Notes for JEAN "Chapeau" Mouton: From MOUTON FAMILY CHART: "By his donations of land for church and civil buildings 1822 - 1824 and subsequent layout and developement of hisland into a settlement encompassing these donations, he is thus regarded as the FOUNDER OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA."
Information from "THE MOUTONS, A GENEOLOGY", by J. Franklin Mouton III, Library of Congress, #78-70578, reprinted in Sarah Ann Quattlebaum Genzer's autobiography:
"Accumulating vast lands throughout what is now the Lafayette parish area, Jean Mouton in 1822, donated a chapel and 5 and one half arpents of land to the Catholic congregation requesting that the chapel be named for his patron saint, St. John the Evangelist. He also donated land for a Parish Court House with a request that the Church and the Court House always remain facing each other. He also stipulated that in the event either should be moved, the land would revert to the family or his heirs. Later, in 1824, he laid out a town encompassing his donations and named it Vermillionville. That town became the city of Lafayette, Louisiana.
The brother Jean and Marin Mouton were charmingly nicknamed for the hats they wore. Jean wore a formal chapeau and Marin, a homespun "Capuchon" or cap, and to this day their respective descendants are referred to as either "Chapeau Moutons" or "Capuchon Moutons". (We are "Chapeau Moutons").
The beautiful carrara marble tombs of Jean Mouton, his wife, and eight of his surviving sons and at least one of his daughters - as well as those of their consorts - are to be seen in the churchyard of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette.
I am a direct descendant of Jean "Chapeau" Mouton. My grandfather, Antoine Emile Mouton built the Cathedral and the University of Southwestern Louisiana." (Note: the University of Southwestern Louisiana is now called the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.)
Text below by Shari Berens: Jean Mouton and Marie Bordat had 15 children, 12 of whom reached adulthood. When Jean Mouton laid out the town of Vermillionville, later to be called Lafayette, in 1824, he was 69 years old, and Marie was 48. Their children were the following ages at the time: Modeste, 37; Adelaide, 35; Joseph, 33; Francois, 32; Jean Baptiste, 30; Marthe, 29?, who would die one year later; CHARLES, 27; Alexandre, 20 (later U.S. Senator and Governor of Louisiana); Antoine, 17; Cesaire, 15; and Celeste, 13. Don Louis had died 2 years before at the age of 22. Jean Mouton passed away ten years later.
More About JEAN "Chapeau" Mouton and Marie Marthe Bordat: Marriage: June 23, 1783, Poste Des Attakapas.
Children of JEAN "Chapeau" Mouton and Marie Marthe Bordat are:
Marie Modeste Mouton, b. February 17, 1787, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. October 30, 1857, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Marie Adelaide Mouton, b. February 15, 1789, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. October 03, 1815, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Joseph Mouton, b. January 17, 1791, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. August 04, 1835, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Francois Mouton, b. November 17, 1792, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. September 02, 1827, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Jean Baptiste Mouton, b. April 24, 1794, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. May 21, 1837, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Marie Marthe Mouton, b. December 1794, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. March 06, 1825, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
+CHARLES Mouton, b. March 25, 1797, St. Martin Parish (or Lafayette Parish), Louisiana, d. April 27, 1847, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Unknown Mouton, b. Abt. 1799, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. March 07, 1799, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.
Don Louis Bordat Mouton, b. August 18, 1800, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. September 10, 1822, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Pierre Treville Mouton, b. November 02, 1802, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. October 05, 1808, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.
+Alexandre Mouton, b. November 19, 1804, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. February 12, 1885, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Antoine Emile Mouton, b. January 26, 1807, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. March 30, 1865, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Cesaire Mouton, b. February 18, 1809, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. July 18, 1843, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Celeste Mouton, b. February 16, 1811, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. December 01, 1889, Grand Coteau, Louisiana.
Unknown Mouton, b. Abt. 1816, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, d. November 10, 1816, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.
JEAN "Chapeau" Mouton (b. 1755, d. November 22, 1834)
Notes for JEAN "Chapeau" Mouton: