Immigrants to Colonial Louisiana
Colonial Louisiana was made up of people of French, Canadian, Spanish, Latin
American, Anglo, German, and African descent. Spaniards were the first into the
Mississippi River region in the 16th Century. In 1681 the French explorer
LaSalle explored the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. In honor of King
Louis of France, he called the territory from Canada to the Gulf Louisiana. In
1699, Iberville explored the Gulf Coast and established French forts.
The King of France gave the Compagnie des Indies a 25 year monopoly in
1717 to bring 6000 white settlers and 3000 black slaves to the Louisiana colony.
Those who survived disease, malnutrition and the mosquito-infested swamps often
took off to search for gold.
Compagnie des Indes awarded large land grants called concessions to
wealthy landowners. These landowners then paid the expenses for the Engagees
who were indentured for three years. At the end of that period the Engagees
became land owners with grants of their own.
In 1719 the City of New Orleans was founded. On 6 June 1719, two ships of the
Compagnie des Indes, the Grand Duc du Maine and the Aurore
disembarked at Pensacola from Guinea with a cargo of 500 black slaves. They
began to prepare for the eminent Spanish attack.
In 1719 John Law, originally from Scotland, and now Treasurer of the King's
coffers in France, devised a scheme to populate Louisiana. Free transportation
was promised. About 10,000 Swiss, German, Belgian and Austrian families showed
up at the French ports. The ships were not ready to transport them. Crowded
quarters, exposure to the elements, lack of food, unsanitary conditions and
disease took the lives of half. When the Pest Ships finally sailed,
conditions had not improved and over half the passengers died in route to
Louisiana.
These ships landed in Biloxi Louisiana in 1720. The French were ill-prepared
for boatloads of sick and starving immigrants and more deaths occurred. Some of
the settlers were sent to a concession on the Arkansas River where many were
massacred by Indians. The few Germans who came to New Orleans demanded passage
back to Europe. They were released from bondage and given land grants along the
Mississippi River above New Orleans.
Ships Passenger Lists to Louisiana 1718
Count
de Toulouse - La Rochelle France to Louisiana 15 Nov. 1718
Ships Passenger Lists to Louisiana 1719
Le
Philippe - La Rochelle France to Louisiana 25 Jan. 1719
Le
St. Louis (The St. Louis) - La Rochelle France to Louisiana 21 March 1719
The
Marie - La Rochelle France to Louisiana 28 May 1719
The
Union - La Rochelle France to Louisiana 28 May 1719
Les
Deux Freres (Two Brothers) - La Rochelle France to Louisiana 19 Aug. 1719
Le
Marechal d'Estrees - La Rochelle France to Lousiana 19 Aug. 1719
Le
Duc de Noailles - La Rochelle France to Lousiana 16 Sept. 1719
La
Duchesse de Noailles - From Louisiana to La Rochelle France (no date)
Ships Passenger Lists to Louisiana 1785
L'Amitie
France to Louisiana New Orleans on November 8, 1785
Le
Bon Papa France to Louisiana New Orleans on July 29, 1785
La
Bergere France to Louisiana New Orleans on August 15, 1785
Le
Beaumont France to Louisiana New Orleans on August 19, 1785
La
Caroline France to Louisiana New Orleans on December 17, 1785
Le
Saint-Remi France to Louisiana New Orleans on September 10, 1785
La
Ville d'Archangel France to Louisiana New Orleans on December 3, 1785
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