The Opelousas Militia in the 1770's - 1780's

1770 Muster Roll

1776 Muster Roll

1785 Muster Roll

Explanatory Notes:

The 1770 muster roll includes the age and nationality of all but one of the men. In the nationality listings, "Creole" should be interepreted as being born in Louisiana of French (non-Acadian) stock. "French" means they were a first generation immigrant to Louisiana from France, and "Canadian" would suggest that they came from Quebec. "Acadian" is self-explanatory. Many of the first names are given in their Spanish version (e.g. Carlos for Charles, Santiago for Jacques, etc.) as this was during the period of Spanish rule. Many families that think of themselves as "Cajun" are either a mixture of Creole and Acadian stock, or pure Creole. The rural Louisiana culture that came to be known as "Cajun" is actually a mixture of these two main groups. These early rural Creoles developed a culture that was completely distinct from the urban Creoles of New Orleans, with the latter having a stronger Spanish influence.

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