"In 1769 sixteen Acadian families, seven German families and six German bachelors sailed on the Ship Bretana to the Port of Orleans. One of these German pioneers was Nicolas Ory, who settled in Iberville Parish. Upon his death three years later, his son and son-in-law returned to Maryland to settle his estate. They enticed other German families in Maryland to make the move to Louisiana with them. Among these were the families of Johann and Gertrude Kleinpeter and Paul and Catherine (Ory) Sharp. . . . They departed their home in Haggerstown, Maryland and travelled to Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, where they stayed for 5-6 weeks while a barge was built to carry the families down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. They made their departure July 1, 1774 and upon the advice of an Indian guide, they travelled by night to avoid the hostile Indians. Spanish documents list the 21 travellers and their ages. Johann and Gertrude and their ten children made the journey along with Paul Sharp, his second wife, Catherine, and his children."
Johann was reportedly the first to grow sugar in the German Highlands, south of Baton Rouge (now along Highland Road), and erected the first cotton gin in 1790.
