Didier, (O.S.B.), Father P(ierre Josef)
St. Louis, (Missouri)

to Bishop (Luis Penalver y Cardenas
New Orleans, Louisiana)

Didier sends the surveys of the parishes under his jurisdiction. The only news in this region is the emigration of a considerable number of workers of all sects.

A.L.S. (French)
Enclosures:

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1796 Oct. 1

Didier, (O.S.B.), Father P(ierre Josef)
St. Louis, (Missouri)

Summary of the parish of St. Louis de Illinois from October 1, 1795 to October 1, 1796. There are 519 men and 405 women, a total of 924. the church is not large enough for all the parishioners and is in ruins. The income of stipends varies every year; this year there are 4000 pounds in the treasury. The population last year was 976. One-half have made their Easter duty. There were 50 marriages; 25 baptisms and 25 burials.

A.D.S. (French)

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1796 Oct. 1

Didier, (O.S.B.), Father (Pierre Josef)
St. Louis, (Missouri)

Summary of the village of Marais des Liards, (Missouri from October 1, 1795 to October 1, 1796. There are 77 men and 47 women; a total of 124. There is no church in this village four leagues from St. Louis and only four Catholic families. It is an establishment begun last year.

A.D.S. (French)

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1796 Oct. 1

Didier, (O.S.B.), Father P(ierre Josef)
St. Louis, (Missouri)

Summary of the village of Carondelet, (Missouri?) from October 1, 1795 to October 1, 1796. There are 103 men, 78 women and a total of 181. There is no church or chapel in this village two leagues from St. Louis. There are only three Protestant families; one-fourth of the village made their Easter duty. The population last year was 182.

A.D.S. (French)

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1796 Oct. 1

Didier, (O.S.B.), Father P(ierre Josef)
St. Louis, (Missouri)

Summary of the parish of St. Ferdinand of Florissant, (Missouri) from October 1, 1795 to October 1796. There are 109 men and 76 women; a total of 185. There is only a small chapel in this village five leagues from St. Louis. There are only two Protestant families. Half of the village have made their Easter duty. there were 200 pounds of stipends for the maintenance of the chapel. The population has diminished by two since the last census.

A.D.S. (French)

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1796 Oct. 1

Didier, (O.S.B.), Father P(ierre Josef)
St. Louis, (Missouri)

Summary of the parish of St. Charles, (Missouri) from October 1, 1795 to October 1, 1796. There are 243 men and 157 women, a total of 400. There is a wooden church or rather a chapel which does not hold all the inhabitants. The stipend amounted to about 800 pounds. Half the village have made their Easter duty. The population has increased by 52. There were 30 baptisms, 5 marriages, and 15 burials.

A.D.S. (French)

IV-5-l A.L.S., A.D.S. 6pp. 4to. (French)
6

(1796) (Oct. 1)

St. Pierre, Father Paul de

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1796 Sep. 30

St. Pierre, Father Paul de
St. Genevieve, (Missouri)

to (Bishop Luis Penalver y Cardenas
New Orleans, Louisiana)

St. Pierre sends the parish census from October 1, 1795 to October 1, 1796. Father (Pierre Josef) Didier, (O.S.B.) sent a similar one last year. St. Pierre cannot state the increase in population because Didier forgot to leave a copy of the census. He cannot list those who have not fulfilled their Easter duty because many told him that they had done so in his absence. The parish income is about 200 pesos, money is scarce. Expenses were 60 pesos. The sacristan, called a "Marguillier" receives a measure of wheat from each family every year; the office of Majordomo is unknown here. In order to avoid difficulties he has not published the new tax as, once, when he intended to use the new tax, all protested and stopped bringing the measure of wheat. They are not obliged to pay a fixed sum but to give what they like; sometimes, they pay with lead, very common there. Common faults are:
1. Profanation of Sundays by making the servants work.
2. Neglect of divine service; dances of free men and slaves lasting through the night of Sundays.
3. Excessive association with mulatto and negro women.
4. A general dread on the part of young men for legal marriage.
5. Drunkenness of the Indians who commit great crimes when drunk. Remedies he thinks adequate are:
For points 1. and 2, More severe penalties by civil authorities.
For points 3 and 4, Absolute prohibition of these meetings of young men during the night and especially those women liberated from slavery.
For point 5, Traders are severely punished according to the laws which are published and violated with impunity.
Preaching is insufficient if civil authorities do not help. He rings the church bell three times a day but it is so small that it is scarcely heard next door. He asks Penalver to remind the Governor that he had promised a bigger one. The greatest need is a public school and teacher as the above troubles come from the lack of it.
P.S. He is sending a vessel for the sacred oils and asks that it be returned for Holy thursday. Father Didier got some from Bishop (John Carroll) of Baltimore last year but St. Pierre has not received them. The royal decree of December 27, 1787 has not been published here. It should be published and enforced as this ordains effective penalties for persons giving scandal. Another note on October 1, adds that he has just received news from the parish of St. Louis that some mad Frenchmen in the last few days were running around shouting: "Vive la liberte, vive l'egualite" and singing songs against religion. He thinks the instigators are the people of the United States of America who think that the king is going to exchange the Province of Louisiana for part of the one- time Spanish Island of Santo Domingo. If this happens he begs to be considered a member of the Spanish clergy.

A.L.S. (Latin)
Enclosure:

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1796 Sep. 30

St. Pierre, O.Carm., Father Paul
St. Genevieve, (Missouri) (?)

to Bishop (Penalver y Cardenas
New Orleans, Louisiana)

The census of the parish of St. Genevieve from October 1, 1795 to October 1, 1796 shows a total of 707 men, 564 women, a grand total of 1271 and 52 non-Catholics. There were 50 baptisms, 6 marriages and 29 burials. He gives no figure for the increase of population or for those making their Easter duty. The income is 200 pesos.

IV-5-l A.D.S. 6pp. 4to. (Spanish)
3