History of the French in Louisville

History of the French in Louisville

The influence of those of French ancestry on Louisville, Kentucky, USA and the surrounding area, especially New Albany, Indiana, is immense. Louisville was even named for a French king, Louis XVI. Before Louisville a French outpost existed called La Belle. [Kleber, John E. "Encyclopedia of Louisville" (University Press of Kentucky) page 322]

Louisville was almost completely settled by French immigrants from the Rhine. [Howe, Henry "Historical Collections of Ohio: An Encyclopedia of the State: History" (Lanning Printing Co) page 624] Early French immigrants came in three phases; the first group of about 15,000 settled mostly on the coastal states. The first French settlers of Louisville were second- and third-generation American-born Huguenots. The first generation arrived in North America in 1685 after the Edict of Nantes was repealed. These were represented by such people as Thomas Bullitt, a surveyor who started Bullitt's Lick, Kentucky's oldest industry. [Kleber pg.321.] The second significant immigration was mainly of culture value during the American Revolution as most of the French that came overseas during this time returned after the war.

The third migration during the French Revolution during 1783 provided a wide variety of people from nobles to clergy.Kleber, John E. "Encyclopedia of Louisville" (University Press of Kentucky) page 321-322] Most of the groups that traveled to Kentucky settled in Louisville at the Falls of the Ohio. During this time, the French descendants and immigrants utilized Shippingport and Portland for commerce. A settler named Aaron Fontaine ran a ferry system called Fontaine Ferry that later became the namesake for Fontaine Ferry Park. [Kleber pg.304] In 1782, Jean A. Honoré and Bethelemi Tardiveau had a business at Shippingport in which they dealt in flour, furs and land, leading them to meet George Rogers Clark. Their business became the first exploit of the New Orleans trade. Shippingport remained a large part of early French immigrants' lives until a flood in 1832. Portland then became the more prominent area for the French-based community after the flood. In the mid-1800s, the French commerce boomed. Frenchman James Berthoud established Kentucky's second insurance agency and chartered the first Bank of Kentucky. Berthoud's son Nicholas went on to be a charter member of the Louisville and Portland Canal.

Louisville experienced its largest impact from immigration in the period from 1830 to 1850. The majority of immigrants were of French, German, and Irish descent. [Kleber, John E. "Encyclopedia of Louisville" (University Press of Kentucky) page 714] The two counties that saw the most impact in the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area were Jefferson County, Kentucky and Floyd County, Indiana. The populations for the two counties doubled within this time period. Floyd County saw French immigrants locating in the county as early as 1817. [Kleber pg.302]

As a tribute to Louisville's connection to the French, Louisville's sister city in France, Montpelier, gave Louisville a statue of King Louis XVI of France, the namesake of Louisville, that it held in storage for years. The statue was officially presented in 1967, and still stands at the southeast street corner of Louisville Metro Hall.

French influence remains in the community by such groups as the Alliance Française of Louisville which hosts events and help teach French. [ [http://www.aflouisville.org/af_activities.htm Alliance Française of Louisville - Activities] ]

See also

* History of Louisville

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • History of the world — The history of the world [Williams, H. S. (1904). The historians history of the world; a comprehensive narrative of the rise and development of nations as recorded by over two thousand of the great writers of all ages. New York: The Outlook… …   Wikipedia

  • Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville — Infobox nrhp | name =Cathedral of the Assumption nrhp type = caption = location= Louisville, Kentucky lat degrees = 38 | lat minutes = 15 | lat seconds = 6.61 | lat direction = N long degrees = 85 | long minutes = 45 | long seconds = 30.65 | long …   Wikipedia

  • History of Louisville, Kentucky — The history of Louisville, Kentucky spans hundreds of years, and has been influenced by the area s unique geography and location.Pre settlement history (pre 1778)Although Kentucky was inhabited by Native Americans in prehistoric times, when white …   Wikipedia

  • Louisville, Kentucky — Louisville redirects here. For other uses, see Louisville (disambiguation). Louisville   Consolidated city county   Louisville Jefferson County Metro Government …   Wikipedia

  • Louisville Male High School — Address 4409 Preston Highway Louisville, KY, 40213 United States Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • History of Missouri — The history of Missouri begins with France claiming the territory and selling it to the U.S. in 1803. Statehood came following a compromise in 1820. Missouri grew rapidly until the Civil War, which saw numerous small battles and control by the… …   Wikipedia

  • Louisville and Portland Canal — The Louisville and Portland Canal was a convert|2|mi|km|sing=on canal bypassing the Falls of the Ohio in the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky. It opened in 1830, and was operated by the Louisville and Portland Canal Company until 1874, and… …   Wikipedia

  • History of American newspapers — The history of American newspapers goes back to the 17th century with the publication of the first colonial newspapers.Colonial period(This section is based on [http://www.bartleby.com/225/index.html#7 The Cambridge History of English and… …   Wikipedia

  • The Restored Jesuits (1814-1912) —     Society of Jesus, History of the (1814 1912)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Jesuits After the Restoration (1814 1912)     Pius VII had resolved to restore the Society during his captivity in France; and after his return to Rome he did so… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • History of Indianapolis — The History of Indianapolis spans three centuries. Early years Indianapolis was founded as the site for the new state capital in 1820 by an act of the Indiana General Assembly. Prior to its official founding, Indianapolis was a swampy area called …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”