The Last Will and Testament of Pierre Guidry of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana (ca. 1741-1825)
The will of Pierre Guidry is a genealogical gem as it not only names Pierre's parents (which is one of only two documents that does), but it also states the place of his birth, where he resides currently, names all three wives, all of his children and the spouses of his daughters who have married, where he is to be buried and even the names of slaves that he is emancipating. Pierre Guidry's Last Will and Testament is at the St. Martin Parish Clerk of Court's Office in St. Martinville, Louisiana and is Succession #543. It can be viewed on Ancestry.com at: Pierre Guidry's Last Will and Testament (pp. 154-155)
Pierre Guidry, one of the earliest Guédrys to reach Louisiana, had a remarkable, but tragic-filled, life. Born on the shores of beautiful Merliguèche Bay (today Lunenburg Bay) about 1741, Pierre's parents, Augustin Guédry and Jeanne Hébert, must have died before 1753 as in early April 1752 he was living at Baie des Espagnols on Île Royale with his sister Ursule and her husband Paul Boutin. Pierre was eleven years old. Not far distant on Île Royale were five siblings of Pierre in three households; however, their parents, Augustin Guédry and Jeanne Hébert, have disappeared from the record by 1752. They had migrated from Merliguèche to Île Royale about 1750. The land at Île Royale was very rocky, unfertile and not suitable for agriculture. There were little to no meadows on the island for grazing livestock. By August 1754 these four families were starving and they returned by boat to their former home at Merliguèche (Lunenburg) with the consent of the English at Halifax.
In September 1755 the English Tender Jolly Bacchus sailed into Lunenburg Bay and captured all 50 Acadians there - including Pierre Guidry and the families of most of his siblings. They were taken to Georges Island in Halifax harbor where they were imprisoned with little clothing and food. Two old warehouses were their only shelter during the brutal winter of 1755. On 15 November 1755 the fifty Acadians on Georges Island including Pierre were loaded onto the Sloop Providence under Master Samuel Barron and deported to Edenton, North Carolina on Albemarle Sound. They arrived on 13 January 1756 after being at sea for two months.
Little is known of their stay in North Carolina. Likely they were dispersed to various families in Chowan County where they did manual labor. Almost certainly they remained in poverty. In 1760 after the fall of Québec in 1759 and Montréal in 1760 all of the Acadians in North Carolina, except one (Augustin Deschamps), left North Carolina and headed north. Some went to Maryland and some to Pennsylvania - likely traveling on an oxcart road. Pierre Guidry, now about 19 years of age, probably settled briefly in the Philadelphia area and then went to Salem County, New Jersey. He may have worked at the Wistarburg Glass Works in Alloway, Salem County, New Jersey. He was the parrain (godfather) at several baptisms of his nieces and nephews in the early 1760 at the Geiger/Kiger House in Salem County. Catholicism was illegal in New Jersey at this time; however, Jesuit priests from St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Philadelphia would travel periodically to the Geiger House under pain of death to baptize and marry Catholics, including Acadians, of the area.
In June 1763 Pierre Guidry appears as a single man on the list of Acadians wishing to go to France. About 1764 Pierre Guidry married Marguerite Dupuis, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Dupuis and Anne Breau. A daughter Marie was born to the young couple in 1765. The young family traveled to Port Tobacco, Maryland in between 1765 and 1767 where they met Anne Dupuis, the sister-in-law of Pierre and the widow of Jean-Baptiste Guédry. On 17 December 1767 after boarding the Ship "Jane", Pierre, his wife and daughter, Anne Dupuis and her five children and 141 other Acadians departed Port Tobacco for New Orleans, Louisiana. They arrived in New Orleans on 11 February 1768. After a brief stay in New Orleans to recuperate, these Acadians were sent by the Spanish to San Luis de Natchez (across the Mississippi River from Natchez, Mississippi and just south of today's Vidalia, Louisiana). They protested vociferously against going this far north due to hostile Indians, disease-ridden swamps and dangerous animals. The Spanish, however, forced them to go there. Marguerite Dupuis at this time was expecting their second child - a son born shortly after their arrival. On 18 July 1768 the Commandant of San Luis de Natchez wrote to New Orleans that Pierre Guidry's wife had sores all over her body and there was nothing they could do. She died shortly afterwards along with her daughter and new-born son.
Having lost his entire family at 27 years old and now alone, Pierre Guidry took Claire Babin, daughter of Antoine Babin and Catherine Landry as his new wife. Claire also had traveled from Port Tobacco, Maryland on the Jane and had been sent by the Spanish to San Luis de Natchez. On 23 January 1769 Pierre and Claire along with two other Acadian couples from San Luis de Natchez were married at St. Francis de Pointe Coupée Catholic Church near today's New Roads, Louisiana. They had traveled approximately 165 miles by water from San Luis de Natchez and then had row back to their homes upriver. After several requests by the Acadians of San Luis de Natchez to be allowed to move downriver and live by the Acadian cousins, in December 1768 Spanish Governor O'Reilly agreed to let the Acadians move. Pierre and Claire along with their five-month-old son David Louis Guidry moved to Ascension Parish, Louisiana where they were included in the Census on 1 August 1770 on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
The young family only stayed briefly near Ascension Parish and shortly after the birth of their second son Olivier in 1772, they moved northwest to St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Here they had four additional sons Joseph (b. 1774), Jean-Baptiste (b. 1776), Paul Hypolite (b. ca. 1779) and Augustin (b. 1780). In May 1777 Pierre, Claire and four sons were censused in the Opelousas General Census. After settling in St. Landry Parish, Pierre began to gain some wealth as the 1777 Census states that he had 10 cattle and 12 horses.
In June 1780 tragedy again struck Pierre when his wife Claire died from complications in childbirth. At ca. 39 years of age, Pierre is twice-widowed and has six young boys (ages 0 to 10 years of age) in his care. With the responsibility of caring for six young boys and having to work to provide for his young family, Pierre married Marguerite Miller, daughter of William Miller and Anne Keven, in St. Landry Parish in late 1780 or early 1781. Then in December 1781 the couple welcomed their first child Marguerite, followed by Louis in 1784, Charles in 1785 and Anastasie in 1788. By 1788 the growing family was living in the Grand Coteau area of St. Landry Parish and were becoming prosperous. In the 1788 Census of the Opelousas Post, Pierre's growing family included nine males (Pierre Guidry, his six sons by Claire and two sons by Marguerite), one woman (Marguerite Millier) and two girls (Marguerite and Anastasie). Pierre owned five slaves and had 60 cattle, 40 horses and a tract of land with 18 arpents frontage. In 1789 Victorin was born to Pierre and Marguerite and about 1792 they had Antoine.
In 1791 Pierre Guidry purchased three tracts of land from Mrs. Joseph Alexandre Declouet for the price of 100 bulls. This land fronted Bayou Teche for 50 arpents and was 50 arpents deep. Pierre was the first settler at present-day Cecilia, Louisiana in St. Martin Parish. Between 1792 and 1794 Pierre moved his family to the Cecilia area where his family continued to grow: Pierre fils (b. 1794), Marie Celeste (b. 1796), Ludivine (b. 1799), a son in 1801 that died shortly after birth, Marie Arthemise (b. 1803), Joseph Rosemond (b. 1806) and Marie Catherine Phelonise (b. 1809). Marguerite Miller died in 1822 leaving Pierre thrice-widowed. Both in St. Landry Parish and St. Martin Parish Pierre Guidry had vacheries (cattle ranches). It was on these that he grew his wealth and, when he died in 1825 at the age of 83 years, he owned significant amounts of land, twenty-seven slaves, ranching and farming equipment, livestock, homes, etc. and had an estate valued at over $110,000 (in today's dollars it would be over $3,058,000).
As directed in his will, Pierre Guidry was buried at the cemetery of St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church. This cemetery was located on the grounds of the church and may have been near the parking area of today's church. Sometime during the period of 1830-1850 the cemetery was moved across Bayou Teche to the location of the present St. Michael's Cemetery. Pierre Guidry likely is still buried in his original grave in the vicinity of the church. There are no gravestones today for this original cemetery.
TRANSLATION OF LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF PIERRE GUIDRY
No. 543
Last Will & Testament
Of Pierre Guidry Sen r
Deposited in the office of the
Parish Judge of the Parish of
St Martin, 7th November 1825
Nevaristen
P.B.
State of Louisiana
Today four November one thousand eight hundred twenty Five, I Pierre Guidry inhabitant of St. Martin parish, native of the County of Acadia, legitimate son of Augustin Guidry, and of Jeanne hebert, both deceased, with my ordinary mark, and in the presence of witnesses, finding myself Sick in bed, but, in my full Judgement, Memory, and Understanding, fearing to be Surprised by death considering the uncertainty of my hour, wanting to put my temporal affairs in order for that purpose I have dictated in a loud and audible voice to Mr. Pierre Labyche resident of this parish my last wishes, as follows Namely
As a Catholic, apostolic, & Roman, I wish to be interred in the Catholic Cemetery of this parish, & I direct to my testamentary executor to have three masses said, for the repose of my soul, because such is my wish.
Item I declare to have been married in the presence of our Holy mother Church three times; firstly with the late Margueritte Dupuy, Of which marriage I have had two children who have died in infancy; Secondly with the late Claire Babin, of which marriage I have still Living Olivier Guidry, Joseph Guidry, J n B te Guidry, hipolite Guidry, Augustin Guidry, I declare besides to have another son named David Guidry, deceased, who has left several children with I declare in order that it be Established; thirdly, with the late Margueritte Miller of which marriage I have still living ten children, - named Margueritte Guidry, wife of pierre Broussard, Louis Guidry, Charles Guidry, Nastasie Guidry wife of David Rees, antoine Guidry, pierre Guidry, Celestine Guidry wife of R. Eastin, arthemise Guidry, wife of D r Thomas, Rosemond Guidry, and felonise Guidry I declare besides to have had two other children named Victorin Guidry, & Divine Guidry Wife of flecher Picou, who have left several Children, which I declare in order that it be Established.
Item I give and bequeath to pierre Guidry my godson, legitimate of Louis Guidry & Celesie Savoy, his father and mother, a negress named Sujette age
Nevaristen
P.B.
Nevaristen
P.B.
Of about Six years, for the said pierre Guidry my godson, for him to enjoy, and dispose of as property belonging to him on the said Day of my death.
Item I give and bequeath to my first six children, Namely, Olivier Guidry, Joseph Guidry, J n B te Guidry, hipolite Guidry, Augustin Guidry as well as the Children of the late David Guidry; Twelve arpents of land which they already have in their possession, & by which they were obliged to Each deliver two hundred piastres in bulk in order for them to enjoy and dispose of as if belonging to them on the said Day of my death.
Item in consideration of kind and loyal services, without interruption, during more than twenty five years I grant freedom to my mulattress named Lalie, age Of about thirty one years, as well as to her two children named Louisa, age of about eight years and Adelle, age of about five years, for that purpose I direct to my Testamentary Executor after my death to fulfill the formalities required by law, & to grant to them The certificate of Freedom, in good form conforming to that, which regard to the two little girls Louisa, and Adelle in all which that will be compatible with the law, in this case such is my will.
Item I appoint, and name for my only and sole heirs, my aforesaid children, Olivier Guidry, Joseph Guidry, J n B te Guidry, hipolite Guidry, Augustin Guidry, as well as all the children of the late David Rees, Marguerite Guidry, wife of pierre Broussard, Louis Guidry, Charles Guidry, Nastasie Guidry, wife of David Rees, Antoine Guidry, pierre Guidry, Celestine Guidry, wife of R. Eastin, Artemise Guidry, wife of D r Thomas, Rosemond Guidry, felonise Guidry, & all the children of the late Victorin Guidry, & the late Divine Guidry, wife of flecher Picou, in order that after my death they inherit in equal shares of the little Estate that I possess with the Will and Blessing of God, & of my own.
Item I name for my testamentary executor Sieur Joseph Louis Charles Garrigues de flaujeac, land-surveyor of the parish of Oppeloussas, in order that immediately, after my death, assisted by Two Appraisers, the one named by him, and the other by my heirs, it may be done out-of-court & without any Judge I impose
Nevaristen
P.B.
Nevaristen
P.B.
The inventory, and The estimation of my estate, which shall be sold in the manner which he will decide, as well as by my said heirs the more proper.
I revoke & annul, nullify of any Value, Ineffective any other will, or Codicil which I would have made or happened to make before this one, which alone must have its complete and entire effect.
This Will has been thus dictated by the testator to said Sieur pierre Labjche who then wrote such as he has been dictated, thence has made afterwards a Reading to the Testator who has said to understand it completely & is steadfast, & the testator has declared to not be able to write, nor Sign, with regard to witnesses, they have signed with me after reading of the whole.
Ordinary mark of
X
Pierre Guidry
Witnesses
Martin Sudrique
Cyrille Thibodeau
A dre Robichaud
Daniel Zéringue Fils
Placide Thibodeaux
Victor Dupuis
Alexi Dupuis
Onezime Patin
Labjche
Nevaristen
P. Briant Judge of the Court of Probates Parish S t Martin
View the original document: Pierre Guidry's Last Will and Testament (PDF)