Place:St. James, Louisiana, United States

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NameSt. James
Alt namesSaint Jamessource: Getty Vocabulary Program
St. Jamessource: Getty Vocabulary Program
St. James Parishsource: Wikipedia
TypeParish
Coordinates30.033°N 90.8°W
Located inLouisiana, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

St. James Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Convent. The parish was created in 1807. St. James Parish is a part of the New Orleans–Metairie, Louisiana metropolitan statistical area, sitting between New Orleans and Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,192.

It is perhaps best known for being located within Cancer Alley, and as the home base of Goldman Environmental Prize-winning environmental activist Sharon Lavigne.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

St. James is one of the state's nineteen original parishes, created by act of the territorial legislature, March 31, 1807. The original seat of government was the community of St. James, on the west bank of the Mississippi, but this was moved in 1869 to what is now Convent, on the east bank.

St. James Parish is part of the Acadian Coast. While it is possible that some Acadians did arrive prior to 1755 or between 1755 and 1764, the first documented group of Acadians [4 families: 20 individuals] arrived in New Orleans in February 1764. The arrival was documented in a letter dated April 6, 1764, from Governor D'Abbadie to his superior in France. They were settled along the Mississippi River in present-day St. James.

St. James is known for its tradition, Bonfires on the Levee, which takes place every Christmas Eve. Residents build large bonfires along the River levee, lighting them all at nightfall. The townsfolk tell the children that the purpose of this tradition is so Papa Noel can easily see his way down the Mississippi as he is delivering gifts.

St. James is the only cultivation site in the world for Perique tobacco, introduced by an Acadian exile, Pierre Chenet, whose nickname was "Perique." It has been produced by his descendants for nearly two centuries (now covering only a 300-acre (1.2 km2) tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.

Timeline

Date Event Source
1807 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1809 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1809 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1809 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1810 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1846 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1850 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1810 3,955
1820 5,660
1830 7,646
1840 8,548
1850 11,098
1860 11,499
1870 10,152
1880 14,714
1890 15,715
1900 20,197
1910 23,009
1920 21,228
1930 15,338
1940 16,596
1950 15,334
1960 18,369
1970 19,733
1980 21,495
1990 20,879

Research Tips

External links

www.stjamessla.com/james/index.asp


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Saint James Parish, Louisiana. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.