Estate of

Jean Vavasseur
St. James Parish Clerk of Court
Convent, Louisiana

Summary
Decedent died on
Testate; intestate

April 1st, 1851 in St. James Parish, Louisiana

Intestate (no will and testament)

Succession N
Filed

751
April 14, 1851

Page N
Languages

21
Louisiana French, English

Judicial District
Judge
Clerk of Court
Recorder

4th Judicial District of Louisiana

Albert Duffel
T. J. Gaudet
Victorin Roman

Petitioner
Succession administrator
Attorney for counsel

Joseph Mathieu Vavasseur, also called Joseph Mathias Vavasseur

Joseph Mathieu Vavasseur
St-Marie Brault

Widow(er)
Legitimate heirs

Mary Linder, widow in first marriage of the late James McAlpine

1)
Minor children of Franois Vavasseur, who predeceased his father:
(1) Octavie Vavasseur, (2) Oscalie Vavasseur, (3) Athnase Vavasseur
represented by their natural tutrix, Josphine Arceneaux, widow of
the late Franois Vavasseur, residing in St. James Parish, Louisiana
2)
Joseph Mathieu Vavasseur, residing in St. James Parish, Louisiana
3)
Clestine Vavasseur, widow in first marriage of the late Adam Rhul
and the current wife of Jean-Baptiste Sosthne Mouton, domiciled in
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

Surveyors

William J. Welham, Henri Baudet, Antoine Wbre, Jean-Baptiste Keller

Land arpentage1 or acreage

Slaves
Location of land

2 arpents wide by 29 arpents deep (see next page)

25 (see next page)
Left bank of the Mississippi River, St. James Parish, roughly 60 miles from
New Orleans, between Jefferson College and the property of Henri Baudet
$1,916.40 (worth roughly $59,887.50 in 2015)2
$23,970.39 (worth roughly $749,074.69)
$20,201.19 (worth roughly $631,287.19)

Total debt owed and paid

Gross assets
Balance of assets after debt paid

Arpent is a pre-metric French unit of land measure based on the Roman actus. In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, all
formerly part of French Louisiana, 1 arpent equals 0.84628 acre.
2

Estimates in 2015 are based on Davemanuel.com's inflation calculator at http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php .

Slaves & Plantation

Slaves
Name
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
20.
21.
23.
24.
25.

Description

Occupation

Age

Children

Value

Peggy
None listed
Old domestic
69
$1.00
Isaac
Ditto
Disabled
55
$1.00
Charlotte
Creole negress
None listed
50
$400.00
Charles
None listed
Ditto
46
$1,000.00
Cyrus
Ditto
Ditto
34
$1,000.00
Alexandre
Ditto
Ditto
29
$1,000.00
Aime
Ditto
Ditto
31
valued with 4 minor children:
(8) Justillien, 9 years old; (9) Alexis, 7; (10) Justine,5; (11) Victorine, 3
$1,800.00
Jefferson
Ditto
Ditto
15
$1,000.00
Josette
Ditto
Ditto
12
$600.00
Mary
Ditto
Ditto
10
$500.00
Grgoire
Ditto
Ditto
21
$1,000.00
Berthilde
Ditto
Ditto
29
valued with 3 minor children:
(17) Locadie, 8; (18) Madeleine, 5; (19) Joseph, 2
$1,800.00
Ccile
Ditto
Ditto
29
$600.00
Margueritte
Ditto
Ditto
20
valued with 1 minor son:
(22) Henry, 2
$800.00
Louis
Ditto
Ditto
18
$1,000.00
Rose
Ditto
Ditto
16
$800.00
Claire
Ditto
Ditto
14
$800.00
Total value of slaves:
Roughly worth today:

$14,102
$440,687.50

Rose was adjudicated to F. Kroll for $975.00.

Charlotte was adjudicated to the widow D. B. Sneed, mother-in-law of Joseph Mathieu Vavasseur for
$300 along with the horse named Bill, total $340.
All other slaves adjudicated to Mary Linder, widow of the late Jean Vavasseur, including movables,
horses, and cattle, total sum of $20,578.25.
Chopin and Roman hired unnamed slaves and paid the late Jean Vavasseur $331.50 in a bank note.

Plantation
Located on the left bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 60 miles from New Orleans, measuring 2 arpents
wide, and 29 arpents deep, bordered above by the property of Henri Baudet and below by Jefferson College.
Total value:
$3,000.00
Roughly worth today:
$93,750.00