Specific Individuals' Stories

Specific Family Names and Stories


Vincent Marchand
The two sources listing his parents and homeland are the marriage contract with his wife, Catherine Vicknair, and the marriage record itself. Vincent listed his parents as Jacques Marchand and Marie Villarre (or Villars), and himself as "native of Vic, Catalonia" (in Spain).

I don't know his birthdate or exactly when he came to Louisiana. His business transactions begin in 1787 in St. Charles & St. John the Baptist parishes, buying and selling property and slaves. An early transaction lists him as "Vincent Marchand, merchant of New Orleans." It may have been a false translation of Marchand, which means merchant. However, I believe he came to Louisiana (almost certainly from New Orleans, like most Louisiana immigrants) buying and selling land & slaves, then settled down on land himself before dying a few years later.

Also, the sources list Jacques, Jean-Baptiste & Catherine as his children. However, the Sacramental Register of New Orleans also lists another son, Jean, born in late 1791. I find no later mention (death, marriage, anything) after that date. Also, Jean isn't listed with wife and children when the property is auctioned after Vincent's death. Perhaps Jean died soon after birth. After all, the second son, Jacques, died a year before Vincent himself.

Finally, I have found no other Marchand family to whom he was related. There are several other well-documented Marchand clans in South Louisiana at the time. However, Vincent never has any business or family dealings with them. The Godparents to his children are his wife's family, the Vicknairs. If I find Vincent's immigration or travel records to Louisiana (date, age, or any kin travelling with him) I feel they will show he came to Louisiana without any kin.

Jean-Baptiste Marchand
Vincent Marchand's son. He married Eugenie Vicknair and stayed in St. John Parish until the 1820s. He eventually purchased several adjoining plots and started a modest sugar plantation in Smoke Bend, Louisiana. Some accounts from the Donaldsonville area state his sugar mill was destroyed in the Civil War (nearby Donaldsonville was shelled by gunboats.) After the end of the Civil War, his land was carved up and auctioned to pay debts and taxes. Jean-Baptiste died a few years later at age 75, having lost everything that he acquired in those 75 years. His children slowly scattered throughout Ascension Parish and the Donaldsonville area.


Adam Trischl (Triche)
As for the name TRICHE, I have finally (re-) located this piece of information:

So it appears that TRISCHL was akin to common names such as Fielding or Meadows.

Adam Trischl, with his wife and three children, came to Louisiana aboard the La Garonne in 1721 with many other families. Mostly of German descent, the settlers from that ship and many others settled in the eponymous area of The German Coast in Louisiana. Adam (as well as several other families aboard) listed Augsburg as home. However, one record for Charles Trischl (Adam's son, born in Europe) lists Charles' home as "Lorraine." Perhaps all the ship's settlers came from different areas around Germany, and simply gathered at Augsburg. The latter is my belief. Augsburg may have somply been the town where the company that recruited the settlers was centered.

They sailed from Lorient in France aboard the La Garonne in 1721. Their ship was attacked and captured by pirates while in harbor at San Domingo, and the governor organized a raiding party to retake the ship. The action was successful and the ship finally made landfall in Louisiana sometime in 1722.

It also appears that the difference between Triche and Trichel families in Louisiana started with Adam's sons. Henri signed his last name Trichel while the other son Andre signed it Triche

Jean Rosemond Triche
One of the hardest trails to track. I was able to trace the family back to him, but no further. I had much information about many other Triches, but still could never seem to connect Rosemond with them! Finally, in Rev. Hebert's Church records collection books, I found a record for an "Auminond Triche" born at the same time as Rosemond. I concluded that this must be the same persons - one sister of "Auminond" was a godparent to one of his children.

I can easily see someone transliterating "Rosemond" into "Auminond" in print -- write them both in the flowery script of the time found in registers and you'll see what I mean. Also, the birthdates match and the families also dovetail.

Rosemond died in the 1853 Yellow Fever epidemic at only 32. His first son (I believe called Numa, again, the census is hard to read) died two weeks later, also of Yellow Fever. All that survived were his pregnant widow and an infant daughter. His second son, Rosemond Jr. would be born three months after Rosemond Sr. died.


Jean Doiron
The saga of the Doirons is a perfect example of the tragedies endured by the Acadians in their exile from Acadia. Jean Doiron and his wife Marie de Canolle came to Acadia and soon had many descendants.

However, 75 years of peaceful prosperity and contentment was obliterated in the 1750s when the British began to deport all Acadians. The Doirons were in the middle of it, and their sufferings were representative of countless other acadian families. Easily one-third of the terribly overcrowded, disease-ridden and hungry refugees sailing back to France died.

Once in France, their troubles did not abate. Even though allowed to homestead in France, a disastrous famine loomed. A few younger Doirons decided to stay in France, not wanting to take a chance on an unknown land and uncertain opportunities. However, many managed to arrange transportation to follow other Acadians back across the Atlantic. A few even managed to go back to Canada, proliferating to this day. But many came to Louisiana, following other Acadians seeking their own freedom, lands and fortunes.


Celathiel N. Abbott
Three Abbott brothers (Miron, Martin and Celathiel) and their father (David) came to Crowley, Louisiana around 1884 from Michigan. They invented a canal irrigation pump and helped pioneer the infant rice industry of Acadia Parish in the late nineteenth century. Miron was quite an influential figure and important in Crowley at the turn of the century.
Their father, David Abbott, was born in Canada, but I believe he moved to New England and later Michigan, where his children were born. Tracing the Abbotts before they came to Louisiana is my current undertaking.

Celathiel's son, Myron Walter Abbott, is my ancestor. He married Adelaide Kritzer in 1907. I also plan to track the Kritzer's name back to Germany, at some point.


Harry Charles Seeger
Alison Paz, my wife's sister, has found needed census data from 1900 New York which gives his siblings, parents' names and arrival date in America. With any luck, we should be able to track the exact date, place and circumstances of their arrival. After I start looking through immigrant lists and ship databases for 1882, I will post any information I find.

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