Janice Batte Craven and La Vaughn H. "LV" Hayes
lvhayes@worldnet.att.net
When Calcasieu Parish was formed on 24 Mar 1840 from St. Landry Parish, it included the modern parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Jefferson Davis, as well as the part of Cameron Parish west of the Mermentau River and the parts of Rapides and Vernon Parishes south of the 31st parallel. On 15 Mar 1870, the areas now belonging to Cameron, Rapides, and Vernon were detached, and on 12 Jun 1912, Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis were carved out of the old parish. This old parish of the period 1840-1912 is often called Imperial Calcasieu to distinguish it from the much smaller modern Calcasieu.
The first federal census of Imperial Calcasieu was taken shortly after its creation in early 1840. The families living in the parish at that time may be regarded as its first families. The census takers listed 263 households containing a total of 2,055 persons. In our presentation below, we identify 164 families, some of which occupied several households. The location of these households was not identified in the census, but they must have been scattered far and wide over this huge territory.
In the 1840 census, only heads of household were identified by name. Other household members were identified by enumeration in one of 13 age groups. The basic purpose of this study is to identify all members of all households by name and actual year of birth. Family members born after the time of the 1840 census are not included. When name, year, or location is uncertain, it is followed by a question mark in the listing.
Needless to say, this is a very difficult project, and the writers could use a little friendly assistance. With that in mind, this document is placed online as a work in progress for the following two reasons. First, it provides an online source for any person interested in a family which was in Imperial Calcasieu Parish at the time of its formation in 1840. Second, it offers an opportunity for the public to participate in this project in the following manner. Anyone who has data to fill the obvious gaps in our knowledge of the first families or corrections to the data presented here may send his or her contribution to LV Hayes at the above-cited e-mail address, and it will be added to this document after evaluation. As gaps are filled or corrections made, updated versions will be posted online. Those who send data will be acknowledged on the list of contributors.
List
of First Families [last updated 12/15/99]
List
of Heads of Household
List of
Contributors