Marie Louise Doucet (abt. 1752 - abt. 1819)

Marie Louise Doucet lived in Louisiana. Join: Louisiana Families Project Discuss: louisiana

Biography

Marie Louise Doucet has French origins.

Marie Louise Doucet, daughter of Pierre Doucet and Marie Francoise Pago, was born about 1752, according to the Spanish Louisiana census taken in 1777.^[1] She was probably born at the French settlement in present-day Alabama, and migrated west with her family to present-day Louisiana when the French gave up most of their New World territories with their loss of the Seven Years War in 1763.

She married Henri Fontenot c.1771, probably in Opelousas, Louisiana.

• Known children of Marie and Henri:

1. Angelique Fontenot (1772)^[1]
2. Marie Francoise "Fanchonnette" Fontenot (c.1774)^[1]
3. Louis Fontenot (c.1784)^[2]
4. Emelie Fontenot (c.1790)^[3]
5. Sophie Fontenot (c.1792)^[4]

1777 Census Data

• 1777 Census of Opelousas Post ^[1]
• Family 23
• - Henry Fontenaut, age 35; 41 cattle, 8 horses, 16 hogs, 0 sheep
• - Marie Louise Doucet, wife, 25
• - Angelique, daughter, 5
• - Fanchonnette, daughter, 3

Marie died and was buried on 17 October 1819 in the St. Landry Church Cemetery in Opelousas, Louisiana. Her online memorial page includes a scan of her death certificate.^[5]

Research Note

Her death information is complicated and not altogether certain. Because her name is so similar to her older sister's-- both are named Louise-- and they both married Fontenot brothers, much of their information has been confused by researchers. He death information is made more confusing by the priest who wrote the burial record. The information included on her Find a Grave memorial cites a death record written by a priest of St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana, which implies that the wife of Henri Fontenot was born in 1739 -- she died at about age 80 in 1819. However, the census of 1777 shows that the Louise Doucet (born c.1738) was married to Pierre Fontenot, and Marie Louise Doucet (born c.1752) was married to Henri Fontenot. The wife of Henri Fontenot was born c.1752, and therefore she would have been about 70 in 1819. The wife of Pierre Fontenot was born c.1738, so she would have been about 80 in 1819.

For whatever reason, priests often got the age of the deceased wrong. Sometimes they also got the names of family members wrong. Which did they get wrong here? I'm guessing right husband, wrong age. Find a Grave has taken the source at face value and concluded Marie Louise Doucet, wife of Henri Fontenot, was born in 1739 and died in 1819. It seems to me they are correct as to the date of death, but they, and the priest, were wrong about her age at death (and therefore Find a Grave is wrong about her date of birth).

The potential for confusion with her sister is reason for Project Protected Profile status.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Winston De Ville, Southwest Louisiana Families in 1777: Census Records of Attakapas and Opelousas Posts (Ville Platte, Louisiana, 1987) citing Papeles Procedentes de Cuba, at the General Archives of the Indies in Seville, Spain; legajo 2358, folios 258 -300
2. ↑ Donald J. Hébert, Southwest Louisiana Records, 1750-1900, compact disk #101 ("SWLR CD"), (Rayne, LA: Hébert Publications, 2001; reprints by Claitor's Publications):
   • FONTENOT, Louis (Henry & Louise DOUCET) b. -- May 1784(?), bt. 16 April 1785 Spons: Baptiste LAFLEUR & Francoise GRIE(?). Fr. GEFFROTIN, Cure (Opel. Ch.: Folio OA, p.61)
3. ↑ Hebert, SWLR CD:
   • FONTENOT, Emilie - also of this parish (Henry & Marie Louise DOUCET) m. 30 Jan. 1810 Joseph ORTEGA - of this parish (Joaquin & Marie Soto de ST. DENIS) Wits: Louis FONTENOT, Baptiste RIVIERE, Joseph PITTRE. Fr. Louis BUHOT (Opel. Ch.: v.1-A, p.195)
4. ↑ Hebert, SWLR CD:
   • FONTENOT, Sophie - of this parish (Henry & Marie Louise DOUCET) m. 5 Feb. 1811
   Joseph PITTRE - of this parish (Francois & Marie Josephe THIBODEAU) Wits: Francois PITTRE, Eugene LEDOUX?, Pierre FOREST. Fr. Louis BUHOT (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.210)
5. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images: accessed 25 February 2020, memorial page for Marie Louise Doucet Fontenot (1739[sic]–17 Oct 1819), Find A Grave: Memorial #200374176, citing Saint Landry Church Cemetery, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by Gwen Bergeron McMillin (contributor 47268013). Citing Hebert, SWLR CD: "DOUCET, Marie Louise - widow of Henri FONTENOT - died at her home in la Grand Preerie [Prairie] at age about 80 years [sic], after being strengthened by the holy sacraments; bur. 17 Oct. 1819 in the parish cemetery. Fr. Flavius Henri ROSSI (Opel. Ch.: v.1, p.184)

See Also:

• Ancestry Profile: #-736906595 Rider/Deshotel Family

Acknowledgments

• WikiTree profile Doucet-164 created through the import of Soileau BEST.ged on Nov 29, 2011 by Kermit Soileau.
• WikiTree profile Doucet-129 created through the import of Rider_Deshotel Family 040809.ged on Jul 21, 2011 by Nadine Rider.