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From:
Subject: [ACADIAN-CAJUN] Re: More Landrys?
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:10:48 EDT


Dear List,

Three thoughts on the family of Firmin LANDRY.

(1) The record of Firmin's burial at St. Martinville gives his age as 76 [not
67], in the Spanish language of the original:
"LANDRY, Firmin - of Acadia (Alexandre & ---) m. to Theotiste THIBAUDAU He
died suddenly; bur. 4 Feb. 1801 at age "sesenta y dies y seis anos" [literally
60 and 16 years] 76 years. Fr. Michel Bernard BARRIERE (SM Ch.: v.4, #231)"
This is cut and pasted from the record on Donald J. Hebert's CD version of
THE SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA RECORDS. I also found it exactly the same in his revised
vol. 1-B of that series, p. 428.
So, if he was buried in early February 1801 at age 76, he would have
been born around 1724, or early in 1725.

(2) If Firmin LANDRY and the four children he had with first wife Francoise
THIBODEAU are listed on the 7 Jul 1763 census at Oxford, MD, why must everyone
assume that the woman listed as Elizabeth is his wife? Could it not be his
sister Elisabeth LANDRY, who would have been around age 25, and is listed nowhere
else I see in Maryland that year. She does appear in 1769 in Louisiana with
another sister Marie Josephe LANDRY. If Firmin's wife had died in Maryland
before the census, leaving him with four young children (and possibly a baby named
Barbe who appears in 1769 in Attakapas with Firmin's family), would it not be
logical for his never-married younger sister Elisabeth to have moved in to
help?

(3) I am also intrigued by the girl (Anne-)Barbe, who appears from 1770 on in
the household of Ursule LANDRY (widow of Jean BABIN), the older sister of
Firmin. The girl was NOT on the census with this family in 1769. On 28 Oct 1778
she married Joseph MELANSON (dit Vieux), son of Honore & Marie BRAUD, in
Donaldsonville, Ascension parish, LA (ASC-1, 135). Found in Baton Rouge Diocese,
CATHOLIC CHURCH RECORDS, vol. 2, pp. 42 & 535.
Her name on the marriage record is listed as Anna Barbara BABEIN, daughter of
Jean & Ursule LANDRY. Could it be she was adopted, however? One witness to
the marriage was "Joseph BABEIN" (probably the oldest son of Jean BABIN & Ursule
LANDRY); another witness was Maturin (Saturnin?) LANDRY (possibly the son of
Firmin LANDRY & Francoise THIBODEAU).
Some records on the SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA RECORDS CD seems to bear this
theory out, where she is listed again as a LANDRY:
On the birth of her sixth child:
"MELANCON, Louis (Joseph & Barbara LANDRY) b. 7 Jan. 1789, bt. 7 June 1790
Spons: Joseph MINOL & Marie DORET. ...Fr. de DEVA (SM Ch.: v.4, #422)"
And a death/burial record:
" LANDRY, Barbe - wid. of Joseph MELANCON; died 5 Aug. 1817 at age about 66
years at her home at l'ance; buried 6 Aug. 1817 in the parish cemetery. Fr.
Gabriel ISABEY (SM Ch.: v.4, #1120)"

Comments are welcome.

Karen Theriot Reader


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