at age 3 in September 1789. Nicolas-Godefroi served as a
lieutenant in the Louisiana Regiment under the Spanish. He remarried to Marianne,
daughter of French Creole Jean Bienvenu of Bordeaux, France, probably
at New Orleans in the early 1790s. Their son Jean-Baptiste was
born at New Orleans in June 1795, Joseph in September 1797, and Godeficot
died "as a result of inoculation," age 6 months, in April
1802.
In January 1815, at the time of
the Battle of New Orleans, the mother superior of the Ursuline Convent at
New Orleans was Mother Sainte Marie Olivier de Vézin, who likely was
a descendant of Pierre-François.
.
A Creole Olivier settled
on the Upper German Coast during the late colonial period. One of his
sons settled on upper Bayou Lafourche and created a substantial progeny.
Many of his descendants married Acadians, and some of them moved to the
western prairies after the War of 1861-65:
Descendants of François
OLIVIER (c1737-1787)
François Olivier married
Catherine Michel, place and date unrecorded. They were living at St.-Jean-Baptiste
on the Upper German Coast in the early 1770s. Their daughter married
into the Perieu family. Francois died at New Orleans in January
1787, age 50. One of his sons moved from the German Coast
to upper Bayou Lafourche at the end of the colonial period and created a
vigorous family line.
1
Jean-Adam, a twin, baptized at New Orleans, age unrecorded, in January 1775, may have died
young, unless he was the Jean Olivier who died in Assumption Parish
in December 1851. The Labadieville priest who recorded the burial. and
who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said
that Jean died at "age 86 years," but Jean Adam would have been
age 76.
2
François, fils, born in
c1775, married Marianne, daughter of German Creole Pierre Keler, at
St.-Jean-Baptiste in May 1799. Francois, fils died at
St.-Jean-Baptiste in August 1803, age 28.
3
Jean-François married
Dorothée, daughter of French Creole Jean-Baptiste Lagrange, at
St.-Jean-Baptiste in February 1797. Their son Jean was born at
St.-Jean-Baptiste in November 1798, François le jeune in September
1800, Pierre-Zéphirin, called Zéphirin, at Assumption on upper Bayou Lafourche in
December 1802, Augustin Eugène in Assumption Parish in August 1814
but died in Lafourche Interior Parish, age 14, in August 1828, and Hubert
was born in Assumption Parish February 1819. Their daughters married
into the Boudreaux, Clément (French Creole, not Acadian), and Delaune
families.
3a
Jean married Acadian Madeleine Melançon
probably in Lafourche Interior Parish in the late 1810s. Their son Adam
Eugène was born in Lafourche Interior Parish September 1820.
3b
François le jeune married
Pauline, daughter of Acadian Joseph Pierre Bourg, at the
Thibodauxville church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in September 1822.
Their son François Zéphirin, called Zéphirin, was born in Lafourche Interior Parish
in July 1823. Their daughters married into the Skinner and Thibodeaux
families. François le jeune died in Lafourche Interior
Parish in October 1828, age 28.
François Zéphirin likely married Acadian Alida,
Alica,
or Elezida
Bergeron in a civil ceremony in Terrebonne Parish in September
1847. Their son Zéphirin Treirl or Treville Ureyul,
called Treville, was born
probably on Bayou Black in July 1848. Their daughters married
into the Blanchard and Trahan families.
Treville married
Clémence, daughter of Acadian Edmond Hébert, at the Houma
church, Terrebonne Parish, in March 1870.
3c
Zéphirin married Marie Delphine,
called Delphine, daughter of German Creole surgeon Jean Louis Exnicios
of St. John the Baptist Parish, at the Thibodauxville church, Lafourche
Interior Parish, in November 1824. Their son Zéphirin, fils, was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in October 1825, Jean Sylvanie,
called Sylvanie, in
August 1827, Jean Louis, called Louis, in May 1831, Jean Pierre,
called Pierre, in February
1834, Joseph Clovis in March 1835, Valéry Jean in May
1837, Pierre Clairville Ozémé, called Ozémé, in January 1844, Arthur in
January 1847, and Trasimond Gustave or Augustave, called
Augustave and Gustave,
in December 1847. They
also had an older son named Meril. Their daughters married into the Daigle,
Peltier, and Pontiff
families. Most of Zéphirin and Delphine's many sons married and settled in Lafourche and Terrebonne
parishes. Some of his grandchildren moved to the western prairies
after the War of 1861-65.
Zéphirin, fils married Séraphine, daughter of fellow French Creole Jean
Lagrange and his Acadian wife Marie Céleste Hébert, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish,
in September 1844, four months after their daughter was born.
Their daughters married Hébert brothers, also from Lafourche
Parish and who also were their cousins, in Lafayette Parish after the
War of 1861-65. Zéphirin, fils remarried
to Marie Rose, daughter of Acadian Cyrille Hébert, at the
Thibodaux church in April 1852. They lived on the upper
Lafourche near the boundary
between Lafourche Interior and
Assumption parishes.
Their son Augustin Désiré was born in February 1858,
Maurice Jean Baptiste in July 1862, and Alfred Jean Baptiste
in April 1865.
Jean Sylvanie, called
Sylvanie, married Adèle, daughter of Acadian Charles Romain Boudreaux,
at the Thibodaux church in August 1848.
They settled at Chacahoula, near the boundaries between Lafourche,
Assumption, and Terrebonne parishes. Their son Charles Estiveur
was born in November 1850, and
Ulger Joseph in October 1858.
Meril married Azélie
Césaire, daughter of French Creole Édouard Peltier or
Pelletier, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in January
1853; Meril's sister Myrthe married Azelie's brother Étienne.
Meril and Azélie also settled at Chacahoula. Their son Édouard Meril was
born in July 1856, Oscar Joseph
in September 1859, Adam Camille in April 1860, and Arthur Edgar
in November 1864
Jean Louis, called Louis, married Marie
Elesida, also called Elesida Rosima and Lezida, daughter Acadian Euphémon
Boudreaux, at the Thibodaux church in
February 1854. Their son Joseph Hippolyte was born in
Lafourche Parish in May 1857, Augustave Louis in March 1863,
and Charles in June 1864.
Jean Pierre, called
Pierre, married Marcellite Egladie,
called Egladie, another daughter of Euphémon Boudreaux, at
the Thibodaux church in June 1854. They
settled at Chacahoula,. Their son
Joseph Numa was born in
June 1856, Arthur Joseph in February 1857, and Oscar Léoni
in August 1869.
Valéry Jean married Marie,
daughter of Jean Baptiste Navarre, at the Thibodaux church in September 1857; the marriage was recorded also
in Terrebonne Parish; Marie's mother was an Acadian Guillot.
Valèry and Marie's son Ernest Ulysse was born near Montegut in April 1866.
Joseph Clovis may have
married Acadian Élodie Thibodeaux at the Raceland church,
Lafourche Parish, in February 1861; the marriage was recorded also in Terrebonne Parish.
They, too, settled at Chacahoula. Their son Joseph Edgar
was born in September 1866.
Ozémé married Odile or
Odilia, daughter of French Creole Romain LeBoeuf, at the
Chacahoula church, Terrebonne Parish, in August 1864; Odile's mother
was an Hébert. They settled near Montegut. Their
son Josepy Wily was born in September 1869.
Augustave married Aurelia,
daughter of Acadian Edmond Hébert, at the Houma church,
Terrebonne Parish, in March 1870. Their son Venance Arthur
was born in Terrebonne Parish in November 1870.
.
Other Oliviers in the Bayou
Lafourche/Bayou Terrebonne valley may have been descendants of François of
the German Coast:
Antoine, son of Lange Olivier
and Hélène Marie, married Scolastie, daughter of Acadian Joseph
Firmin Guidry, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in
August 1845.
Donatile Olivier married J. Andressi or
Odressie Ayo in a civil ceremony in Terrebonne Parish in December
1867, and sanctified the marriage at the Houma church, Terrebonne Parish, in
May 1870. Neither the parish clerk nor the priest who recorded the
marriage gave the couple's parents' names.
Camille Olivier married Acadian Laurenza
Babin, place and date unrecorded. Their daughter married into the Portier family in
Terrebonne Parish in April 1868.
John, also called William, Olivier
married Anglo American Susan Brooks at the Lockport church, Lafourche
Parish, in May 1868. Neither the parish clerk nor the priest who
recorded the marriage gave the couple's parents' names.
Grégoire Olivier married Julia Taylor,
probably an Anglo American, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Parish, in
June 1870. Neither the parish clerk nor the priest who recorded the
marriage gave the couple's parents' names.
.
A French-Creole Olivier
created a family on the Opelousas prairies during the late colonial period.
During the antebellum and immediate post-war periods, his descendants
settled near Grand Coteau and Arnaudville. Some of them married
Acadians:
Descendants of
Maurice
OLIVIER (?-c1810)
Maurice
Olivier
married Catherine,
daughter of French Creole
Pierre
Lejeune, probably at Opelousas by the late 1770s. Their daughters married into the
Frugé,
Hayes, and
Langlois families. Catherine
remarried to Benjamin, son of Jacob Kidder of London, at Opelousas in
May 1810, so this gives an idea of when
Maurice died.
Joseph,
baptized at Opelousas, age 6 months, in September 1781,
had at least three "natural children" with Madeleine
Mayer. Their son
Alexis was baptized at
Opelousas, age 1, in July 1804, Joseph, fils at age 2 years, and
André
at age 6 months in February 1808.
Joseph,
père married
Anne Marguerite,
daughter of Acadian
Joseph
Hébert
and
Jeanne
De la Forestrie and widow of Jean
Pierre Bodin, at the Opelousas church, St.
Landry Parish, in October 1809.
Anne Marguerite, a native of
Chantenay near Nantes, France, had come to Louisiana with her family as an
infant aboard Le St.-Rémi,
the fourth of the Seven Ships, in 1785. Her and Joseph daughters married into the Lagrange
family, and perhaps into the
Lantier family as well.
Joseph died near Grand Coteau in June 1847; the
priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or
mention a wife, said that Joseph died "at age 70 yrs." He was 66.
Alexis, by his father's first
"wife," married Marie Arsène, called Arsène, daughter of French Creole Laurine Lagrange,
at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1823. Their
son Alexis, fils was born near Grand Coteau in December 1835.
Their daughters married the Bergeron (French Creole, not Acadian) and Olivier
families, one of them to a first cousin. Alexis, père
died near Grand Coteau in January 1863; the priest who recorded the burial,
and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife,
said that Alexis died "at age 60 yrs.," so this was him.
Alexis, fils married
Marie Sidonise, daughter of French Creole Jean Pierre Guidroz, at
the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in September 1856.
Joseph, fils, by his
father's first "wife," married Émélite dite Mélite, daughter of Acadian
Paul
Boutin and his
German-Creole wife Anne Spesse
Teller, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1824. Their
son Joseph III was born near Grand Coteau in March 1830, Valéry
in April 1832, Émile in January 1836, and Jérôme in January
1844. Their daughter married into the Lagrange family.
A succession for wife Mélite, naming her husband, was filed at the Opelousas
courthouse in March 1850. Joseph, fils remarried to Julie George, daughter of German Creole
Michel George Stelly and widow of Joseph Noël, at the Grand
Coteau church in January 1851. Joseph, fils died in St. Landry
Parish in October 1869; the Arnaudville priest who recorded the burial, and
who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said
that Joseph died "at age 67 yrs."; his succession was filed at the
Opelousas courthouse in November.
Joseph III, by his father's first
wife, died near Grand
Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in March 1847, age 17.
Valéry, by his father's first wife,
married German Creole Marie Éloise, called Éloise and Louisa, daughter
of German Creole Louis Teller or Taylor, at the Grand
Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1852. Their son
Arcade was born near Grand Coteau in March 1856, Joseph Teller
in January 1858 but died at age 6 1/2 in September 1864, Valéry,
fils was born near Arnaudville in November 1859 but died at age 1 1/2 in
March 1861, Joseph Arille
was born in May 1864, and Louis in March 1870. None of
their children married by 1870.
Émile, by his father's first wife,
married first cousin Alida, daughter of his uncle Alexis Olivier,
père, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in February
1857. Their son Joseph Émile was born near Grand Coteau in
February 1858 but died at age 2 in April 1860, and Alexis le
jeune was born near Arnaudville in August 1866. Émile died in St.
Landry Parish in May 1866; the Grand Coteau priest who recorded the
burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Émile died "at age 30 yrs."; his succession
was filed at the Opelousas courthouse in December 1869.
Meanwhile, Alida remarried to French Creole Philogène Bergeron in
April 1869.
Jérôme, by his father's first wife,
married Clémence, Clémentine, or Clemena, daughter of French Creole Jacques
Arnaud, at the Arnaudville church, St. Landry Parish, in June 1867.
Their son Joseph François was born near Arnaudville in August
1869.
André, by his father's first
"wife," married Anastasie, called Tasie, another daughter of
Paul
Boutin and
Anne Spesse
Teller, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in June 1829, and sanctified the
marriage at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in August
1829. Their son Alexis le jeune was born near Grand Coteau in
September 1831. Their daughters married into the Bergeron (French
Creole, not Acadian) family. André died probably near Grand Coteau in
February 1862; the priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that André died "at age
50 yrs," but this André would have been in his mid-50s; a succession for André Olivier was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in
August 1865.
Alexis le jeune married
first cousin Marcellite, daughter of French Canadian George Lalonde
and his Acadian wife Ursule Boutin, at the Arnaudville church, St. Landry Parish, in February 1866;
Marcellite's mother was Alexis's maternal aunt.
Other Oliviers who lived in
St. Landry and Lafayette parishes may have been descendants of
Maurice and
Joseph:
Théodore Olivier, husband
of Marie Sonnier, died in Lafayette Parish in January
1823. The Vermilionville priest who recorded the burial, and who did
not give any parents' names, did not say how old Théodore was at
the time of his death. Was Théodore a son of Maurice's son Joseph?
Joseph Olivier married
Marie Aurore Janise, place and date unrecorded. Their son Hilaire was born in St.
Landry Parish in July 1832, Joseph, fils in February 1836, and Léon
in August 1838. Was Joseph a son of Joseph Olivier and his wife
Anne Marguerite Hébert?
Zéphirin Olivier died in St. Landry Parish in June 1841. The
Opelousas priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any
parents' names, said that Zéphirin died "at age 2 yrs."
Benjamin, son of Thomas Olivier and Marguerite Brown, married
Marie, daughter of Anglo Creole Théophile Andrus and his Acadian wife
Louise Richard, at the Opelousas
church, St. Landry Parish, in August 1841.
Their daughter married into the Guillory family. Benjamin may have been the Benjamin L. Olivier who married--in this
case, remarried to--Anglo American Rebecca Williams, widow of Murdock
McIntire, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1857.
One wonders if he was the L. Benjamin Olivier who married--or
remarried to--Félicia, Félician, or Féliciana Lacomb at the Opelousas church in
April 1861. Their son Lenard was born in St. Landry Parish in
May 1864, and Peter in September 1868.
Pierre Étienne Olivier married Célestine Garand in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in June 1842. The parish clerk who
recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.
Augustin Olivier died near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in July
1847. The priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Augustin died "at age
25 yrs."
Mrs. Émilia Olivier died near Grand Coteau in April 1849,
age 45. The priest who recorded the burial did not give any parents'
names or mention a husband.
Dominique Olivier married Irma or Ema Bayon or Ryon,
place and date unrecorded, and settled in
near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, by the late 1840s. They were
living in Calcasieu
Parish by the late 1850s.
Maria Joséphine, daughter of Joseph Olivier, died near
Grand Coteau at age 3 months in October 1851. The priest who
recorded the girl's burial did not give her mother's name.
Adeline Olivier's succession was filed at the Opelousas
courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in December 1857. The clerk who filed
the document said nothing about her parents' or mentioned a husband.
Oliva, also called Oliver, Olivier married Forestier, son of Acadian
Louis André Richard and his Anglo wife Marie Émilienne Peck
and widower of Anaïs Teller, in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in May 1861, and sanctified the marriage at
the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1862. Neither the
parish clerk nor the priest who recorded the marriage gave the couple's
parents' names.
Adolphe Olivier died in St. Landry Parish in February 1864. The
Opelousas priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any
parents' names or mention a wife, said that Adolphe died "at age 30
yrs." One wonders if his death was war-related.
Florentin Olivier married Marie Thérèse Daigle, probably a
German Canadian, place and date unrecorded, and settled near Church Point, then in St. Landry but now
in Acadia Parish, by the late 1860s.
D. Olivier married Adélaïde Irma Cormier, place and date
unrecorded. Their son
Joseph was born near Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, in September 1866.
Henry Olivier married Rachel Wilson in a civil ceremony in St.
Landry Parish in June 1867. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage
did not give the couple's parents' names.
John G. Olivier's succession, identifying his wife as Elisa
McDaniel, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in
January 1869.
Adolphus Olivier's succession was filed at the Opelousas
courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in July 1869.
Zachary T[aylor?]. Olivier married Elizabeth Booker in a civil
ceremony in St. Landry Parish in February 1870. The parish clerk who
recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.
~
During the antebellum and
immediate post-war periods, Oliviers, either French Creoles, Foreign
French, or Afro Creoles, settled on the river above New Orleans or west of
the Atchafalaya Basin:
Father Jean-Baptiste Olivier,
native of Nantes, France, was an elderly refugee from the French Revolution
when he came to New Orleans via Spain about the time of Jefferson's
Purchase. In December 1806, he was appointed vicar-general of the
Diocese of Louisiana by Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore. The wardens
of the St. Louis cathedral, who were called the Marguilliers, vehemently
opposed Father Olivier's authority. Father Olivier was
allowed to retire from his onerous duties in December 1810. He
remained at New Orleans, where he died in August 1817, age 77, and was
buried in the St. Louis parish cemetery.
François Olivier married
Marie Dinos, place and date unrecorded. They settled near Baton Rouge by the early
1820s.
Edmond Olivier married
Mélanie Bertrand, place and date unrecorded. Their son Edmond Saintville was born
in St. Martin Parish in November 1836.
Bienvenu Victor or Victor Bienvenu Olivier
married Pauline Angelina Reynaud, place and date unrecorded. Their son Victor William
was born near Baton Rouge in September 1838.
Pierre Olivier's "Last
Will listing his heirs" was filed at the St. Martinville courthouse,
St. Martin Parish, in
November 1840. One wonders which Pierre Olivier he
was.
Hyacinthe Olivier married
Alice Vincent, perhaps an Acadian, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary
Parish in June 1841. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did
not give the couple's parents' names.
Philip "of France," son of Joseph
Olivier and Marguerite Bertrand, married Célestine, daughter
of Marcellin Girard, probably French Creole, in a civil ceremony in
St. Landry Parish in June 1842.
Pierre Olivier died near
New Iberia, then in St. Martin but now in Iberia Parish, on 28 October 1843.
The priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any
parents' names or mention a wife, said that Pierre died "at age 50
yrs." Another burial record for Pierre Olivier, age 50,
recorded by the New Iberia priest on a different page of the parish
register, is dated 28 October 1853.
Valmont, perhaps also called
Valmont Louis, Olivier married
Marie Louise Fort Hossoreth, perhaps also called Alene Olivier,
place and date unrecorded, and settled near New Iberia by
the early 1850s.
Honoré Olivier
married François Olivier, place and date unrecorded.
Daughter Eulalie married Alfred, daughter of Pierre Olivier
and Marie Thérèse Olivier, at the Charenton church, St.
Mary Parish, in June 1854. Lots of Oliviers.
Dominique Olivier married
Françoise Helvina or Pinta, place and date unrecorded. Their son Jean Baptiste Dominique was
born near New Iberia in June
1854, and Gabriel in December 1858.
Eugène Barthélémy Olivier
married Thérèse Laure or Sara Dalcourt, place and date unrecorded, and settled near New Iberia by the early 1850s. Their son
Joseph Warren was born near New Iberia in July 1855, Robert
Alfred in April 1858, François Xavier in December 1861, and
Joseph in November 1868. None of their children married by 1870.
Éloi Olivier married Rose
Perceau, also called Oza Decou, place and date unrecorded. Their son Éloi,
fils was born near New Iberia in June 1861, and Aristide in April 1863.
Joseph Olivier died in St.
Martin Parish in July 1861. The St. Martinville priest who recorded
the burial, and who did not give any parents' names, said that
Joseph died "at age 5 yrs."
Perico, son of Marie
Olivier, was born in Ascension Parish in August 1861. The
Donaldsonville priest who recorded the child's baptism did not give the
father's name or the mother's parents' names. Perico, called Perique
by the recording priest, died in
Ascension Parish, "age 6 years," in September 1867. Again, the Donaldsonville
priest who recorded the burial did not give the child's parents'
names, but, given the age of the boy at the time of his death, this probably
was Marie's son. Interestingly, Manuel, son of Marie Olivier,
had
died in Ascension Parish, "age 7 months," in February 1866.
The Donaldsonville priest who recorded the boy's burial did not give the
father's name or the mother's parents' names. Was this the same Marie?
Désiré Olivier married
Azélie Rennet, place and date unrecorded. Their son Jean Baptiste was born near
Franklin, St. Mary Parish, in November 1861.
Joseph, son of Victoire
Olivier, was born near New Iberia in November 1861. The priest who recorded the boy's burial did
not give the father's name or the mother's parents' names.
Gaston Olivier died in St.
Martin Parish in July 1862. The St. Martinville priest who recorded
the burial, and who did not give any parents' names, said that
Gaston died "at age 21 mths."
Oscare Olivier married
Françoise Olivier, place and date unrecorded. Their son Louis was born near New
Iberia in June 1863.
Françoise Ollivier's son Jacques Xavier was born near New
Iberia in October 1865; the priest who recorded the boy's baptism did not
give the father's name or the mother's parents' names. Was Oscare the
boy's father?
Joseph Olivier married
Virginie Henry, place and date unrecorded, and settled Charenton, St. Mary Parish, by the
mid-1860s.
Agnasie Olivier,
wife of Joseph Fontenot, died in St. Martin Parish in May
1865, age 61.
Telesphore Olivier married
Célestine Boutté in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in October
1865. The parish clerk who recorded the marriage did not give the
couple's parents' names.
Félix Olivier died "at Vera
Cruz, Mexico," no date given, and was "Buried in St. Peter's Cemetery," New
Iberia in November 1865.
The priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any
parents' names or mention a wife, said that Félix died "at 24 yrs."
Édouard, also called Lovius, Olivier married Rosa
Pecan or Pecault, place and date unrecorded, and settled near New Iberia by the late 1860s.
Jean, son of François Olivier
and Catin ____, died near New Iberia in June 1867, age 30. The priest
who recorded the burial said nothing about a wife for Jean.
Joséphine Marie Olivier
married French Creole Charles Octave Delahoussaye at the Franklin
church, St. Mary Parish, in July 1867. The parish clerk who recorded
the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.
Pierre Olivier married
Corinne Bonin, place and date unrecorded. Their son Joseph Eugène was born in St.
Martin Parish in December 1867.
Léonard Olivier died near
New Iberia in May 1868. The priest who recorded the
burial, and who did not give any parents' names, said that Léonard
died "at age 3 yrs."
François Olivier married
Marie Ozan at the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, in September
1868. The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the
couple's parents' names.
François Olivier died near
New Iberia in November 1869. The priest who recorded
the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that François died "at age 55 yrs."
Valmont Olivier married
Alix Fornerette, place and date unrecorded. Their son Henri
was born near New Iberia in April 1870.
.
During the antebellum period,
Oliviers, probably French Creoles, moved from the Acadian Coast to the
western prairies and settled in St. Landry and Acadia parishes:
Descendants of Pierre OLIVIER
(c1768?-1846?)
Pierre, son of James
Olivier and Antonia Balla, born perhaps in c1768, married Madeleine Loupe,
place and date unrecorded, and remarried to Antoine, daughter of Antoine Millan or Miliano,
at the Donaldson church, Ascension Parish, in January 1817. Their daughter
married into the Bayetta famly. Pierre may have died in
Ascension Parish in January 1846; the Donaldsonville priest who recorded the
burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a
wife, said that Pierre died at "age 78 years." His surviving son moved to St. Landry Parish.
1
Older son Noël, by his
father's first wife, born in St. James Parish, married Louise, Éloise, or Héloise, natural
daughter of Modeste Duplechin, also called
Daigle (her father may have been from that German-Canadian family), at the
Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in April 1830. Their son Noël,
fils was
born in Lafourche Interior Parish in October 1831, Onésime in St.
Landry Parish in October 1834, Laurent, Flaurent, Florant,
or Florent in February
1837, Zéphirin in April 1839, Eugène near Grand Coteau in
March 1842, Pierre le jeune in April 1844, and Hermogène near
Church Point, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in September
1854. Their daughters married into the Boudreaux,
Carrière, and Daigle families.
1a
Noël, fils married Uranie,
also called Marie, daughter of Anglo American Daniel
Boone, Jr. and his Acadian wife Eurasie Boudreaux, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in December 1852. Their son Joseph was born near Church Point, then
in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in March 1854, and Oscar in
February 1861. Their daughter married into the Bellard
family.
1b
Onésime married Estelle,
daughter of Acadian Sylvère Thibodeaux and Céleste Doucet, at the Grand Coteau
church, St. Landry Parish, in November 1855. Their son Albert
was born near Church Point in May 1863. Onésime died near Church Point in August
1864; the priest who recorded the burial did not give any
parents' names, mention a wife, or give the age of the deceased; Onésime
would have been age 29; his succession was filed at
the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in July 1865. One
wonders if his death was war-related.
1c
Florent married cousin Marie
Thérèse, daughter of German Canadian Joseph Étienne Daigle, at
the Church Point church, then in St. Landry but now in Acadia Parish, in
November 1858. They were still living near Church Point in 1870.
2
Younger son Emmanuel
Sylvestre, by his father's second wife, born in Assumption Parish in January 1821, died in
Ascension Parish, age 4, in January 1825.
.
Oliviers who lived west of
the Atchafalaya Basin during the antebellum and immediate post-war periods were neither
French Creole nor Foreign French but free persons of color whose ancestor may have been owned,
and freed, by an Olivier; or, more likely, their ancestor had the
given name "Olivier." They were especially numerous along
lower Bayou Teche. Area church and civil records do not always reveal
their ethnicity, but the record keepers sometimes provided tantalizing
clues:
François Olivier, a free man
of color, married Marie Bijeau probably in St. Martin Parish by the
late 1830s.
Benedicte Olivier, "a free
negro," married Batiste Rabot, "a free negro," in a civil ceremony in
St. Landry Parish in March 1842. The parish clerk who recorded the
marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.
François Olivier, probably
a free man of color, married
Marie Philippe, free woman of color, place and date unrecorded. Their son Xavier was born near New
Iberia in May 1843.
A succession for Aspasie
Olivier, f.w.o.c, or free woman of color, was filed at the
Franklin courthosue, St. Mary Parish, in November 1849.
Pierre Olivier
married Adeline Frilot, place and date unrecorded.
Son Joseph married Marie Louise Boutet at New Iberia in
April 1853.
Eliz or Lise, daughter of Ursul Olivier
and Céleste Olivier, described as a
free woman of color, married Henri or Henry, son of Jeannette Provost,
a free man of color, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in April 1859,
and sanctified the marriage at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in
May.
Francois Olivier, probably
a free man of color, married Zoé ____, a free woman of color, place
and date unrecorded, and
settled near New Iberia by the late 1860s.
Olivier Olivier married
Marie Marguerite ____, place and date unrecorded, and settled in Lafayette Parish by the late
1860s.
François Olivier married
Marie Louise Jean Louis at the New Iberia church, Iberia Parish, in
April 1869.
Descendants of Charles
OLIVIER and Adélaïde DUBREUIL
Charles Olivier, a free man
of color, married Adélaïde DuBreuil, a free woman of color, place
and date unrecorded.
Their daughter married into the Boutté
family. Félicité Aspasie Olivier,
quarteroone libre, or free quadroon, minor daughter Adélaïde Du
Breuil, mulatresse libre, or free mulatto, of New Iberia married Philippe Frillot, quateron
libre, son of Rosette Boutté, mulatresse libre of Côte-aux-Puces, or the Flea Coast, near New Iberia, at the St. Martinville church,
St. Martin Parish, in November 1809. Adélaïde also may have had children by
other men. Her natural daughter Amelia
married into the Delile family, who were free persons of color from New
Orleans.
1
Zénon married Marie Modeste, called
Modeste, Frillot, a free woman of color, place and date unrecorded.
Their son Charles, described by the
recording priest as a quarteron libre, was born in St. Martin Parish in
May 1815, Joseph in February 1828, and a son, name unrecorded, died
at age 2 in March 1834. They also had sons named Philippe
and perhaps Zénon, fils.
Their daughters married into the
Decuir and Senette families.
1a
Zénon, fils,
called a free man of color by the recording priest, married Angela Boutté at the
New Iberia church in
February 1846. They had a son named Joseph Zénon.
Joseph Zénon married
cousin Madeleine, daughter of Ursin Marinette, at the
Patoutville, now Lydia, church, Iberia Parish, in February 1870;
Madeleine's mother, also, was a Boutté.
1b
Philippe married Élizabeth,
daughter of Godfroi Decuir, at the New Iberia church in September 1848.
1c
Charles may have married
cousin Marie Thérèse, perhaps also called Deline and Adeline, Frillot,
place and date unrecorded.
They had
sons named Paul and Lovince. Their daughter married
a Frillot cousin.
Paul married Jeanne
Aurelia, called Aurelia, daughter of Baptiste Collette, at
the New Iberia church in February 1859. Their son Léopold was born near New
Iberia in November 1859, and Dolzé in December 1861.
Paul remarried to Amelie, daughter of Charles Philippe Boutté,
at the Patoutville, now Lydia, church in September
1869.
Lovince married Rosa,
daughter of ___ Pecot and Marie Louise Fontenot, at
the Charenton church, St. Mary Parish, in July 1859.
2
Adélaïde Du Breuil's natural son, name
unrecorded, by ____ Olivier de
Vixen, perhaps a member of the French Creole family of St. Mary Parish,
married Marie Philippe, daughter of Philippe Reyeau, at the St.
Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in January 1837; the marriage also
was recorded in St. Mary Parish, where the couple probably
lived.
3
François married Élizabeth,
daughter of Léon Verdun, at the New Iberia church in July 1852.
Descendants of Charles
OLIVIER and Madeleine LACOSTE
Charles Olivier, a
free man of color, married Madeleine Lacoste, a free woman
of color, place and date unrecorded. Their daughters married into
the Casimen Menial and Frillot families.
1
Jean Baptiste, called Baptiste,
married Marie Louise dite Fanchonne, natural daughter of Pierre Boutté,
free man of color, at the St. Martinville church, St.
Martin Parish, in
December 1822; the marriage also was recorded in St. Mary Parish, where the
couple probably lived. They had a son named Alfred. Their daughters married into the
Boutté, Rachon or Rochon,
and Raget
families.
Alfred married Héleine,
probably Hélène, daughter of John Hill, at the St. Martinville
church, St. Martin Parish, in September 1870.
2
Désiré was born probably in
St. Mary Parish in October 1835.
3
Madeleine Lacoste's natural son Pierre, a free man of color, married Marie
Thérèse, also called Adeline, Frillot, natural daughter of Claude Frillot and Rosette Boutté, free
mulattoes, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in February
1818. Their son Pierre, called a quarteron libre by
the St. Martinville priest who recorded his baptism, was born probably in St. Mary Parish in December 1822,
Ursin Isidore, called Isidore, in November 1824, Joseph in July 1826, another Joseph
in June 1828, Paul in March 1835, and Édouard in June
1837. They also had a son named Alfred. Their daughters married into the Boutté and
Marchand families.
3a
Pierre, fils married
Célestine, daughter of Célestin Darby and a free woman of color,
at the New Iberia church in January 1844, and remarried to Marie Louise, daughter of Charles
Darby, at the New Iberia church in December 1846. Their
daughter married into the Boutet, probably Boutté, family.
3b
Joseph married cousin Marie
Louise Narcisse, called Louise and perhaps also Célina, daughter of Narcisse Boutté, at the New Iberia church in April 1853. Their son Edmond
was born near New Iberia in August 1854, Édouard le jeune in February 1858,
Hilaire in February 1862, and Joseph, fils in August 1864.
They also had an older son named Raphaël Joseph.
Raphaël Joseph married
Agathe or Agatha, daughter of Martin Preferee, in a civil ceremony in
St. Martin Parish in October 1868. Their son Joseph Gabriel
was born near New Iberia in November 1870.
3c
Alfred married Eulalie,
daughter of Honoré Olivier, at the Charenton church, St. Mary
Parish, in June 1854.
3d
Ursin Isidore, called Isidore, "of free
color," married Charlotte, perhaps also called Fidelina, Benoit, couleur libre, daughter
of Palmire Reviere, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin
Parish, in October 1854. Their son Oscar Pierre, couleur
libre, was born in St. Martin Parish in October 1857.
4
Madeleine Lacoste's natural son Casimir,
perhaps also called Louis, a free man of color, married Carmézile or
Carmélite,
perhaps also called Séraphine, daughter François Frillot, free man of color, at
the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in January 1828. Their
son Louis was born probably in St. Mary Parish in January 1829, and Isidore
Valcour, called Valcour, in December 1830.
4a
Louis may have married cousin
Marie Louise, daughter of Canon Fornerat or Forneret, at the New Iberia
church in December 1851;
Marie Louise's mother, also, was a Frillot.
4b
Valcour married cousin Félicia
or Féliciana, daughter of Antoine Frillot, at the Charenton
church, St. Mary Parish, in June 1855; Félicia's mother was an
Olivier.
5
Madeleine Lacoste's natural son Honoré,
a free man of color, married Françoise Azélie, called Azélie, daughter of Claude Frillot,
a free man of color, at the St. Martinville church, St. Martin Parish, in
August 1828; the marriage also was recorded in St. Mary Parish, where the
couple probably lived. Their son Joseph was born probably
in St. Mary Parish in September 1836. Their daughters married into the
Ozenne and Pinta families. A succession for Honoré
Olivier, free man of color, was filed at the Opelousas courthouse,
St. Landry Parish, in May 1859.
Descendants of Dubreuil
OLIVIER (c1812?-1862?)
Dubreuil Olivier, free man
of color, married Aimée Gradnier or Gradenigo, a free woman of color and widow of
Edmond Donat, in a civil ceremony in St. Mary Parish in February
1843. Dubreuil may have died near New Iberia in October 1862 "at age 50 yrs."; a succession,
calling him a free man of color,
was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry
Parish, in November 1865; a second succession, saying nothing about
his ethnicity, was filed at the Franklin courthouse, St. Mary Parish, in
February 1866, so he may have owned property in both parishes. His adopted son settled in St. Martin
Parish.
Gaston "of Opel[ousas]," described
by the recording clerk as a free man of color and by the recording priest as
"fils adoptil," or adopted son, married Virginie, a free woman of
color, daughter of Louis Decuir, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry
Parish in December 1864, and sanctified the marriage at the St. Martinville
church, St. Martin Parish, in June 1866. They settled near New Iberia. Their
son Alfred Gaston was born in November 1865, and B. Gaston,
also called Ignace, in April 1869.
CONCLUSION
Oliviers settled late in
Acadia, but one of them may have come fairly early to Louisiana. Joseph Olivier
brought his family to the colony in the late 1760s probably from
French St.-Domingue, today's Haiti. Unlike most of his fellow
Acadians, Joseph settled at New Orleans, where, except for its blood, his
family line died out in its third generation. Only by settling among
other Acadians on the river, along the Lafourche, or out on the prairies
west of the Atchafalaya Basin could Joseph's descendants have held on to
their Acadian identity. Moreover, Joseph's only surviving son,
Jean-Baptiste, took as his spouse a French Creole from the city, farther
distancing his children from their father's native culture.
Two decades after Joseph Olivier
reached the colony, Anne Olivier, Joseph's older sister
and now a widow, her daughter,
and a grand-niece, came to the colony aboard one of the Seven Ships from
France in 1785. Perhaps because her brother had settled at New
Orleans, Anne Olivier settled in the largely-Isleño community
of San Bernardo, present-day St. Bernard Parish, south of the city, instead
of in a
predominantly Acadian community west of New Orleans.
The Oliviers of South Louisiana, then, are descended not from
Acadians who spurned their own culture,
but largely from French immigrants who came to the colony as
early as the 1740s. However, one colonial-era Olivier was an Englishman,
another a Spaniard. Many of the French Oliviers remained
at New Orleans, but others settled on the German Coast, at Pointe Coupée,
at Opelousas, and in predominantly-Acadian communities such as the Bayou
Lafourche valley, where they inevitably married
Acadians. During the antebellum period, French-Creole and
Foreign-French Oliviers settled not only in New Orleans, but also in
East Baton Rouge, St. James, Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche Interior, St.
Mary, St. Martin, Lafayette, and St.
Landry parishes.
The most noteworthy Olivier
family sprang from a French nobleman turned colonial official who settled at
New Orleans by 1750. His son Charles-Honoré, who had held high office at New Orleans during
the Spanish regime, moved to the Bayou
Teche valley about the time the Americans purchased the colony and created a
prominent family there; one of Charles-Honoré's granddaughters, for instance,
married a son of Louisiana Governor Jacques Philippe Villeré in 1819.
One line of the family settled in St. Mary Parish, the other in St.
Martin. The Maison Olivier in today's Longfellow-Evangeline State
Historical Site,
north of St. Martinville, was the plantation house of one of Charles-Honoré's
grandsons. These South Louisiana aristocrats, with only two exceptions
(and not until the late antebellum and immediate post-war periods), did not deign to marry Acadians;
they found
spouses in other prominent Creole families living along the
Teche. The exceptions were the two Oliviers who married
into the affluent Mouton family.
On
the other end of the socio-economic spectrum, Afro-Creole Oliviers,
free persons of color, also lived in the Bayou Teche valley during the
antebellum period. They may have had a common ancestor with the given
name "Olivier," or their ancestors may have been owned, and freed, by French-Creole Oliviers.
...
The family's name also is spelled
Levier, Olibier, Olivares, Olivena, Olivie, Oliviers, Oliviert. [See
also
Book Ten]
Sources: Arsenault,
Généalogie, 703, 1029; Baudier, The Catholic Church in LA,
260-63, 266; Bergerie, They Tasted Bayou Water, 33; Brasseaux, ed.,
Quest for the Promised Land, 43; Brasseaux & Conrad, eds., The Road to LA,
139-40; BRDR, vols. 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.), 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, 11;
Brian E. Coutts, "Olivier de Vezin, Pierre François," in DLB,
618; De La Roque, "Tour of Inspection," Canadian Archives 1905, 2A:95;
Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D., Southwest
LA Records, vols. 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9;
<islandregister.com/1752.html>; Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies,
232, 234, quotation from 232; NOAR, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11; Martin, F.-X.,
Louisiana, 1:317; <stateparks.com/longfellowevangeline.html>;
Villiers du Terrage, Last Years of French LA, 368; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century
Louisianians, 426.