French:

Aujourd'hui vingtieme jour du mois de decembre de l'annee mil sept cent quatre vingt cinq par devant nous Alexandre Chev. De Clouet Lt. Colonel, Commandant civil et militaire des Attakapas et Opeloussas fut present en personne le Sieur Thomas Hoffbauer qui de son bon gre, propre mouvement, dans la meilleure forme possible, avec garantie de toutes hipotheques et non d'autrui [?] vend, cede et transporte en toute propriete au Sieur Jean Francois Brunet, un Negrillon nomme francois Brut, age d'environ neuf ans, nation Ibo, pour prix et somme de quatre cent piastres dont trois cent piastres payable dans le courant du mois de juin de l'annee prochaine en Meres Vaches et leurs suivants ou Boeufs de deux ans en montant au prix du cour - livrable chez Mr. Bailly ou a son domicile et cent piastres en argent ayant cour [?] dans le courant de l'automne prochain. Fait et passe en notre Domicile de commandement en presence des Sieurs Georges Miller et Luc Hollier qui avec nous Commandant civil et militaire ont signe ce meme jour et an que de l'autre part.

GMiller Hoffpauer

F. Brunet

L. Hollier

Le Chev. De Clouet

English:

Today, twentieth day of the month of December of the year one thousand seven hundred eighty five, before us Alexandre Chevalier De Clouet, Lt. Colonel, civil and military Commander of the Attakapas and Opelousas, was present in person the Sieur Thomas Hoffbauer, who of his good will, own accord, in the best form possible, with warranty [against?] all mortgages and not other people's property, sells, cedes and transports in all propriety to Sieur Jean-Francois Brunet, a Negro boy named Francois Brut, aged about nine years, Ibo tribe, for price and sum of four hundred piastres, of which three hundred piastres payable in the course of the month of June of the next year in Mother Cows and their followers [i.e. unweaned calves] or beeves of two years amounting to the price of the court [?] - deliverable at Mr. Bailly's or at his house, and one hundred piastres in money [unknown idiom]* in the course of next autumn. Done and passed at our house of command in the presence of the Sieurs Georges Miller and Luc Hollier who with us, civil and military commander, have signed this same day and year [on all sides?]. **

[Signatures]

There are two idioms I don't understand -

* ayant cour (ayant = having; cour = court; must be a legal term?)

** que de l'autre part ("de l'autre part" usually means "on the other hand")

If anyone can help out on any of this, I'd appreciate it. Shall I keep going with the rest of the documents? I have No. 406 written out but would like to check it against Charlie's Web version. This takes a lot of time -

I have to keep pushing the "Reload" button until the whole thing loads onto the screen. When possible, I have used Ray's e-mail attachments to read or print the documents. In Doc. 406 I would like to check the spelling of the name Nathaniel "Ouinisime" which seems unlikely.

In the English-language documents that Charlie posted, he pointed out the deterioration in Thomas's signature in the course of six years. I found it very poignant, and that last signature more than anything has brought Thomas vividly to life in my mind.

Basically I think the timeline and documents are a great idea, even the slave deeds. Maybe some day, some African-Americans will be able to trace far enough back to find one of these deeds and thus learn the African origins of an ancestor. Also, tracking Thomas's known movements and the persons he was associated with may someday provide the key for discovering HIS exact origins. It would be great if someone can find the Natchez documents that Lamar Boulet remembers once having had copies of.

Barbara Hill <[email protected]>