The Saucier Family - Page 10
We have made her a loan of 1,000 livres (about $4,000 in today’s money) on the cashier to cover this debt, and by this means this woman has remained with her children who are grown and who will be in a position to do something if we can make them an advance of two Slaves”.
Due to Gabrielle’s proven capability to manage her family's affairs and the energy she demonstrated by the multi business arrangements she had engaged in to support her family, without any support from France or the Colony, and the great promise seen by the Colony’s officials in the sons “she has so well reared”, the colonial government at New Orleans, it seems, finally came to the conclusion it would better serve the good of the Company of the Indies, the French government and the colony to keep the family at New Orleans, instead of letting them leave for the islands as Gabrielle had requested. The officials at New Orleans then met with Gabrielle to offer lucrative inducements to keep the family from leaving the Louisiana Colony, which she accepted. The offer they made to Gabrielle was one that would allow her to quickly reestablish her holdings within the city. With Gabrielle accepting the offer and consenting to remain at New Orleans, the Company of the Indies then advanced her the money, after she signed the legal promissory note, which was sufficient enough to cover all her former debts, purchase slaves, and reestablish her family home in New Orleans. After the agreement was signed the officials then voided Gabrielle's request for passage to St. Domingue for herself and her sons. With this advance of money made by the Company of the Indies Gabrielle reestablished the family residence at New Orleans and they then resumed their normal lives and activities in the city.
Gabrielle’s secondhand goods business, where she bought and resold assorted items, could have been New Orleans first “Marche a Puces” (Flea Market) and located possibly in the area of the present-day French Market located on the river front. Gabrielle, along with her business pursuits also resumed her services as a midwife after resettling in New Orleans. In later years she finally bought and settled on a plantation and farm down river from the city where they grew tobacco and other crops. Gabrielle undoubtedly was a good manager of her business affairs as she eventually owned three different homes and property in New Orleans as well as the Plantation down river from New Orleans. In mid 1727, she was living in New Orleans with her four sons, three servants and three cows on Royale Street. This was the land granted to her in 1722 after her move to New Orleans from Mobile, and not part of the inducement given to retain the family at New Orleans in 1727. In 1731, she is listed in the census as living on a plantation and farm consisting of 22 arpents (8 1/2 acres) on the east side of the Mississippi River, just below New Orleans with three children and seven slaves. Oldest son Henri, not yet married, would have been in Illinois at this time pursuing his trade as a merchant and not with his family at their residence at New Orleans. Gabrielle retained ownership of the property located on Royale Street after moving to the plantation and farm below New Orleans.
In 1731 Gabrielle was also granted another particle of land, lot 140, on Royale Street just down the block, west of her original land grant. In the Census of 1732 of New Orleans, Gabrielle is listed as the owner of residential property located on Chartres Street in addition to her other property on Royale and it was rented out to a family. This second land grant on Royale Street was sold in 1736, after Gabrielle's death, as a means of making a partial payment on the money advanced to Gabrielle in 1727 by the Company of the Indies. It is unknown on what date in 1736 or to whom the property on Charters Street was sold to by her sons.
After Gabrielle’s death on October 27, 1735, at the age of fifty-one years and her funeral services at Saint Louis Cathedral, Henri, the oldest son, took charge of Gabrielle’s estate. The brothers agreed that some items of the estate would be immediately sold to pay down part of their mothers debt to the Company of the Indies. Since no Will was ever made by Gabrielle, shortly after her death an inventory of furniture and all belongings of Gabrielle's estate was taken by an employee of Joseph Bizoton for the Administrator-General of the King in the presence of her two sons, Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne and Francois Saucier, three additional witnesses, and the King's Notary. The Succession listing was prepared, notarized and signed by her sons listing her possessions at the time of her death. Bizoton also inventoried the property located in New Orleans at #16 (160?) on the corner of Royal and St. Peters Streets and all its fixtures with servants' quarters located in its rear yard and other improvements also owned by Gabrielle. Seals were placed on the main inventoried items for the Company of the Indies until all amounts owed to them by Gabrielle and by her husbands, Saucier, and Vifvarenne were paid to the company. Antoine Brusle, as the agent of the Company of the Indies, insisted that no seal be removed from any of Gabrielle's effects until all amounts due the company were paid.
On Thursday, August 9, 1736, at a meeting in New Orleans with Company officials, Henri and his brothers acknowledged the balance of their mother's debt to the Company of the Indies of 9,858 livres, 7 sols, and 3 deniers that had been advanced to their late mother; this would have been equivalent to somewhat under $4,000 today. It was a huge sum of money for this era, if not a small fortune. This sum included the cost of the slaves allotted to Gabrielle, the widow Saucier. This was part of the inducement given by the governor to induce Gabrielle and her sons to remain and re-establish their home in the Louisiana Colony after she applied for passage to move her family to St. Dominique in 1726. During this meeting the brothers obligated themselves to pay what was due to the Company of the Indies in five equal payments over a five-year period. After making the last payment, they agreed to make a general division of the remainder of the estate among themselves of house, lots and slaves.
Nine days after the brothers signed the legal documents and acknowledged the debt of their mother to the Company of the Indies, they met again on Saturday, August 18, 1736, to legally post the Succession of Gabrielle and the inventory of her estate with the Royal Notary at New Orleans.
When the time came, after the repayment of Gabrielle's debt, the brothers drew lots from a hat to decide who got what from the remaining items of the estate. Four equal shares were made with the consent of all heirs, in the presence of three witnesses, Louis Tiserant, Sieur Amyot and Nicolas Brantan. Four small pieces of paper of equal size were rolled up, containing the contents of each share, and placed in a hat, afterwards, it was agreed that Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne, age nineteen, as the youngest brother, would draw for himself and the other heirs. The first lot drawn consisting of three adult slaves fell to Henri Saucier, the second lot consisting of three adult slaves fell to Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne, the third lot which consisted of two adult slaves and two children fell to Jean Baptiste Saucier II, and the fourth lot, comprising a lot and house with all the improvements, a male slave, age thirteen years, a female slave of seven years, fell to Francois Saucier, not yet of legal age. Francois’s shares were to serve for his support, but he would not be able to sell nor touch anything until he reached the (then) full legal age of twenty-five years. At this time Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne had also received his inheritance from his father that had been overseen by his older brother Henri Saucier, but as his brother Francois, he could not do anything with it until reaching the full legal age of twenty-five years. Gabrielle's Succession is today held in the files of the Louisiana Historical Center in New Orleans along with the petition of emancipation for her son Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne that was granted and signed by Henri and his brothers, as well as the legal document acknowledging Gabrielle's debt to the Company of the Indies signed in 1736 by her sons.
Gabrielle had been buried in a cemetery on the banks of the river at New Orleans. Later, as the city grew and expanded, these early settlers of New Orleans buried in that cemetery were disinterred and their remains then transferred to Saint Louis Cathedral and reburied under the floors of the Cathedral along with the priests and other church officials according to family legends. In the mid 1960's a plaque listing this information was located on an inside hallway wall across from the entrance to the sanctuary of St. Louis Cathedral. The city eventually was built over what had been the early cemetery.
During the past we have heard stories that many streets and building were eventually built over different old cemetery sites in New Orleans without removal and reinternment of those buried at those sites. Then too, we have over a period of many years heard accounts from historians and genealogists of the early colonial settlers of New Orleans, including our family matriarch Gabrielle Savary, being disinterred from the original cemetery on the banks of the Mississippi and reinterred under the floors of St. Louis Cathedral as the city expanded. Many have questioned the authenticity of the old accounts as no actual information or statements were publicly made, to our knowledge, to confirm those burials by the Church until this 2014 account by a local New Orleans Television Station, that does possibly authenticate those early burials and reinternments.
Due to Gabrielle’s proven capability to manage her family's affairs and the energy she demonstrated by the multi business arrangements she had engaged in to support her family, without any support from France or the Colony, and the great promise seen by the Colony’s officials in the sons “she has so well reared”, the colonial government at New Orleans, it seems, finally came to the conclusion it would better serve the good of the Company of the Indies, the French government and the colony to keep the family at New Orleans, instead of letting them leave for the islands as Gabrielle had requested. The officials at New Orleans then met with Gabrielle to offer lucrative inducements to keep the family from leaving the Louisiana Colony, which she accepted. The offer they made to Gabrielle was one that would allow her to quickly reestablish her holdings within the city. With Gabrielle accepting the offer and consenting to remain at New Orleans, the Company of the Indies then advanced her the money, after she signed the legal promissory note, which was sufficient enough to cover all her former debts, purchase slaves, and reestablish her family home in New Orleans. After the agreement was signed the officials then voided Gabrielle's request for passage to St. Domingue for herself and her sons. With this advance of money made by the Company of the Indies Gabrielle reestablished the family residence at New Orleans and they then resumed their normal lives and activities in the city.
Gabrielle’s secondhand goods business, where she bought and resold assorted items, could have been New Orleans first “Marche a Puces” (Flea Market) and located possibly in the area of the present-day French Market located on the river front. Gabrielle, along with her business pursuits also resumed her services as a midwife after resettling in New Orleans. In later years she finally bought and settled on a plantation and farm down river from the city where they grew tobacco and other crops. Gabrielle undoubtedly was a good manager of her business affairs as she eventually owned three different homes and property in New Orleans as well as the Plantation down river from New Orleans. In mid 1727, she was living in New Orleans with her four sons, three servants and three cows on Royale Street. This was the land granted to her in 1722 after her move to New Orleans from Mobile, and not part of the inducement given to retain the family at New Orleans in 1727. In 1731, she is listed in the census as living on a plantation and farm consisting of 22 arpents (8 1/2 acres) on the east side of the Mississippi River, just below New Orleans with three children and seven slaves. Oldest son Henri, not yet married, would have been in Illinois at this time pursuing his trade as a merchant and not with his family at their residence at New Orleans. Gabrielle retained ownership of the property located on Royale Street after moving to the plantation and farm below New Orleans.
In 1731 Gabrielle was also granted another particle of land, lot 140, on Royale Street just down the block, west of her original land grant. In the Census of 1732 of New Orleans, Gabrielle is listed as the owner of residential property located on Chartres Street in addition to her other property on Royale and it was rented out to a family. This second land grant on Royale Street was sold in 1736, after Gabrielle's death, as a means of making a partial payment on the money advanced to Gabrielle in 1727 by the Company of the Indies. It is unknown on what date in 1736 or to whom the property on Charters Street was sold to by her sons.
After Gabrielle’s death on October 27, 1735, at the age of fifty-one years and her funeral services at Saint Louis Cathedral, Henri, the oldest son, took charge of Gabrielle’s estate. The brothers agreed that some items of the estate would be immediately sold to pay down part of their mothers debt to the Company of the Indies. Since no Will was ever made by Gabrielle, shortly after her death an inventory of furniture and all belongings of Gabrielle's estate was taken by an employee of Joseph Bizoton for the Administrator-General of the King in the presence of her two sons, Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne and Francois Saucier, three additional witnesses, and the King's Notary. The Succession listing was prepared, notarized and signed by her sons listing her possessions at the time of her death. Bizoton also inventoried the property located in New Orleans at #16 (160?) on the corner of Royal and St. Peters Streets and all its fixtures with servants' quarters located in its rear yard and other improvements also owned by Gabrielle. Seals were placed on the main inventoried items for the Company of the Indies until all amounts owed to them by Gabrielle and by her husbands, Saucier, and Vifvarenne were paid to the company. Antoine Brusle, as the agent of the Company of the Indies, insisted that no seal be removed from any of Gabrielle's effects until all amounts due the company were paid.
On Thursday, August 9, 1736, at a meeting in New Orleans with Company officials, Henri and his brothers acknowledged the balance of their mother's debt to the Company of the Indies of 9,858 livres, 7 sols, and 3 deniers that had been advanced to their late mother; this would have been equivalent to somewhat under $4,000 today. It was a huge sum of money for this era, if not a small fortune. This sum included the cost of the slaves allotted to Gabrielle, the widow Saucier. This was part of the inducement given by the governor to induce Gabrielle and her sons to remain and re-establish their home in the Louisiana Colony after she applied for passage to move her family to St. Dominique in 1726. During this meeting the brothers obligated themselves to pay what was due to the Company of the Indies in five equal payments over a five-year period. After making the last payment, they agreed to make a general division of the remainder of the estate among themselves of house, lots and slaves.
Nine days after the brothers signed the legal documents and acknowledged the debt of their mother to the Company of the Indies, they met again on Saturday, August 18, 1736, to legally post the Succession of Gabrielle and the inventory of her estate with the Royal Notary at New Orleans.
When the time came, after the repayment of Gabrielle's debt, the brothers drew lots from a hat to decide who got what from the remaining items of the estate. Four equal shares were made with the consent of all heirs, in the presence of three witnesses, Louis Tiserant, Sieur Amyot and Nicolas Brantan. Four small pieces of paper of equal size were rolled up, containing the contents of each share, and placed in a hat, afterwards, it was agreed that Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne, age nineteen, as the youngest brother, would draw for himself and the other heirs. The first lot drawn consisting of three adult slaves fell to Henri Saucier, the second lot consisting of three adult slaves fell to Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne, the third lot which consisted of two adult slaves and two children fell to Jean Baptiste Saucier II, and the fourth lot, comprising a lot and house with all the improvements, a male slave, age thirteen years, a female slave of seven years, fell to Francois Saucier, not yet of legal age. Francois’s shares were to serve for his support, but he would not be able to sell nor touch anything until he reached the (then) full legal age of twenty-five years. At this time Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne had also received his inheritance from his father that had been overseen by his older brother Henri Saucier, but as his brother Francois, he could not do anything with it until reaching the full legal age of twenty-five years. Gabrielle's Succession is today held in the files of the Louisiana Historical Center in New Orleans along with the petition of emancipation for her son Jean Baptiste Vifvarenne that was granted and signed by Henri and his brothers, as well as the legal document acknowledging Gabrielle's debt to the Company of the Indies signed in 1736 by her sons.
Gabrielle had been buried in a cemetery on the banks of the river at New Orleans. Later, as the city grew and expanded, these early settlers of New Orleans buried in that cemetery were disinterred and their remains then transferred to Saint Louis Cathedral and reburied under the floors of the Cathedral along with the priests and other church officials according to family legends. In the mid 1960's a plaque listing this information was located on an inside hallway wall across from the entrance to the sanctuary of St. Louis Cathedral. The city eventually was built over what had been the early cemetery.
During the past we have heard stories that many streets and building were eventually built over different old cemetery sites in New Orleans without removal and reinternment of those buried at those sites. Then too, we have over a period of many years heard accounts from historians and genealogists of the early colonial settlers of New Orleans, including our family matriarch Gabrielle Savary, being disinterred from the original cemetery on the banks of the Mississippi and reinterred under the floors of St. Louis Cathedral as the city expanded. Many have questioned the authenticity of the old accounts as no actual information or statements were publicly made, to our knowledge, to confirm those burials by the Church until this 2014 account by a local New Orleans Television Station, that does possibly authenticate those early burials and reinternments.