In 1785, Spain paid for 7 ships to transport the Acadians to settle in Louisiana. For Spain, this meant that the settlers marked the area between Spanish lands and British lands. For the Acadians, this meant a chance to join their fellow citizens and regain some of what they had lost during exile. The ships all arrived in Louisiana between July 29 and December 17, 1785 with 1,308 people in total.
Among these 7 ships, 6 of them contained Richard families.
Le Bon Papa
La Bergère
La Bergère left Paimbeouf with 73 families on board on May 14, 1785 and arrived in New Orleans on August 15. All aboard will settle along the Bayou Lafourche. On board La Bergère were 5 Richard families:
- Claude LeBlanc with his wife Dorothée Richard and mother-in-law Claire Landry
- Cécile Boudrot, widow of Charles Richard with is daughter Marie Rose Richard and Charles’ brother Jean
- Pierre Richard, his wife Blanche LeBlanc, their children Marie and Pierre as well as Pierre’s cousin Rose Richard
- Jean Richard, son épouse Marguerite Landry et leur fils Jean Pierre
- Marie Joseph Richard, veuve de Hilaire Landry avec ses filles Marie Magdeleine et Rose
Le Beaumont
- Pierre Richard, his wife Françoise Daigle and their children Anselme, Joseph, Auguste and Marie
- Jean Charles Richard
Le Saint-Rémi
The Saint-Rémi, containing 89 Acadian families, left on June 27 to arrive on September 10. All aboard settled along the Bayou Lafourche, including three Richard families.
- Joseph Richard with his daughter Marie Elizabeth
- Charles Richard and his wife Marie Josephe Trahan
- Three sisters: Marie, Marguerite and Elizabeth Richard (daughters of Michel Richard and Françoise Thériaut and sisters of Charles)
L’Amitié
L’Amitié, with 68 families, including 3 Richard families, left Nantes on August 25, 1785 and arrived in New Orleans on November 8, 1785. All settled along the Bayou Lafourche
- Joseph Boudrot, his wife Marguerite Richard and their 4 children: Jean Charles, Joseph, Marie Marthe, Sophie and Marie Hébert
- Marie Josephe Richard, widow of François Basset with his daughter Marie and her sister Marie Geneviève Richard
- Joseph Bernard, his wife Jeanne Richard and there children Martin, Marie and Anne
La Ville d’Archangel
La Ville d’Archangel left Saint-Malo on August 12, 1785 and arrived in New Orleans on December 3, 1785. On board, there were 60 Acadian families including 2 Richard families who all settled along the Bayou Lafourche.
- Marie Richard, widow of Claude Pitre and his daughter Marie
- Victor Boudrot, his wife Geneviève Richard, with Joseph, Marie-Rose and Cécile (children from Victor’s first marriage) , François Pierre Le Lorre, husband of Marie-Rose, Sophie, Noel and Anne Jeanne (Victor and Geneviève’s children) as well as Marguerite Pierre, Geneviève’s daughter which her first husband Simon Pierre
La Caroline
La Caroline is the last of the 7 ships from France to Louisiana. It left on October 19, 1785 and arrived on December 12, 1785. All aboard, 28 families (including one Richard) settled along the Bayou Lafourche.
- Basile Marie Richard