Near Mansfield in De Soto Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Paul Boüet Laffitte
(1746-circa 1815)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, June 28, 2017
1. Paul Boüet Laffitte Marker
Inscription.
Paul Boüet Laffitte. (1746-circa 1815). The progenitor of the Laffitte family in northwest Louisiana was born in Pouyroquelaure, Gascony, France on March 4, 1746 to Francois Jean Boüet and Marie de Laffitte. He immigrated to Louisiana in 1764 and eventually settled here in the Bayou Pierre community. Laffitte was a prominent figure in local affairs and a respected trader with the Yatasi and other Caddo Indian groups in northwest Louisiana and northeast Texas. He established a cattle ranch in the Dolet Hills region of present-day DeSoto Parish and was appointed a justice in the Bayou Pierre settlement by the Spanish. In 1770 he married Marie Magdeleine Grappe (1754-1781), of French and Chitimacha Indian descent. Although contemporaries, their eldest sons, Pierre and Jean Baptiste, were not related to the pirates Pierre and Jean Laffite of Barataria fame. In 1782 Laffitte married Eulalie Marie Anne de Soto (1762-1833), of French and Spanish descent and granddaughter of Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, founder of Natchitoches. Paul Boüet Laffitte's name disappears from local records after 1815, with the date and place of his death being unknown.
The progenitor of the Laffitte family in northwest Louisiana was born in Pouyroquelaure, Gascony, France on March 4, 1746 to Francois Jean Boüet and Marie de Laffitte. He immigrated to Louisiana in 1764 and eventually settled here in the Bayou Pierre community. Laffitte was a prominent figure in local affairs and a respected trader with the Yatasi and other Caddo Indian groups in northwest Louisiana and northeast Texas. He established a cattle ranch in the Dolet Hills region of present-day DeSoto Parish and was appointed a justice in the Bayou Pierre settlement by the Spanish. In 1770 he married Marie Magdeleine Grappe (1754-1781), of French and Chitimacha Indian descent. Although contemporaries, their eldest sons, Pierre and Jean Baptiste, were not related to the pirates Pierre and Jean Laffite of Barataria fame. In 1782 Laffitte married Eulalie Marie Anne de Soto (1762-1833), of French and Spanish descent and granddaughter of Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, founder of Natchitoches. Paul Boüet Laffitte's name disappears from local records after 1815, with the date and place of his death being unknown.
Erected 2012 by the State of Louisiana.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is March 4, 1746.
Location. 32°
Click or scan to see this page online
5.209′ N, 93° 37.468′ W. Marker is near Mansfield, Louisiana, in De Soto Parish. Marker is at the intersection of Louisiana Route 509 and Carmel Loop, on the right when traveling north on State Route 509. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5046 LA-509, Mansfield LA 71052, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 8, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 518 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 8, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
