Family life

From colonial times onward the family was the central unit in Creole society. They were the principal source of economic
and social wherewithal; living their lives within the realm of their family, the Creoles prospered. They married and increased in size; their children were a major element in their lives. It was not unusual to marry within the family. Numerous dispensations were granted and recorded by the local Catholic bishop for this purpose. Cousins often married one another until it became more difficult to say who one was not related to than to whom one was related. Within these tightly formed kinship groups, business was conducted, land was bought and sold, ideas exchanged and gained currency, or not. Their common language, religion and Latino culture made the bonds all the more complete.

Diarist Laura Locoul Gore recalled:

"I never knew where the name de Mezere came from, but while reading Lyle Saxon's History of Louisiana, I saw a Marquis de Meziere had come to Louisiana during the Colonial wars and had been stationed at Pointe Coupee Parish where my great grand father had also been stationed. Guillaume Gilles DuParc, was my grandmother's father; my g'grandfather was Le General Guillaume DuParc. He came over along with Generals Rochambeau and Lafayette to offer their services to this country. DuParc joined L'Admiral DuGrasse' Navy at the order of his father. He came over with the French in the 18th century with De Grasse to fight in the War.
DuParc saw combat against the British at the battle of Pensacola Florida where he fought with the Spanish. He was later wounded at Yorktown. He was made the Spanish Commandante at Pointe Coupee Parish serving there from 1792 until 1803. After the arrival of the Americans, he settled on land abutting the Mississippi river about 54 miles above New Orleans. This is where three generations of my family have been born. Later we called the place Laura Plantation." 4 paraphrased

Often the children of the increasingly wealthy planter class, the Creoles, were sent to school either for a religious education or for the boys, to France where the system of schooling was thought to be superior. Louis de Meziere Duparc was sent to France to be educated in the 1820's.

"He was known throughout Louisiana as a fiery soul; his temper was legendary. Louis de Meziere Duparc attended a military college in Bordeaux and remained there a number of years. In my mother's family— she was Louise Desiree Archinard, her father was also sent to France for education and my grandmother, Cephalide Metoyer was sent at an early age to the Ursuline convent in New Orleans for her education. My father Louis Raymond Locoul, known as Emile was born at the plantation home in December of 1822. He also was sent at an early age to Europe for his education. At age 13 he commenced to attend the Lycee Militaire de Bordeaux; he remained there until his graduation when his parents and sister joined him in France. After a stay in Paris and an extended trip through Europe, the family returned to Louisiana together." 5 ibid

Speaking of his parents and grandparents, Mere and Pere, William Percy recalls this story in his book, Lanterns on the Levee:

...she [mother] had never seen more of the outer world than than New Orleans and the Sacre Coeur convent, where Pere had somehow managed to have her educated... his life petered out in a drab little country town, very Protestant and very Anglo-Saxon. In such a setting the [our] French family, the Bourges, must have seemed an oddity, but it never tried to be less odd, or less French. The little girls continued to play croquet every Sunday, to the scandal of everyone, and to enliven shamelessly that dour and boring day by dance tunes on their little French piano, while their betters attended divine services. Their trouble, and their strength, was that they recognized no betters. Not that they minded Anglo Saxons... nor would have Mere called upon members of the congregation, whom she considered excellent in every regard, except social standing, or on anyone in this semi-civilized community, first... Mere permitted socializing only within the strict French social convention. She was a pain to suitors, chaperoning her daughters everywhere...
The first Percy in our part of the south [near Natchez], my great great grandfather was Carlos... Court records show that he was made Alcade by the Spaniards, and his house was known as Northumberland Place. This was shortly after the American Revolution. Where did he come from? How came he by a Spanish grant? What were his antecedents and station? To such questions, climbers of the family tree had no answers...
Don Carlos settled down on his plantation and married him an intelligent French lady from the other side of the river. The Lord blessed them with progeny and things seemed to be going quite well and respectably... I cannot help but wonder what were the qualifications that admitted [one] to the post Civil war aristocracy... I was as good as anyone else. Besides Southerners, the only people I have ever met graced with the same informal assurance were Russian aristocrats.