Big changes have come to Genealogy.com — all content is now read-only, and member subscriptions and the Shop have been discontinued.
 
Learn more

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]

Descendants of Jacques Guyon

Generation No. 4


6. FRANCOIS-DION-DESPRES4 GUYON (FRANCOIS-DESPRES3, JEAN2, JACQUES1) was born February 06, 1670/71 in Quebec, Canada, and died February 1733/34 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He married JEANNE DE-LA-GRAND-TERRE,(INDIAN). January 14, 1724/25 in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She died October 25, 1736 in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Notes for FRANCOIS-DION-DESPRES GUYON:
Francois Guyon, fifth child and second son of this parents Francois Guyon DesPres and Marie-Madeleine Marsolet, came to Louisiana in its earliest period of settlement, according to documents in the French archives as early as 1706. Perhaps the most interesting reference to him in the early records occours in a letter from Martin D'Artaguiette to the French minister of colonial affairs in 1711 (Ref: Colonial Archives of France c13, A2, p639 and 640) in which he states (translated): "I take the liberty of appprising you of the sad situation of Sieur Derbanne, commissary at the storehouse on Massacre Island. This poor young man is peniless since the taking of his place (EDITOR'S NOTE: by an English corasire) and has lost everyting to the last shirt. He is a very honest man, courageous and intelligent. He has been at work here for five years, during which he has exerted faithfully. He served in this last campaign on Vera Cruz. He cannot exist with the present remuneration. I beseech your lordship to award him the brevet of scribe which will obligated him throughout his career for your generosity....."

Although Derbanne's contributions to Louisiana settlement and history were conspicously ignored by the traditional historians of Gulf Coast history, recent years have seen a growing awareness of his importance. Professor Marcel Giraud, in particular, has contributed to this "rehabilitation" through numerous references to Derbanne in his monumental four-volume work, Histoire de la Louisiane Francaise.

In Louisiana History, (Volume VIII, No. 3, pp. 239-259) is an article written by Datherine Bridges and Winston DeVille (the latter a descendant of Pierre LeDoux): "Natchitodhes and the Trail to the Rio Grande: Two Early Eighteenth Century Accounts by the Sieur Derbanne", which presents the best biography of Derbanne to date, though at the tiem the piece was published the authors were not aware of Derbanne's exact family background. Nor were they aware of the above citation from the Colonial Archives, which places his arrival in Louisiana several years earlier than they srumised. With those remarks as caveat for the reader, we will quote the foreword from the two Derbanne accounts.

"It is the elopement that is remembered when the name of Derbanne is mentioned. Though more than two centuries have passed since young Baptiste Derbanne carried off Victoria Gonzales from the Spanish outpost of Los Adaes against her father's wishes, the story is still being told in Louisiana. But almost no one has heard the name of Francois Dion Depres Derbanne, that bold young man's father. His contemproary, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, and his own son have completely overshadowed the elder Derbanne; perhaps the romance of their clandestine wooing of Spanish brides has kept their memories green. But Francois Dion Deprez Derbanne's very substantial claims to a place in the history of Louisiana and Texas have been all but forgotten.

Yet this Derbanne, though more prosaic, is more repersentative of the early settlers of Louisiana. He was an intrepid explorer, a shrewd businessman, and an energetic habitant. A marginal note on a 1713 memorandum on conditions in Louisiana sums up the quality of the man: "Sieur d'Herbanne, Keeper of the Warehouse of Fort Louis. . . is a man reliable, faithful and necessary for the trade in the things we need among the Indians." His best claim to a place in history rests upon his plain and careful account of a trip across Texas to Mexico in 1716-1717 and his description of Louisiana's earliest settlement, Natchitoches, as it appeared in the first years of its existence. These no doubt will be read long after the bayou which now bears his name has gone the way of the earlier Lake Derbanne and Riviere a Derbanne.

Unfortunately, Derbanne's writings have not been widely read because English translations are not easily available. The "Relations par le Sieur Derbanne," which describes the journey of the Canadians, Derbanne, LaFresniere and DeBeaulieu, to the Rio Grande has, of course, long been available in French in Pierre Margry's Explorations des Affluents du Mississippi et Decouverte des Montagnes Rocheuses (1679-1754). But Derbanne's "Relation du Poste de Natchitoches" is much less accessible. A transcription is in the Newberry Library: the account is a part of MS 293, a collection of memoirs concerning French possessions, 1702-1750. Photostats of the Newberry Library's copy of the documents are available in Louisiana in the librairies of Tulane and Northwestern State College.

It is the purpose of this article to present both the "Relation par le Sieur Derbanne" and the "Relation du poste de Natchitoches" in English translation together with suh facts about Derbanne himself as can be gleaned from the existiong records.

Like his more famous contemporary, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, Derbanne was a Canadian. The Derbanne family of Canada, according to the account in the Dictionaire Genealogique des Famillies Canadiennes by the Abbe Tanguag, was allied with that of Guyon Desprez. Derbanne was born in Quebec, probably in the 1680's for he took a man's part in an exploration of the Missouri river in 1706- - an expedition which he later called a disappointment because no mines were found in the upper Missouri Country. By 1710 Derbanne had moved south to Dauphin Island. There he was in charge of the warehouse of the little French post of the Gulf of Mexico. When a raid was made on the island by an English privateer from Jamaica in 1710, he suffered ruinons losses. Six years later he took part n the first Natchez war. In late January 1716, in company with francois du Tisne, he had left Dauphin Island for the Natchez country. They were the advance guards in charge of provisions for Bienville's expedition against the Natchez.


A few moths later Derbanne joined St. Denis in forming a commercial partnership with five other Canadians with the object of trading in the Spaniards' own country: ". . .they purchased from the stores fo M. Crozat sixty thousands livres of merchandize to sell the Spaniards in the kingdom of New Leon." Upon Derbanne's return from this dangerous trading journey, described in detail in this account given below, he went back to Dauphin Island. there he secured fro himself the paoition of chief clerk and warehouse-keeper of the newly-extablished military post of Natchitoches. He arrived in Natchitoches in the first part of January 1717. By 1722 he was being paid a salary of twelve hundred livres.


Although the practice was not approved by the Company of the West, Derbanne took up a concession and worked it in addition to atttending to his duties as warehouse-keeper. He had begun to clear his land, which lay close by Fort St. Jean Baptiste and near a wood of holly trees, as early as January 29, 1722. However, his arduous work on his land did not keep him from serving also as business. agent, or "subdelegue," during the next ten years. Truly, as he said himself, it was impossible for thim to be idle. In spite of the rigors of the climate at the little Red River outpost, and the usual dangers fo frontier life, the harly Canadian had in his first nine years in Natchitoches managed to clear about forty acres fo land. In this labor he had the assistance of his seventeen slaves, two of whom were Indians and the rest Negroes. Besides his slaves, his property in 1726 consisted of five head of cattle and sixteen horses. Next to the commandant, he was the richest man in the little settlement.

When and where Francois Dion Desprez Derbanne married his wife, Jeanne de la Grande Terre, is not known. Their marriage may have occurred in 1715 or 1716 since the birth dates fo their son was 1716. The census of 1722 credits Derbanne with three children, but makes no mention of his wife. By 1726, four children had been born to them: Jean Baptiste Dion, Jeanne Dion, Jean Deprez, and Louise Marguerite. Later two other children wer born, Gaspard and Pierre.

That these children were half-breeds seems reasonalbly certain. No family name is given in the existing records for their mother; shis is called simply "Jeanne de la Grande Terre." There is every reason to suppose that the "Grand Terre," which was her home, was the same Grand Terre mentioned in the "Memoires sur les Natchitoches," that is, the high country rising to the west of Red River at Natchitoches, A manuscript map, probalbly by Jean de Beaurain, which is found with the manuscript of LaHarpe's Journal and entitled "Petite isle et fort des Natchitoches etablie par les francois sur la riviere rouge aportee de pistolet de la grande terre, elle a 600 toises de long sur 300 de large," also gives support to this hypothesis. The "Villages des Natchitoches" is, moreover, shown on D'Anville's 1732 map in the same place where the "Grand Terre Piniere" appears on a 1794 map. It is probable that Jeanne de la Grande Terre was a Natchitoches Indian.

Derbanne seems to have won the confidence of thes Indians fro he was able to explain their grievances to St. Denis in 1733 at a time when they held the Natchitoches fort in what was almost a state of seige for six months.

In 1734 Derbanne died in New Orleans and presumably was buried there. His wife, Jeanne, died on October 29, 1736, and was buried in the cemetery in Natchitoches. His heirs continued to wrangle over his considerable property for sixteen years after his death. If any of them or their descendeants valued his writings or preserved copies of them, that fact has not yet come to light. The two accounts which follow are in the nature of official reports, and personal references are only incidental. Nevertheless, thes written remais constitute a worthy monument to the intrepid Derbanne.



JOURNEY OF THE CANADIANS, GRAVELINE,
DERBANNE, LaFRESNIERE AND DEBEAULIEU
TO THE RIO GRANDE RIVER
1716-1717

Account of Sieur Derbanne. Dauphin Island.
November 1, 1717


I shall not speak here about the Red river because others have sent reports (about it); I shall say only that this river floods during high water and one cannot find any ground to camp on. When it is down, navigation is impossible because of the lack of water; it is necessary to (navigate) when it has risen half way. Its air-line is West-North-West.

We left the Natchitoches on November 22, 1716, and we arrived on January 22 at the Assinais. I reckeon the distance from one village to the other as 55 leagues. The country is good enough; there are small mountains, mixed woods: pines, oaks, walnut trees and some white-wood trees (such) as are in Canada. The trail is very good, and its direction is West and Southwest.......

On the 21st we made 4 leagues. We crossed the Rio Grande and came to the Presidio, where there is a captain and thirty soldiers and two missions. One is named San Juan Bautista and the other San Bernardo. The soldiers serve only to protect the two missions from the threat of Indians. There is no silver in this place; their trade is in cattle, horses, sheep and goats. The Rio Grande is a fine river, deep enough for a pirogue at all seasons; it is not wooed except fro little fredoches, the bed is rocky; it is two hundred paces wide. Fifty leagues above where we crossed it, there is a post which is only 18 leagues from the Rio Grande called San Gregorio, where there are ten soldiers stationed; mining is done in that place, where there are several mines now being wroked; this place is at the 30th degree North.

It would be much easier to traqde by this river than to undertake trading by way of the Natchitoches, which is almost impossible; the reason is that the Spaniards will not transport their silver 300 leagues by land, through enemy counry in order to come to the (country) of the Natchitoches for merchandise. I do not say, (that) if there were mines in the (country of the Assinais where not be a good place for a post; but the Spaniards will solve all that difficulty, for they are going to establish a post on the River of M. de LaSalle, and that will be where they will obtain all their necessities. I know this from a Recollect priest who has been ordered to go inspect these lands and is to set out soon after our departure from the Rio Grande.

The Spaniards assured me that there were still some French families from the time M. de LaSalle settled that place. These were the families whom the Indians had not destroyed and who are now living among the Indians.

It would have been preferable that the French, instead of settling at Mobile, had settled on this river. There aresome very beautiful lands near the Spaniards where we could trade in silver and cattle. Wild beeves are there in abundance. A pirogue can go up that river to do their mines with nothing to fear except the Indians. However, it is very easy to make peace with these nations because they are all enemies of the Spaniards.

I see no other place suitable for trade than an establishment on the River M. de LaSalle; the settlers within one year would have more opportunity in that place than they would have in twenty years at Mobile. The reason is that in six months they could have horses, beeves, cows, sheep and goats and they could arrange to live at ease and at the same time trade with the Spaniards. The mission which they are going to establish at San Antonio is only 80 leagues from the settlement of M. de LaSalle. I have spoken with several Spaniards who where there when the French wer killed by the Indians; it was only a week after the massacre had taken place. They brought from there the swivel-guns, the powder, the candles; the cannon were left. When I left from the Rio Grande, they wre getting ready to go explore the place.

When I left the Rio Grande, a Govrnor-General had arrived in Caouhaville (Cohahuila), who was preparing to go to the Assinais in the month of December. I left the Rio Grande on the 1st of September and I arrived at Dauphin Island on the 26th of October.

When I was at the Rio Grande, there came two Frenchmen who were from LaBoque, who told me that they wanted to go to Illinois to smelt ore and that they knew how to smelt silver; indeed, they showed me what they had smelted, about six piastresin a piece. I urged them as strongly as I could to come there, telling them that the mines of the Illinois were very rich and that had to return there as soon as M. de Saint-Denis arrived at the Rio Grande;....


REPORT OF THE POST OF NATCHITOCHES

SIR:

I have the honor of writing to you concerning a leter which you wrote to M. Deflandre, in wich you gave evidence of wanting to know what is happening in the post of Natchitoches. As it has been eight years since I first came here, I can speak to you with full knowledge of it.

The first journey I made here was when we brought merchandise with M.de St. Denis to bring in commerce with the Spaniards where we carried some goods as far as the Rio Grande, which is situated at 250 (?) leagues from this post, where (our goods) were confiscated, after which I was obliged to save myself because the Spaniards would have arrested us and have taken us to Mexico where M. St. Denis was in prison......

We live off the hunt, the buffalo, the deer. Nevertheless, it is not that the land is bad---very much to the contrary, the land of Natchitoches produces everything we sow. The big drought does not hinder the growth of anything we sow. This is a quality that all the land of the Mississippi does not have. The big drought and high water kill everything we plant on the Mississippi, something that never happens here where the land is sandy and wholesome in contrast to the lowland, but which are not flooded.

The great fault which I find at this post is the river, which is very difficult during six months of the year...

The fort of Natchitoches where the French are is situatedo n a very suitable small island. There are four bastions of stakes six feet (high) in the ground, with the house of the commandant and two barracks for housing soldiers, but another one will have to be built because (the presnt one) is rotten and beyond use. (EDITOR'S NOTE: From records in the Colonial Archives, it appears that Derbanne himself was in charge of constructing the fort). The church service is exactly performed. We have no church in this post, nor priest. It is a Spanish priest who comes in to say Mass on Sundays.......

As I see, Sir that you do not wish to know of anything except that which concerns this post, that is why I do not tell you of other countries I have seen. I could gladly speak to you of the Missouri, which I entered nearly eighteen years ago where we ascended four hundred leagues from its mouth.

These were the first Frenchmen to go so far up, where we found signs of Spaniards, such as a silver altercruet, pieces of a chasuble, a Spanish currycomb, horses and mules which came from New Mexico, which the Indians had taken among the Padoca. There were some who profited from our discovery. It is quite true that New Mexico is not far from the Missouri, but there is no silver in New Mexico, according to what the Spaniards say. I myself inquired (about this) when I was a the Rio Grande........


Unfortunately, most of the Derbanne succession papers have been lost. Only several excerpts remains in the Natchitoches Court House records. Indeed, these few pages comprise the earliest records still extant in those archives. The succession was by all appearances extensive, for Jeanne Dion Derbanne his daughter and newly wedded wife of Francois Manne was due over 4, 000 livres (which she received in slaves, silver and other currency, and goods) from the estate. Since her mother was still alive and presumably received the customary one-half of the estate, and since there were five brothers and sisters, this brings the total value to approximately 35,000 livres, a significant amount for those times.

As previously noted, Derbanne died in New Orleans (probalbly while on business) in 1734 and his Indian wife died two years later (25 October 1736). They were survived by six children. Although the Derbanne family contiued a degree of prominence in the area into the nineteeth century, they never again attained the preeminent position enjoyed by Francois Derbanne, that intrepid settler and explorer. Perhaps it was the Indian wife, prhaps Derbanne's neglect, but none of the Derbanne sons appear to have attained significant education. Moreover, the Natchitoches Post went into decline during the last quarter of the eighteeth century because fo shifting trading patters, resulting in hard times for the inhabitants. This economic stagnation provided an impetus for the aggressive entrance and quick commercial domination of the area by the American settlers early in the nineteeth century. Seldom was a culture so quickly overwhelmed as that fo the Creoles at Natchitoches

Descendants of Francois Guyon Despres Derbanne and Jeanne de la Grand Terre:


Notes for JEANNE DE-LA-GRAND-TERRE,(INDIAN).:
She is of the Natchitoches Indian Tribe.
     
Children of FRANCOIS-DION-DESPRES GUYON and JEANNE DE-LA-GRAND-TERRE are:
7. i.   JEAN-BAPTISTE-DION5 DERBONNE, b. 1710, Mobile, Alabama; d. Bet. 1752 - 1766, Natchitoches, Louisiana.
  ii.   JEAN-DESPRES DERBONNE, b. 1718; d. Unknown.
  Notes for JEAN-DESPRES DERBONNE:
Jean-Despres Derbanne: b c1718, according to the 1734 succession documents of Francois Derbanne. He also appeared as witness in his sister's marriage in 1742, and again at his brother Pierre's emancipation in 1750. One assumes that he died shortly afterwards without issue, or like his father, removed to another locale to establish himself.

8. iii.   JEANNE-DION DERBONNE, b. 1720, Natchitoches, Louisiana; d. February 12, 1788, Pointe Coupee, Louisiana.
9. iv.   LOUISE-MARGUERTITE DERBONNE, b. 1723, Natchitoches, Louisiana; d. March 15, 1788, Natchitoches, Louisiana.
10. v.   GASPARD DERBONNE,I., b. 1725, Natchitoches, Louisiana; d. June 24, 1785, Natchitoches, Louisiana.
11. vi.   PIERRE DERBONNE, b. 1728, Natchitoches, Louisiana; d. November 11, 1796, Natchitoches, Louisiana.

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]

Search for Family - Learn About Genealogy - Helpful Web Sites - Message Boards - Guest Book - Home
© Copyright 1996-99, The Learning Company, Inc., and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 1995-97 by Matthew L. Helm. All Rights Reserved.