Slavery Timeline
Research into slavery at the Michel Prudhomme House is ongoing at this time.
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| Slaves for sale in New Orleans 1861 |
The Research
Jean Michel, his son Michel Andre, and his grandson Michel William all use the name "Michel Prudhomme." It is sometimes hard to know which Michel or which plantation are involved in a sale. By the death of Jean Michel in 1817, his estate was assessed for property taxes with 35 slaves on his plantation of 3077 acres.
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The Plantation
The Michel Prudhomme plantation was a cotton plantation and cattle ranch. Potatoes, bees, and sheep were also raised for food. Corn was also raised as the staple diet for cattle and slaves.
The first cattle drive from the region to the market in New Orleans was in 1773. By 1781, the region supplied 150 head of cattle per month. Geographer William Darby wrote of the prairies in the Opelousas District in 1816, “It is certainly one of the most agreeable views in nature, to behold from a point of elevation thousands of horses and cows, of all sizes, scattered over the interminable mead, intermingled in wild confusion."
It was also around this time that the last of the indigenous Appalousa/Opelousa were seen in the area. Fred Kniffen in The Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana – from 1542 to the Present writes, “The Opelousas were reported near Opelousas in 1725, evidently remaining there as long as their tribal identity was retained. In 1803 their tribal village was located some fifteen miles west of present-day Opelousas. There were about twenty Opelousas in 1814, and by 1830 there were none.”
The invention of the cotton gin (engine) in 1793 mechanized the otherwise time-consuming job of separating the cotton fiber from its seed, making cotton a profitable cash crop, enticing plantation owners to start growing cotton.
The original version of the gin could process 50 lb. per day. The enslaved population of North America increased by 70% in the next 20 years. Solomon Northup, author of Twelve Years a Slave, described work on a cotton plantation here.
Educational Resources:
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| Bois de Fleche, a cotton plantation. Tower to the left where mules turn a screw and press ginned cotton into bales. Vegetable garden in foreground. 1861 |
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| Cotton plantation, 1850 |
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The People
1766
The first record of Jean Michel Prudhomme in Louisiana is the Spanish Census of the German Cost of Louisiana. He is listed living with his wife Catherine, no children, and no slaves.
1774
Jean Michel Prudhomme begins buying land in Opelousas Poste.
1779
Remus of the Coromandel Nation, aged 22 years. Purchased from John Buller of Opelousas. The price is $300.
- The Dutch East India Company ran a slave trade from central Coromandel ports beginning in 1610.
- Coromandel, located on the coast of India, was a colony of the Netherlands until 1825.
- Many of the enslaved at the Coromandel ports came from the Swahili Coast, on the east coast of Africa.
September 21: Surrender of Ft. New Richmond, Baton Rouge.
Census records show Louisiana had about 8,917 free people (of all races excluding the Native population) and 9,009 enslaved people at this time.
1780
May 14: Birth of son Michel Andre Prudhomme.
1793
Invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney.
1795
April 21: Jacob, Philip, and Primus are reported as runaways:
“Two of them ran away with another slave of the same master [Jean Michel Prudhomme] in a pirogue which hit a tree and overturned. One of them named Primus drowned. This happened at M. Lemelle’s [Monsieur Francois Lemelle]. Strong Current. [Bayou Teche].”
1796
Donation of land and cypress from Jean Michel Prudhomme for the building of St. Landry church.
1803
End of Louisiana’s Spanish colonial period, and Louisiana Purchase by the United States.
1804
Birth of grandson Michel William Prudhomme.
Francis, a 7 and-a-half year old girl, described as a mulatto female slave born in Louisiana, purchased from the Widow Hooter for the price of $362, the equivalent of about $9,400 today. (Purchased as an individual, not with her mother.)
Jack, a 30 year old Black man from the British Mainland, purchased from Anaclet Cormier for $480.
1808
Cyrus, a 17 year old Black male, and Sam, a 22 year old Black man, purchased from Bennet Topling of Virginia, for a total of $930, almost $23,000 today.
Unnamed Black female, 18 years old, purchased for $550, or about $13,000 today. She was purchased from Ransomdre Eastin, which could refer to Judge Ransom Eastin, who served in St. Martinville from 1813 to 1815.
- This unnamed young woman is listed as "brut," literally translating to "crude, raw or unrefined," used here to mean a recently imported African.
- She arrived on the brigantine Armed Neutrality.
- Armed Neutrality had left Charleston on December 18, 1806. After arriving at Africa, Two hundred thirty-nine (239) enslaved people were purchased on the Congo River. This is a typical number of people on a smaller ship like a brigantine.
- The voyage back to New Orleans took 50 days.
- Two hundred (200) enslaved people arrived in New Orleans on October 19, 1807.
- This was the last voyage of the Armed Neutrality. The US abolished the importation of the enslaved in 1808.
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| Example of a brigantine vessel in 1803 |
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| Inside the brig "Vigilante" in 1826 |
The United States abolished the international slave trade, and a trade of forced relocation within the US began.
1809
David, a 7 year old Black male, was purchased from Olivier Richard, a fellow resident of Opelousas Poste, for $270, or about $6,700 today. (Sold as an individual without his mother.)
1810
Daniel a 21 year old Black male, and Joe an 11 year old Black male, for $1,000, or about $25,000 today. Purchased from Reuben Stockton.
Maria, a 14 year old Black female, purchased from William Mathews for $480.
Nancy, 18 year old Black female, purchased from James Tuff for $500.
1811
Andrew, a 12 year old Black male, purchased from James Reed, a fellow early settler of Opelousas Poste, for $400.
An unnamed 10 year old Black male, purchased from Francois Coulon Devillier, another early settler of Opelousas Poste. This appears to be a fragment of a document. No price found.
1812
Louisiana statehood.
1815
Frank, described as a "negro boy aged about 18 years, native of the state of Maryland," purchased from James Coe, for the sum of $480 cash, the equivalent of about $9,500.00 today. It appears James Coe had purchased Frank from Notley Young of Opelousas the previous year.
Jenny, a 34 year old Black female, purchased from Joseph Andrus, a fellow resident of Opelousas Poste, for $400.
1816
Daniel, described as “a negro man slave aged about 28 years,” sold by Jean Michel to his son Michel Andre for the price of $600, the equivalent of about $13,000 today. This could be the same Daniel purchased in 1810, but it is not specified.
Isham, a 32 year old Black man, purchased from David S. Todd for $600. Todd had purchased Isham from the estate of a deceased Mississippi resident named Glass in 1815 for $450.
Jinny, a 27 year old Black woman, and Fanny, her three-and-a-half year old daughter, purchased from James Foreman for $800, the equivalent of $17,400 today.
Lydia, an 18 year old Black female purchased from William Gerrard for $800.
1817
George Washington, a 12 year old Black male and Joshua, a 14 year old Black male, both born on the British mainland, purchased from Richard Philips for $2,150, or about $50,000 today.
Sarah, a 16 year old girl from the British Mainland, purchased from Richard Philips.
August 20: Death of Jean Michel Prudhomme
1818
Philip, described as “a mulatto boy slave aged about 10 years” for the price of $1200, the equivalent of about $29,000 today. The price is “payable in all the month of March next” and the “slave remains mortgaged until the entire payment of the purchase money.”
- This sale is from Jean Michel's widow, Mary [Marie Schnyder] Prudhomme to Fr. Flavius Henri Rossi.
- Fr. Flavius Henri Rossi was the priest serving St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas from 1817 until 1839.
_________, Sale from the Estate of Michel Prudhomme to John Close. (More research needed, available from LSU Special collections.)
- Major John Farrow Close was a contractor's agent for the United States Army post at Opelousas and a cotton planter of Petit Bois Plantation, a cotton plantation in Port Barre, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana. He was born in Kentucky, but lived in St. Landry Parish for 60 years. Major Close died in 1865 at Petit Bois Plantation at about age 80.
1819
Fr. Flavius Henri Rossi sells Philip back to Mary Prudhomme. Philip is now 11 years old.
1820
Aime, a 27 year old mulatto woman purchased by Jean Michel's widow Mary [Marie Schnyder] Prudhomme from Ruben Park of Avoyelles Parish, for $750.
1823
After the death of Mary Schnyder, her estate was sold, including the following people:
Captain aged about 20 years, sold to Keller for $1110.
Daniel aged about 30? years, sold to Valentine King for $960. This could be the same Daniel purchased in 1810, but it is not specified.
- When Opelousas was formally incorporated into a town in 1821, its first form of government was the Board of Police, and one of the first Presidents was Valentine King, who was originally from Kentucky.
Henriette aged about 28 years, and Henry a boy about six months old, sold to Michael or Michel Hargroder for $900.
- Michel Hargroder is the son of Jean Michel's daughter Marie Marguerite Prudhomme Hargroder.
Cyrus, "with one eye," aged about forty years, sold to Michel Hargroder for $650.
Sam aged about 60 years sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $90.
Blunt, a man aged about 28 years sold to Rene' Fontaine for $600.
Manuel, aged about 20 years, sold to Andre' Meijer (or Mayer) for $1005.
- Jean Michel's grandchildren Michel Hargroder and Mary Cochran married in 1819. Cousin marriages were not so unusual at the time. Mary's sister Marthe Cochran married Andre' Meijer (Mayer) in 1822.
London aged about 30 years, and a mulatto woman named Aime' aged about 28 years, (possibly the same Aime purchased from Ruben Park), with two children, Sam a boy aged about three years, and Peter a boy about three months old, sold to Michel Hargroder for $1555.
Tom aged about 40 years, sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $410.
Antoine aged about 40 years, with his child, a boy named Alexandre aged about two years, sold to Andre' Maijer for $700.
A mulatto boy named Philip, aged about 15 years, sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $1000 (possibly the same Philip in the sale to Fr. Rossi).
Therese aged about 40 years sold to Alexander D____ for $325.
Bird, a man aged about 20 years, sold to John Keys for $650. John Keys was married to Jean Michel's daughter, Celeste Prudhomme Cochran Keys.
Jacob aged 25 years, sold to Andre Meijer for $910.
Louis aged about 10 years sold to Andre Meijer for $445.
George aged about 12 years sold to John Keys for $405.
William, aged about 10 years sold to John Keys for $365.
Martin, a mulatto boy, aged about 16 years, sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $855.
Robert aged about nine years, sold to Michel Hargroder for $310.
Isaac aged about 12 years, sold to Benjamin Lacey for $410.
Esther aged about 45 years sold to Jesse Andrus for $410.
Lyddy aged about 20 years, sold to Martin Donatto for $1300.
- Martin Donatto was a Free POC, a fellow plantation owner, and the Prudhommes' neighbor.
Deana aged about 25 years, sold to Andre' Meijer for $805.
Rachael, a mulatto woman, aged about 35 years, sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $700.
Sally aged about 30 years, with her child, a girl named Kitty, aged about nine years, sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $900.
Jack aged about 30 years, sold to Michel Andre Prudhomme for $960.
Michel's son Michel Andre bought the plantation house and grounds at public auction, but he already lived at his own plantation home in Mallet, Louisiana. When Michel Andre died in 1843, his estate sale included 124 slaves.
By 1810, white males in the area around Opelousas outnumbered white females by a margin of almost 500, resulting in liaisons with slaves that evolved into almost common-law marriages in which the female was eventually emancipated.
In 1843, Michel Andre Prudhomme wrote a will emancipating a woman named Celeste Prudhomme and her son Dorsin, who was about 8 years old. It is believed in the local community that Michel Andre was Celeste's father, although he did not acknowledge it in the document.
Michel Andre died soon after the will was written.
Beginning in 1830, a newly freed slave had to leave the State, unless the Parish government voted to allow them to remain. Michel Andre's estate Executor went through this legal process with Celeste Prudhomme. She was freed with permission in 1854, although she appears to already be living as a free woman by 1850 in her own household with her sons Dorsin, Alfred, and Alphonse.
Also, in 1854, Celeste purchased her own son Alfred, then 19 years old, for $200, from Louis Prudhomme, Michel Andre's son. Louis Prudhomme was living in the Prudhomme House. (Remember, Celeste could be Louis' sister, and Alfred could be Louis' nephew.)
Beginning in 1857, Louisiana prohibited all emancipation, even in a Will.
