The KLEINPETER Family

After further research, Arthur found that the KELINPETER's and ORY's were Germans who migrated from Frederick County, Maryland. The first of the KLEINPETER to journey to Louisiana was Johan Georg KLEINPETER and his wife, Gertrude HETZ. This couple had seven children: 1) Johan Baptiste (1747-1836), who married Catherine SHARP; 2) Catherine (b. 1753), who married Jean Emmerich ADAM; 3) Barbara (1755-1850) who married Jacob SCHLATRE; 4) Eva, who married Johann REIN; 5) George (b. 1767) who married Judith RITER; 6) Joseph (1768-1823), who married Magdalena SHARP; and 7) Marianne (?-1817), who married first Alexandre Jean DARDENNE and second to Louis NEREAUX.

The Story of the KLEINPETER's journey to Louisiana was told in 1815 by one of Joseph's sons in 1851. A transcription of that letter, made by Rita Lieux KLEINPETER on July 5, 1924, at Angola, was provided by Mrs. Edwin Smith, Jr., and is reproduced here:

Dutch Highlands, June 20, 1851

Being informed that you intend publishing an essay on the early settlement of this Parish, and desire collecting all the necessary information concerning its different parts to assist you in your design, I have penned the subjoined facts, which have descended to me as a family relic, in form of a tradition. If they can be of any service to you, you are thrice welcome to them. Without any further preliminary remarks I betake myself to the task.

The first settlers of this part of the country, commonly known as the "Dutch Highlands" were for the most part emigrants from Hagerstown, Maryland. When colonies whole or entire emigrate, history makes note of it and some motive either expressed or understood, is given for such a move; but when a single family undertakes a perilous voyage over almost impassable mountains, through forests impervious save to te red-man, throw themselves to the mercies of an unknown stream, planted on either side with hostile Indians, to divine the cause of such a move is beyond the powers of seeing into the past. But certain it was with hopes of bettering their situation.

But to continue our narrative they arrived safely at Pittsburgh, which at that time consisted of two framed buildings. One of these they rented for the accommodation of their large family. Remaining five or six weeks they left on the first day of July, 1774 in a barge, running by night, but concealing themselves during the day. This was done by the advice of Captain Whiteye, the Chief of the tribes inhabiting the regions of the Ohio River. After a happy voyage they arrived at Bayou Manshac on the 12th of August, 1774.

The Company then consisted of the following individuals: George KLEINPETER and Gertrude KLEINPETER, his wife, and their children in order of their ages as follows: Catherine, Barbara, Eva, John, George, and Joseph. They were accompanied by Phillip ANGLEHART and Mathias ORY. They settled opposite the Manshac below Hatchet Point and were here employed in the cultivation of Indian corn, potatoes, and rice. They were subsequently forced to abandon this place on account of successive annual inundations which happened about that time. They resolved, therefore, to pitch their tents upon higher ground, and in September, 1784, the male portion of the family of this little community commenced work on the Highlands, aided in their labors by John RHINE, Emeric ADAMS, Henry THOMAS, George GARIG, and Paul SHARP. Their families they brought over in ‘86.

Once more, quietly settled down, they turned their attention to the cultivation of the soil, they first planted indigo, but after four or five years were forced to abandon it on account of the sickness it produced. The seed very readily disposed of at the Indigo Manufacturers then in operation above the city of New Orleans. Deprived of their source of support they turned their attention to the cultivation of small quantities of cotton intended solely for home consumption. The hand-gin spindle and loom answered their manufacturing purposes. But improvement could not be staid, progress is a product of the American soil, and in 1795 the first gin was erected by Joseph SHARP. A cotton epidemic now prevailed and the black and green seed were called into requisition. Their success was encouraging the stalks to growing to an enormous size and yielding about a bale to the acre; this however, increased with the experience of the growers. But subject to the common fate of business men they were subjected to the reverses of fortune. In 1815 the rot commenced in the cotton. Tennessee and Grand Fluff seed were introduced, but the rot did not entirely disappear until about 1830. Improvement did not stop here---it advanced almost as fast as time. They were determined to try sugar cane, and notwithstanding the jeers and taunts, and the ridicule heaped upon them by their coast friends two sugar houses were erected in 1830---one by John KLEINPETER * (deceased) and the other by John TRAGER, John B. and Lewis KLEINPETER*. The first steam engine was put up by John B. KLEINPETER in 1838. These were first attempts at making sugar on highland in the Parish and perhaps in the state. At this time the Parish is one of vast field of sugar cane, rich and luxuriant.

Long since has the idea that highland is incapable of producing sugar cane has been exploded, and now, were we disposed to return the taunts and jeers of our river friends we might well do so in their misfortune. One half of the sugar of this Parish this last year has been produced on highland, according to the report of the enterprising Champomier.

The Delta stated some years ago, I think in the early part of ‘49 that J. or H. Perkins had precedence in making sugar on highland and that "CLAMPETER" had begun but did not succeed. The fact is in that Perkins did not begin for ten years after the KLEINPETERS, who never abandoned it. The first mentioned it is true, did not make sugar every year, but the latter never failed a single season.

Very Respectfully, (Signed) Josiah Kleinpeter

This area, named the "Dutch Highlands" after these families, is located approximately from the Highland Cemetery on Highland Road to Kleinpeter's Dairy on Airline Highway. The reader will note that there are discrepancies between Josiah Kleinpeter's account of the families and the actual records.

The THOMAS Family

The fourth child of Nicolas ORY and Anna STRASBACH was a daughter named Barbara (b. Ca. 1758; d. ca. 1823). Barbara ORY married Henry THOMAS (b. Ca. 1743; d. September 24, 1798), of Maryland. They had seven children:

1) Henry/Henrique (bt. October 14, 1774, SJO-1, 25a), who married on February 12, 1800, (SGA- 14,27) Isabel/Elizabeth KLEINPETER, the daughter of Johann Baptiste KLEINPETER and Catherine SHARP from Maryland;

2) Juan/John (b. Ca. 1776), who married Eva ADAMS on September 13, 1796 (SJO-3,16);

3) Marie Barbara (b. September 23, 1778, SGA-4a, 14), who married William GARIG;

4) Maria Catalina (b. November 30, 1780, SGA-5,3 # 13), who married William RODDY on April 15, 1801 (SJO-3, 32 & 33);

5) Joseph (b. January 10, 1783, SGA-5,22,132)

6) Maria Magdalena (b. August 22, 1786, SGA-11,12 #36);

7) Isabel/Elizabeth (b. March 22, 1788, SGA-11,28 #100), who married Wm. WEBB on May 6, 1811 (SJO-3, 109).

Henry THOMAS and Isabel/Elizabeth KLEINPETER had nine children as follows:

1) Juan (b. June 8, 1800, SJO-1, 109, 110);

2) Maria Catalina (b. December 25, 1802) who married William STAMPLEY;

3) Elizabeth (b. October 28, 1804, SJO-1,250), who married a STEPHENS;

4) Elmire (b. 1806), who married Peter ORY;

5) Celeste (b. April 24, 1809);

6) Henrique (b. December 9, 1810, SJO-6,90);

7) Josef (b. January 15, 1812, SJO-6, 127);

8) Barbara (b. August 24, 1814 SJO-6,200);

9) Filemon (b. July 27, 1816, SJO-6,250.

Further research revealed that a succession record, #147 OS, No. 3, EBR Parish, October 23, 1823, listed the inventory of the estate of Mrs. Mary Barbara THOMAS, deceased, the widow or the late Henry THOMAS, to be divided between the heirs, or their representatives, to wit: John THOMAS, decd.; Joseph THOMAS, decd.; Elizabeth THOMAS, wife of William Webb; Catherine THOMAS, wife of Wm. RODDY; Mary Barbara THOMAS, widow of George GARIG. Decd; the heirs of Mary THOMAS, represented by John BILLS for minor children Barbara and John BILLS; and the heirs of Henry THOMAS, decd., namely, Mrs. Catherine STAMPLEY, Mrs, Elizabeth STEPHENS, major children, and these six minor children, represented by their mother, Elizabeth THOMAS; Elmire THOMAS (17), Celeste THOMAS (14), Henry THOMAS (12), Joseph THOMAS (11), Barbara THOMAS (9), and Philemon THOMAS(7). The last eight named are all grandchildren of Mary Barbara ORY and Henry THOMAS.

The inventory was taken by Charles Tessier (or Fervier), Judge of East Baton Rouge Parish, of property, "the last place of residence of the late Mrs, Mary Barbara THOMAS, decd., on the highlands," and listed cash on hand, cotton crop, promissary notes, personal property due and payable, slaves, and amount due on landed estate totaling $19,237.70. In addition to the slaves, who were Clam and his wife Rachel, Sally, George, Sam, Mary, Sophy and her three children, Sam, Oscar, Sophia, Diner, Harriet, and Old Sam, there is mention of two lots of ground situated in the town of Baton Rouge, being in Square 57, also stock running at large, etc.. An additional figure of $12,044.50 is listed at eh end of the description of the property which reads, "the tract of land or plantation whereon the deceased resided situated on the highlands between lands of Lebanon SMITH and those of John THOMAS containing the said tract of land eleven arpents fronting the Bayou by forty in depth more or less together with a dwelling house, gin, and press and other out houses . . . ."

John KLEINPETER and L. W. BUCKNER were the appointed appraisers. John KLEINPETER and Joseph THOMAS were present as under tutor and curator ad liter for the minor children of Henry THOMAS, decd..

So, finally, we find Elmire, and know from this record that she was born in 1806, as she was 17 in 1823. The other eight children are listed in the records of the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, but Elmire is not.

Part 2

by: Arthur Wheat

More than two centuries have passed since that ill-fated English schooner La Britana left the safety of its Maryland harbor on January 5, 1769, headed for the coast of Louisiana. As Captain John STEELE ordered the ship's sails unfurled on that cold winter's day, he created ripples on the waters of time that we are still being felt here in South Louisiana. This voyage was not just another trading expedition to te Spanish colony located on the Gulf of Mexico (even though it might have been that in part), but it was a trip that had been carefully planned over a period of time.

In his letter dated December 14, 1767, Henry JERNINGHAM of the Maryland Colony wrote to the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, Don Antonio de ULLOA, requesting permission to send one James WALKER to Louisiana in order that he might scout the territory as a possible location in which to settle a colony of like- minded friends. The letter mentioned other correspondence that had transpired between the two men and told of a group of Roman Catholic families who wished to relocate in a place where their religious persuasion was shared by all. In correspondence between Governor ULLOA and Dona Antonio BUCARELLA, Ulloa stated that the Catholics of Maryland felt that they were being oppressed by their Protestant neighbors and were appealing to His Catholic Majesty of Spain for refuge. The request of Henry Jerningham was granted, and like Joshua and Caleb of the Bible account, James WALKER did indeed come. He was sent to the far reaches of the Spanish Territory to study the expanse and condition of the country, soil productivity, and the inhabitants themselves in order that he might make a request to his friends back home as t just what they could expect of the place where they might decide to migrate.

In the words of ULLOA, "this man (James WALKER) in whom his compatriots have placed their confidence, will be a living letter, and I shall have little to write in reply to theirs, merely referring them to the report which he will give them." Walker's report to his Maryland neighbors must have pleased them, for the most precious cargo aboard the Schooner La Britana were sixteen separate German and Acadian families plus seven bachelors and a handful of English vagrants, a total of one hundred individuals who formed the vanguard of migrants to Louisiana from Maryland. Of special interest for this article is that one of the German families was that of Nicolas ORY.

The Ordeal of La Britana

All of this might have gone by unnoticed or unknown except for weather conditions that arose on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of February 21, 1769. Exactly forty-seven days after leaving the port in Maryland, Captain STEELE, Frances LOUNDIZ, Joseph MATTINGLY, Phillip FORD, and others, all part of the ship's crew, sighted the coast of Louisiana. But due to strong easterly winds and dense fog, the ship was driven some eighty leagues south and then to the west of the Mississippi River. After an unstated number of days adrift, Captain STEELE and the crew found themselves out of food and water and were forced to put in at a small bay, later defined as Espiritu Santo Bay, along the coast of present-day east Texas. Upon finding a Spanish captain there whose name was Don Francisco THOBAR, Captain Steele requested a passport t New Orleans and enough food and water to get them there.

For some unknown reason, the request was refused even though a clergyman was present and the ship's cargo offered any surety THOBAR might have required. Instead, THOBAR seized the schooner with all it's sails, tackle, equipment, passengers, crew, and merchandise, and took everything except the schooner with him to the Fort of La Bahia del Espiritu Santo, located forty leagues inland and of which he was commandant.

On May 21st the Captain and pilot were placed in stocks for a period of twenty-four days on half rations, at which time they were ordered released by the Governor of the Province. From the time of their arrival, the crew and passengers were forced to work until September 11th. During this entire time, they were mistreated, the ship was despoiled, and the passengers personal effects and cattle were sold for a total of eleven hundred and twenty-seven peso's. The passengers were detained until September 11, 1769, when Don Rafael Martinez PACHEO, Governor of La Bahia Province, sent the commandant of Fort Cokesaw t escort them to Fort Natchitoches. From there they embarked in canoe bound for New Orleans, where they arrived on November 9, 1769, and were placed in the custody of Alexandro O'REILLY, Governor of Louisiana.

After hearing the formal complaints of Captain STEELE, Governor O'REILLY began to make restitution to the ship's crew. In like manner, he set about to reimburse the German and Acadian settlers by giving them sixteen large axes, sixteen spades, sixteen iron pots, six drawing knives, and two hundred and sixty-seven peso's in money at the rate of three peso's to each person.

In correspondence dated December 29, 1769, from Governor O'REILLY to Julian de ARRIGA, the governor outlined his intention of locating the sixteen families in this way. The Acadian families wanted to settle among other Acadians located some twenty to thirty leagues north of New Orleans. The German families were to settle at the abandoned Fort Iberville, which was thirty-five leagues north of New Orleans on the Iberville River, or Bayou Manchac, as we know it today. In addition to the supplies, the German families were given the abandoned buildings of the fort as well as the adjacent land. Each family was given one gun, twelve gun flints, three pounds of powder, and bayonets with which to defend themselves against the Choctaw Indians.

The names of the German families were: Nicolas ORY, Nicolas MARCOFF, Jose BASHIER, Adam LA MAUR, Jacob MILLER, Andre RESER, Filippi PIGLEAL, and Catharine ASUBER, a widow. It is not clear from the records as to just where the seven bachelors settled, but one of them was Henry THOMAS, who was listed on the ship's records as a twenty-six year old bachelor. Church and probate court records from Iberville and East Baton Rouge Parishes reveal that he later married Barbara ORY, daughter of Nicolas ORY. The other bachelors were Adam MECHE, Daniel MUIN, Christian PRINGLE, Jean LEGUEUR, Antoine MURGUIER, and Jacques RUSEAU.

Nicolas ORY's descendants have been intermarried with countless families living in the area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I have tried to relate the documented account of his migration to Louisiana in such a way as to bring out some of the genealogical facts as well as to point to some of the hardships suffered by our forefathers. I am certain that they suffered countless reversals of which there is no record. We do know that they suffered from flooding along the river and were forced to move to higher ground, which came to be known as "The Dutch Highlands." I pause to express gratitude to them for all they bore on our behalf.

The KLEINPETER, THOMAS, and ORY Connection

As already stated, Henry THOMAS married Marie Barbara ORY. Their son, Henry THOMAS, Jr. (Ca. 1774), married Elizabeth/Isabel KLEINPETER on February 21, 1800. The second child of that marriage was Catherine THOMAS (b. December 25, 1802), who married William John STAMPLEY, who died September 11, 1826 according to his succession in the East Baton Rouge Courthouse. William STAMPLEYis thought to be from Jefferson County, Mississippi, where the STAMPLEY family settled along with the Jersey settlers. William and Catherine STAMPLEY were the parents of two children, Elizabeth and William STAMPLEY, at the time of their untimely deaths in 1826. The children's grandmother, Elizabeth KLEINPETER THOMAS, was declared their tutor and raised them to adulthood, at which time Elizabeth STAMPLEY married William EDMONSTON, a native of Tennessee, on August 17, 1840. The EDMONSTONname has been greatly multiplied in East Baton Rouge and Ascension Parishes.

That brings my story to the point where it intersects with the one told by Rita Babin Butler. This research has convinced me of the fact that in addition to Adam and Eve, we all have many more common grandparents. Anyone reading this article who has additional or different information about these people, please let's talk about it. My sources are well documented, and I am eager to share.

(NOTE: Research material for this article came from the Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the year 1945, Volume II, entitled Spain in the Mississippi Valley 1765-1794, by Lawrence Kinnard. It consists of translations of materials from the Spanish Archives in the Bancroft Library. This book can be found on the Louisiana State University Library, both in the regular stacks and in the Louisiana Room.)