POTIER FAMILY

POTIER FAMILY

The Potier family received their name from the French Acadian Potier Family which arrived in SW Louisiana in late 1700. The story, however, begin much earlier with the arrival of Major Louis Armand Ducrest born in 1718 to Jean Francois Ducrest and Magdeleine Moguette. Louis Armand Ducrest married Catherine Wiltz and had 6 children. One of his daughters Marie Madelein Ducrest born around 1785 in St Martin Parish married Charles Potier son of Pierre Potier and Marie Anne Bernard. Their children married into the Guilbeau, Guidry, Thibodeaux, Broussard, Comier and other Louisiana Creole families.

To understand the African American Potier history it’s important to understand the following:
1.The history of Louisiana
2.The history of the French Acadian families in Louisiana for which many of the African American Thibodeaux, Comier, Wiltz, Broussard, Potier, John Baptist, and many Louisiana Africa American families are descendants.
3.The history of Slavery in Louisiana and the importance it played in the lives of the African American Potier and French Acadian Potier families

While we view slavery as a terrible wrong in this country and throughout the world, the French Acadian Potier’s endured a fate almost as horrible. Some viewed it as Ethnic Cleansing. For more than 150 years during the war between France and Britian, the Acadian families were exiled from their homes in Britian and France, put on ships with only the clothes on their backs and shipped to Canada and various other countries and islands. Others were put in prisons. After more than 100 years they were uprooted again and ship to parts of the coast in the United States and other countries. Some ended up in Louisiana while others back in France or various islands. Many of the French Acadians lost their lives from sickness, some died when ships sank enroute. Many of these families were scattered throughout the United States and other countries. Most arrived in Louisiana with nothing however many grew prosperous and wealthy on the backs of slaves.

The Acadian Potier family had a considerable influence on our ancestors, this included everything from the Creole language spoken, to their religious practice as Roman Catholics, to the names of their children, as well as the food they ate then and the foods we eat today. The Louisiana’s Code Noir (1724) dictated by law that slave owners taught the Roman Catholic religion to their slaves. This was the only religion allowed and considered a crime to do otherwise. The law further dictated that slaves were not to work on Sundays and religious holidays. The Potier family followed these rules rather carefully. Throughout my research I found no harsh treatment of slaves by the Potier family, slaves, however labored from sun up to sun down on many of the Potier farms and plantations. Times were difficult for all slaves. Historical records show that Charles Potier and his mother Madeline Potier, known as Melite, baptized several of the slaves they owned, this includes our Great Grandfather Joseph Potier, whom listed Alexander Potier (father of Charles Potier) as his father both in marriage and death records.

During the civil war a few of the Acadian Potier family members fought in the war. On the African American side a number of the Vallien family members fought in the 73rd Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops. On the Alex side we have records of two of the sons of Alick Alick (born 1910) including Phil Alex (our great great Grandfater on the Alex side, which fought with the colored troops. One son died the other survived.

The Acadian Potier Family arrived late to SW Louisiana compared to the Broussard, Guidry, Thibodeaux and Guilbeaux, Ducrest and Wiltz families. These families owned substantial property and farms throughout Southwest Louisiana. The Potier family, however, arrived with little in late 1700 and initially struggled to support their crops. Compared to the other families they owned only a handful of slaves. By 1850 they owned 24 slaves compared to the other families which owned several dozen slaves. I have posted the Slave Schedules from 1850 and 1860 as well as the 1777 Slave Schedule for a comparison. These families owned farms in Breaux Bridge, Parks and Lafayette as well as parts of St Landry. As a result of unions between Acadian family members these families were very close. They often traded or bought and sold slaves among family members. They often shared slave labor in the production of crops and frequently left certain slaves to family members in their Succession i.e. Will. Upon the death of a family member the succession records listed all families and their unions. In addition, Succession records would often detail every piece of property including each slave, their name, race, age and value.
The Acadian Potier family-owned property and farms in Breaux Bridge upper Bayou Teche, Parks, Lafayette and St Landry Parish. Here’s the breakdown of some of the property owned by the families in the Breaux Bridge area as of 1860: (data from the US Census Records)

Ducrest Family 4000 acres
Guidry Family 20,000 acres
Broussard Family 20,000 acres
Guilbeau Family 40,000 acres
Potier Family 10,000 acres

I have the succession documents for Alexander Potier dated 1867. The document is in French with some English. His residence and property was valued at $465,000 with household items valued at $5591.50.

The Alex Family

The Alex family has the most interesting history. We are decendants of Alick Alick a slave brought to Lousisian around 1804, Alick is believed to be around 8 years old when he arrived from Africa on a ship in the New Orleans Port. We have records of him in the 1820 being sold thru early 1900s when he died at the age of 106 years old. Throughout the Census records, his childre and Grandchildren are listed as Allick, Ellich, Elick, Alic, Alex. Some of his Children and grandchildren took the last name of Alexander