• History

• Time Line

• Mesplet's Historical References

• Sieur Mesplet's Possessions

• Natchez Massacre Orphans

• People Killed in Natchez Massacre

• Enlarged 1732 Map

• 1726 Census

1726 Census of the Louisiana Colony

 
What follows is a portion of the "General census of all inhabitants of the Colony of Louisiana dated January 1, 1726, including the entire coast bordering the Gulf of Mexico from Mobile to New Orleans, colonies along the Mississippi River, including the region known as Illinois."
 
19. Village of Avoyelles

	Masters	Indian	Negro	Horses	Pigs	Cattle
		Slaves	Slaves
Sieur Mesples	1
Three Masters	3
Ten engages	10
One infant	1
Totals	15	0	0	30	8	2 herds

 
Comments:

• Sieur Mesples is very likely the Mesplet who was killed by the Natchez.

• "Sieur" or "Le Sieur" was a title, almost a noble or aristocratic one. However, there were few Counts, Barons, or titled nobility in Louisiana. The title Sieur usually signified a landowner or one having an almost aristocratic station.

• Since no names are listed and the French were very detailed in their census. These people were more than likely not present for the census.

• The census did not count Indian women living with their men.

• Mesplet did not have any heirs at the time of his death so the infant probably belonged to one of the other men.

• In Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in a Frontier Exchange Economy it is mentioned that the Avoyelles and Tunica villages herded cattle from Texas and horses and oxen from New Mexico in the 1720's. It appears from the census that Sieur Mesplet was involved in this.