APPENDICES

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

RIVET

[rih-VET]

ACADIA

Étienne Rivet or Rivest, born probably in France in c1652, came to French Acadia by c1676, the year he married Marie-Jeanne, or Marie-Anne, daughter of Pierre Comeau and Rose Bayon, at Port-Royal.  By the late 1680s, they had moved to the lower reaches of Rivière Pigiguit, southeast of Grand-Pré, and settled on the west side of the river in what became the Ste.-Famille church parish, probably the first Acadian family to farm the marshes there.  Between 1677 and 1689, at Port-Royal and Pigiguit, Marie gave Étienne five children, two daughters and three sons.  Their younger daughter married into the Boudrot family.  In c1691, Étienne remarried to Catherine, whose surname has been lost to history, widow of Jean Labarre, but she gave him no more children.  In c1694, Étienne married a third time, to Cécile, daughter of François Joseph dit Lejeune and Jeanne Lejeune, probably at Pigiguit.  She gave him three more children, two daughters and a son--eight children, four daughters and four sons, by two of his three wives.  His and Cécile's two daughters married into the Toussaint dit Lajeunesse and Poupart families at Minas.  Their older daughter and only son settled in Canada before Le Grand Dérangement.  Étienne died at Pigiguit before 1707, in his mid-50s.

Oldest son René, by his father's first wife, born probably at Port-Royal in c1678, died young. 

Étienne, fils, by his father's first wife, born at either Port-Royal or Minas in c1683, married Anne, daughter of Jacques LePrince and Marguerite Hébert, probably at Pigiguit in c1708.  Between 1709 and 1727, at Pigiguit, Anne gave Étienne, fils eight children, three daughters and five sons.  Four of their sons married, three of them into the Landry, Benoit, Forest, and Bonnière families.  Étienne, fils's daughters married into the Landry and Forest families.  He and his two older sons remained at Pigiguit, but his two younger sons moved to Île St.-Jean, today's Prince Edward Island, after August 1752.  The Rivets of greater Acadia descend from Étienne, fils's sons.  Two his children, a son and a daughter, emigrated to Louisiana from Maryland in the late 1760s. 

Antoine, by his father's first wife, born probably at Minas in c1689, died young. 

Youngest son Jean-Baptiste, by his father's third wife, born probably at Pigiguit in c1704, married Madeleine, daughter of Mathurin Palin dit Dabonville and Louise Renaud, at Québec in July 1732 and died there the following April, age 29. 

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

In 1755, descendants of Étienne Rivet who were still in greater Acadia could be found at Pigiguit and on Île St.-Jean. 

LE GRAND DÉRANGEMENT

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

LOUISIANA:  RIVER SETTLEMENTS

All of the Acadian Rivets who found refuge in Louisiana came from Maryland during the late 1760s:

Claire Rivet of Pigiguit age 42, and husband Bonaventure Forest, age 44, reached Louisiana in July 1767 with the second contingent of Acadians from Maryland.  With them were four daughters, ages 18 to 12.  They settled with the rest of the 1767 arrivals at St.-Gabriel d'Iberville on the river south of Baton Rouge.  Claire remarried to Abraham dit Petit Abram, son of fellow Acadians Abraham Landry and Marie Guilbeau and widower of Élisabeth LeBlanc and Marguerite Flan, probably at nearby Ascension in the 1770s.  Claire died at Ascension in March 1780; the priest who recorded her burial said that she was age 62 when she died, but she was closer to 57. 

~

Michel-Maxime Rivet of Pigiguit, age 28, Claire's nephew, and his siblings Marianne, age 28; Cyril, age 25; Blaise, age 21; and Marguerite, age 18, came to Louisiana in February 1768 with the third contingent of Acadian exiles from Maryland led by Alexis and Honoré Breau of Pigiguit.  Despite Acadian protests, Spanish Governor Ulloa forced the Breau party to settle at the new Spanish post of San Luìs de Natchez, across from present-day Natchez, Mississippi, far from their kinsmen downriver.  While there, Michel-Maxime married a fellow exile.  In 1769, Ulloa's successor, Governor-General Alejandro O'Reilly, allowed the Breau party to leave Natchez and move downriver to other Acadian communities.  The Rivets chose St.-Gabriel, where their aunt had settled.  And there most of them remained:

Descendants of Michel-Maxime RIVET (c1740-?; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

Michel-Maxime, eldest son of Michel Rivet and his first wife Anne Landry, born at Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit in c1740, followed his family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his orphaned siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1768 with the large extended family led by the Breau brothers of Pigiguit and followed them to Fort San Luìs de Natchez, where he married Cécile, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph Landry and Marie Dugas, in January 1769.  After Spanish authorities released them from Natchez, they moved downriver to St.-Gabriel d'Iberville.  His two sons remained at St. Gabriel, but two of his grandsons moved to the western prairies and started a western branch of the family. 

1

Older son Alexandre-Vital, called Vital and also Eustache, born at St.-Gabriel or New Orleans in August 1773, married Marie-Euphrosine, called Euphrosine, daughter of Antoine Lanclos and Molinot of Attakapas, at St.-Gabriel in October 1802.  Their son Alexandre Rule was born near St. Gabriel in March 1807.  They also had a son named François.  Vital died near St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in September 1810, age 34.  His two sons moved to the western prairies and settled near Grand Coteau. 

1a

François married Sidonise, daughter of Jean Baptiste Guidroz and Sidonise Chautin, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in October 1823.  They remained in St. Landry Parish and created a western branch of the family there.

1b

Alexandre Rule married Aimée Asphasie, daughter of fellow Acadians Jean Baptiste Hébert and Mélanie Landry, at the St. Gabriel church, Iberville Parish, in July 1831.  They followed his older brother to the western prairies, where Alexandre remarried to a cousin. 

2

Younger son Michel-Marcel, called Marcel, baptized at St.-Gabriel, age unrecorded, in April 1778, married Madeleine, daughter of fellow Acadians François Babin and Marguerite Breaux, at St.-Gabriel in January 1799.  Their son Joseph Michel was born in Assumption Parish in March 1810 but died near St. Gabriel, age 1 1/2, in October 1811, and Marcellin Alcide was born in April 1819.  Their daughters married into the Bourgeois (French Creole, not Acadian), Guillory, and Toups families.

Cyrille RIVET (c1743-1792; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

Cyrille, second son of Michel Rivet and his first wife Anne Landry, born at Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit in c1743, followed his family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his orphaned siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1768 with the large extended family led by the Breau brothers of Pigiguit and followed them to Fort San Luìs de Natchez.  After Spanish authorities released them from Natchez, he followed his family to St.-Gabriel d'Iberville, where he married Marguerite, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph Richard and Marie LeBlanc of Ste.-Famillie, Pigiguit, and widow of Jean-Baptiste Forest, in May 1770.  Cyrille died at St.-Gabriel in October 1792, age 49.  He fathered no sons, so this line of the family died with him. 

Descendants of Blaise RIVET (c1747-1797; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

Blaise, third and youngest son of Michel Rivet and his first wife Anne Landry, born at Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit in c1747, followed his family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his orphaned siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1768 with the large extended family led by the Breau brothers of Pigiguit and followed them to Fort San Luìs de Natchez.  After Spanish authorities released them from Natchez, he followed his family to St.-Gabriel d'Iberville, where he married Marie-Madeleine, daughter of fellow Acadian Pierre Noël and Marie-Madeleine Barbe of Minas and England, in April 1788.  Marie-Madeleine had come to Louisiana from France with a younger sister aboard La Bergère, the second of the Seven Ship, in 1785.  She and Blaise settled near the boundary between St.-Gabriel and Ascension.  Their daughters married into the Badeaux and Charme families.  Blaise died at St.-Gabriel in September 1797; the priest who recorded the burial said that Blaise was age 55 when he died; he was 50.  One of his sons settled on upper Bayou Lafourche, but the other one remained on the river. 

1

Older son Vidal-Marcellin, called Marcellin, born at St.-Gabriel in October 1792, married Constance, daughter of Alexandre Dardenne and Marianne Kleinpeter, at the St. Gabriel church, Iberville Parish, in November 1823.  Their son Marcellin, fils was baptized at the St. Gabriel church, age 2 1/2 months, in September 1828, and Faustin in November 1830.  Their daughter married into the Breaux family.

2

Younger son Élie, born probably at St.-Gabriel in the early 1790s, married Madeleine, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Lambert, fils and Marie Josèphe Célestin dit Bellemère, at the Donaldson church, Ascension Parish, in January 1817.  They settled on upper Bayou Lafourche. 

~

In early 1769, Étienne Rivet III of Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit, age 52, now a widower, older brother of Claire and uncle of the Rivet siblings, sailed to Louisiana from Port Tobacco, Maryland, in the fourth (and what proved to be the final) contingent of Acadian exiles from Maryland, aboard the ill-fated English vessel Britannia.  With him were four sons--Étienne IV, age 21; François, age 18; Pierre, age 16; and Théodore, age 14--from his first wife Claire Forest, sister of his sister Claire's husband Bonaventure.  After their harrowing adventures on the Texas coast and a long overland trek from La Bahía, Texas, Étienne III and his sons arrived at Natchitoches on the Red River in October 1769.  The Spanish authorities in New Orleans allowed them to join their kinsmen at St.-Gabriel.  Étienne III remarried to Élisabeth, or Isabelle, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Landry and Claire Babin, at nearby Ascension in the early summer of 1774, but she gave him no more children.  Étienne III died at Ascension in April 1779, age 62.  His four sons remained on the river, but only two of them created families of their own. 

Étienne RIVET IV (c1748-?; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

Étienne IV, eldest son of Étienne Rivet III and his first wife Claire Forest, born at Pigiguit in c1748, followed his family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his widowed father and siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1769 aboard the Britannia.  After that, he disappears from South Louisiana church records.  Did he remain at Natchitoches after his family arrived there from Texas in October 1769? 

François RIVET (c1751-?; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

François, second son of Étienne Rivet III and his first wife Claire Forest, born at Pigiguit in c1751, followed his family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his widowed father and siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1769 aboard the Britannia and settled near relatives at St.-Gabriel d'Iberville.  Spanish officials counted him there, along the "left bank ascending," or west bank of the river, in 1777.  He was still a bachelor.  He may not have married. 

Descendants of Pierre RIVET (c1752-; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

Pierre, third son of Étienne Rivet III and his first wife Claire Forest, born at Pigiguit in c1752, followed his family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his widowed father and siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1769 aboard the Britannia and settled near relatives on the Acadian Coast.  He married Marie-Anne, Marie-Josèphe, or Anne-Josèphe, dite Josette, daughter of fellow Acadians Simon-Pierre Breaux and Marguerite Landry, at St.-Jacques on the river in February 1777.  They settled at St.-Gabriel.  Their daughters married into the Hernandez family. 

1

Oldest son Pierre, fils, also called Pierrette, born at St.-Gabriel in February 1783, married fellow Acadian Constance Hébert probably at St.-Gabriel early in the 1800s, and remarried to Marie Marthe, daughter of Diego Hernandez and his Acadian wife Théotiste Babin and widow of Simon Hébert, at St.-Gabriel in April 1807.  Their son Pierre III was born near St.-Gabriel in March 1808 but died at age 18 months in August 1809, Louis was born in May 1810 but died at age 7 1/2 in October 1817, and Auguste Valmont, called Valmont, was born in August 1812.  Pierre, fils remarried again--his third marriage--to Héloise, also called Élisabeth, Élise, and Marie Françoise, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph LeBlanc and Marguerite LeBlanc, at the St. Gabriel church, Iberville Parish, in July 1815.  Their son Napoléon was born near St. Gabriel in March 1818, Jean Arvillien, called Arvillien, in January 1819, and Pierre Renard dit Enos in October 1824.  Pierre, fils died near St. Gabriel in September 1824, age 41. 

1a

Auguste Valmont, by his father's second wife, married Marie Virginie, called Virginie, daughter of Jean Danos and and his Acadian wife Marie Rose LeBlanc, at the St. Gabriel church in October 1833.  Their son Pierre Valmont was born near St. Gabriel in August 1834, Joseph Premila in November 1836, and Janvier died a newborn in January 1842.  Their daughter married into the Whaley family.  Auguste Valmont died near St. Gabriel in September 1845, age 33. 

Pierre Valmont married Ophelia, daughter of fellow Acadians Narcisse Bujole and Adeline Orillion, at the St. Gabriel church in July 1860.  During the War of 1861-65, Pierre Valmont served probably as a conscript in Company I of the 2nd Regiment Louisiana Cavalry, raised in Iberville Parish, which fought in Louisiana.  He enlisted at Camp Thompson, False River, in September 1862 and spent much time on the sick roll over the next several months. 

1b

Jean Arvillien, by his father's third wife, married Marie Roseline, called Roseline, daughter of fellow Acadians David Landry and Cléonise Breaux, at the St. Gabriel church in June 1839.  Their son Auguste Arvillien was born near St. Gabriel in October 1859.  Their daughters married into the Comeaux and Roth families, and perhaps into the Landry famliy as well.

1c

Pierre Renard dit Enos, by his father's third wife, married Marie Lidori, called Lidori, daughter of fellow Acadians Étienne Comeaux and Marie Céleste Breaux, at the St. Gabriel church in November 1846.  Their son Pierre Barnabé was born near St. Gabriel in June 1849, and Joseph near Plaquemine in August 1852.  Their daughter married into the Daigre family.  Pierre Renard dit Enos died near St. Gabriel in August 1853, age 28. 

2

Auguste, born at St.-Gabriel in March 1784, probably died young. 

3

François Xavier, called Xavier, born at St.-Gabriel in May 1787, married Marie, daughter of fellow Acadians Xavier Robichaux and Marguerite Landry and widow of Magloire Duplessis, at the St. Gabriel church in September 1832.  Their daughter married into the Landry family.  Xavier died near St. Gabriel in January 1859; the priest who recorded the burial said that Xavier died at "age 67 years."  He was 71.  Did he father any sons? 

4

Louis, born at St.-Gabriel in September 1789, married Marie Françoise or Marie Henriette, called Henriette, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph LeBlanc and Corantine Longuépée, at the St. Gabriel church in October 1821.  Their son Louis, fils was born near St. Gabriel in October 1826, a son, name unrecorded, died an infant in September 1828, Joseph Trasimond, called Trasimond, was born in July 1831, Gustave in August 1833 but died at age 6 in July 1840, Pierre Ernest, called Ernest, was born in July 1835, Pierre Cleopha, called Cleopha, in September 1841, and Omer in July 1844.  Their daughter married into the Chapoton family.  Louis died near St. Gabriel in February 1848; the priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Louis died at "age 61 years"; he was 58. 

4a

Louis, fils married Augustine, daughter of Ulysse Chaboisseau and Francess Apolline Berret, at the Plaquemine church, Iberville Parish, in September 1855.  They remained near Plaquemine on the west side of the river.  Their son Louis Ulysse was born in September 1857 but died at age 4 1/2 in June 1862, Engelbert was born in November 1859, Joseph Auguste  in March 1864, Amilcar in December 1867, and Jean Ives in June 1870.

4b

Ernest married Marie Melinda, called Melinda, daughter of John Ross and Mary Ann Holmes, at the Plaquemine church in September 1859.  Their son Joseph Ernest was born near Plaquemine in June 1861, Albert in October 1867, and Roger in March 1870.  During the War of 1861-65, Ernest served probably as a conscript in Companies D and I of the 30th Regiment/Battalion Louisiana Infantry, which fought in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.  Ernest was captured at Nashville, Tennessee, in December 1864, was sent to the military prison at Louisville, Kentucky, and then to the prisoner-of-war compound at Camp Douglas, Illinois.  The Federals did not release him until June 1865.  He returned to his family at Plaquemine. 

5

Youngest son Jérôme, born at St.-Gabriel in March 1792, married Héloise, also called Marie Élisabeth and Félicité, daughter of fellow Acadians Grégoire Melançon and Christine Landry, at the St. Gabriel church in January 1817.  Their son Jérôme Rosémond was born near St. Gabriel in December 1817.  Their daughters married into the Babin and Melançon families.  Jérôme died near St. Gabriel in April 1826; the priest who recorded the burial said that Jérôme age 30 when he died.  He was 34. 

Jérôme Rosémond married Marie Émilie, daughter of fellow Acadian Valéry Anselme LeBlanc and his Creole wife Euphrosine Gaillard aka Denoux, at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in February 1839.  Their son Jérôme Théodose Rosémond was born posthumously in Ascension Parish in January 1840.  Jérôme Rosémond died in Ascension Parish in September 1839, age 22.

Descendants of Théodore RIVET (c1754-1792; Étienne, Étienne, fils)

Théodore, sometimes called François, fourth and youngest son of Étienne Rivet III and his first wife Claire Forest, born at Pigiguit in c1754, followed him family into exile in Maryland in 1755.  Colonial officials counted him with his widowed father and siblings at Upper Marlborough in July 1763.  He came to Louisiana in 1769 aboard the Britannia and settled near his relatives at St.-Gabriel d'Iberville, where he married Esther, daughter of fellow Acadians Bonaventure LeBlanc and Marie Theriot, in December 1779.  Their daughters married into the Forbes, Hatch, and Pringle families.  Théodore died at St.-Gabriel in August 1792, age 37.  One of this grandsons moved on to the western prairies. 

1

Oldest son Joseph-Théodore, born at St.-Gabriel in February in February 1782, married Marie Henriette, called Henriette, daughter of fellow Acadians Alexandre Landry and Modeste Hébert, at the St. Gabriel church in February 1813.  Their son Maxille was baptized at the St. Gabriel church, age 7 months, in May 1814, and Joseph, fils was born in February 1821.  Their daughters married into the Dupré, Lanclos, Mallet, and Rivet families and settled on the western prairies.  Joseph died near St. Gabriel in January 1825; the priest who recorded the burial said that Joseph was age 40 when he died.  He was 43.  One of his sons moved to the western prairies. 

Joseph, fils married Émilie, daughter of fellow Acadian Élisée Cormier and his Creole wife Christine Johnson, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1843.  They remained in St. Landry Parish, where Joseph, fils remarried. 

2

Théodore, fils, born at St.-Gabriel in October 1787, died there in September 1817.  The priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give his parents' names or mention a wife, said that Théodore was age 24 when he died; he was closer to 30.  He probably did not marry. 

3

Youngest son Isidore, born at St.-Gabriel in March 1792, married Clothilde, daughter of Jean Morales and his Acadian wife Marie Anne Clouâtre of Baton Rouge and widow of Pierre Cole, at the St. Gabriel church in September 1820.  Their son Antoine was born probably near St. Gabriel in c1824, André in April 1827, and Simon Octave in August 1829.  Their daughter married into the Breaux and Esclapon families.  Isidore died near St. Gabriel in November 1835.  The priest who recorded the burial said that Isidore was age 49 when he died.  He was 43. 

3a

Antoine married Gertrude, daughter of Paul Rivier or Rivers and his Acadian wife Marie Anne dite Nanette Landry, at the St. Gabriel church in February 1846.  Their son Juste Amant was born near St. Gabriel in August 1852.  Antoine died near St. Gabriel in October 1853, age 29. 

3b

Simon Octave, called a resident of New Orleans by the recording priest, married Marguerite Joséphine, called Joséphine, daughter of fellow Acadians Narcisse Landry and Carmélite Hébert, at the Brusly church, West Baton Rouge Parish, in July 1860.  Their son Georges Samuel Henri was born near Brusly in March 1870.  During the War of 1861-65, Simon Octave served probably as a conscript in Company H of the 4th Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in West Baton Rouge Parish, which fought in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.  Simon's service, however, was marred by illness.  He enlisted in the company in September 1862, age 33, and remained with his unit until he fell sick in camp at Dalton, Georgia, in late 1863.  According to his Confederate service record, he "Deserted at Dalton ..." in December 1863, but other entries in his file indicate that he probably went home on extended sick leave and did not return to the regiment.  Simon's war service did not wreck his health.  He worked in the Baton Rouge clerk of court's office after the war and died in West Baton Rouge Parish in January 1903, age 73.  He was buried in the church cemetery at Brusly. 

~

Other RIVETs on the River

Area church and civil records make it difficult to link some Rivets on the river with known Acadian lines of the family there.  The priest at Donaldsonville was especially remiss in his record keeping:

Pierre Rivet died near St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in May 1830.  The priest who recorded Pierre's burial did not give his parents' names, mention a wife, or give his age at the time of his death. 

Modeste Rivet married Albert de Medina at the Donaldsonville church, Ascension Parish, in April 1857.  The priest who recorded the marriage did not give the couple's parents' names.  May we assume that Modeste was an Acadian Rivet? 

Madeleine Élie Rivet died in Ascension Parish, "age ca. 70 years," in April 1868.  The Donaldsonville priest who recorded the burial did not give her parents' names or mention a husband. 

Joseph Rivet died in Ascension Parish in April 1868.  The Donalsonville priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names, said that Joseph died at "age a few months." 

Joseph Rivet died in Ascension Parish in December 1870.  The Donalsonville priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names, said that Joseph died at "age 4 days." 

LOUISIANA:  LAFOURCHE VALLEY SETTLEMENTS

In the 1810s, an Acadian Rivet moved from the river to upper Bayou Lafourche and created a second center of family settlement:

Descendants of Élie RIVET (c1792-1862; Étienne, Étienne, fils, Michel)

Élie, younger son of Blaise Rivet and Marie-Madeleine Noël, born probably at St.-Gabriel in c1792, married Madeleine, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Lambert, fils and Marie Josèphe Célestin dit Bellemère, at the Donaldson church, Ascension Parish, in January 1817.  They settled on upper Bayou Lafourche.   Their daughter married into the Jeantrid family.  Élie died near Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, in October 1862; the priest who recorded the burial said that Élie died at "age 70 years."

1

Oldest son Edmond Clément, born in Assumption Parish in November 1817, married Eurasie, daughter of Noël Claude Causin and his Acadian wife Pélagie Bourg, at the Donaldsonville church in November 1839.  They settled perhaps on the upper Lafourche.  Their son Joseph Marcellus, called Marcellus, was born in Ascension Parish in January 1844.

Marcellus married Rosalie, daughter of Francis Pastor and Rosalie Falcon, at the Donaldsonville church in January 1870.  They, too, may have settled on the upper Lafourche. 

2

Isidore Élie, born in Assumption Parish in July 1821, married Carmélite, daughter of Remon Bermeyo and Marguerite Maroy, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in February 1841.  Their son Joseph Nichols, perhaps called Nicaise, was born near Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, in May 1844, Joseph Lovinsky, called Lovinsky, in August 1848, Joseph Wilfred in October 1853, Elphége in October 1858, Joseph Léo in September 1860, and Joseph Felo in August 1864.  Their daughters married into the Landry family, one on lower Bayou Teche.   At least two of Isidore's sons settled on lower Bayou Teche after the War of 1861-65. 

2a

Lovinsky married Emma, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph Landry and Irma LeBlanc, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in February 1868, and settled near Patoutville, now Lydia, Iberia Parish, on lower Bayou Teche. 

2b

Joseph Nichols may have died near Patoutville in August 1870.  The New Iberia priest who recorded the burial, and who did not give any parents' names or mention a wife, said that Nicaise, as he called him, died "at age 26 yrs."; Joseph Nichols would have been exactly that age, so this probably was him.  Did he marry? 

3

Marcellin, born probably in Assumption Parish in the early 1820s, married cousin Marie Dulcine, called Dulcine, daughter of fellow Acadians Pierre Aubin LeBlanc and Mélanie Aucoin, at the Paincourtville church, Assumption Parish, in February 1840; they had to secure a dispensation for third degree of consanguinity in order to marry.  Their son Joseph Valière, called Valière, was born in Assumption Parish in August 1842.  Their daughter married into the LeBlanc family. 

During the War of 1861-65, Valière served in Company H of the 29th (Thomas's) Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in Assumption Parish, which fought at Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Valière married Célima, daughter of fellow Acadians Jean Marie Richard and Elisa Breaux, at the Paincourtville church in April 1864, while he was waiting for his regiment to be exchanged.  Their son Joseph Alcée was born near Paincourtville in March 1868. 

4

A son, name unrecorded, died in Assumption Parish at age 5 months in September 1825.

5

Paul, a twin, born in Assumption Parish in June 1827, married Velleda, daughter of fellow Acadians Paul Pharon LeBlanc and Coralie Landry, at the Donaldsonville church in February 1854, and remarried to Marceline or Marcellite, daughter of André Morales and Jeanette Cavaliero, at the Paincourtville church in February 1857.  Their son Adam Cenas was born in Ascension Parish in September 1858, Léocade Joachim in January 1860, a child, name and age unrecorded, perhaps a son, died near Brûlé St. Martin, Assumption Parish, in March 1862, and Paul Prosper was born near Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, in July 1869. 

6

Martin, born probably at Assumption in the 1830s, married Jeanette, daughter of Laurence Montero and Constance Gomez, at the Donaldsonville church in July 1858.  They may have settled on the upper Lafourche near the boundary between Ascension and Assumption parishes.  During the War of 1861-65, Martin served in Company E of the 29th (Thomas's) Regiment Louisiana Infantry, raised in Ascension Parish, which fought at Vicksburg, Mississippi.  His son Armand Martin was born in December 1866. 

7

Youngest son Joseph Arvillien was born in Assumption Parish in July 1842.

Other RIVETs in the Lafourche Valley

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

Henry Rivet married Acadian Marie-Josèphe Breaux, place and date unrecorded, and settled in Lafourche Interior Parish by the early 1830s. 

Pierre Rivet married Acadian Céleste Hébert, place and date unrecorded, and settled in Lafourche Interior Parish by the early 1830s. 

Mathias Rivet, also called Matille and Mathille, married German Creole Mathilde Houfnaque or Oufnague, place and date unrecorded.  Their son Florentin Gustave was born near Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, in October 1859, daughter Marie Anastasie Cécile there in May 1862, and Marie Mélanie Octavie in October 1864.  

Lucie Rivert died near Paincourtville in November 1860, age 14.  The priest who recorded the burial did not give any parents' names. 

LOUISIANA:  WESTERN SETTLEMENTS

Beginning in the early 1820s, Acadian Rivets from the river, including two brothers, moved to the western prairies, creating a third center of family settlement in St. Landry and St. Martin parishes: 

Descendants of François RIVET (c1805-1827; Étienne, Étienne, fils, Michel, Michel-Maxime)

François, elder son of Alexandre Vital Rivet and Marie Euphrosine Lanclos, born probably at St. Gabriel in c1805, married Sidonise, daughter of Jean Baptiste Guidroz and Sidonise Chautin, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in October 1823.  Their daughter married into the Roy (French Creole, not Acadian) family.  François died near Grand Coteau in May 1827, age 22; his estate records were filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in January 1828 and March 1845.

François, fils, born in St. Landry Parish in August 1826, married Adeline Alexandra, daughter of Alexandre Delhomme and Adèle Bergeron, a Creole, not an Acadian, at the Breaux Bridge church, St. Martin Parish, in March 1850.  They settled near Breaux Bridge.  Their son François III was born in September 1851, Alexandre in December 1859, and Joseph Jean Baptiste in December 1863. 

Descendants of Alexandre Rule RIVET (1807-c1837; Étienne, Étienne, fils, Michel, Michel-Maxime)

Alexandre Rule, younger son of Alexandre Vital Rivet and Marie Euphrosine Lanclos, born at St. Gabriel in March 1807, married Aimée or Anne Aspasie, daughter of fellow Acadians Jean Baptiste Hébert and Mélanie Landry, at the St. Gabriel church, Iberville Parish, in July 1831.  They followed his older brother to the western prairies.  Alexandre remarried to cousin Marie Eugénie, called Eugénie, daughter of fellow Acadians Joseph Rivet and Henriette Landry of St. Gabriel, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1836.  Alexandre's estate record was filed at the Opelousas courthouse, St. Landry Parish, in September 1837; he was age 30.  One of his sons settled near Arnaudville, St. Landry Parish. 

1

Older son Jean Baptiste, by his father's first wife, married Marie Sylvanie, called Sylvanie, daughter of Georges Lalonde and his Acadian wife Ursule Boutin, at the Grand Coteau church, St. Landry Parish, in January 1852.  They settled near Arnaudville.  Their son Joseph Alcée or Alexis, called Alexis, was born in October 1854 but died at age 7 1/2 in June 1862, Alexandre le jeune was born in September 1856, Jean Baptiste, fils in August 1862, Joseph Arthur in April 1866 but died in May, and a child, name unrecorded, perhaps a son, died "at age 3 days" in July 1867.  Their daughter married a Lanclos cousin. 

2

Younger son Alexandre, fils, by his father's first wife, was born in St. Landry Parish in May 1835. 

Descendants of Joseph RIVET, fils (1821-?; Étienne, Étienne, fils, Étienne III, Théodore)

Joseph, fils, younger son of Joseph Théodore Rivet and Marie Henriette Landry, born near St. Gabriel, Iberville Parish, in February 1821, married Émilie or Émelia, daughter of fellow Acadian Élisée Cormier and his Creole wife Christine Johnson, at the Opelousas church, St. Landry Parish, in May 1843.  They settled near Arnaudville.  Their daughter married into the Hargroder family.  Joseph, fils, at age 49, remarried to Anaïs, another daughter of Élisée Cormier and Christine Johnson, in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in July 1870. 

1

Oldest son Joseph Numa, by his father's first wife, born in St. Landry Parish in September 1848, married Marie Françoise Lanclos in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in December 1870.   

2

Louis Félix, by his father's first wife, was born near Grand Coteau in March 1853. 

3

Adam, by his father's first wife, was born near Arnaudville, St. Landry Parish, in August 1862. 

Other RIVETs on the Western Prairies

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

Henry Rivet married Spanish Creole Aspasie Castille, place and date unrecorded.  Daughter Marie Aveline was born near Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish, in March 1859.  Was Henry related to the Acadian Rivets on the western prairies? 

Marie Rivet died "at age 7 days" near Lydia, Iberville Parish, in January 1869.  The priest who recorded the infant's burial did not giver her parents' names. 

NON-ACADIAN FAMILIES in LOUISIANA

Not all of the Rivets who settled in South Louisiana were Acadians.  Some of them, from Canada and France, settled on the Acadian Coast and in the Bayou Lafourche valley during the late colonial and early antebellum periods: 

Iago, or Jago, son of Joseph Rivet and M. Methode of L'Assomption, Canada, died at Ascension in August 1799, age 30.  One wonders if he was a Canadian kinsman of the Acadian Rivets at nearby St.-Gabriel. 

Antoine, son of Halaya Rivet, "creole of London," was born near St.-Gabriel in July 1799. 

Jacque César, called César, caboteur en pirogue, son of Guillaume Rivette and Marie Anne Orent of Toulon, Department of Rhone, France, married Mélanie, daughter of Acadian Jean Baptiste Pitre, at the Plattenville church, Assumption Parish, in April 1826.  César died "at the home of Widow Violin" in Assumption Parish in December 1833, age 45. 

Léon, age 4, and Lina, age 2, children of "Mr. Rivet of France," died near Baton Rouge in May 1850. 

.

A Foreign-French Rivet family on Bayou Lafourche was especially prolific: 

Descendants of Pierre RIVET (?-)

Pierre, son of Michel Rivet and Jeanne LeBeaupain of St.-Nicolas, Nantes, France, married Marie Scholastique, called Scholastique, daughter of French Creole Joseph Maillet or Mayet, at the Thibodaux church, Lafourche Interior Parish, in December 1832; Scholastique's mother was an Hébert.  One wonders if Pierre was an Acadian Rivet whose parents or grandparents had remained in France in 1785.  His daughters married into the Abadie, Authement, Grabert, and Theriot families.  Living in the Bayou Lafourche valley, it was inevitable that a number of Pierre's descendants married Acadians. 

1

Oldest son Pierre François, called François, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in September 1833, married Marie, daughter of Acadian Eugène Robichaux, at the Raceland church, Lafourche Parish, in May 1854.

2

Louis Treville, born in Assumption Parish in May 1839, married Estellina, daughter of Acadian Jean Baptiste Molaison, in a civil ceremony in Lafourche Parish in October 1866.  Their son Joseph Oliva was born near Lockport, Lafourche Parish, in January 1868. 

3

Pierre Serasime, born in Lafourche Interior Parish in December 1841, married German Creole Philomène Matherne probably in Lafourche Parish in the early 1860s.  Their son Antoine Toussaint was born near Raceland, Lafourche Parish, in November 1865, and Pierre Joseph in October 1869. 

4

Youngest son Eugène was born in Lafourche Interior Parish in December 1846. 

CONCLUSION

Rivets settled early in Acadia, and they came fairly early to Louisiana.  All of them, natives of Pigiguit, came to Louisiana from Maryland in 1767, 1768, and 1769 and followed their fellow exiles to the Acadian Coast.  During the antebellum period and immediate post-war periods, some of their descendants moved to Bayou Lafourche and to the western prairies, creating smaller centers of family settlement there.  But the majority of Acadian Rivets remained on river, especially in Iberville Parish, where their immigrant ancestors first settled. 

A few non-Acadian Rivets appeared in predominantly-Acadian communities during the late colonial and early antebellum periods.  Pierre Rivet of St.-Nicolas, Nantes, France, created a substantial family line on Bayou Lafourche in the 1830s.  ...

The family's name also is spelled Ribet, Rivais, Rivert, Rivete, Rivette, Riviere. [For the Acadian family's Louisiana "begats," see Book Ten]

Sources:  Arsenault, Généalogie, 1430-32, 2380, 2581; Brasseaux, Founding of New Acadia, 105; BRDR, vols. 1a(rev.), 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5(rev.), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11; Hébert, D., Acadians in Exile, 385, 558-59, 573; Hébert, D., South LA Records, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, vols. 1-A, 1-B, 2-B, 2-C, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Kinnaird, "The Revolutionary Period, 1765-81," 140-42; NOAR, vol. 3; <perso.orange.fr/froux/St_malo_arrivees/5bateaux.htm>, Family No. 160; Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 263, 704-05; White, DGFA-1, 1399-1402; White, DGFA-1 English, 182, 293; Mardell Sibley, descendant.  

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, 24, calls him Blaise RIVET; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2581; BRDR, 2:565, 634 (SGA-14, 11), his marriage record, calls him Blas RIVET, calls his wife Maria-Magdalena NOËL, gives his & his wife's parents' names, calls his father Miguel, says his parents were "of Acadia" & hers were "of England," & that the witnesses to his marriage were Charle AUCOIN [her brother-in-law] & Siril RIVET [his brother]; BRDR, 2:634 (SGA-8, 21, #115), his death/burial record, calls him Blaze RIVET, age 55 years of Acadia & spouse of Maria NOEL, gives his parents' names, & calls his father Santiago.   See also Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 436; De Ville, St. Gabriel Census, 1777, 8. 

His estimated birth year is taken from the age given in the Spanish report of Feb 1768, not the St.-Gabriel census of 1777 or his burial record.

His wife's parents were "of England" in the sense that they were Minas Acadians who had been exiled to VA in 1755 & deported to England in 1756.  They married in England in c1756, probably soon after they got there.  Marie-Madeleine was born in England in c1757, & brother Jean-Baptiste in c1759.  The family was repatriated to St.-Malo, France, aboard L'Ambition in May 1763.  They lived at St.-Servan, near St.-Malo, from at 1763 to at least 1772; sister Marie-Marguerite, called Marguerite, was born at St.-Servan in Feb 1764.  See Robichaux, Acadians in St.-Malo, 640-41, Family No. 741.  For Marie-Madeleine & Marguerite's voyage from France to LA aboard La Bergère, the second of the 7 ships of 1785, see Hébert, D., Acadian Families in Exile 1785, 12-13.  Marie-Madeleine was age 28 in 1785 & Marguerite, though already a widow, was only 22.  Marguerite married middle-aged Charles AUCOIN at Lafourche in Jan 1786 & settled on the upper bayou.  Judging from a baptismal record, dated 19 May 1786, in BRDR, 2:565 (SJA-3, 2), Marguerite's brother Jean-Baptiste, called Baptiste, also must have come to LA in 1785, & married fellow Acadian Madeleine DUGAS. 

Why did the St.-Gabriel priest call Blaise's father Santiago, or Jacques, in his burial record?

02.  Wall of Names, 16, calls her Claire RIVET; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2488; White, DGFA-1, 1401, calls her Claire [RIVET], gives her parents' names, says she was born at Pigiguit in 1723, details her marriages, including her husbands' parents' names & her second husband's pervious wives' names, says she was at Upper Marlboro, MD, in 1763, on the list of LA arrivals, 1767, age 42, at Ascension in 1777, age 62(sic), & says she died at Ascension on 22 Mar 1780, age 62(sic); BRDR, 2:634, her death/burial record, calls her Clara RIVET, age 62 years, spouse of Abraham LANDRY, but does not give her parents' names.  See also Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 155; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 434; Robichaux, Bayou Lafourche, 1770-98, 12. 

03.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him Cyrille RIVET; BRDR, 2:625, 634 (PCP-2, pt. 2, 93a; PCP-4, 55), his marriage record, calls him Cirille RIVETTE, calls his wife Marguerite RICHARD, "widow of Jean-Baptiste FOREST," gives his & her parents' names, says both sets of parents were "of Holy Family Parish in Acadia," that her father was deceased at the time of the wedding, & that the witnesses to his marriage were Paul RICHARD & Cyprien BABIN; BRDR, 2:635 (SGA-8, 17, #86), his death/burial record, calls him Zirilo RIVET, does not give his parents' names or mention a wife, & does not give his age at the time of his death.   See also Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 155; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 436; De Ville, St. Gabriel Census, 1777, 11-12. 

His estimated birth year is taken from the age given in the Spanish report of Feb 1768, not the St.-Gabriel census of 1777.  

"Holy Family Parish in Acadia" was Ste.-Famille, Pigiguit.  He & his wife were born there about the same year & may have known one another since childhood.  She came to LA from MD in 1767, hence her living at St.-Gabriel d'Iberville. 

His marriage was recorded at Pointe Coupée, upriver from St.-Gabriel, because St.-Gabriel did not have a church of its own until 1773.  They probably married at St.-Gabriel soon after Cyrille & his family left San Luìs de Natchez. 

04.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him Étienne RIVET; White, DGFA-1, 1401, calls him Étienne [RIVET], gives his parents' names, says he was born at Pigiguit in 1717, details his marriages, including his wives' parents' names, says he was at Upper Marlboro, MD, in 1763, on the list of LA arrivals, 1769, age 46(sic), & says he died at Ascension on 10 Apr 1779 but gives no age at the time of his death; BRDR, 2:422, 634 (ASC-1, 127), the record of his second marriage, calls him Estevan RIVERT (RIVET), "widower of Claire FORET, Acadian, res. at St. Gabriel at Manchac," does not gives his parents' names but gives his wife's parents' names, says he was married "between 6 June & 4 July 1774," & that the witnesses to his marriage were Abraham LANDRY & Athanas LANDRY; BRDR, 2:635 (ASC-1, 177e), his death/burial record, calls him Stephanus RIVET of St.-Gabriel, does not give his parents' names or mention a wife, & does not give his age at the time of his death.  See also De Ville, St. Gabriel Census, 1777, 9.

05.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him Étienne RIVET.

Where did he settle after his family reached Natchitoches, or, for some strange reason, did he remain in TX?  Did he remain at Natchitoches?  What happened to him in LA?

06.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him François RIVET.  See also De Ville, St. Gabriel Census, 1777, 8. 

Did he marry?  Have a family of his own?

07.  Wall of Names, 24, calls her Marguerite RIVET.  

08.  Wall of Names, 24, calls her Marianne RIVET; BRDR, 1b:156, 162 (PCP-3, 259; PCP-4, 30), her marriage record, calls her Anne RIVET, "native Acadia," calls her husband Pierre RIBOLLE, "native of Fuente Vergona, Parish of Cordovan, Spain, Corporal of Spanish troops," gives her & his parents' names, says his father was deceased at the time of the wedding, & that the witnesses to her marriage were Geneviève LANDRY, Anne RIVET [herself?], Cirille ]RIVET, her brother], & Michel RIVET [her brother]. 

Her marriage was recorded at Pointe Coupée because there was no priest at the short-lived Acadian settlement at San-Luìs de Natchez & the closest church was downriver at Pointe Coupée.  After the Acadians abandoned Natchez in 1769, did she remain with her soldier-husband there?

09.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him Michel RIVET; BRDR, 1b:102, 162 (PCP-3, 270; PCP-4, 34), his marriage record, calls him Michel RIVAIS, "native of Acadia," gives his & his wife's parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Firmin BABIN, Catherine LANDRY, & Claire BABIN; Hébert, D., Southwest LA Records, 1-A:675 (BRDA: PCP: 3, p.270), a copy of his marriage record, calls him Michel RIVAIS "of Acadia," gives his & his wife's parents' names, says "Bride & Groom are residents of Fort St. Louis, Natchez," but gives no witnesses to his marriage.  See also Jehn, Acadian Exiles in the Colonies, 155; Voorhies, J., Some Late Eighteenth-Century Louisianians, 436; De Ville, St. Gabriel Census, 1777, 8.

His middle name is from the Jul 1763 British report in MD.  His estimated birth year is taken from the age given in the Spanish report of Feb 1768, not the St.-Gabriel census of 1777.   

His marriage was recorded at Pointe Coupée because there was no priest at the short-lived Acadian settlement at San Luìs de Natchez & the closest church was downriver at Pointe Coupée.

10.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him Pierre RIVET; Arsenault, Généalogie, 2581, calls his wife Marie-Josèphe; BRDR, 2:143, 635 (SJA-1, 39), his marriage record, calls him Pierre RIVETTE, calls his wife Anne BREAUX, says "both parties of Acadia," gives his & her parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were Pierre BREAUX & Thédore RIVETTE [his brother].

11.  Wall of Names, 24, calls him Théodore RIVET; BRDR, 2:464, 635 (SGA-4a, 24), his marriage record, calls him Théodore RIVETTE, gives his & his wife's parents' names, & says the witnesses to his marriage were François RIVET [his brother] & Jean-Baptiste ALLAIN; BRDR, 2:635 (SGA-8, 16, #81), his death/burial record, calls him Théodoro RIVET, does not give his parents' names or mention a wife, & does not give his age at the time of his death.

He was sometimes called François, which may have been part of his name.  See, for example, the baptismal record of grandson Joseph RIVET, dated 10 Jun 1821, in BRDR, 4:480 (SGA-11, 354).

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