FONTENOT
Most of the Louisiana families of the surname FONTENOT descend from Jean-Louis Fontenot dit Colin . Jean-Louis was a native of Poitou Province, France, the son of Joachim Fontenot and Jeanne Prido, natives of Poitiers Parish of St.Germain, France.
Jean-Louis was a sergeant of the French forces stationed in Mobile during the early eighteenth century. He married on February 8, 1726, Louise-Angelique Henry, daughter of Mathurin Henry and Louise de Perigo (or Prigo), natives of Port Louis, France. Louise-Angelique entered into this marriage as a widow.
From this union, eleven children were born, seven being sons. Although most of the children were born at Mobile, they were reared at the frontier post of Fort Toulouse near present Montgomery, where Jean-Louis was probably transferred in the late 1730's and where he died in 1755.
After the transfer of the West Florida Territory to England in 1763, the Fontenots, with many other French families of the Alabama-Mississippi gulf coast area, elected to migrate to Louisiana. After arriving in New Orleans in 1764, they eventually settled in the St. Landry Parish area.
Of Jean-Louis and Louise's seven sons, the lineage of Pierre dit Bellevue is the subject of interest here. Pierre married Louise Doucet, together producing seven children, four being sons. A 1777 Opelousas census shows Pierre, 50, and Louise, 40, with children:
- Simon 18
- Henry 10
- Laurent 4
- Julien 3
- Felicite 14
- Francoise 7
- Zaire 1
By 1860, the added growth within the prairies of old St.Landry and adjacent areas was at six married grandsons and five great-grandsons.