A Louisiana Pioneer — Nicolas Chauvin de La Frénière

B. 19 Jan 1676 in Montreal, New France
M.  Aug 1724 in (probably) New Orleans, New France
Wife: Marguerite LeSueur
D. before 15 Feb 1749 in Tchapitoulas, Louisiana, New France

Nicolas de La Frénière was a man of modest beginnings, who became the owner of a plantation with over a hundred slaves in early Louisiana. His story is one of adventure and opportunity, as he sought to make his fortune during the first few decades of the 18th century.

Nicolas was born to Pierre Chauvin and Marthe Autreuil Le H’Auteaux on January 19, 1676, the 9th child out of 12. His father was a miller who had been recruited in France two decades earlier to help populate Montreal. Nicolas likely received no education as a boy. By the time he came of age, young men in Montreal were being lured to all corners of the colonies. About 1700, a new settlement was begun on the Gulf Coast of America, and Nicolas and his brothers became a part of it.

The region near the mouth of the Mississippi was strategically important for France to secure. In 1699, an expedition led by men from New France sailed there with about 200 colonists, including Nicolas’ older brothers Jacques and Joseph. Biloxi was founded first, then within a short time, the town of Mobile was settled. It’s uncertain when Nicolas joined his brothers, but he was listed on a 1706 census of Mobile, and he may have been there as early as 1704. The brothers added to their surnames around this time: Nicolas became Chauvin de La Frénière, Joseph became Chauvin de Léry, and another brother, Louis, became Chauvin de Beaulieu.

The brothers worked together to amass their wealth, and each cultivated land in Mobile. In the process, they became slaveowners, eventually owning large numbers of Native American and African slaves. Joseph was identified as a merchant and Nicolas may have been one as well. His name turned up in a few records during his years at Mobile. In one, Nicolas was recommended as an “advisor” on the local council in 1713, with a comment that he had been illiterate, but had recently learned to sign his name. A record from 1717 dismissed his qualifications for another such position saying that he “does not know how to read [or] to write.” Even the governor of Louisiana, Antoine la Mothe de Cadillac, weighed in on Nicolas by referring to him as being one of the “scum and refuse of Canada.” But Nicolas got to serve on the council in spite of the harsh evaluations.

The French colony on the Gulf Coast was wedged between Spanish colonies in present-day Florida and Texas, and some settlers wanted to open up trade with them. So in 1716, Nicolas and brothers Joseph and Louis joined an expedition traveling west to do just that. A group of six men left Mobile on October 16th, led by Louis Juchereau de St-Denis, a man who just came back from another such trip. It was a bold journey that took them through territories of hostile Indians to the destination of Mission San Juan Bautista, a Spanish presidio on the Rio Grande. A convoy of mules carried the men’s merchandise worth about 60,000 livres.

The trading mission ended up being a failure. Leader St-Denis had his goods confiscated by the Spanish, and they carted him off to prison in Mexico City. Nicolas and his brothers stored their merchandise inside the mission and sold the goods to individuals on credit, but when they heard what happened to St-Denis, they were afraid they’d get arrested, too, so they fled. Since they never collected on the credit, they lost a lot of money. It took them several months to reach home; the entire trip had taken a year.

Early the following year, Nicolas was recorded in Mobile at the baptism of a baby girl where he was the father and one of his Native American slaves was the mother. The girl was born on January 17, 1718 and given the name Hypolite. Little is known of the mother except that her name was Catherine, but because Nicolas had relations with her about nine months previous, this must have happened during his time in San Juan Bautista. Nicolas probably acquired Catherine there, and brought her back to Mobile while she was carrying his child.

The year 1718 saw another event important to Nicolas: the founding of New Orleans. The French had wanted to establish an outpost near the mouth of the Mississippi and they finally found a suitable location on a curve in the river, planting a settlement there that spring. The Chauvin brothers decided to move there as well, and in March of 1719, Nicolas acquired 6 acres in a place a few miles outside of the new settlement called Tchapitoulas. He would later add more land to it with a total river frontage of 8 arpents, as well a townhouse in New Orleans; both places would become his homes for the rest of his life.

Nicolas’ brothers Joseph and Louis had property next to his, and outsiders often looked at the success of the Chauvins as a whole. A Jesuit priest wrote in 1722 that the “three Canadian brothers, of the name Chauvin, who having brought nothing with them to this country but their industry, have attained to a perfection in that through the necessity of working for their subsistence. They have lost no time, and have spared themselves nothing."

Nicolas’ main livelihood was as master of his plantation; at various times the farm produced indigo and tobacco, among other crops. He also bred sheep as another source of income. The labor was carried out by his large number of slaves, by this time mostly African (at one time he owned 115 on his Tchapitoulas plantation). Without slavery, Nicholas likely wouldn't have become a wealthy man. His fortune was made because he didn’t pay wages to the people who worked for him, and as slaves, they had no choice in the arrangement.

At the same time Nicolas was managing his plantation, he became a supplier of lumber for the construction of buildings in New Orleans. In 1727, he produced a major portion of the wood used in building the first church in the city. Many other houses and structures there were built with Nicolas’ lumber, and his brothers participated in the lumber business along with him. As merchants, they sometimes sold tools to settlers; during this time, Nicolas was recorded as having sold axes, tomahawks and other tools to those who needed them.

In 1729, Nicolas partnered with a man to open up a tavern in New Orleans. The two men paid over 1,000 livres for liquor and wine to stock their establishment. It was said to be the very first “cabaret” in the city.

At the age of 48, Nicolas finally got married. His bride was Marguerite LeSueur and the wedding was in August of 1724, probably in New Orleans. Between about 1725 and 1733, the couple had five children, with one who died as an infant. Nicolas and his family primarily lived on the plantation, but it was said that he would use his townhouse in New Orleans when he had business to conduct there.

As New Orleans grew, in 1732, King Louis XV of France ordered the governor of the colony to restore the local council as it was in Mobile in 1716. On September 2nd, the king wrote, "transmit to the new members of the Council the following: Sirs Prat, Frenière, Fazende and Massy were chosen by me … to fill the four places of Members of Council.” So Nicolas was returned to a seat in the governing body, and this time by the direct order of the king.

Nearing the end of his life, on April 25, 1746, Nicolas was appointed as captain of the militia. At 70-years-old, he was probably not given any active duty. Nicolas lived only a couple more years and died in early 1749, likely at his Tchapitoulas plantation. He left behind a legacy of raising his family to prominence in Louisiana. In 1763, Nicolas' son, also named Nicolas, was made Attorney General of the colony; he later led a rebellion during a time when Spain had control of Louisiana, and he was executed by firing squad in 1769.

The site of Nicolas’ plantation is a park located with the New Orleans city limits. It’s called Frenière Park, and a plaque honors Nicolas and his contribution to Louisiana history.

Child by slave Catherine:
1. Hypolite Chauvin de La Frénière — B. 17 Jan 1718, Post Mobile, New France; D. before 15 May 1758, (probably) Opelousas Post, Louisiana, New France; M. (1) Joseph Turpin, 7 Nov 1731, New Orleans, New France; (2) Joseph de La Mirande, 19 Mar 1750, Kaskaskia, New France

Children by Marguerite LaSueur:
1. Marguerite Chauvin de La Frénière — B. about 1725, Louisiana, New France; D. 23 Sep 1759, France; M. Louis-François Le Bretton, 7 Feb 1738, Louisiana, New France

2. Marie-Anne Chauvin de La Frénière — B. about 1727, Louisiana, New France; D. 29 Oct 1731, New Orleans, New France

3. Nicolas Chauvin de La Frénière — B. 9 Apr 1728, Tchapitoulas, Louisiana, New France; D. 25 Oct 1769, New Orleans, New Spain; M. (1) Marguerite de Bellair, about 1749; (2) Marie de La Casse

4. Catherine Chauvin de La Frénière — B. 25 Mar 1731, Tchapitoulas, Louisiana, New France

5. Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Chauvin de La Frénière — B. 18 Jun 1733, Tchapitoulas, Louisiana, New France; M. Gabriel-Charlotte, Countess of Saintignon (1749-?), 6 Feb 1770, France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

The Family of Nicolas Chauvin de La Freniere, Sadie Greening Sparks, 18 Oct 2000, sadiesparks.com“
L’Histoire des Chauvin de Montréal,” Ernest Monty, Mémoire, #XXXIV - No. 1, 1983
Sacramental records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Volume 1, Section 1, 1704-1739, Michael L. Farmer, Ann Calagaz, 2002
Old families of Louisiana, Stanley Clisby Arthur, 1931
The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April 1924