Louise Doucet (abt. 1737 - abt. 1816)

Born about 1737 in Fort Toulouse, Basse-Louisiane, Nouvelle-France

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 16 Oct 1816 at about age 79 in Grand Prairie, St. Landry, Louisiana, United States [uncertain]

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Louise Doucet lived in Louisiana. Join: Louisiana Families Project Discuss: louisiana

Biography

Louise Doucet has French origins.

Louise Doucet, the first of the two daughters of Pierre Doucet and Marie Francoise Pagot apparently named Louise, was probably born about 1737 or 1738, based on her listing as a 40-year-old in the census of 1777, and probably at Fort Toulouse in southern (present-day) Alabama, under the French regime.

As the English gained control of the French Alabama forts after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, many of the French residents migrated west to Louisiana. The baptism of Louise's youngest brother, Joseph, in New Orleans in early 1764 indicates that the Doucet family was among them.^[1] After the baptism in New Orleans they moved west to the Opelousas Post, where they were later enumerated on the 1777 census. By then Louise had a family of her own, but they, too, migrated and were counted on the census.^[2]

Louise married Pierre Fontenot, son of Jean Louis Fontenot and Marie Louise Angelique (Henry) Fontenot, probably about 1756, based on the dates of birth for their children, probably by a priest at Fort Toulouse. The baptisms and marriages of many of their children were recorded at St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.

Known children of Marie Louise and Pierre:

1. Angelique Fontenot (c.1757)
2. Simon Fontenot (c.1759)
3. Felicite Fontenot (c.1763)
4. Henry Fontenot (c.1767)
5. Francoise Fontenot (c.1770)
6. Laurent Fontenot (c.1773)
7. Julien Fontenot (c.1774)
8. Zaire Fontenot (c.1776)
9. Marie Louise Fontenot (1777)

Census Data

1777 Census of Opelousas Post^[2]

Family 22

- Pierre Fontenaut, age 50; 34 cattle, 5 horses, 10 hogs, 0 sheep

- Louise Doucet, wife, 40

- Simon, son, 18

- Henry, son, 10

- Laurent, son, 4

- Julien, son, 3

- Felicitie, daughter, 14

- Francoise, daughter, 7

- Zaire, daughter, 1

- Slaves: 1

Louise Doucet's death information is unclear. The death data entered in this profile is problematic-- not surprising given the challenges posed by the names of this woman and her younger sister, Marie Louise Doucet, (c.1752). The data entered as her date of death (1816) is unsourced. There appears to be a typo in the year, as it otherwise almost matches this record found in Hebert's SWLR CD:

"DOUCET, Marie Louise - widow of Henri FONTENOT - died at her home in la Grand Preerie [Prairie] at age about 80 years [sic], after being strengthened by the holy sacraments; bur. 17 Oct. 1819 in the parish cemetery. Fr. Flavius Henri ROSSI (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.184)

Having been born c.1737, Louise would have been about 80 years old in 1819.

However, the glaring problem is the name on that record is her sister's (granted, almost identical) name, and the name of the spouse is that of her sister's. The priests very often got the ages wrong on death records, and often got the spouse wrong as well. Unfortunately, in this case of two sisters named Louise, both married Fontenot brothers, so the opportunities for confusion are compounded.

Research Notes

The potential for confusion with her sister is reason for Project Protected Profile status.

Two Fontenot brothers, Henri (b.1742) and his older brother, Pierre, (b.1726) married two sisters, Marie Louise (b. 1752) and her older sister, Louise, (b. 1737). It was not uncommon for siblings of one family to marry siblings of another. It was not uncommon for siblings to share part of a prenom. I would like to discover the elder Louise's entire prenom.

Sources

1. ↑ Archdiocese of New Orleans Sacramental Records, Vol. 2, 1751-1771, Rev. Monsignor Earl C. Woods, ed. (New Orleans, LA: Diocese of N.O., 1988) p. 97

   DOUSSES Joseph (Pierre, surnamed MAURICE, and Marie PAGOT, bt. Feb. 9, 1764, bn. Sept. 24, 1763, s. Joseph SILVESTRE and Genevieve DAUPHINES, both from Alabama (SLC, B5, 38)

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Winston De Ville, Southwest Louisiana Families in 1777: Census Records of Attakapas and Opelousas Posts (Ville Platte, Louisiana, 1987) citing Papeles Procedentes de Cuba, at the General Archives of the Indies in Seville, Spain; legajo 2358, folios 258 -300