"I have been
a stranger in a strange land."
The Bible
Exodus 2:22
The Letters
Until recently, the life of Armand Gabriel Allard Duplantier was known
but in pieces, like shards from broken and long and discarded
pottery. His prominence in French Colonial Louisiana had been
recognized, to be sure, but the story of his life had been gleaned from
published reports and recorded and preserved civil records.
Publications tend to touch the high points of a life, while civil
records tend to record the low points: deaths, divorces, bankruptcies,
lawsuits and the human failures to which we are all subject. What had
been missing was the first-person story, the rich details of life that
open a window to the soul of the subject of a historic inquiry.
However, a startling discovery by Frenchman Paul de Combarieu in 1976
made it possible to get to know Armand intimately and personally, in
his own words. On August 9, 1974, Stephen Duplantier, a direct
descendant of Armand, wrote to the de Combarieu family. Stephen
was aware of their ownership of “Combes de la Buisse” an
ancestral family home in Voiron, France, and was hoping that in the
house might yield some clues to the life of the family ancestor that he
was researching. Some time later, Paul de Combarieu wrote back to
announce that, in a windowless, double-door room on the third floor of
the house wrapped in a black cloth, he and his wife had discovered the
theretofore unknown existence of 86 family letters, perfectly preserved
by generations of his ancestors.
Careful research of these letters, dating from 1777 to 1859, revealed
that fifty of the letters had been written by Armand, 11 by his son
Armand, 17 by Armand’s grand-daughter Amelie and 8 by J. Claude
Trenonay, Armand’s uncle and the first of Armand’s family
in the new world. This find represented an extraordinary
discovery. While still undergoing scrutiny and accurate
translation more than 30 years later, these letters have enabled family
historians to fill in some of the gaps in Armand’s life and in
the lives of his family members, and have added a dimension of realism
and personality to the abstract Armand, describing his moods,
struggles, difficulties, dreams and ambitions.
It is interesting to note that the Duplantier family in America
maintained fond personal communication with their French family
members for more than eighty years. It appears that
the
advent of the Civil War in the United States may have served as the denouement of this
extraordinary family relationship.
Summaries and texts of these important period letters translated from
the French will be offered on
this site. Please consider that the letters represent
historic
correspondence referencing the vernacular, culture and social practices
of that era. It is hoped that this
treasure trove of historic information can one day be fully available
to researchers and historians, so that this significant period
can more broadly illuminated and more fully contributory to
the
body of knowledge
of early colonial Louisiana history.
Translated Letters
Click the dates highlighted below to view the
entire letter translated from the original French.
April 1, 1777
Jean Claude Trenonay, a la Pointe Coupee in province de La Louisiana,
writes to his sister, Gabrielle de Trenonay Duplantier in Grenoble,
France that he wishes her to send her youngest son to the colony.
April 12, 1785
Armand Duplantier at Pointe Coupee writes to his father in France
that he is working to return to France so that the family might meet
his wife and two sons.
January 10, 1795
Armand Duplantier while in New Orleans writes to his brother in France
about such things as his uncle's succession, the plantation and more.
March 5, 1801
To be posted!
October 15, 1802
To be posted!
June 18, 1807
Armand Duplantier while in New Orleans writes to his brother in
France. He discusses financial matters and
informs his brother that Fergus is on his way home.
July 27, 1839
To be posted!
August 12, 1839
While visiting Paris, Amelie Duplantier writes her widowed aunt, Mrs. Allard, in Voiron, France.
August 17, 1839
Amelia Duplantier writes from Lyons, France to her widowed aunt, Mrs. Allard in Voiron, France.
September 7, 1839
To be posted!
November 15, 1839
To be posted!
January 1, 1840
To be posted!
October 1, 1859
To be posted!
May 28, 1889 (To be posted!)
Guy Allard, who is the last Duplantier in France and who is son of Antoine and nephew of Armand writes.
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Brousseau Duplantier 2007