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Note on majority of Sources: Copies of the original records can be found on microfilm reel C-1869 at the Canadian National Archives. It can be obtained through interlibrary loan, and it can be purchased from Xebec Imaging Services, Inc., 2520C St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, Ontario K1H 1B1 [613-739-9901]. The complete set of Grand Pre records are available in print in the Baton Rouge (LA) Diocese' Catholic Church Records, V. 1.; Abbreviations: bn.-born, bt.-baptized, SP-sponsors, m.-married, bur.-buried, d.-deceased

PIERRE dit LA VERDURE Spouse: PRISCILLA (MALLINSON) MELANSON

Born: [1608] in La Rochelle, France Marriage: [1630] Priscilla (Mallinson) Melanson, Yorkshire England Died: [1676] Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA at age 68 [1627] - LaRochelle Seige of French Hugenots by French Catholic Troops under command of Cardinal Richileau [1628]- Fled to England [1630] Priscilla (Mallinson) Melanson, Yorkshire England [1657] - Migrated to Port Royal, Nova Scotia on HMS Satisfaction with Sir Thomas Temple CHILDREN: ■ Pierre MELANSON dit LAVERDURE

Founder of Saint-Charles-des-Mines, Grand-Pré, National Historic Site of Canada, Nova Scotia b. [1632] in England

■ Charles MELANSON dit LA RAMEE Founder of “The Melanson Settlement”, National Historic Site of Canada, Annapolis-Royal, Nova Scotia b: ABT [1643] in Yorkshire, England

■ Jean MELANSON dit LAVERDURE (aka JOHN LAVERDURE)

* SIDE NOTE LEGACY: *JOHN LAVERDURE - The pirate

This is a translation of an article written by Father Clarence D'Entremont which originally appeared in the Yarmouth Vanguard of April 11th 1989.

In 1620, when the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth Massachusetts, they asked the Indians to conclude a treaty with them. Chief Massasoit accepted with the condition that it be with his equal in rank, King James of England. Two of his sons were to

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succeed him as chiefs of the tribe of the Pokenokets. The first was Wamsutta, his eldest son, who was given the name Alexander in honour of his prowesses and in memory of Alexander the Great. Having conspired against the newcomers, he was caught by surprise. Furious at being kept in captivity, he developped a fever and died. He was succeeded by his brother Metacom to whom the governor of Plymouth gave the name of King Philip in memory of Alexander the Great's father. In 1675, Metacom decided to gather as many Indians as he could find in New England to win back the lands taken over by the Europeans. This event was to be known as King Philip's war. Though it was to last only one year, it was to prove the costliest conflict waged up to that time in North America. The English lost 600 men, 1200 houses, and 800 heads of cattle while 3000 Indians were killed. The war ended with King Philip's death on August 12th 1676. He died from a bullet fired by one of his own men. While this war was raging, Major Richard Waldron of Dover New Hampshire, mandated Henry Lawton, a merchant from Picataqua Maine, to capture all Indians who might have pillaged towns or villages. Lawton chose William Waldron probably a close relative of Major Waldron and John Laverdure to assist him. On November 9th 1675, they hired a vessel the Endeavour, and requested the ship's captain John Horton to accompany them. The same month two other young men were to be hired, Francis Mason and Edmund Cooke. These had no real idea of the purpose of this trip, Horton having told them that they were to load fish and oil in Maine to deliver at Faial Island in the Açores, Madeira and Barbados from whence they were to return to Boston. Their first stop was in Machias Maine. We have no idea what their freight was to be, all we know is that they brought 9 Indians on board. They then sailed on to Cap Sable, the most southerly point of what is now Nova Scotia. There 3 or 4 Indians came on board. To give them the impression that this was to be a friendly outing, John Laverdure who could speak their language, invited them into the kitchen where they spent all day. In the evening, they set foot on the coast and brought back some more Indians on board among whom were the Sagamo - the chief and his wife. It has been said that there were 17 Indians in all, men, women and children. When everything was ready, they sailed to the Açores where they sold their Indian captives. While this was taking place, there were two New England ships in the Açores which observed what happened. Upon their return to Boston, they warned the authorities. It did not take very long for the men to be arrested. Henry Lawton and William Waldron were jailed in the summer of 1676. John Laverdure was freed on 100 pound bail supplied by his mother who had borrowed the money from her landlord. On the trial date, John Laverdure did not show up. Priscilla Mellanson, John's mother, addressed a plea to the Governor and his council to get the 100 pounds back. This was rejected by the council session of May 29th 1677. She had to depend upon public alms until her remarriage to Captain William Wright, a Dorchester (Boston suburb) innkeeper. What happened to John Laverdure? A few years later, we find a John Mellanson, undoubtedly John Laverdure, married to Sarah. He had taken his mother's maiden name to avoid detection. Both of his companions in crime were acquitted so he skipped bail in vain. http://aroyfamily.blogspot.com/

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*Historical Notes: PIERRE dit LAVERDURE: (with sources)

1) "As a result of the fall of La Rochelle in 1628, when the death blow was delivered to the Calvinists in France, Pierre went to England where he married. He and Priscilla had three sons at least, all born in England. In the spring of 1657 the family embarked in England on board the vessel Satisfaction, under the command of Captain Peter Butler, forming part of the company which Thomas Temple was transporting to Acadia, over which he had been named Governor after its capture by the English. Having first stopped at Boston, Captain Butler next went to the fort on the St. John River, where a group of his passengers disembarked, and finally to Port Royal. It appears the LAVERDURE (or Melanson, as they were also known) family stopped at Fort St. John. After the Treaty of Breda, under which in 1667 England ceded Acadia to France, Pierre and Priscilla went to seek refuge under the Protestant government at Boston, leaving behind in Acadia two of his sons, Pierre and Charles, with their young children."

* Notes for Pierre La Verdure: CT Breaux, NOBLE LINEAGE IN FRANCE, QUEBEC, Acadia, Louisiana, Revised 2 Jun 1986.

2) Pierre MELANSON dit LAVERDURE was a French Protestant who married in exile in England to an Englishwoman named Priscilla ---. Taken with his family to Acadia by Thomas TEMPLE in spring 1657, Pierre, his wife and young son retired to Boston, MA after the treaty of Breda in 1667. Their two other sons, already married to Acadian women, remained in Acadia.

* Univ. of Moncton, Centre d'etudes L’Acadiennes, by Stephen White, on the 37 Acadian families hosting the 1994 World Congress; orig. published by La Societe historique L’Acadienne, CAHIERS; vol. 25, no. 2&3 (Apr-Sep 1994), at <http://www.umoncton.ca/etudeL’Acadiennes/centre/white/sha.html>.

3)"In Massachusetts...the petition filed by the widow Pierre La Verdure, in which she identifies herself as an Englishwoman and her late husband’s [sic] as a French Protestant who fled from religious persecution in Nova Scotia (then Acadia).”

* XV Congreso Internacional de las Ciencias, GENEALOGICA Y HERALDICA; Madrid, 1982; p. 535; includes Bibliography of Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia.

4) Pierre married Priscilla about 1630 in Yorkshire, England. (Priscilla was born circa 1602 in England, died in 1691 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA and was buried in 1692 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA.)

* Stephen A. White, Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles L’Acadiennes (2 vols., Moncton, New Brunswick: Centre d'Études L’Acadiennes, 1999), p. 1145.

* White, S.A., Dictionnaire bénéalogique des familles L’Acadiennes (Centre d'études L’Acadiennes, Université de Moncton), p.270-282.

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5) Pierre MELANSON dit LAVERDURE, born in France, married around 1631 in England to Priscilla ----; three sons. He died (according to C.-J. d'ENTREMONT) in New England during the winter of 1676/1677.

* Stephen A. White, DICTIONNAIRE GENEALOGIQUE DES FAMILLES L’ACADIENNES; 1636-1714; Moncton, New Brunswick, Centre d'Etudes L’Acadiennes, 1999, 2 vols.; p. 1145; own copy. #1:

6) In the spring of 1657 in fact, it embarked on board the vessel Satisfaction England, commanded by Captain Peter Butler. Sir Thomas Temple came to Boston to replace John Leverett commanding temporarily conquered territory. Having registered his credentials to Boston on July 16, he landed at the St. John River part of his "company" a few days later, which included Pierre Laverdure, Protestant born in France, and his wife Priscilla, English origin and nationality, as well as parents of Peter and Charles Melanson, Melanson ancestors in Acadia. From here, Temple went to install the rest of the world in Port Royal. As for himself, he preferred to live outside of Acadia, mostly in the Boston area throughout its mandate.

*Petit manuel d'histoire d'L’Acadie - From the beginnings to 1670, La Librairie L’Acadienne, University of Moncton, Rev.. Clarence-J.d'Entremont, 1976

7) "After the Treaty of Breda, under which in 1667 England ceded Acadia to France, Pierre Laverdure, with his family, went to seek refuge under the Protestant government at Boston in order to escape "from the rath of his countrymen Papists, at Johns fort and thereabouts." While moving to Boston himself, he left behind in Acadia his two sons, Pierre and Charles, with their young families."

*[Clarence d'Entremont in "French Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review," V. VI.]

8) (Pierre dit La Verdure) May not be of Scottish descent. Evidence is given to support that he was "An English gentleman who came with Sir Thomas Temple" to Acadia.

* French Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review, Vol. II, No. 4 (Winter 1969) ** The only indication that Pierre Melançon might be a Scot comes from a memorandum written in 1720 by Antoine de Lamothe sieur de Cadillac and addressed to the Duke of Orléans. Cadillac asserts that all Scots brought to Port-Royal prior to the treaty of St-Germain-en-Laye in 1632 had died either from scurvy or at the hands of indians save for the brothers Pierre & Charles Melanson who had married Acadians and whose mother was in Boston. Father D'Entremont has found a documentary trail suggesting that the Melançon were actually the children of a french huguenot Pierre Laverdure and an english woman Priscilla Mellanson. In a letter dated September 29th 1720, captain John Adams, a trader of Annapolis Royal and a member of the governing council of Nova Scotia, mentions in a letter to Paul Dudley, then judge of the superior court of Massachussets, a Pierre Mellanson from des Mines (Acadia) whom he says is an english gentleman arrived in the country with Sir Thomas Temple.

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Sir Thomas Temple arrived in Acadia on the ship Satisfaction in 1657 to assume the government of Nova Scotia. After the Breda treaty of 1667 in which England returned Acadia to the French, the Melançons' mother and father who had lived up until then on the St-John river sought refuge with the protestant government in Boston along with their son John. In 1675-1676, John joined others in committing piracy acts along the coast of Maine and Cap-Sable. Arrested in Boston, he was freed on a bail of 100 pounds paid by a man named Sendall. This bail had to be forfeited when John failed to show up at his trial. His mother wrote to the governor of Massachusetts and his council, a letter which was found in the archives of the Supreme Court for the county of Suffolk in Boston ( vol 18 f 1592, council date May 3rd 1676). This is a retranslation of the french translation given in the Journal: Humble petition of Priscilla Laverdure desolate widow of the deceased Peter Laverdure. I am an English woman widow of the said Peter Laverdure a protestant Frenchman who having lost all of their belongings and having lived in great poverty have come to live in this government to flee the anger of their papist neighbours at the St-John river Fort. The unhappy affair of our son John weighed heavily on my husband's heart and brought him to seek out another one of his sons who had stayed in those regions, in the hope of finding him and his brothers and making them see reason. But to his great sorrow, not getting word of him, unable to find him, not knowing what had happened to him - he who had been the support of his old age - this struck his heart and left your poor supplicant a poor and desolate widow. signed P. M. **Excerpted from Clarence J. D'entremont's article in the Journals of the French Canadian Genealogical Society (vol XXXV - no4 Dec. 1984)

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Petition of Priscilla Laverdure, Boston, 3 May 1677, Massachusetts Archives, Suffolk County Supreme Court Files [MA Suffolk, Vol. 18, p. 1592].

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Son of PIERRE dit LAVERDURE (2nd generation) PIERRE MELANSON dit LAVERDURE Spouse: MARIE MARGUERITE ANNE MIUS D'ENTREMONT

Born: [1632] Yorkshire, England Marriage: [1665] Marie Marguerite Anne Mius D'entremont, in Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Port-Royal, Nova Scotia. (L’Acadie) [1682] - Moved from The Melanson Settlement in the Port Royal area to an area in the Minas Valley and became one of the first Pioneers to found and settle Grand Pré, Kings Co., Nova Scotia. Died 1714, Saint-Charles-des-Mines, Grand-Pré, L’Acadie at age 82

CHILDREN: ■ PHILIPPE CHARLES MELANSON: b. Abt. [1666]; m. Catherine Marie Dugas [1695]; d. June 25, 1744, Grand-Pre, Acadia, Canada. ■ CECILE MELANSON: b. Abt. [1668]; m. Jean Landry [1687]; d. Abt. [12 June 1753] Port-Lajoie, Acadia, Canada. ■ PIERRE MELANSON: b. Abt. [1670]; m. Marie Blanchard [1693]

■ MARIE MELANSON: b. Abt. [1673]; m. Germain Landry [1694]

■ MARGUERITE MELANSON: b. Abt. [1676]; m. 1st Alexandre Bourque [1694]; 2nd Jean-Baptiste Belliveau [1704]; d. [July 15, 1744] - Grand Pre, Acadia, Canada.

■ ISABELLE-ELISABETH MELANSON: b. Abt. [1679]; m. 1st Pierre Alain Bujold [1700]; 2nd Rene Leblanc [1709]; d. Bet. [1718 – 1720] ■ JEAN DOMINIQUE MELANSON: b. Abt. [1681]; m. Marie-Marguerite Dugas [1700]

■ MADELEINE CATHERINE: b. [1684]; m. Louis Simon de St Aubin [1702]

■ MARGUERITE MELANSON: b. Abt. [1676] d. [July 15, 1744]in Grand Pre, Acadia, Canada].

■ ANNE MARIE: b [1686]; m. Thomas Jacques Jabob [1705]

■ PAUL PIERRE: b.[1691] m. Marie-Catherine Theriault [1712]. d. [1774 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana

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*Historical Notes: PIERRE MELANSON dit LAVERDURE: (with sources)

1) Pierre MELANSON dit LAVERDURE, born around 1632, son of Pierre & Priscilla ----. He was a tailor and captain of the militia of Mines. He married around 1665 to Marguerite MIUS d'ENTREMONT, daughter of Philippe & Madeleine HE'LIE; eleven children. He died (Belle-Ile-en-Mer Declaration) at St-Charles-des-Mines after the census of 1714.

* Stephen A. White, DICTIONNAIRE GENEALOGIQUE DES FAMILLES L’ACADIENNES; 1636-1714; Moncton, New Brunswick, Centre d'Etudes L’Acadiennes, 1999, 2 vols.; pp. 1145 & 1148; own copy. #3:

2) Port Royal, Acadia, name spelled MELANSON, occupation listed as "Tailleur." But he refused to give the census-taker his age or the number of his animals or size of land. [What was the objection?] His wife also refused, saying "Si jettois si fous de courir Les ques pour des choses de ---." (Was I so foolish as to roam the streets for such things?)

*CENSUS L’Acadie: 1671

3) Baye des Mines [Grand Pre'], Acadia, age 54 years, "dit la Verdure." Living with wife and 9 children, one a day old. They have 12 guns, 50 arpens worked land, 31 cattle, 8 sheep and 27 pigs. He is wealthy, by local standards.

*CENSUS L’Acadie: 1686

4) Pierre married Marie Marguerite Anne Mius D'entremont, daughter of Philipe Mius D'entremont Sieur De Pobomcoup and Madeleine Hélie Du Tillet, about 1664 in Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Port-Royal, L’Acadie. (Marie Marguerite Anne Mius D'entremont was born circa 1649 in Cherbourg, diocèse de Coutances, Normandie, France and died between 1693 and 1744 in Saint-Charles-des-Mines, Grand-Pré, L’Acadie .)

* Stephen A. White, Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles L’Acadiennes (2 vols., Moncton, New Brunswick: Centre d'Études L’Acadiennes, 1999), pp. 1145 & 1201.

5) Pierre led a settling party in 1682 to the Minas Basin, site of the village-to-be of Grand Pre'? Accompanying his were Pierre THERIOT, a LE BLANC and a LANDRY. By 1701 this area has 487 residents, surpassing Fort Royal colony with 456 (a total of 1450 in colony).

* Rushton, William Faulkner. The Cajuns from Acadia to Louisiana (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux), 1979.

6) Attests to the loyalty and service to France and Catholicism of "Sieur MELANCON, chief of the nation of Indians of all Acadia, as well as of French of that county." As a reward for services he has title of Colonel General of the Militia.

* John K. Harrell, "Pierre Melancon: The Elusive Acadian," in NEW ORLEANS GENESIS; vol. XXXV, no. 138 (Apr 1996); p. 117; Santa Cruz Genealogical Society Library.

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Certification by [Acadian Governor Jacques-Francois] DeBROUILLAN dated at Port Royal, Acadia on 1 Mar 1704

7) Around 1670, Pierre MELANSON, sold his property in Port-Royal and moved with his family to "la Grande Prairie" (Grand-Pre') to begin a colony. By the 1686 census he had 31 head of cattle, 12 guns. He was named major-in-charge of the militia a few years later.

* Bona Arsenault, HISTORY OF THE ACADIANS; 1600-1800; Ottawa, Lemeac, 1978; p. 53.

8) Letters from Governors of L’Acadie, Nova Scotia:

Letter from Governor Jacques Francois de Brouillan; March 1, 1704 Pierre was the pioneer settler in 1680 of Grand Prè area of Bassin des Mines, north of Port Royal. He was named Major-in-Charge of the Militia Post.

From the Canadian Archives, MG 18, H20: "I certify that Sieur Melancon, chief of the nation of Indians of all Acadia, as well as of French of that county, has rendered to me all sorts of services for the establishment of this colony, and that this establishment would not have been made without his help, and that I have retained for him, as his reward for his services which he rendered to my master, the King, the title of Colonel General of the Militia and Chief of the Indian nation. By misfortune, M. de Carillon, commanding the King's vessel, La Francoise, was taken by the English in the port of Le Have (sic), that Sieur de Melancon defrayed the expenses of all the crew and kept them at his house for six weeks without ever wishing any compensation more than to be useful to His Majesty. I certify further that after having made his abjuration and embraced the Catholic religion, he, by his example and exhortation, charged the inhabitants and Indians to be loyal to the King, to live and die in the faith of the Roman Religion.

*Done at Port Royal in Acadia, the first of March, 1704 and signed by: DeBrouillan [Acadian Governor Jacques Francois de Brouillan.]

*FRENCH CANADIAN AND ACADIAN GENEALOGICAL REVIEW, Volume II, #4, Page 221. Pierre abjured and became Catholic. *NOGR, 1996, Page 113

Letter from Governor Daniel Auger, Sieur de Subercase; August 3, 1727: “I certify that Mademoiselle Melancon, wife of Sieur le Poupet de la Boularderie, is the daughter of Sieur Melancon, chief of the inhabitants of Acadia, and that during the space of five years that I governed in that country, I always used him to command the Militia as he had done in the time of governors who were my predecessors, that he has served with all zeal possible. I certify further that after having made his abjuration and embraced the Catholic religion, he charged the inhabitants to be loyal to the King, to live and die in the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Religion.”

*Done at Paris, the third of August, 1727 and signed by: De Subercase, former governor of Acadia [ Daniel Auger, Sieur de Subercase.]

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Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (3nd generation) JEAN DOMINIQUE MELANSON Spouse: MARGUERITE DUGAS

Born: 1681, Saint-Charles-des-Mines, Grand-Pré, Kings Co., Nova Scotia. Marriage: Marguerite Dugas on 11 Jan 1700/1701 in Saint-Charles-des-Mines, Grand Pre, Kings Co., Nova Scotia. Died: Alt Death, 24 Feb 1760, Cherbourg-Octeville, Manche, Basse-Normandie, France . [1755] - Deported from Grand Pre, Nova Scotia to Cherbourg, France. CHILDREN: ■ MAGUERITE MELANSON: b. [1701], m. Joseph Theriault in [1718]

Source: Stephen A. White, Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles L’Acadiennes, (2 vols., Moncton, New Brunswick: Centre d'Études L’Acadiennes, 1999), pp. 1156 & 1490. Joseph THÉRIOT (acording to H. HÉBERT) married around 1720 to Marguerite MELANSON, daughter of Jean & Marguerite DUGAS.

■ JACQUES MELANSON d. Bef. July [1763]

■ JEAN-BAPTISTE MELANSON d. Bef. July [1763]

■ MARIE-JOSEPHE MELANSON b. January 08, [1713 Grand-Pre, Acadia, Canada]; d. Bef. [27 July 1767]

■ ALEXANDRE MELANSON b. Abt. [1717]; d. Bet. [July 1767 - September 1769]

■ CECILE MELANSON b. Abt. [1721]; d. Bef. [07 July 1763] *Historical Notes: JEAN DOMINIQUE MELANSON : (with sources)

1) Les Mines, Acadia, age 5 years.

*CENSUS L’Acadie: 1686

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2) Age 12 years.

*CENSUS L’Acadie: 1693

3) On 11 Jan [?] 1701, a marriage contract was signed between Jean MELANSSON, habitant of Mines, son of Pierre & Marguerite MIUS, also of Mines, and Marguerite DUGAS, daughter of Claude of Port Royal (Germain BOURGEOIS is her maternal uncle). Signed by Jean MELANSON; X mark of [Marguerite?] DUGAS; Pr. MELLANSON; X mark of Claude DUGAS; BROUILLON [BROUITTON? or possibly my note of BOURGEOIS?] PONTIF; L. GUEMER [?].

* Winston De Ville, THE LOPPINOT PAPERS; 1687-1710; Ville Platte, LA, 1991; p. 11; Salt Lake FHL US/CAN 971.5 N38l; Genealogical abstracts of the earliest notarial records of Acadia.

4) Jean MELANCON, habitant of Mines, son of Pierre & Marguerite MIUS, inhabitants of Mines, marriage contract dated 11 Jan 1701, with Marguerite DUGAS, daughter of Claude.

* Donald J. Hebert, ACADIANS IN EXILE; 1755-1785; Cecilia, LA, Hebert Publications, 1980; p. 323; own copy. * (Reference: Port Royal: Notarial Acts: G3 2040). * Stephen A. White, DICTIONNAIRE GENEALOGIQUE DES FAMILLES L’ACADIENNES; 1636-1714; Moncton, New Brunswick, Centre d'Etudes L’Acadiennes, 1999, 2 vols.; pp. 1149 & 1156; own copy. #8:

*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Ancestral File: (AFN:9M7D-RX) ; Ancestral File is a computer database of genealogical information on individuals and families. There are currently several hundred million names on file, with more added each day. Each individual in the database is assigned a unique identifier, called the Ancestral File Number or AFN.

5) Date: 1708; Location: Grand-Pré; Location precision: Saint-Charles-des-Mines;

Surname: Melanson; Name: Jean; Precise Location: Saint-Charles-des-Mines; Wife:

Marguerite Dugat; Number of children: 1, Paul Melanson

Source : Parish register of Saint-Charles des Mines (Grand-Pré) 1707-1748 Type : register

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Great Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (4th generation)

ALEXANDRE MIQUOIN MELANSON Spouse: MARIE OSITE HEBERT

Born: 1716 Saint-Charles-des-Mines, Grand-Pré, Kings Co., Nova Scotia Marriage (1st): 1740 Grand-Pré, Marie-Josephe Gauterot Marriage (2nd): 1749 Grand-Pré, Marie Osite Hebert Death: 1766 Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland

Note: 1766 – It is unknown if Alexandre died in, or in transit from Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland to Convent in St. James Parish, Louisiana.

Spouse (2nd): Marie Osite Hebert: m. 1749 Grand-Pré, Kings Co., Nova Scotia

Death: 31 August 1805; St. James Parish, Louisiana

Sources: 1) [SJA-4, 26]. 2) [Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records; Volume 3; 1804-1819 ; pg.

424; Publication: Baton Rouge, Diocese, 1982]

*Osite HEBERT, age 75 years, widow of Alexandre MELANSON, buried 1 Sep 1805 at St. James Catholic Church, St. James, LA

CHILDREN (Marie-Josephe Gauterot): ■ JEAN BAPTISTE SEPTIME b. 1740

■ JOSEPH b. 1744

■ MARIE MARGUERITE JOSEPHE b. 1745

■ MARIE MADELEINE b.1747

CHILDREN: (MARIE OSITE HEBERT): ■ JEAN MELANSON b. 1748; d. Bef.[1766 at Snowhill, Worcester County, Maryland]

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■ MARIE-MADELEINE MELANSON b. [June 23, 1749 in Grand-Pré] ; m. married Jean Baptiste Gaudin [1768]; d. Bet. 1775 – 1777 in at St. James Parish, Louisiana]

■ PIERRE JACQUES MELANSON: b. [1753]; m. 1st Isabelle Landry [23 July 1773] 2nd Marie Anne Christine Landry in Donaldsonville, Louisiana ■ JOSEPH JOSE: b. [1754 at Grand Pre, Nova Scotia]; m. 1st Anastasie Breaux [24 May 1779 ] 2nd Marie Josephe Leblanc [21 September 1784] at St. James Parish, Louisiana; d. abt. [1815 at St. James, Louisiana]

■ ETIENNE MELANSON: b. [1756 at Snow Hill, Worcester County]; m. Ludivine Breaux [14 April 1780 at St. James Parish, Louisiana]; d. 1788. ■ PAUL OLIVER PABLO MELANCON:

b. [1762] - Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland]; m. Osite Barbe Leblanc [18 April 1785 ] - at St. James Parish, Louisiana, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Convent, Louisiana ]

d.[ 9 June 1847] at Convent in St. James Parish, Louisiana].

Sources: 1) [SMI – 4; pg. 190] 2) [Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records; Volume 6; pg. 468]

Burial: at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Convent, Louisiana [CONFIRMED THROUGH BURIAL CERTIFICATE OBTAINED: DIOCESE of BATON ROUGE]

■ CHARLES (MIGUOIN) (CARLOS) MELANCON: b. [1764 Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland]; m. 1st Francoise Arsenault [1787] 2nd Marie Claire Breaux [25 January 1790] 3rd Scholastique Bourgeois [31 August 1795]; d. [22 December 1818 at St. Martinville, Louisiana]

*Historical Notes: Alexandre Miquoin Melanson:

(with sources)

1) Alexandre MELANCON, born 1716, son of Jean & Marguerite DUGAS of Grand Pré. He married 1st around 1740 to Marie-Josephe GAUTEROT; four children listed. He "probably" married 2nd around 1748 to Osite HÉBERT; seven children. He died before 1769, when his widow Osite HEBERT occupied lot number 122 on the east bank of the Mississippi, in Louisiana.

* Bona Arsenault, HISTOIRE ET GENEALOGIE DES L’ACADIENS, vols. 1-6; 1630-1775; Quebec, Le Conseil de la Vie Francaise en Amerique, 1965; p. 2553 (Louisiana); Univ. of Calif., Berkeley Library, CS31 A77 MAIN.

2) Alexandre MELANCON was expelled from Acadia with wife Osite HEBERT and children (Jean, Madeleine, Pierre Jacques, Joseph, Etienne, Paul, and Charles) and sent to Maryland in 1763. He 1st married Marie Josephe GAUTREAU; 5 children listed.

*Judy Riffel, ed., A HISTORY OF POINTE COUPEE PARISH AND ITS FAMILIES; Baton Rouge, Le Comite' des Archives de la Louisiane, 1983; p. 260; Seaside Family History Center, LA 11.

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3) Alexandre MELANSON, head of household of 8 persons on the 1763 census of Snow Hill, MD, with wife Osite [HÉBERT]. By the 1769 census at Cabanocey [LA] he was not living.

*Gregory A. Wood, A GUIDE TO THE ACADIANS IN MARYLAND IN THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURES; 1755-1899; Baltimore, Gateway Press, 1995; pp. 165-166; own copy.

4) Alexandre Melanson, Osite Melanson son epouse, Jean Melanson, Magdeleine Melanson, Jacque Melanson, Joseph Melanson, Etienne Melanson, Paul Melanson . . . . . . 8

*CENSUS: 1763; Maryland Census; p. 441, “A Snowville En Maryland”, 7 July 1763

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Illustration: Pg. 9 of Colonel John Winslow’s List of Imprisoned Grand Pre Settlers to be Exiled: September 15, 1755

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*Historical Notes: Marie Osite Hebert (with sources)

1) Married, age 16, (1?)Alexandre MELANÇON, son of Jean MELANÇON & Marguerite DUGAS of Grand-Pré, c1748;

2) Exiled to MD 1755, age 24;

3) Arrived LA 1766, age 35, a widow;

4) Occupying lot number 122, left [east] bank, called Ozitte HÉBERT widow MELANÇON, age 39, with sons Pierre MELANÇON age 9, Joseph MELANÇON age 15, Étienne MELANÇON age 13, Paul MELANÇON age 7, & Charles MELANÇON age 17 mos.

*Cabanocé census, 1769,

5) Left [east] bank, called Ozitte HÉBERT, age 45, with sons Joseph MELANÇON age 22, Éstienne MELANÇON age 20, Paul MELANÇON age 14, Charles MELANÇON age 9, & 2 engagés, ____ WILLIAMS age 37 & Charles ____ age 29; *St.-Jacques de Cabanocé census, 1777 6) died [buried] St. James Catholic Church Cemetery, St. James Parish, Louisiana 1 Sep 1805, age 75

7) Osite HEBERT, age 75 years, widow of Alexandre MELANSON, buried 1 Sep 1805 at St. James Catholic Church, St. James, LA (SJA-4, 26).

*Title: Catholic Church Records, vol. 3, 1804-1819 Author: Diocese of Baton Rouge Publication: Baton Rouge, Diocese, 1982 Page: p. 424

8) Widow with five children, on six arpents of land on east shore of the Mississippi River

* Melanson~Melançon: The Genealogy of an Acadian and Cajun Family, Michael B. Melanson, Dracut, MA: Lanesville Publishing, 2004, Page: p. 61

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Sale of Land to sons (Paul and Charles) – 1785 St. James Parish Courthouse *Copy of Original Document on File

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Great Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (5th generation)

PAUL OLIVIER (PABLO) MELANSON Spouse: OSITE BARBE LEBLANC

Born: 1762; Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland - (During family exile years in Maryland) Marriage (1st): 18 April 1785; St. James Parish, Louisiana, OSITE BARBE LEBLANC

Marriage (2nd): 8 May 1821; St. James Parish, Louisiana, MARIE BROUSSARD Death: 9 June 1847; St. James Parish, Louisiana

Sources: 1) [SMI – 4; pg. 190] 2) [Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records; Volume 6; pg. 468]

Spouse (1st): OSITE BARBE LEBLANC MELANCON :

Marriage to PAUL OLIVIER (PABLO) MELANSON (1st):

Death: 9 June 1847; St. James Parish, Louisiana

Sources: 1) [SJA – 4; pg. 34] 2) [Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records; Volume 3; pg. 553]

Spouse (2nd): MARIE BROUSSARD :

Marriage to PAUL OLIVIER (PABLO) MELANSON (2nd): 8 May 1821; St. James Parish, St. Michael Catholic Church, Convent, Louisiana

Sources: 1) [SMI – 2; pg.87] 2) [Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records; Volume 4; 1820-1829 ; pg.

405; Publication: Baton Rouge, Diocese, 1982]

Death: 9 June 1847; St. James Parish, Louisiana

Sources: 1) [SJA – 4; pg. 34] 2) [Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records; Volume 3; 1804-1819 ;

pg. 533; Publication: Baton Rouge, Diocese, 1982]

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Original Marriage Certificate – April 14, 1785 St. James Parish Courthouse

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*Copy of Original Document on File CHILDREN: ■ Marie Josephe: born 23 February 1786, at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married to Donat Leblanc at St. James on 28 December 1801 - DOUBLE WEDDING!! ■ Marie Madeleine: born 17 August 1787 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Eligio Eloi (Valentin) (Morin) Landry on 28 December 1801, died on 11 November 1832 in St. James Parish, Louisiana TWIN with one sister and DOUBLE WEDDING with another sister!! ■ Julienne: born 17 August 1787 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Jacques Alexandre Babin at St. James on 13 November 1804, died after 1828 at St. James Parish, Louisiana -TWIN ■ Marguerite: born 24 January 1791 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Etienne Charles Mathurin (dit Catzenne) Leblanc at St James. ■ Adelaide: born 10 November 1792 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Paul Silvestre Leblanc at St. James on 6 May 1811, died on 29 March 1839 at Convent, St. James Parish, Louisiana. ■ Marie Louise: born 25 August 1784 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Zenon Arseneaux on 12 January 1813 and then Valentin Theriot, died between 1831 and 1889. ■ Jean Baptiste: born 11 August 1796 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, died 10 September 1796. ■ Paul (Pablo) born 2 November 1797 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Adelaide Leblanc on 9 October 1815 at St. James Parish, Louisiana. ■ Jules Albert Gilbert: born 3 October 1799 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Celeste Emerante Champagne on 2 June 1819 at Assumption Church, Plattenville, in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. ■ Marguerite Marcelline: born 18 October 1801 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, died 21 July 1815 at St. James Parish, Louisiana. ■ Emerante: born 14 July 1804 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Leufroy Daigle on 21 May 1821 at St. Michael Church in Convent, St. James Parish, Louisiana and then Rosemond Braud. ■ Joseph: born 26 July 1806 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, married Marcelline Gaudin on 26 July 1824 in Convent, St. James Parish, Louisiana, died about 1862. ■ Euphemie: born 14 July 1809 at St. James Parish, Louisiana, died on 17 September 1811 at St. James Parish, Louisiana. *Historical Notes: Paul Oliver Melanson: (with sources)

1) Wall of Names, 22, calls him Paul MELANSON.

*Located in downtown St. Martinville, LA, on the banks of the Bayou Teche, down the street from the famous Evangeline Oak, the Acadian Memorial is both a museum & a research center. The Robert Dafford Mural is the highlight of the museum on the first floor. Also important is the bronze Wall of Names at the opposite end of the main-floor museum that

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contains the name of nearly every Acadian who found refuge in LA from 1764-1813. Upstairs is the research center where visitors can trace their Acadian ancestry in the Memorial's extensive database. The Memorial's website is <acadianmemorial.org>. A new feature of the website is its Ensemble Encore, which includes two superb essays by Dr. Carl A. Brasseaux at <acadianmemorial.org/english/ensembleencoreset.html>

2) Age 4

Cabahanoce Census; LA 1766

3) Left [east] bank, age 7, with widowed mother & brothers

Cabahanoce census, 1769,

4) Left [east] bank, age 14, with mother, 3 brothers, & 2 engagers

St.-Jacques census, 1777

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Great Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (6th generation)

Jules Albert Gilbert Melançon Spouse: Celeste Emerante CHAMPAGNE

Born: [3 Oct 1799] St James Louisiana Marriage: [ 2 June 1819] Assumption Church, Plattenville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana Died: Suspected to be buried at St. Joseph Church Cemetery in Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana - We know that Celeste Emerante CHAMPAGNE died [28 August 1879] in Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana *Historical Notes:

1) Birth / Baptism Certificate – 1799 Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

2) Marriage Certificate – Assumption Church 1819 Diocese of Baton Rouge; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

3) 1850 LaFourche Census: Family / Dwelling 539

4) Probate / Conveyence and Succession of Property Lafourche (Thibodaux) Parish Courthouse *Certified Document on File

23

24

25

26

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Great Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (7th generation) Pierre Theodule Melançon Spouse: Marguerite Elise LEDET

Born: [11 September 1827] Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Marriage: [14 January 1856] St. Joseph Church, Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Died: [15 August 1903] Buried August 16, 1903, St. Joseph Cemetery, Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana by Father A. Ravoire Catholic Priest *Historical Notes

1) Birth / Baptism Certificate – St Joseph Church - Thibodaux 10/11/1833 - 2/19/1834 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

2) Marriage Certificate – St. Joseph Church – Thibodaux 1/21/1856 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

3) 1850 LaFourche Census – Family / Dwelling 539 / 17yr old

4) 1860 LaFourche Census

5) 1870 LaFourche Census

6) 1880 LaFourche Census *Historical Notes: Marguerite Elise LEDET

1) Marguerite Elise LEDET (Marie Celeste MOULAISON9, Joseph MOULAISON8, Marie Josephe DOUCET7, Pierre DOUCET6, Laurent DOUCET5, Germain DOUCET4, Pierre dit Lavendure DOUCET3, Germain dit Laverdure DOUCET2, Mr. DOUCET1) was born 21 Aug 1828 in Thibodaux, LaFourche, Louisiana, USA. She married Michel Eugene BOURGEOIS 21 Dec 1852 in Courthouse, Thibodaux, Lafourche, Louisiana, USA, son of Eugene BOURGEOIS and Marie Angela Genoveva BARRIOS. He was born 29 Sep 1831 in Thibodaux, LaFourche, Louisiana, USA, and died 4 May 1854 in , Lafourche, Louisiana, USA. She married Pierre Theodule MELANCON 21 Jan 1855 in Thibodaux, LaFourche, Louisiana, USA, son of Gilbert Jules MELANCON Sr. and Marie Celeste Emeraunte CHAMPAGNE. He was born 11 Sep 1833 in Thibodaux, LaFourche, Louisiana, USA.

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Great Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (8th generation) Pierre Alexandre Josesph Melancon Spouse: Mary Francine Toups

Born: [September 25, 1866] Raceland in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Marriage: [January 24, 1888] St. Mary's Nativity Church in Raceland in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Died: [August 4, 1931]. Buried: [August 5, 1931] St. Joseph Cemetery, Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana *Historical Notes:

1) Birth / Baptism Certificate – St Joseph Church - Thibodaux 10/25/1866 - 6/5/1867 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

2) Marriage Certificate – St. Joseph Church – Thibodaux 1/24/1888 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

3) Burial Certificate – St. Joseph Church 7/29/1931) Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

4) Raised Family – Sharecropper’s House – Laurel Valley Plantation (Newpaper article interviewing Nelson Melancon, Wilson’s older brother, announcing Historical Acadian Plantation Village Museum Induction; The Daily Comet; January 5, 1978)

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Great Grandson of Pierre dit La Verdure (9th generation) Wilson Joseph Melancon Spouse: Gabriella Weimer Melancon

*Historical Notes:

1) Birth / Baptism Certificate – St Joseph Church - Thibodaux 5/18/1908 - 5/24/1908 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File

2) Marriage Certificate – St. Charles Borromeo Church 6/24/1931 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux; Catholic Church Records *Certified Document on File