Jean Joseph “Montreal” Etier: Early Caldwell Parish Settler Profiled in the News

This entry is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series.  This week’s prompt is In the News.  To see other posts in this series, view my 52 Ancestors in 2019 index


Newspapers are great sources of genealogical information. Some common newspaper finds are birth announcements, engagement and wedding announcements, and obituaries. However, modern-era newspapers can also give clues about distant ancestors — like this article about my 6x-great-grandfather Jean Joseph Etier.

Article about Joseph Etier, The (Monroe, Louisiana) News-Star, 1 Nov 1998

I haven’t done any in-depth research about my French immigrant ancestors, so this article provides historical background and points me toward sources I should reference. One reason I haven’t researched these families is the language barrier of French church records and Spanish land grants. But because my ancestor is an early settler, historians have already done much of the translation work and published information about these families. It’s a great head start as I prepare to dive into source documents.


Jean Joseph Etier, son of Pierre Ethier and Marguerite Vaudry, was born near Montreal, New France, in 175_.¹ In his adult years, Joseph was known by the nickname “Montreal,” likely due to his birthplace.² He married Louise Simon, the widow of Joseph Barre, on September 22, 1777, in St. James Parish, Louisiana.³

I did not originally think Joseph Etier was part of Le Grand Derangement — the forced Acadian exile from Canada by the English. Joseph was born in Montreal, not in the coastal, maritime areas that made up Acadia. However, a closer reading of Acadian history taught me exiles often relocated to other areas — such as French-speaking Quebec — before moving to Louisiana.⁴ The timing of Joseph’s appearance in Louisiana (1770s) and location (St. James Parish) also make it possible his family was part of the Acadian migration. During this period, Spain allowed Acadians to settle along the Mississippi River in the area of present-day St. James and St. John parishes, using the exiled people group as a buffer between themselves and the English.⁵ Additional research into Joseph’s parents and grandparents could help me determine where they lived before Montreal and if they were displaced Acadians.

Joseph and his wife Louise lived in Pointe Coupee Parish before moving to the Ouachita River valley, where Joseph obtained a Spanish land grant.⁶ His land was located in present-day Caldwell Parish, along the eastern bank of the Ouachita River in the area currently encompassing the Columbia airport.⁷ I actually drive through this land each time I visit home! It is along LA-4, roughly between the Columbia Church of Christ and the intersection of LA-133.

Map of Joseph Etier Land Patent, SONRIS Louisiana GIS Portal, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
(http://sonris-www.dnr.state.la.us/gis/agsweb/IE/JSViewer/index.html?TemplateID=181)

Because Joseph was familiar with both north and south Louisiana, the commandant of Baton Rouge hired him to build a road between Baton Rouge and Monroe, then known as Fort Miro.⁸ When he returned from the mission, Joseph discovered his land had been given away in a grant to the Marquis de Masion Rouge.⁹ Fort Miro commandant Don Juan Filhiol testified on Joseph’s behalf, confirming Joseph had long been a settler of the area, but the land’s ownership remained contested.¹⁰

Joseph never saw resolution of his disputed land. He died on October 27, 1808, in Ouachita (now Caldwell) Parish.¹¹ It wasn’t until January 28, 1922, that Joseph’s heirs were issued a land patent through a — literal — Act of the United States Congress:¹²

U.S. Congress, Congressional Record
, 67th Cong., 2d session (1922), 1565, “Widow and Heirs of Joseph Etier”; U.S. Government Publishing Office

Crazy how it took over 100 years to straighten out this recordkeeping mess!

Joseph experienced the rule of three nations while he lived in Louisiana: Spain from 1763 through 1800, a short time of nominal Spanish control after the territory’s transfer back to France, three weeks of French rule, and then the United States after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. These years must have been tumultuous — or perhaps not so much in the distant Ouachita River valley.

My Louisiana roots run much deeper than I ever thought — all because of Jean Joseph “Montreal” Etier, one of the earliest settlers of Caldwell Parish.


¹ E. Russ Williams, Jr., Encyclopedia of Individuals and Founding Families of the Ouachita Valley of Louisiana from 1785 to 1850, 2 vols. (Monroe, Louisiana : Williams Genealogical and Historical Publications, 1996), 1:243.

² “Marriage of two creates family’s descendants in Louisiana,” The (Monroe, Louisiana) News-Star, 1 Nov 1998, p. 1-C.

³ Williams, Jr., Encyclopedia of Individuals and Founding Families of the Ouachita Valley of Louisiana from 1785 to 1850, 1:243.

⁴ Tim Hebert, Acadian-Cajun Genealogy & History (http://www.acadian-cajun.com : accessed 28 Mar 2019), “History of the Acadians.”

Ibid.

⁶ “Marriage of two creates family’s descendants in Louisiana,” p. 1-C.

⁷ Bureau of Land Management, “Land Patent Search,” database, General Land Office Records(https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=870380&docClass=SER&sid=op0tpw3x.rzs#patentDetailsTabIndex=0 : accessed 28 Mar 2019), entry for Joseph Etier, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, no. 10122.

⁸ “Marriage of two creates family’s descendants in Louisiana,” p. 1-C.

Ibid.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Williams, Jr., Encyclopedia of Individuals and Founding Families of the Ouachita Valley of Louisiana from 1785 to 1850, 1:243.

¹² U.S. Congress, Congressional Record, 67th Cong., 2d session (1922), 1565, “Widow and Heirs of Joseph Etier”; image copy, U.S. Government Publishing Office, Congressional Record (Bound Edition) (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/crecb/_crecb/Volume%20063%20(1922) : accessed 28 Mar 2019).

7 thoughts on “Jean Joseph “Montreal” Etier: Early Caldwell Parish Settler Profiled in the News”

  1. Thanks for your research. Especially I appreciate the land patent map and the congressional record info. I will definitely be incorporating those images into my biographical sketch of Joseph.

  2. Thanks much for this article. My maiden name is Etier and Jean Joseph “Montreal” born 1756 in Canada is my 5th great-grandfather. My line is
    Jean Joseph Etier and Louise Simon; Pierre Etier and Jane Roberts; Pierre Etier JR and Eliz Chasteen; Bennett Etier and Eliza Jane Beck; Roland L. Etier and Ruth Burch, and E.H. Etier and Lee Donaghe.
    Early History of Monroe Co. – page 146 – In 1769, Etier is mentioned for failing to produce a passport and/or to hunt and trap. I am guessing this is our Jean Joseph and he would have been around 16 years old. Do you know why he left Montreal and do you know how he traveled to Louisiana? So interesting…..

    1. 5x grandparents JEAN JOSEPH Etier
      LOUISE SIMON
      Julia Etier&
      Pierre OLIVEAUX

      Melite Emily Oliveaux
      SAMUEL COLUMBUS MOORE

    1. You replied that you knew why Jean Joseph left Montreal – why was that and do you know when? I suspect he traveled south via trails and waterways but I don’t have proof of that. He was a very young man when he left Montreal…….I know he was a trapper/hunter and lived a rough life. I would appreciated any info you have about his life. Many thanks.

  3. Jean Joseph Etier and Louise Simon were also our 5th great grandparents
    Pierre Etier and Jane Roberts
    John Akey/Etier and Mary Townsend
    William Akey Etier and Sarah Jane Humphries
    Joseph Lazareth Etier and George Ann Kirk
    Ollie Clarence Etier and Rosa Julia Hodge
    James Lanier Etier and B Madine ‘Boots’ Welch to
    Alpha Jane Etier Yocham, Bendola ‘Binni’ Etier Martin, James L. Etier Jr.

    1. Hi Alpha,

      Its me….L. Jill Etier…..would love to get back in touch with you. Did you know about Patrick Dougherty? He was a wonderful man. I have some info re ‘Montreal” that you may be interested in reading.
      We have moved since last we were in touch.

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