originally posted 02/21/2001
(by Anne Marie Danet)
From material supplied by Eduardo Questell of Ponce, Puerto Rico, there were many more persons who left Saint Barthelemy to establish themselves in Puerto Rico.
It will be a surprise to many descendants of the French from Saint-Barthelemy, when we tell of the French immigrants who chose to settle in Puerto Rico rather than travel to other French islands.
One big attraction was the land grants to these settlers under the Cedula de Gracias of Spain.
There were several causes for this immigration to the Spanish island… There was, first of all, the French Revolution of 1789… Royalists were at risk of losing their heads to Madame la Guillotine, even though Saint-Barthelemy was now under Swedish rule. Then there was the Emancipation Proclamation of
Sweden and of France and there were many rich men on Saint-Barthelemy who possessed enslaved persons and who were not ready to grant freedom to their enslaved servants. The Spanish had not yet granted freedom to their servants.
Then there was the decline of the economy on Saint-Barthelemy because the Danish Island of St. Thomas, had been declared a free-port and merchant ships chose to trade there instead of on Saint-Barthelemy.
On Haiti, Touussaint L’Ouverture was leading the population in revolt against France, in demand for their freedom and independence.
In the United States, the French Territory of Louisiana was sold to the United States in 1803. This sales caused many French citizens to decide to relocate to Spanish Puerto Rico.
On 10 August, 1815, the Spanish Crown enacted the Cedula de Gracias, which granted many rights and privileges to the immigrants who would cultivate the land and bring in machinery and slaves to cultivate sugar cane. Although there were already French from Saint-Barthelemy on the island of Puerto Rico, many more now came to settle and take advantage of the land grant.
We must alert the reader and researcher that names were changed and mis-spelt because of the language. The following is a list of some of the French from Saint-Barthelemy who relocated to Puerto Rico:
| NAME |
DETAILS |
| Bernier, Andre |
Resided in Puerto Rico since 1807. Was naturalized in April, 1816 to take advantage of the Cedula de Gracias |
| Bernier, Jean Pierre |
Resident of Puerto Rico from 1806 was naturalized in 1816 under the Cedula de Gracias |
| Bernier, Maurice |
Resident in Puerto Rico since 1804 was naturalized in 1816 under the Cedula de Gracias |
| Le Blanc, Victoria |
Single, 30 years of age, domestic servant. Resided in Guayanilla in 1872 |
| Cerge, Louis |
Was establish in Puerto Rico under the Cedula de Gracias. He was the owner of a farm and brought with him, three slaves |
| England, Harold |
French subject, single, 16 years of age and a carpenter, He lived in Fajardo in 1874. |
| Giraud, Martin |
Swedish subject. 69 years of age, a widower and farmer; lived in Salinas in 1875 |
| Giraud, Matthiew |
Widower, farmer, 68 years of age. Lived in Salinas in 1874 |
| Giraud, Joseph |
Bachelor, 54 years of age. He was a blacksmith. He resided in Ponce in 1872 |
| Giraud, Anthoine |
Resided in Puerto Rico since 1811. He was naturalized under the Cedula de Gracias |
| Laplace, Jean Isidore |
Married, farmer and land-owner 93 years of age. Resided in Juana Dias in 1872, along with his family of four persons |
| Ledee, Pierre |
Resided in Puerto Rico since 1804. Was naturalized under the Cedula de Gracias |
| Martin, James |
Married, Bricklayer or mason. 63 years of age, lived in Fajardo since 1874 |
| Nicot, Charles |
Steward, Butler or foreman. Resided in Juana Dias in 1872. He was 50 years of age |
| Roche (or Boche), Jean-Marie |
Established himself in Puerto Rico, in July 1817. He brought with him four slaves and capitol of 2000 pesos |
Filed under: French in Puerto Rico | French Caribbean genealogy, French settlers Puerto Rico, Saint-Barthelemy Puerto Rico settlers|No Comments
originally posted 02/21/2001
(The names have been translated from the Spanish back to the original French. All were registered in Spanish for convenience of the language)
…From the Register Of Baptisms, the parish of Guayama, we find the following baptisms. All persons white unless noted otherwise…
| BAPTISMAL DETAILS |
| Laurence, Legitimate son of Jose Vasquez and Louise Serge. 4 July, 1819 |
| Paul, Legitimate son of Pierre Ledee and Catherine-Louise Mayer. 15 January, 1820 |
| Pierre, Legitimate son of Michel Ledee and Venancia Roche. 16 January, 1820. The godparents were Jean-Pierre Bernier and Catherine Roche |
| Lucie, Legitimate daughter of Pierre Curet ans Rose Maye or Mayer. 13 November, 1820. Godparents were Pierre Ledee and Marie-Antoinette Giraud |
| Jean-Francois, Legitimate son of Jean-Marie Roche and Marie-Louise Aubin. 4 June, 1821. Godparents were Benjamin Flori and Marie Sophia Roche |
| Marie-Josephine, Legitimate daughter of Jose Vasquez and Louise Serge. 7 September, 1821 |
| Maria del Pilar, Legitimate daughter of Michel Ledee and Venancia Roche Ledee. 25 January, 1822 |
| Jean-Pierre, Legitimate son of Sieur Pierre Greaux and Dona Maria Florencia de Rivera. 21 September, 1822 |
| Pedro, Natural son of Pierre Curet and Andrea Rosada. 26 July, 1823 |
| Luis Innocencio, Natural son of Marie Aubin. January, 1824 |
| Joseph Delfin, Legitimate son of Alexandre Ledee and Anne Giraud. 21 January, 1824. Godparents were Joseph Ledee and Petrona Mande |
| Marie-Roseaura, Legitimate daughter of Jean-Marie Roche and Marie-Louise Aubin. 21 January, 1824. Godparents were Don Luis Sanchez and Marie Aubin |
| Josephine, Legitimate daughter of Joseph Ledee and Simonne Bernier. 18 March, 1824. Godparents were Pierre Greaux and Catherine Mayer |
| Marcelino (Marcel), Legitimate son of Dominique Benjamin Chauset and Felicite Berry. 17 February, 1824. Godparents were Marcel Berry..and ? |
| Angel, Legitimate son of Michel Ledee and Venancia Roche. 7 May, 1824. Godparents were Joseph Maurice Ledee Anne Giraud |
| Maria Petrona, Legitimate daughter of Don Sivestre Reno (?) and Elisabeth Bernier. 17 July, 1824 |
| Jean-Louis, Born 30 December 1825; Legitimate son of Jean-Pierre Serge and Marie Antoinette Aubin. Godparents were Georges Aubin, Maurice Bernier and Rose Bernier |
Filed under: French in Puerto Rico | French Caribbean genealogy, French settlers Puerto Rico|No Comments
originally posted 02/21/2001
All the information on the list of Baptisms and of Marriages were contributed by Eduardo Questell of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Eduardo is a descendant of natives of Saint-Barthelemy.
From the Register of Marriages in Guayama, Puerto Rico:
| DATE |
DETAILS |
| 5 Feb. 1821 |
Pierre Ledee, legitimate son of Pierre Ledee and Suzanne Greaux to Marie-Antoinette Serge, legitimate daughter of Louis Serge and Louise Magras.-All natives of Saint-Barthelemy and settlers in this parish (Guayama) for 16 years, in the District of Guayabo(?) Dulce. |
| 24 Nov. 1821 |
Sieur Pierre Greaux, 34 years of age, native of Saint-Barthelemy, and legitimate son of Joseph Greaux and Marie-Magdaleine Questel… to Dona Maria de Rivera, 17 years of age. |
| 17 Jul. 1822 |
Sieur Silvestre Renaus, native of the town of Chatearous(?) in the kingdom of France. Legitimate son of Sieur Silvestre Renaus and Dona..N… to Elisabeth Bernier, legitimate daughter of Pierre Bernier and Eleanore Peret(?) |
| 20 Jan. 1823 |
Joseph Emmanuel Ledee, native of Saint-Barthelemy, legitimate son of Pierre-Paul Ledee and Catherine-Louise Mayer..to Marie Simonne Bernier, legitimate daughter of Jean-Pierre Ledee and Leonore Peret(?) |
Filed under: French in Puerto Rico | French Caribbean genealogy, Puerto Rico settlers|No Comments
