Jean Francois Darby Family Papers
Collection 451
Darby, Jean Francois (1813–1877). Family Papers, 1780–1972, n.d.
Jean Baptiste de St. Marc Darby (1749-1795) came to the Teche region as a Spanish military officer and served as Commandant of the Attakapas Post from 1787 until his death in 1795. He acquired land along the Teche in the 1780s.
Jean Francois Darby inherited some of that land from his father Jean (1783-1834) and expanded his holdings. By 1861, his plantation was producing approximately 200 hogsheads of sugar each year, a medium-size crop by Louisiana standards. Jean Francois married Marie Estelle Euzide DeBlanc. They had seven children, three of whom survived him: Cesaire, Anatole and Celima.
This collection consists of miscellaneous family papers mostly dealing with land owned by members of the Darby family. There are also some records relating to purchases of enslaved people and 20th century tax receipts. Other records include receipts from the Iberia Sugar Cooperative, miscellaneous receipts, and a letter regarding a claim on a portion of the estate of the Very Rev. Giovanni Gradenigo, Bishop of Venice, possibly a scam.
The collection was donated by Nelwyn Hebert, great-great-granddaughter of Jean Francois Darby.
Inventory:
| Box 1 | |||
| 1-01 | Land Records[See also: Box 2, Oversize] | ||
| 9 March 1809 | Survey of land owned by Darby family on west bank of Teche. [2 pp., laminated] | ||
| 16 July 1811 | Francoise Pellerin widow of St. Marc Darby to her children (Jean Louis Darby, Francois St. Marc Darby, Marie Marthe Celeste Darby wife of Joseph Dubuclet & Ursin Darby). Transfer of land & enslaved people [copy] | ||
| 3 Sept. 1812 | Francois Olivier Forcelle and Louis Luques(?) to Jean Darby. Sale of 2 enslaved people | ||
| 17 Sept. 1819 | Wm. Louis Terence Delahoussaye. Discharging Jean Darby as curator | ||
| 9 Mar. 1829 | List of enslaved people of Jean Darby & how he acquired them | ||
| 10 Mar. 1829 | No mortgages on record for Jean Darby | ||
| 10 Mar. 1829 | Planters Bank representatives. Land & enslaved people of Jean Darby valuated at $40,330 | ||
| 7 May 1829 | Chain of title to land offered for mortgage by Jean Louis Darby | ||
| 20 May 1829 | Affirming Jean Darby’s titles are in good order | ||
| 18 June 1829 | Jean Darby & Marie Aspasie DeBlanc his wife mortgaged land to Planters Bank for $5000 | ||
| 4 Apr. 1839 | Family meeting for minor children of Jean Darby & Marie Aspasie DeBlanc | ||
| 28 Jan. 1840 | Succession of Jean Darby and Marie Aspasie DeBlanc. Sale | ||
| 19 Feb. 1840 | Jean Darby to Cesaire DeBlanc. Exchange of land on west bank of Teche | ||
| 7 Apr. 1874 | Perry to St. Marc Darby. Asks him to sign a bond for $200 | ||
| 22 Oct. 1894 | Cesaire Darby, Anatole Darby & Emma Darby wife of George Guinault, heirs of Francois St. Marc Darby & Euzide DeBlanc his widow. Division of land. | ||
| n.d., ca. 1867 | Zenon Broussard. Petition to collect $1000 debt owed by Euzebe Neuville, backed by Francois Veil & Cesaire Darby | ||
| n.d. | A.D. DeBlanc to Francois Darby his uncle. Euphemon Broussard cannot pay debt now but can in a few months (5 Aug. /5) | ||
| n.d. | List of titles of Jean Darby | ||
| 1-02 | Survey of land to be purchased by Darrel Eldridge, 1972 | ||
| 1-03 | Iberia Sugar Cooperative, 1947, 1957 | ||
| 1-04 | Tax receipts, 1935-1954 | ||
| 1-05 | Miscellaneous receipts, 1919-1940, n.d. | ||
| 1-06 | Gradenigo estate, 1922 | ||
| Form letter soliciting contribution to pursue claim to a portion of the estate of the Very Rev. Giovanni Gradenigo, Bishop of Venice [for more information see St. Landry Clarion, 26 July 1919, p.1] | |||
| Box 2 | Oversize | ||
| 3 Aug. 1780 | Jean Baptiste Grevemberg to St. Marc Darby. Sale of land. Ten arpents on both sides of Teche | ||
| 27 May 1785 | Delabarre & Dutillet to St. Marc Darby. Sale of land. Twenty arpents on both sides of Teche | ||
| 16 July 1811 | Francoise Pellerin widow of St. Marc Darby to her children (Jean Louis Darby, Francois St. Marc Darby, Marie Marthe Celeste Darby wife of Joseph Dubuclet & Ursin Darby). Transfer of land & enslaved people [original] | ||
| 3 March 1813 | Francois St. Marc Darby to Jean Darby. Sale of Land. 12 arpents on west bank of Teche. | ||
| 3 March 1813 | Louis Charles DeBlanc to Jean Darby. Sale of land. __ arpents on west bank of Teche [document torn] | ||
| 19 Feb. 1814 | Jean Darby & Cesaire DeBlanc. Exchange of lane. | ||
| 12 Jan. 1829 | Jean Darby. Certificate that 24 arpents of land on right bank of Teche and 20 enslaved people are free of mortgages | ||
| 26 Jan. 1829 | Robert Webb Simington to Jean Darby. Sale of 4 enslaved people. | ||
| 26 Jan. 1829 | Stephen (Veillon? Dillon?) to Jean Darby. Sale of 6 enslaved people. | ||
| 8 Mar. 1829 | Jean Darby. Record of purchases of enslaved people. | ||
| 13 Mar. 1829 | Joseph Dubuclet & Benoit de St. Claire. Affidavit stating ten named enslaved people were born on Jean Darby’s plantation. | ||
| Map Case | |||
| Plat Showing Property of Lionel Lapeyrouse et al, being located in Sections 1, 10, 12, 7, 13, T.12S R.6E and Section12, T 12S R7e, Iberia Parish, La. Surveyed Jan. 1957 | |||