Upriver Families

". . . tremendous amount of research . . . very thorough explanation of Louisiana and St Charles Parish history and culture . . . The story of this Acadian to Creole transformation is the genealogy of so many families in Louisiana."

-Jay Schexnaydre, President, German-Acadian Coast Historical and Genealogical Society

Upriver from New Orleans along the snaking banks of the Mississippi River is an area called the German Coast/Acadian Coast. Acadian ancestors of the Vial-Martin family settled there in the late 1700s. Three women from the family-mother, daughter, cousin-set out on an ancestor quest, inspired by their aunt who lived to 102. The genealogical search reconnected them with relatives living in the upriver parishes, primarily St. John the Baptist and St. Charles, 30 miles north of New Orleans. It led back 14 generations to original French settlers in 1600s Acadia (Nova Scotia).

The initial Acadian ancestor was a founder and early governor of Acadia, where French settlers created a unique culture typified by fierce independence, strong family ties, egalitarianism, and simple lifestyle. When the Acadians were forcefully expelled by British conquerors in 1755, this Diaspora scattered them across seas and continents. The exile of politically neutral Acadians is now considered a violation of international law and ethnic cleansing. After journeying for years, some settled in the rich river bottom land along the Mississippi River, where they rebuilt their lives and preserved their culture, eventually becoming Cajuns.

The Vial-Martin family has lived for seven generations in upriver parishes. Acadian ancestors intermarried with French and Spanish Creoles and lived through the Louisiana Purchase, statehood, Civil War and aftermath, and two World Wars. Descendants became leaders and major landowners and eventually forgot their Acadian roots. Some family members moved away and lost touch with Louisiana relatives.

The ancestor quest undertaken by the authors drew branches of the family back into contact. This lineage quest revealed the family's transition to mainly Creole heritage, a family feud that splintered the Vial and Martin branches, and some curious and notable relatives. Now as the family reconnects, its contemporary members reaffirm their deep and abiding love for place and people with tangled roots and colorful, complex heritage.