HLS 14RS-1600 ORIGINAL
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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 23
BY REPRESENTATIVES COX, BROWN, AND HOWARD AND SENATORS GALLOT
AND LONG
COMMENDATIONS: Commemorates the life and legacy of Marie Thereze ditte Coincoin,
the matriarch of the Cane River Colony of Creoles
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To commend the life and legacy of Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin, the matriarch of the Cane2
River Colony of Creoles.3
WHEREAS, Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin is known as the matriarch of the Cane4
River Colony of Creoles, and it is appropriate to recognize her legacy of hard work, faith,5
and determination; and6
WHEREAS, Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin was born in 1742, a slave in the7
household of Sieur Lois Juchereau de St. Denis, the founder and commandant of8
Natchitoches, the oldest settlement of Louisiana; and9
WHEREAS, legend has it that Marie Thérèze was the daughter of Francois and10
Marie Francois, slaves of the commandant St. Denis; and11
WHEREAS, after Madame de St. Denis's untimely death in 1758 and the death of12
both of her parents three days later, sixteen year-old Marie Thérèze was inherited by the13
elder son; and14
WHEREAS, in his household she gave birth to five children and was later given to15
his younger sister Mme. de St. Denis de Soto; and16
WHEREAS, in 1767, Marie Thérèze, then twenty-five, first laid eyes on Claude17
Thomas Pierre Métoyer, a French merchant new to the frontier; and18 HLS 14RS-1600 ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, there was an instant attraction between the comely slave and the young1
French settler, and Pierre Métoyer leased Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin from Mme. de St.2
Denis de Soto; and3
WHEREAS, a year later, in January of 1768, Marie Thérèze gave birth to twins, a4
son and a daughter, and eventually the relationship would produce a total of ten children and5
a legacy that endures to this day; and6
WHEREAS, in 1778, Pierre Métoyer purchased Marie Thérèze from Mme. de St.7
Denis de Soto so that they could be together; however, since laws forbade white masters8
from keeping slaves as concubines, the only way that Pierre Métoyer and Marie Thérèze9
could be together was for her to be free; and10
WHEREAS, Pierre Métoyer soon gave Marie Thérèze and their newborn son their11
freedom along with sixty-eight acres of land and a monthly stipend; and12
WHEREAS, at the age of forty-six, Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin was free, a13
landowner, and the mother of free children and slave children; and14
WHEREAS, the relationship between Pierre Métoyer and Marie Thérèze continued15
for many years until he married Marie Therese Buard Pavie, the widow of his dear friend,16
Entienne Pavie; and17
WHEREAS, Marie Thérèze moved to the maison that Pierre Métoyer built on her18
property, and with the help of her children and her slaves, began to cultivate tobacco and19
indigo; and20
WHEREAS, Marie Thérèze used the profits to buy all of her children out of slavery21
and eventually gave each one of them a land grant; and22
WHEREAS, the example Marie Thérèze set and the religious and moral values she23
instilled in her offspring were the guiding forces of an exceptional community built by her24
children and grandchildren on Cane River; and25
WHEREAS, Nicolas Augustin, the eldest of the Métoyer-Coincoin children,26
followed these idyllic values by donating land to build the St. Augustine Catholic Church,27
believed to be America's first church founded by free people of color; his brother Louis built28
the Yucca Plantation, today known as Melrose, and both still exist; and29 HLS 14RS-1600 ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, the descendants of Marie Thérèze's ten children still recognize and1
revere her as the matriarch of the Cane River Colony of Creoles, for it was her bravery and2
skill in buying her family out of slavery that enabled generations to grow and prosper in the3
Cane River area.4
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby5
honor the lifetime achievements of Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin and the impact she made6
upon the Cane River community, the parish of Natchitoches, and the state of Louisiana, does7
hereby recognize her as the matriarch of the Cane River Colony of Creoles, and does hereby8
commemorate her legacy of bravery, courage, determination, tenacity, and resilience that9
will continue to be a source of great pride and honor for generations and generations of her10
descendants.11
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that suitable copies of this Resolution be transmitted12
to the mayor of the city of Natchitoches, the parish president of Natchitoches Parish, and the13
curator of Melrose Plantation.14
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Cox HCR No. 23
Commemorates the life and legacy of Marie Thérèze ditte Coincoin.