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soileau fam

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Re: soileau fam

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 8:29PM GMT
Classification: Query
Hello Kimberly,
Although I have no direct information about your immediate Soileau family history, I can tell you that we are probably distantly related. My paternal grandmother was Isabelle Soileau. I have no idea where you are, but if you have any Louisiana connections, you probably are a descendant of Noel Soileau, the first of the Soileaus in this part of the world. He came from France, as a teenager to this area with his uncle, Gerard Pellerin, to work at a concession in Natchez, Mississippi in 1719. After having survived an Indian Massacre in 1729, he was appointed Quartermaster of the Royal warehouse at Natchez after the fort was restored. In 1737 He married Marie-Josephe Richaume. They had three sons and five daughters. The family moved to Louisiana, where some of the children were born in St. Charles Parish.
Before his death in 1757, the family again moved, this time to the Pointe Coupee area, where Noel owned property.

His widow remarried in1765--to Alexander Marcantel. The Soileau children remained in the Pointe Coupee area under an appointed guardian and tutor. Upon emancipation, the three Soileau sons settled in the Opelousas District.

They were the following:
Noel Etienne Soileau, who married Angelique Fontenot in 1771.
Jean Baptiste Soileau, who married Marie-Jeanne De Vidrine in 1776.
These two obtained land in the Grande Prairie area north of Opelousas Post.
Auguste Soileau, the third brother who remained single, established himself in Coteau, south of the Opelousas Post.

Regarding Noel Etienne Soileau:
He was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the French Army and and an officer in the local militia. Noel Etienne was the most noted of the three brothers. From 1788 to 1805, he served as Commandant of Avoyelles Post, where he had previously obtained property, and where some of his children were born. He returned to Grande Prairie area before his death in 1810.

Noel Etienne Soileau also began a male line of descent far larger than that of his brother Jean Baptiste. By 1830, Noel Etienne's five sons had given him a total of 23 grandsons, most of whom had married and started families in St. Landry Parish before the Civil War. Noel Etienne named one of his five sons Jean Baptiste, after his brother of the same name. This son is my ancestor.

In case you are not aware, all of the places named in the above narrative, except Natchez, Mississippi, are in Louisiana.
I have no idea where your family might fit in this story, but I suspect this is probably a part of your history too. I hope this gives you some answers regarding the Soileau background.
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
kimberlysoile... 29 Jan 2011 8:05AM GMT 
ElsiePrejean5... 31 Jan 2011 3:29AM GMT 
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