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Surnames: Champagne, Edelmayer (Edelmeier)
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/lQI.2ACEB/376
Message Board Post:
From: St Charles Abstracts of the Civil Records of St Charles Parish 1770-1803
No. 1873 dated April 25, 1803
Testament of Jean Baptiste Champagne Pere
No. 1874 dated August 1, 1803
Inventory of the community property of the late Jean Baptiste Champagne Pere and his wife,
Charlotte (Henry) Edelmeier. At nine o'clock this morning St. -Amand in the company of
Guillaume Beauvais and George Toups, arrived at the farm of Widow Champagne to inventory
the community property. Inventory taken by Francois Brou and Michel Frilloux. Inventory
revealed that the decedent owned 37 slaves. Also inventoried was a farm (which was
community property, see No. 1863) 8 arpents wide by the customary depth, located about
22.5 miles above New Orleans on the right bank of the river descending, bounded below by
the farm of Widow Pol (Hypolite) Chauvin and above by the farm belonging exclusively to
Widow Champagne. The main house on this property was 18' x 30' with galleries in
front and rear. The unattached kitchen measured 30' x 16' and included a dining
room, an office and a room that served as a hospital. This building also had galleries in
front and rear. The main house was c!
onstructed of wood with a brick chimney covered with wooden shingles. The kitchen was
also made of wood with a shingle roof and shingles covering the sides. There was also a
"mill" for rice, a store 30' x 18' and other out buildings including 11
slave cabins. There was a vegetable garden measuring about 3/4 of an arpent. The farm was
appraised at 5600 piastres. (note: This is probably one of the best descriptions of an
early nineteenth century "habitation."