Person:Francois Michel (1)

!LAND: Conrad, Glenn R. ’First Settlers of the Louisiana Territory, v.1, p. 30,’ Claim #137: “FRANCOIS MICHEL claims a tract of land, situated on the east side of the river Mississippi, in the county of Acadia, containing four arpents and four feet in front, and by forty arpents in depth, and bounded on the upper side by land of CHARLES GAUDET, and on the lower by land of JOSEPH BOURGEOIS. It appears that the claimant did actully inhabit and cultivate the land now claimed on the 20th December 1803 and the same was continually inhabited and cultivated for more thatn ten consecutive years next preceding. Confirmed.”

1. ↑ Lillian C. Bourgeois. Cabanocey. (New Orleans: Pelican Publishing, 1957.)
   p. 188.

   The birth year of abt 1768 for Francois probably stems from his age given in the 1777 Cabonocey census [Francois Michel, son, age 9].

2. ↑ ACADIAN-CAJUN-L@rootsweb.com.

   Francois Michel was apparently the first child born, after his Acadian parents had arrived and married at New rleans, and had settled above present Convent. At the time of Francois' birth, neither the St. James Catholic Church, Ascension Catholic Church, nor the St. Michel Catholic Church had been established. St. Gabriel, Baton Rouge, and Pointe Coupee, and New Orleans were too far away from the area; never the less, if a baptism had been performed there, that record would appear in the published records of the Baton Rouge Diocese or New Orleans, which it doesn't. According to a report by Commandant Judice, in this time period, the area was being served by Father Barnabe of the German Coast, the church of St. Charles of the Germans, who periodically came to perform ceremonies in Judice's house. Barnabe's church was located around Taft, and was the parent church of the later St. Charles Catholic Church (Little Red Church) at Destrehan, and of the later church of St. John The Baptist at Edgard. If Francois Michel was baptized by Father Barnabe, this would have been recorded in the records of the German Coast church. Only one register of Father Barnabe's German Coast church has survived, and these earlier records are published in the New Orleans Archdiocese books. Later Barnabe registers burned in a fire at Destrehan. Additionally, if the baptism was later than 1766, and was after the St. James Church was established, (1768), the first pages of that register are missing. One possible suggestion to look into: Judice was sending reports of early marriages and baptisms, names and dates, done by Barnabe, to his superiors at New Orleans, and some of this data was published in Lillian Bourgeois' Cabanocey. I don't know if these official corespondences of Judice are included in Brasseaux' Quest. I don't have present access.
   It is possible these baptisms may have been performed by the pastor of the church of St Charles of the Germans on the German Coast and therefore recorded in the registers of this church. There is record of two Acadian baptisms for years 1767 and 1769 originally recorded in the St Charles registers and later copied to the St James Church registers in 1783. Unfortunately, except for a single register covering 1739-1755, the registers of St Charles of the Germans Church were burned in the rectory fire of 30 May 1877.
   The early church of St Charles was on the west bank and was re-established on the east bank near Destrehan about 1770. Refer to the "latest" history of the German Coast churches in Robichaux's GERMAN COAST FAMILIES, pages 61-76.Dwayne Montz
   

   Posting by Elton J. Oubre (eoubre@charter.net) on 6 Nov 2004.
   And Dwayne Montz (srch1@sbcglobal.net) in Apr 2005.
   

3. ↑ Acadian Genealogy Exchange
   vol. XXVI, no. 1 (Jan 1997), p. 18.

   Article "The Acadian MICHEL (MITCHEL) Family," died [sic, date is really burial date] 28 May 1831.

4. ↑ Baton Rouge Diocese. Catholic Church Records, vol. 5, 1830-1839. (Baton Rouge, Diocese, 1984)
   p. 448.

   Francois MICHEL, age 67 years [sic], buried 28 May 1831 (SMI-4, 90).

5. ↑ Winston De Ville. Parish of St. James in the Province of Louisiana, The. (Ville Platte, LA, Author, 1987)
   p. 15.

   Francois, age 9 [?], son in household of Pierre a [sic] MICHEL & his wife Marie LEGER, with four younger children.

6. ↑ Lillian C. Bourgeois. Cabanocey. (New Orleans: Pelican Publishing, 1957.)
   p. 188.

   Census of Acadian Coast - 1777, LEFT BANK; MISSISSIPPI RIVER.Pierre Michel, age 39;Marie Leger, wife, age 33;Francois, son, age 9;Joseph, son, age 4;Marie, dgtr, age 7;Anastasie Dugas [sic], dgtr, age 5;Colasty, dgtr, age 1.

7. ↑ Stephen A. White. Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes: 1715 à 1780. (Moncton, NB: Centre d'Études Acadiennes, draft version)
   p. 369.

   Age 9 years.