Notes for Joseph RABALAIS, I

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Notes for Joseph RABALAIS, I

JOSEPH RABALAIS, I.

FIRST WHITE SETTLER IN AVOYELLES WHO TOOK THE HIGH GROUND

It has been reported that Joseph Rabalais, I., who had been a known
resident of Pointe Coupee Post, was the first white settler in
Avoyelles. The presence of a high plateau located in the Avoyelles
country was known to Indian natives of this area for many years and they
had established homes along this bluff. Free from the hazards of
periodic floods, they built villages, conducted their affairs, and
developed mounds for the burial of their dead.

Corinne L Saucier, in her book, History of Avoyelles Parish, page 14,
reported the following:

"It must have been on one of these trips that Rabalais and his
friends heard the Indians tell of a place, their home, where there had
never been an overflow. The high water of 1780 mentioned in Martins
History of Louisiana, page 235, no doubt caused many settlers to move to
the Avoyelles island but the earliest settlers had been there for some
time. For, it is said, it was during high water when Rabalais' land was
inundated that he got in a pirogue with his slave and his dog to do a
little exploring. He landed at what is called today Grande Ecore,
approximately one mile east of Mansura. Leaving the Negro and the dog
with the pirogue, he ventured inland, probably looking for a place to
pitch a tent. On returning, he found the dog, but the slave had
disappeared. This was the first 'esclave maron' (runaway), but not the
last according to the old documents found in the Avoyelles Courthouse.

Rabalais must have told his friends about the high and dry land
north of Opelousas and Pointe Coupee, for soon there was a thriving
settlement, with the nucleus between what is now Mansura and Marksville.

By 1780 the settlement had grown to such proportions that Galvez,
Governor of Louisiana, realized it was encroaching on the rights of the
Indians, taking their land from them. Accordingly he sent a commander to
look after the welfare of the Indians and to administer justice to the
new settlers."

The place was named Avoyelles Post and the first records of governmental
affairs date back to 1783. This was not a military fortification as the
Indians were friendly. What was needed was a civil affairs unit and that
would probably have been located near the center of the population and
convenient to the Indians as well as the settlers. This location came to
be known as Hydropolis (a Greek word meaning "watering place or place of
many waters") and was the site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic
Church, established June 8, 1797, which later became St. Paul the Apostle
Catholic Church. This church was later divided with half of the
communicants moving to Marksville to form St. Joseph's Catholic Church
and the balance moving into Mansura. In more recent history, this site
was called Cocoville.

When the population shifted, Hydropolis diminished and the seat of
government was moved to Marksville. Marc Eliche' granted property for a
"Temple of Justice" in his village. The Avoyelles Parish Courthouse now
occupies this site. There are other theories concerning the location of
Avoyelles Post. One of these places it along the northern city limits of
Marksville. The key to understanding this mystery lies in the analysis
of the value of that limited resource, the high ground. White settlers
immediately rushed in to occupy this scarce resource which led to the
appointment of civil government officials. This was followed by
establishment of a church mission to meet the religious needs of the
settlers and development of this fertile agricultural region became a
reality.

It has been documented that Joseph B. Rabalais, I. owned approximately
333 acres of land in this vicinity which he deeded to his son Joseph B.
Rabalais, II. Joseph Rabalais, I. was also known to own land near Lake
Avoyelles (now called Lake Pearl) which lies approximately 5 miles due
west of Mansura.

The earliest references to Joseph Rabalais, I. in Avoyelles Parish is
dated September, 1783. It must be remembered that there are no records
for Avoyelles Parish earlier than 1783. Public land claims after
statehood show that Joseph Rabalais, I. inhabited and cultivated, from
1782 to his death, a tract of land 10 arpents front and the usual 40
arpents deep.* This tract of land was located in Section 52, Township1,
North, Range 4 East of the Louisiana Meridian. According to the Edward
B. Messick map of Avoyelles of 1939, this tract is just east of the town
of Mansura and extending to the edge of the Mansura Hills (bluff) on
Grande Ecore Bayou. This property was deeded to Jean Baptiste Rabalais,
I., the first son of Joseph B. Rabalais, I. on January 3, 1778, and in
turn deeded by Jean Baptiste Rabalais, I. to his son-in-law, Gabriel
Berza on July, 12, 1801. Joseph B. Rabalais, I. also claimed land on
Lake Avoyelles (Lake Pearl). This tract which also measured 10 x 40
arpents (approximately 333 acres) was divided among the heirs.

Bernadine (LaBorde) Eaddy was reared in Mansura, Louisiana on this very
tract of land. Her relatives have owned portions of this tract of land
beginning with Fulgence Zenon Lemoine who owned the land bordered by
Grande Ecore Bayou on the east and Boutte de Bayou on the south. The
descendants of Moise LaBorde have owned portions of this property through
the years and they still do today.

* An arpent is an old French land measurement unit which is approximately
5/6 acre. A tract of land 10 x 40 arpents would equal approximately 333
acres. The unit of measure was not exact and allowed some interpretation
based upon the length of one's stride in measuring the arpent.

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