| SPOUSE | CHILDREN | ||
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Theresa Margarita Hopman y Pereira m. Nov 1787 Lisbon, Portugal b. 1766? ?Lisbon, Spain d. Sep 3, 1790 ?Natchez, Adams Co. Miss. Terr. |
Manuel b. 1788? New Orleans (Spanish ), d. Jun 18, 1823 New Orleans LA |
Henriquetta b. 1789? New Orleans (Spanish LA) d. 1790? ?New Orleans (Spanish LA) | |
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Elizabeth Watts m. Apr 23, 1792 Natchez, Miss. Terr. b. May 4, 1773 Lower Dublin Twp. Philadelphia PA d. Jul 1792 ?Natchez, Miss. Ter. |
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Margaret Cyrilla Watts m. Jul 14, 1796 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Terr. b. Mar 23, 1775 d. May 19, 1829 Opelousas, St. Landry Parish LA |
Fernando b. Jul 14, 1797 Louisiana Terr. d. May 6, 1858 New Orleans LA |
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Painting of Gayoso. |
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Gayoso was officially recognized as the Governor of the Province of Louisiana
from 1789 to 1799. On Nov 3, 1787 he was named Governor of the Fort and District
of Natchez. |
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On Aug 12, 1789 Gayoso witnessed the
will of a very ill man,
aged about 35 years old, named Samuel Marshall.
In the will Samuel said that there is in his house a "mulatto woman, dec'd, named
Nelly" but the word dec'd may be the word free misread, since there was
no record of a death investigation or an estate in the court records. Free mulatto
describes Nelly Price who also was known to
have taken care of ill soldiers and others in the Natchez District. Four others
witnessed the will [McBee, Book B, p. 69]. |
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According to Obituary of
Samuel Marshall, he lived in Mississippi
for 60 years, and "he dwelt with great minuteness in his narrative of the past,
upon the character of Guiazo [Gayoso], the Spanish Governor, and the zeal he
showed in the improvement of his people" after the "tyrannical acts of the
Spanish Government" [Port-Gibson Herald, Port Gibson
MS, Jul 27, 1843]. |
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Gayoso's second wife, Elizabeth Watts, died three months after they were married
in 1792. He then married her sister, Margaret in 1795. The sisters were the daughters
of Stephen Watts (1741-1805?) and Francisca "Frances"
Ashetton (1743-1809). Both of their parents were born in or near Philadelphia. |
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Map of
the Natchez District as it may have looked between 1779 and 1799. |
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In a letter dated Mar 2, 1790, from
Carlos de Grand-Pré, Natchez to
Governor Don Estavan Miro, the amount of tobacco produced in 1790 was reported
by growers of Natchez. "Richard King" reported producing 10,000 pounds of tobacco
that year. Tobacco was produced on other plantations owned by Caleb and "Justin
King" [MS Dept of Archives & History, website]. |
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On May 20, 1791, "Don Manuel Gayoso" bought 4 of the 83 slaves imported
in the Schooner Governor Miro from Jamaica for which he paid $1,800
[McBee, Book B page 502, p. 83]. |
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On Apr 16, 1792, Gayoso bought a slave named "August" from
David Williams [McBee, Book C, p. 91]. |
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When Gayoso heard of the death of David Williams,
he went to the Williams Plantation and the will, written on Apr 7, 1792 and witnessed
by William McIntosh, Benjamin Monsanto,
and three others. was read before James McIntosh, Banjamin Monsanto, sons William and
John Williams, and James McIntosh.
By May 6, 1793, this James McIntosh married the widow
Mary Williams [McBee, p. 108]. |
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On Jul 13, 1792, Gayoso made an agreement with
John Holloway and John's brother-in-law
Cader Raby regarding travel outside of the
Natchez District. In the document, Gayoso described John as living "in this
District without destiny". Cader's son Cader named a son Gayoso Carney Raby in
1826. English Translation
of the original
document handwritten in Spanish. |
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Gayoso succeeded Carlos de Grand-Pré in
1792 and changed the name of the mansion built by his predecessor to Concord.
Postcard
showing the mansion before it burned down in 1901. Also, his title of Governor
replaced that of Commandant. |
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On Jul 20, 1794, Prosper King petitioned the "that he desires
to build a house in the New City of Natchez", asking for Lot 3, Square No. 33.
On Jul 20, 1795, his father Justus King
petitioned the "Spanish Govt. that he desires to build a house in Natchez",
asking for Lot 2 Square No. 33. Both petitions were granted Jul 21, 1796, by
Gayoso, to "Justus Cobun King" [McBee, Book D, p. 453]. |
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On Jan 21, 1795, Gayoso granted Lot No. 2, Square No. 5 in Natchez to Madame Frances
Assheton Watts, the mother of his first wife and of the wife he married that year.
On Jan 1, 1795, she had asked to build a house on that lot "in the New City", and
on Sep 12, 1797 sold the lot to Natchez businessman James Moore [McBee, p. 487].
Framed map showing the
location of this lot on the bluff overlooking the river, which is where Connelly's
Tavern was built by 1798 [House on Ellicott Hill historic mansion]. |
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On Apr 10, 1795, it was decreed by Gayoso that "John Vaucheret" owed
"John Still Lee" $470 and he should also
pay all costs of the suit filed by Stillee [McBee, p. 422]. |
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By May of 1797 John Stillee and wife
Elizabeth White Stillee had returned to the
Natchez District when she sold the slave
Bella, who had been with the Holloway
family since her birth about 1771 in South Carolina. She was then about 26
years old and had a 2 ½ year old child named Rose. Both were sold to
John Girault of Natchez for $600 [Wells, p. 144-5]. |
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On Jan 18, 1798 Prosper King sold to his brother
Richard King Lot 3, Square 33 in
Natchez for $50. On the same day, Richard bought Lot 4, Square 33 from John Boles
for the same price. Before, on Jul 29, 1794, Boles had petitioned that "having
material to build a house and no land" asks the Spanish Govt. for that lot,
which was granted by Gayoso on Aug 8, 1796. So, Richard owned Lots 2, 3 and 4,
all in Square 33, each with a building by Jan 18, 1798. [McBee, Book D, p. 453]. |
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King's Tavern is located on Lot 3 in Square 33 in Natchez. On Aug 5, 1799 according
to the Minutes of the Adams Co. Court, Richard King
was "licensed to operate a public house" (tavern) [Minutes of the Court of
General Sessions of the Peace, p. 78]. |
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Gayoso died of yellow fever on Jul 18, 1799 in New Orleans LA. On Aug 10, 1799
his widow Margaret Watts Gayoso sold a "tract of land known by the name of
Concord" which was one-half league from the Fort of Natchez, to Daniel
Clark Jr. Esq. for $5000 [McBee, Book A, p. 405]. |
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The mansion at Concord was built for Charles de Grand-Pré in 1789.
Gayoso's first wife died there. |
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Governor Gayoso is buried at the
Saint Louis Cathedral
in New Orleans LA. Photo of
plaque at the church [find-a-grave, website]. |
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In 1805, Gayoso's widow married James Stelle or Stille (1773-1820) who came to
Louisiana from NJ. |
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Son Fernando married Ysabel Juliana Wykoff on Oct 14, 1816 in Baton Rouge LA. He
may then have married Victoria Lodiska Cecilia Perez (1807-1887) and had a daughter
Felecite (1836-1917) [find-a-grave website]. |
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Sources: Adams Co. Mississippi Genealogy & History Network, "1792 Census for Natchez District (under Spanish Government control)", 2009, 1792 Census. "George W. Humphreys Bible", Claiborne MS Bibles, photostat of original bible, recorded 1957 by May Wilson McBee, in Mississippi Genealogy Trails, website. Ellicott Hill, "1795 Lot granted to Madame Francis Asseton Watts", from Journal of Miss. Hist., 1997 article, framed picture hanging at the House at Ellicott Hill, Natchez MS. Farrell Family History, "GRAND-PRE to MIRO, May 16, 13 Translation No. 6 AT THE FORT OF NATCHEZ, May 16, 1782" entry, website. MS Dept. Archives & Hist., Will Book Vol. 1, Adams Co. Courthouse, Natchez MS, microfilm, Apr 1816. Imbert, J. Leopold, map maker, Carte des Possessions Angloises... 1777, reprinted by the Museum of the American Revolution from map image at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. McBee, May Wilson, comp., "Land Claims", in Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, Book B, p. 390, Book D, pp. 156, 453, 546. McBee, May Wilson, comp., Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, pp. 108, 422, 487, Book A, p. 405, Book B, pp. 69, 83, Book C, p. 91. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, rootsweb, Early Mississippians in Spanish Natchez. Natchez Gazette, Natchez MS, Mar 21, 1901, from an architectural website. Port-Gibson Herald, Port Gibson MS, Jul 27, 1843, find-a-grave website. Wells, Carol, Natchez Postscripts 1781-1798, Heritage Books, pp. 101, 144-5, 151, |
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