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PREFACE
Many researchers dread the thought of
using original source material because of its illegibility,
inaccessability, and—for colonialLouisiana—use of
eighteenth-century French. With this in mind and with the
hope of assisting historians, genealogists, and geneticists, I have
produced the following transcription and interpretation of one group of
early sacramental records. Catholic church documents provide detailed
information on immigrants to Louisiana and their subsequent lives in
the colony. These records are indispensable for accurate familial and
community studies, the foundations of meaningful historical syntheses.
An obvious starting point for an investigation into lower French
Louisiana is the oldest existing church parish, established in 1703, at
Mobile, Alabama. Fortunately, many of the early
church records have survived; unfortunately, the cumbersome requirements
for using the unindexed, deteriorating originals or their inadequate
microfilm copies have limited their utilization.
I first used the
archives at the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Mobile in 1968,
exIracting information for a Tulane University Medical School genetic study. Later, I began
compiling lists and abstracts to help the Mobile staff respond to genealogical and historical
queries. Then the diocesan chancellor, a historian, convinced me that full
transcriptions were needed and would be a true contribution to colonial
history.
The result is this book, an alternative to irreplaceable
records whose continuing deterioration cannot be halted. I gave priority
to the earliest extant marriages because they include the largest number
of non-recurring adult names and the greatest amount of detailed
information. Thus, for the first part of the bound volume referred to as
Marriage Book I (Mob. rnb I), all entries for the periods of French
(1726-1763) and British (1763-1780) rule, and some that follow from the
Spanish period, four being written in French (1786), are fully
transcribed. To preserve all of the extant French-language nuptials in
that repository, twelve marriages (1724-1726) found in Baptism Book I
(Mob. bb I) and one marriage (1734) kept in a separate folder are made
part of this publication.
It is no longer possible, however, to
work with original documents so far from my home. I hope someone nearer to
them will complete the task with the same fascination I enjoyed.
Satisfaction comes from my conviction that augmenting knowledge about our
early settlers helps to establish a more accurate base for colonial
history.
The research was exhilarating for me; only the
organization for publication was tedious. I made that effort in gratitude
to historical researchers past and present, whose shared knowledge has
excited my curiosity and enriched my life.
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