| SPOUSE | CHILDREN | ||
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Helene Price Paget m. Apr 1, 1784 New Orleans, Spanish LA b. Jan 2, 1763 Illinois Terr. d. Dec 20, 1800 New Orleans Parish, La. Terr. |
Marie Francois Helene Montbrun b. Jan 5, 1785 New Orleans Parish d. Aug 1, 1855 Baton Rouge LA |
Louis Montbrun b. 1786 d. Sep 22, 1810 East Baton Rouge LA |
Charles Montbrun b. 1786/7? d. Jun 8, 1845 New Orleans Parish LA |
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Henri Montbrun Boucher b. 1788? d. Feb 12, 1842 New Orleans Parish LA |
Charlotte Sophie Montbrun b. 1789 d. Dec 14, 1838 New Orleans Parish LA |
Josephe Montbrun b. 1791? d. Dec 14, 1838 New Orleans Parish LA |
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Rosalie Montbrun Boucher b. 1797? d. 1852 New Orleans Parish LA |
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Grand-Pré was the son of a French Canadian military officer Louis Antoine Boucher
de Grand-Pré and Therese Gallard [or Theresa Galord], a Louisiana Creole. |
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Grand-Pré was the Commandant of the Natchez District from 1779 until Nov 3, 1787
when Gayoso de Lemos was officially
recognized as the Governor of the Fort and District of Natchez. |
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On Oct 24, 1781, as Commandant of the Natchez District, Grand-Pré appointed
Daniel Perry and Isaac Johnson to perform the
inventory and appraisal of the estate of
John Holloway, which Grand-Pré signed.
Daniel Perry did not sign the inventory because he "declared that he cannot write"
[McBee, Book A, p. 48-49]. |
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Map of
the Natchez District as it may have looked between 1779 and 1799. |
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In May 1782, "Thomas Ethridge, wife & children" arrived via flatboat at Natchez
with 4 "individuos" and no "esclavos", that is no slaves [Natchez Court Records].
A total of
13 families
were recorded by Spanish authorities as arriving, and the record was signed by
Grand-Pré on Jul 6, 1782. |
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On May 16, 1782 Thomas Ethridge made a
deposition to
Grand-Pré responding to questions regarding the arrival of the families
on flatboats down the Mississippi River [Farrell Family History website]. |
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In 1787, a George Forney sold to Marcus Tyler
[Iler], "140 arpents he purchased from John Row, near the Fort, bordered by lands
of John Hartley, John Lusk and Saint Germain,
for $400, $200 at end of present year [1787]; $100 at end of 1788; $100 at end
of 1789" [McBee, Book A, p. 46]. This may be where Iler had begun building Hope
Farm, which was eventually bought by Grand-Pré to be his residence. |
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In Jan 1789, Grand-Pré hired a New Orleans merchant, Solomon Malline, "to defend
suit instigated by my mother, Lady Theresa Galord de Grand Pré, relative to my
house which she occupies" [McBee, p. 141]. |
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Sometime before Mar 1789, "Having received notice from Jonas Hailer of the death
of his father, Marcus Hailer, commandant [Grand-Pré] and others repaired to his
plantation, 1 mile from Fort, to take an inventory of the deceased Marcus Hailer
who died interstate [without a will], whereupon Jonas Hailer was interrogated
and he made the declaration that his father had no children but the deponent and
that he left no wife" [McBee, p. 64]. |
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Historians of the Hope Farm
off of Homochitto Street in Natchez believe the back part was built by
Mark Iler about the time he arrived there in
1774-5 "while the city was under British rule;
the front wing was added by Carlos de Grandpré" [Historic Houses of America,
American Heritage Books, 1971], after he purchased it from Jonas
on Mar 21, 1789 for $100 a parcel of land ... my father Marcus Hailer, purchased"
[McBee, p. 581]. |
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In a letter dated Mar 2, 1790, from Carlos de Grand-Pré, Natchez to
Governor Don Estavan Miro, the amount of tobacco produced in 1790 was reported
by growers of Natchez. [MS Dept of Archives & History, website]. |
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On May 20, 1791, "Don Carlos de Grand-pre" bought 4 of the 83 slaves imported
in the Schooner Governor Miro from Jamaica for which he paid $1,600
[McBee, Book B page 502, p. 83]. |
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On Jul 13, 1792, Governor Gayoso made an
agreement with
John Holloway and John's brother-in-law
Cader Raby regarding travel outside of the
Natchez District. Cader's son Cader named a son Gayoso Carney Raby in 1826.
English Translation of the
document handwritten in Spanish. |
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When Governor Gayoso succeeded Grand-Pré
in 1792, he changed the name of the mansion built for
his predecessor to Concord.
Postcard
showing the mansion before it burned down in 1901. Also, his title of Governor
replaced that of Commandant. |
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In Nov 1792, Grand-Pré sold to "John Smith, Capt. of the Militia and Alcaide
of Villa Gayosa, three negroes, Joseph, Philip and James, ... aged 16 to 17, for
$1200 Mexican money, terms" [McBee, Book C, p. 93]. This may be the same
John Smith jailed as a rebel a decade
earlier. During the same month, a witness to the above transaction,
Valentine Thomas Dalton promised and engaged to "dwell in the house of His
Excellency, Don Carlos de Grand-Pre, for three years, and during that time to
teach all of his children to speak and write the English language"
[McBee, Book C, p. 93]. |
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In 1796, Grand-Pré was appointed by the Spanish Governor as Lieutenant Governor
of the Red River District to be headquartered in Avoyelles [in future LA]. |
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In 1799, Grand-Pré was appointed the Governor of Baton Rouge. There he
planned a part of that city that became known as Spanish Town. |
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Gayoso died of yellow fever on Jul 18,
1799 in New Orleans LA. On Aug 10, 1799 his widow Margaret Watts Gayoso sold a
"tract of land known by the name of Concord" which was one-half league
from the Fort of Natchez, to Daniel Clark Jr. Esq. for $5000 [McBee, Book A,
p. 405]. |
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Sources: Adams Co. Mississippi Genealogy & History Network, "1792 Census for Natchez District (under Spanish Government control)", 2009, 1792 Census. "George W. Humphreys Bible", Claiborne MS Bibles, photostat of original bible, recorded 1957 by May Wilson McBee, in Mississippi Genealogy Trails, website. Farrell Family History, "GRAND-PRE to MIRO, May 16, 13 Translation No. 6 AT THE FORT OF NATCHEZ, May 16, 1782" entry, website. MS Dept. Archives & Hist., Will Book Vol. 1, Adams Co. Courthouse, Natchez MS, microfilm, Apr 1816. Imbert, J. Leopold, map maker, Carte des Possessions Angloises... 1777, reprinted by the Museum of the American Revolution from map image at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. McBee, May Wilson, comp., "Land Claims", in Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, Book B, p. 390, Book D, pp. 156, 453, 546. McBee, May Wilson, comp., Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, pp. 108, 141, Book A, pp. 1-2, 102, 405, Book B, pp. 69, 83, Book C, pp. 90-93. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, rootsweb, Early Mississippians in Spanish Natchez. Natchez Gazette, Natchez MS, Mar 21, 1901, from an architectural website. Wells, Carol, Natchez Postscripts 1781-1798, Heritage Books, pp. 101, 144-5, 151, |
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