Before me P D Cailleau Lafontaine judge of the parish of Natchitoches, in the State of Louisiana
were present Sr. François Vienne, of full age, legitimate son of the late Julien Vienne and
Marguerite Laudreaux his wife, native of New Orleans, stating for himself and in his name on the
one hand;
& demoiselle Marianne Buard, a minor, legitimate daughter of the late Jn Bpte Buard and of
Marie Louise Poisot her mother and father, native of the parish of Natchitoches, the aforesaid
demoiselle well and duly assisted and authorised by the aforesaid mother, here present, stating for
her on the other hand;
Which Sieur François Vienne and demoiselle Marianne Buard, authorised as mentioned, have
mutually promised to take one another in legitimate marriage and to solemnise the nuptials before
the Holy Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, on first request by one of the other, under the
following clauses and conditions:
First article
The future married couple will be sole and common in personal and real estate, owned and
acquired, from the date of the nuptial blessing according to the laws, usages and habitual customs in
this State of Louisiana, to which they submit themselves, and in accordance with which the said
joint estate shall be managed and administered, considering the said husband and wife in all their
succeeding rights in personal and real estate, falling to them now and in the future. They wish that
the goods which shall comprise their future joint estate should be governed by the laws and customs
which govern the State of Louisiana at the present time, even if they should subsequently depart to
settle in countries which are subject to laws which could be contradictory to them, and from which
(laws) they very formally and very expressly derogate, with particular submission to the laws of this
State of Louisiana.
Second Article
All the debts incurred by the future husband and wife before the celebration of the said marriage
shall be paid and cleared by he or she from whom they are found to derive, without the goods of the
other having to suffer because of it, nor the joint estate being modified.
Third Article
The goods of the future husband consist of personal effects, goods and money, and a slave name
Philippe, altogether comprising an actual value of 2500 dollars.
Fourth Article
Those of the future wife comprise a half share in a dwelling-place situated in the parish of
Natchitoches and six miles above Natchitoches Fort, of an area of about 24 acres frontage of the
two banks of the Red River, buildings and other objects, surroundings and outbuildings, rights
usages and easements bounded on the upper side of the two banks of the said Red River by the
dwelling-place of the [Widow?] Rachal, and on the lower side by the lands of Sr. Fs Bossié. The
said share in the dwelling-place is valued at 1500 dollars. In the share of personal estate, furniture,
household and ploughing utensils which are found on the [aforementioned?] dwelling-place of the
said Widow Buard, mother of the intended bride. In addition in the share of all the animals which
are found on the dwelling-place of the mother of the said future bride. The goods and animals
mentioned above are valued at 300 dollars. In addition the following slaves, that is to say a young
negress, named Oditte, a creole1 valued because of a very severe illness at the sum of 150 dollars,
in a negro named Daon, a creole aged thirty, valued at 650 dollars, a negro named Grégoire, from
the Congo, aged about 30, valued at 500 dollars, a negro named Jn Baptiste, a creole aged about
18, valued at 650 dollars, a negro boy called Jacquot, a creole aged about 12, valued at 350 dollars,
a creole negress, aged about 20, called Jeanne, with her two children called Azelie et Jose, valued
together at the price of 800 dollars, a negro girl called Sélézie, aged 10, and her brother a negro boy
called Balthazar, valued together at the price of 450 dollars, a creole negress called Marguerite,
aged 28, valued at 500 dollars. In various credit notes issued by the future mother-in-law to the
order of the future husband, amounting to a total of 2159 dollars, four and a half escalins2 deriving
from the inheritance of the future bride in the estate of her late aunt Dame Monginot. The whole
comprising a total value of 8009 dollars, four and a half escalins. The future husband declares
himself content with these objects, to be satisfied to know them, and to have them in his possession.
It is further agreed that the half share of the above mentioned settlement of about 24 acres frontage,
and the slaves, animals, goods, ploughing and household utensils which form part of the dowry of
the future bride are only given and granted to him by the present deed by the said mother Widow
Buard, to fulfil the said future (marriage), together with all her3 rights, whatever claims in the
inheritance of her late father Jean Bte Buard, whose estate until now has remained undivided from
those of the mother of the future bride although the joint estate as dissolved by the death of the
father of the intended bride.
Fifth Article
In the case of death without children, the intended husband and wife grant entirely and irrevocable
enjoyment and usufruct to the survivor of the husband and wife of the sole enjoyment and usufruct
of the goods of the one who died first, no matter what these comprise and how they may occur; the
survivor of the husband and wife, who shall have enjoyment of the goods of the other who dies first,
there being no children, will give after a true valuation of the good of which he will have usufruct
and enjoyment a [good?] and sufficient security, such in short as the civil law which governs the
State of Louisiana requires at the present time.
Sixth Article
The intended bride and the children who shall be born of the present marriage will be able to
renounce the joint estate in a legal case and if they do they will generally take back that which they
have brought and all that which shall have come to them either by gift, inheritance or any other way,
the intended bride and her children being bound and obliged to do so, the goods of the future
husband being guaranteed of it, by privilege and special mortgage.
1 In this context creole is used to distinguish slaves who were born in Louisiana from those brought from Africa - JP
2 A silver coin
3 ie the bride's
Seventh Article
The contracting parties and the mother of the future bride are subject to and bound to all those
things which are agreed above and elsewhere with all their goods present and future. In respect of
which they have asked us for the present deed which we have granted them. Made and agreed at the
settlement of Mademoiselle Buard in the parish of Natchitoches the 6th April in the year of our Lord
1815 in the presence of:
Witness
Fs Vienne
(Signed) Paillette
Marie Ann Buard
Jh. Lausin
Widow Buard
Fs Bossié
Witness
Thomas M Lennard
Ronquier
C G C Murphy
C(?) Pavie
Ordinary mark of
Bmin Dranguet
Fs Buard Père
H? S? Buard
Judge P D Cailleau Lafontaine
Manuel Rachal