Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN Jeansonne Callis was my 3rd great grandmother and the 2nd great grandmother of Ruby Butler who originally added Elaisa's page and transferred management of it to me (many thanks to Ruby for doing that).
According to the Southwest Louisiana Records book (a book of church records), Elaisa was born on 14 June 1818 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This date is different from the date of 1 July 1817 on her headstone, but we're not sure why there is a difference; however, we've elected to go with the date found on her headstone. Elaisa's date of baptism is also listed in the Southwest Louisiana Records book and is given as 11 August 1818 at the St. Landry Church, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.
We had originally believed that Elaisa was born in New Iberia, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, but the SWLR records book indicates birth in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish which makes sense as her parents were living in St. Landry before her birth and after. I recently found an 1823 succession record for a John Steen, who was a brother to Elaisa's father, and the record indicates the residence of Elias Steen on the Bayou Fusilier.
I would also like to address the issue of her name. Ancestors of Elaisa, including my sister and I, believed her given name to be Elizabeth and shortened to Eliza. However, the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR) indicates she was born and baptized as Elaisa, not Elizabeth. In addition, one of my cousins who has done extensive research on Elaisa and her descendants, recently indicated to me that he has never found any record with her name given as Elizabeth and she herself did not appear to ever use the name Elizabeth. She does appear on census records and her headstone as Eliza which would be a version of Elaisa. We believe that people spelled it as it sounded and as was normally spelled.
Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN was the 5th child of Hilaire Elias Steen (c1780-1859) and Catherine STELLY (1793-1856). Her siblings were:
Lucille 'Lucy' (1810-1844), Augustine (1812-aft 1880), Marie Arsene 'Mary' (1814-1858), Emelie (1816-1817), Elias (1821-1827), Catherine Minerva (1824-1923), Jean Baptiste 'John' (1827-1862), Felice 'Philise' (1830-bef 1856), Sidney (1832-1913) and Wesley Steen (1832-aft 1900).
Elaisa appeared on the following census records with her parents and siblings:
1820 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
1830 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
On 20 September 1836, she married first Thomas C. Johnson/Jeansonne (c1800-c1840) in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This information is obtained from the 'Louisiana Marriages to 1850' records and the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR). Her marriage in the SWLR indicates:
STINE [STEEN], Eliza m. 20 Sept. 1836 Thomas C. JOHNSON [Jeansonne] (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. # 69)
JEANSONNE, Thomas C. m. 20 Sept. 1836 Eliza STINE (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. #69)
Family history had indicated that Thomas was said to be a doctor, and until recently, we had not found any records to substantiate that. However, my sister recently went to Louisiana (Jan 2012) and did find a record that indicated his name as Thomas C. Johnson, M.D. so apparently he was a doctor. His parents are believed to have been were Francis Jeansonne/Johnson and Martha SMITH.
We also learned that Thomas left Louisiana sometime before May 1838 - probably after the birth of his daughter, Mary in March 1837 but definitely before May 1838. His leaving is mentioned in a lawsuit against him and it appears that Thomas was in financial trouble when he left Louisiana.
We don't know exactly what happened to the marriage of Elaisa and Thomas, but it's probable that Thomas died and then Elaisa remarried in 1844 to Henry Callis. Given that Thomas was a doctor, there were several outbreaks of yellow fever in the late 1830's into the 1840's and he could have taken ill from that and died. My cousin believes that Thomas may have died in New Orleans, but it appears that he probably died in Tennessee.
Elaisa and Thomas had one daughter, Mary War Nan JEANSONNE (1837-1918).
Our family has shown Mary's maiden name as Johnson, but we have learned that Jeansonne is the French spelling of Johnson (and sounds very much like Johnson when pronounced) and believe that over the years it was changed from the original spelling of Jeansonne to Johnson OR it was originally Johnson and when the Johnson family moved to Louisiana, they took on the French spelling of Jeansonne.
Mary's birth is recorded in the Southwest Louisiana Records book as:
"JOHNSON, ---- (Thomas & Elisa STEEN ) b. 9 March 1838 (GC Ch.: v. 1, p. 146)" Note: GC ='s Grand Coteau.
Either Thomas Jeansonne/Johnson died or Elaisa and Thomas divorced as Elaisa remarried on 3 February 1844 in Sumner County, Tennessee to Henry Callis. Elaisa and Henry had seven children:
Francis Emaline (1844-1920), Lucy E. (1847-1933), Daniel Dubois (1849-1926), Henrietta (1851- ), Elias (1853-1939), Charlotte A. (1855-1859) and Margaret W. Callis (1858- ).
Elaisa and Henry appear on the following census record:
1850 - District9, Sumner Co., Tennessee
Elaisa died on 1 May 1859 in Obion County, Tennessee of pneumonia. This information is confirmed in the Register of Death found in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885.
My cousin knew that Elaisa's maiden name was Steen, but beyond that, we did not know about her parents. About two years ago, I wrote every Steen in the Abbeville, Louisiana area to ask if anyone knew of her. I found out that the current owners of Steen's Syrup Factory in Abbeville are relatives of Elaisa's - they are descended from one of Elaisa's brothers which means that they are also descended from Hilaire Elias Steen and Catherine STELLY.
This information allowed us to go further back on Elaisa's heritage and to learn her parents names which, up to that point, had been unknown to us. Through diligent research, we have also learned the names of all of her siblings, her grandparents, etc.
Family story had indicated that Elaisa's parents owned a large plantation in the New Iberia area. We have found that her parents, did indeed, own a large plantation, but it was located on the Bayou Vermilion in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Her parents also owned a plantation on the Bayou Fusilier in St. Landry Parish at one time, too, but we haven't found the full records for that property yet.
Elaisa's father, Hilaire, had purchased 698 superficial arpents (approximately 590 acres) of land in February 1817 on the Bayou Vermilion and it was here that he built his plantation. This information is confirmed in conveyance records and Hilaire and Catherine's succession (probate) records. However, it also appears from census records and sugar indexes that Hilaire had property on or near the Bayou Teche and Bayou Fusilier. Whether he had a home there as well as land, we don't know, but it does appear that he at least used the land to produce sugar cane. . It could also be that Hilaire's land stretched from the Bayou Vermilion to the Bayou Teche.
When Elaisa's mother, Catherine STELLY died in October 1856, Catherine's estate was valued at over $70,000 which in today's money would be over $1,700,000. Because of Louisiana's forced heirship laws, half of Catherine's estate from her community property she shared with her husband, Hilaire, went to their children. By the time Hilaire died in July 1859, Elaisa had already passed away in May 1859. However, her husband, Henry Callis, was awarded some of the estate belonging to Hilaire. When he died, Hilaire was worth approximately $40,000 which in today's money would be approximately $900,000 (almost).
Hilaire's plantation was sold at a public auction on September 1, 1859 to his two son's-in-law, Sidney and Wesley Singleton, who had married Hilaire and Catherine's daughters, Lucille and Marie, respectively.
The sale of the plantation caused some problems - and later a court case - because the Singleton's wanted to pay the family in Confederate money which was quickly losing value. This court case is also how we were able to connect Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN Jeansonne Callis back to her parents and her connection is further confirmed by the Southwest Louisiana Records book and the succession records of her parents.
ORIGINAL INFO SUBMITTED BY RUBY BUTLER:
Elizabeth "Eliza" Johnson Steen, married to Henry Callis (3 Feb 1844).
Eight children from this marriage before her death. Francis Emaline, Lucy K., S.E., Daniel dubois, Henrietta, Elias, Charlotte A.l, and Margaret W.
Buried in the Old Section of Pleasant Hills Cemetery.
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
According to the Southwest Louisiana Records book (a book of church records), Elaisa was born on 14 June 1818 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This date is different from the date of 1 July 1817 on her headstone, but we're not sure why there is a difference; however, we've elected to go with the date found on her headstone. Elaisa's date of baptism is also listed in the Southwest Louisiana Records book and is given as 11 August 1818 at the St. Landry Church, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.
We had originally believed that Elaisa was born in New Iberia, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, but the SWLR records book indicates birth in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish which makes sense as her parents were living in St. Landry before her birth and after. I recently found an 1823 succession record for a John Steen, who was a brother to Elaisa's father, and the record indicates the residence of Elias Steen on the Bayou Fusilier.
I would also like to address the issue of her name. Ancestors of Elaisa, including my sister and I, believed her given name to be Elizabeth and shortened to Eliza. However, the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR) indicates she was born and baptized as Elaisa, not Elizabeth. In addition, one of my cousins who has done extensive research on Elaisa and her descendants, recently indicated to me that he has never found any record with her name given as Elizabeth and she herself did not appear to ever use the name Elizabeth. She does appear on census records and her headstone as Eliza which would be a version of Elaisa. We believe that people spelled it as it sounded and as was normally spelled.
Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN was the 5th child of Hilaire Elias Steen (c1780-1859) and Catherine STELLY (1793-1856). Her siblings were:
Lucille 'Lucy' (1810-1844), Augustine (1812-aft 1880), Marie Arsene 'Mary' (1814-1858), Emelie (1816-1817), Elias (1821-1827), Catherine Minerva (1824-1923), Jean Baptiste 'John' (1827-1862), Felice 'Philise' (1830-bef 1856), Sidney (1832-1913) and Wesley Steen (1832-aft 1900).
Elaisa appeared on the following census records with her parents and siblings:
1820 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
1830 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
On 20 September 1836, she married first Thomas C. Johnson/Jeansonne (c1800-c1840) in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This information is obtained from the 'Louisiana Marriages to 1850' records and the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR). Her marriage in the SWLR indicates:
STINE [STEEN], Eliza m. 20 Sept. 1836 Thomas C. JOHNSON [Jeansonne] (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. # 69)
JEANSONNE, Thomas C. m. 20 Sept. 1836 Eliza STINE (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. #69)
Family history had indicated that Thomas was said to be a doctor, and until recently, we had not found any records to substantiate that. However, my sister recently went to Louisiana (Jan 2012) and did find a record that indicated his name as Thomas C. Johnson, M.D. so apparently he was a doctor. His parents are believed to have been were Francis Jeansonne/Johnson and Martha SMITH.
We also learned that Thomas left Louisiana sometime before May 1838 - probably after the birth of his daughter, Mary in March 1837 but definitely before May 1838. His leaving is mentioned in a lawsuit against him and it appears that Thomas was in financial trouble when he left Louisiana.
We don't know exactly what happened to the marriage of Elaisa and Thomas, but it's probable that Thomas died and then Elaisa remarried in 1844 to Henry Callis. Given that Thomas was a doctor, there were several outbreaks of yellow fever in the late 1830's into the 1840's and he could have taken ill from that and died. My cousin believes that Thomas may have died in New Orleans, but it appears that he probably died in Tennessee.
Elaisa and Thomas had one daughter, Mary War Nan JEANSONNE (1837-1918).
Our family has shown Mary's maiden name as Johnson, but we have learned that Jeansonne is the French spelling of Johnson (and sounds very much like Johnson when pronounced) and believe that over the years it was changed from the original spelling of Jeansonne to Johnson OR it was originally Johnson and when the Johnson family moved to Louisiana, they took on the French spelling of Jeansonne.
Mary's birth is recorded in the Southwest Louisiana Records book as:
"JOHNSON, ---- (Thomas & Elisa STEEN ) b. 9 March 1838 (GC Ch.: v. 1, p. 146)" Note: GC ='s Grand Coteau.
Either Thomas Jeansonne/Johnson died or Elaisa and Thomas divorced as Elaisa remarried on 3 February 1844 in Sumner County, Tennessee to Henry Callis. Elaisa and Henry had seven children:
Francis Emaline (1844-1920), Lucy E. (1847-1933), Daniel Dubois (1849-1926), Henrietta (1851- ), Elias (1853-1939), Charlotte A. (1855-1859) and Margaret W. Callis (1858- ).
Elaisa and Henry appear on the following census record:
1850 - District9, Sumner Co., Tennessee
Elaisa died on 1 May 1859 in Obion County, Tennessee of pneumonia. This information is confirmed in the Register of Death found in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885.
My cousin knew that Elaisa's maiden name was Steen, but beyond that, we did not know about her parents. About two years ago, I wrote every Steen in the Abbeville, Louisiana area to ask if anyone knew of her. I found out that the current owners of Steen's Syrup Factory in Abbeville are relatives of Elaisa's - they are descended from one of Elaisa's brothers which means that they are also descended from Hilaire Elias Steen and Catherine STELLY.
This information allowed us to go further back on Elaisa's heritage and to learn her parents names which, up to that point, had been unknown to us. Through diligent research, we have also learned the names of all of her siblings, her grandparents, etc.
Family story had indicated that Elaisa's parents owned a large plantation in the New Iberia area. We have found that her parents, did indeed, own a large plantation, but it was located on the Bayou Vermilion in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Her parents also owned a plantation on the Bayou Fusilier in St. Landry Parish at one time, too, but we haven't found the full records for that property yet.
Elaisa's father, Hilaire, had purchased 698 superficial arpents (approximately 590 acres) of land in February 1817 on the Bayou Vermilion and it was here that he built his plantation. This information is confirmed in conveyance records and Hilaire and Catherine's succession (probate) records. However, it also appears from census records and sugar indexes that Hilaire had property on or near the Bayou Teche and Bayou Fusilier. Whether he had a home there as well as land, we don't know, but it does appear that he at least used the land to produce sugar cane. . It could also be that Hilaire's land stretched from the Bayou Vermilion to the Bayou Teche.
When Elaisa's mother, Catherine STELLY died in October 1856, Catherine's estate was valued at over $70,000 which in today's money would be over $1,700,000. Because of Louisiana's forced heirship laws, half of Catherine's estate from her community property she shared with her husband, Hilaire, went to their children. By the time Hilaire died in July 1859, Elaisa had already passed away in May 1859. However, her husband, Henry Callis, was awarded some of the estate belonging to Hilaire. When he died, Hilaire was worth approximately $40,000 which in today's money would be approximately $900,000 (almost).
Hilaire's plantation was sold at a public auction on September 1, 1859 to his two son's-in-law, Sidney and Wesley Singleton, who had married Hilaire and Catherine's daughters, Lucille and Marie, respectively.
The sale of the plantation caused some problems - and later a court case - because the Singleton's wanted to pay the family in Confederate money which was quickly losing value. This court case is also how we were able to connect Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN Jeansonne Callis back to her parents and her connection is further confirmed by the Southwest Louisiana Records book and the succession records of her parents.
ORIGINAL INFO SUBMITTED BY RUBY BUTLER:
Elizabeth "Eliza" Johnson Steen, married to Henry Callis (3 Feb 1844).
Eight children from this marriage before her death. Francis Emaline, Lucy K., S.E., Daniel dubois, Henrietta, Elias, Charlotte A.l, and Margaret W.
Buried in the Old Section of Pleasant Hills Cemetery.
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN Jeansonne Callis was my 3rd great grandmother and the 2nd great grandmother of Ruby Butler who originally added Elaisa's page and transferred management of it to me (many thanks to Ruby for doing that).
According to the Southwest Louisiana Records book (a book of church records), Elaisa was born on 14 June 1818 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This date is different from the date of 1 July 1817 on her headstone, but we're not sure why there is a difference; however, we've elected to go with the date found on her headstone. Elaisa's date of baptism is also listed in the Southwest Louisiana Records book and is given as 11 August 1818 at the St. Landry Church, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.
We had originally believed that Elaisa was born in New Iberia, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, but the SWLR records book indicates birth in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish which makes sense as her parents were living in St. Landry before her birth and after. I recently found an 1823 succession record for a John Steen, who was a brother to Elaisa's father, and the record indicates the residence of Elias Steen on the Bayou Fusilier.
I would also like to address the issue of her name. Ancestors of Elaisa, including my sister and I, believed her given name to be Elizabeth and shortened to Eliza. However, the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR) indicates she was born and baptized as Elaisa, not Elizabeth. In addition, one of my cousins who has done extensive research on Elaisa and her descendants, recently indicated to me that he has never found any record with her name given as Elizabeth and she herself did not appear to ever use the name Elizabeth. She does appear on census records and her headstone as Eliza which would be a version of Elaisa. We believe that people spelled it as it sounded and as was normally spelled.
Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN was the 5th child of Hilaire Elias Steen (c1780-1859) and Catherine STELLY (1793-1856). Her siblings were:
Lucille 'Lucy' (1810-1844), Augustine (1812-aft 1880), Marie Arsene 'Mary' (1814-1858), Emelie (1816-1817), Elias (1821-1827), Catherine Minerva (1824-1923), Jean Baptiste 'John' (1827-1862), Felice 'Philise' (1830-bef 1856), Sidney (1832-1913) and Wesley Steen (1832-aft 1900).
Elaisa appeared on the following census records with her parents and siblings:
1820 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
1830 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
On 20 September 1836, she married first Thomas C. Johnson/Jeansonne (c1800-c1840) in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This information is obtained from the 'Louisiana Marriages to 1850' records and the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR). Her marriage in the SWLR indicates:
STINE [STEEN], Eliza m. 20 Sept. 1836 Thomas C. JOHNSON [Jeansonne] (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. # 69)
JEANSONNE, Thomas C. m. 20 Sept. 1836 Eliza STINE (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. #69)
Family history had indicated that Thomas was said to be a doctor, and until recently, we had not found any records to substantiate that. However, my sister recently went to Louisiana (Jan 2012) and did find a record that indicated his name as Thomas C. Johnson, M.D. so apparently he was a doctor. His parents are believed to have been were Francis Jeansonne/Johnson and Martha SMITH.
We also learned that Thomas left Louisiana sometime before May 1838 - probably after the birth of his daughter, Mary in March 1837 but definitely before May 1838. His leaving is mentioned in a lawsuit against him and it appears that Thomas was in financial trouble when he left Louisiana.
We don't know exactly what happened to the marriage of Elaisa and Thomas, but it's probable that Thomas died and then Elaisa remarried in 1844 to Henry Callis. Given that Thomas was a doctor, there were several outbreaks of yellow fever in the late 1830's into the 1840's and he could have taken ill from that and died. My cousin believes that Thomas may have died in New Orleans, but it appears that he probably died in Tennessee.
Elaisa and Thomas had one daughter, Mary War Nan JEANSONNE (1837-1918).
Our family has shown Mary's maiden name as Johnson, but we have learned that Jeansonne is the French spelling of Johnson (and sounds very much like Johnson when pronounced) and believe that over the years it was changed from the original spelling of Jeansonne to Johnson OR it was originally Johnson and when the Johnson family moved to Louisiana, they took on the French spelling of Jeansonne.
Mary's birth is recorded in the Southwest Louisiana Records book as:
"JOHNSON, ---- (Thomas & Elisa STEEN ) b. 9 March 1838 (GC Ch.: v. 1, p. 146)" Note: GC ='s Grand Coteau.
Either Thomas Jeansonne/Johnson died or Elaisa and Thomas divorced as Elaisa remarried on 3 February 1844 in Sumner County, Tennessee to Henry Callis. Elaisa and Henry had seven children:
Francis Emaline (1844-1920), Lucy E. (1847-1933), Daniel Dubois (1849-1926), Henrietta (1851- ), Elias (1853-1939), Charlotte A. (1855-1859) and Margaret W. Callis (1858- ).
Elaisa and Henry appear on the following census record:
1850 - District9, Sumner Co., Tennessee
Elaisa died on 1 May 1859 in Obion County, Tennessee of pneumonia. This information is confirmed in the Register of Death found in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885.
My cousin knew that Elaisa's maiden name was Steen, but beyond that, we did not know about her parents. About two years ago, I wrote every Steen in the Abbeville, Louisiana area to ask if anyone knew of her. I found out that the current owners of Steen's Syrup Factory in Abbeville are relatives of Elaisa's - they are descended from one of Elaisa's brothers which means that they are also descended from Hilaire Elias Steen and Catherine STELLY.
This information allowed us to go further back on Elaisa's heritage and to learn her parents names which, up to that point, had been unknown to us. Through diligent research, we have also learned the names of all of her siblings, her grandparents, etc.
Family story had indicated that Elaisa's parents owned a large plantation in the New Iberia area. We have found that her parents, did indeed, own a large plantation, but it was located on the Bayou Vermilion in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Her parents also owned a plantation on the Bayou Fusilier in St. Landry Parish at one time, too, but we haven't found the full records for that property yet.
Elaisa's father, Hilaire, had purchased 698 superficial arpents (approximately 590 acres) of land in February 1817 on the Bayou Vermilion and it was here that he built his plantation. This information is confirmed in conveyance records and Hilaire and Catherine's succession (probate) records. However, it also appears from census records and sugar indexes that Hilaire had property on or near the Bayou Teche and Bayou Fusilier. Whether he had a home there as well as land, we don't know, but it does appear that he at least used the land to produce sugar cane. . It could also be that Hilaire's land stretched from the Bayou Vermilion to the Bayou Teche.
When Elaisa's mother, Catherine STELLY died in October 1856, Catherine's estate was valued at over $70,000 which in today's money would be over $1,700,000. Because of Louisiana's forced heirship laws, half of Catherine's estate from her community property she shared with her husband, Hilaire, went to their children. By the time Hilaire died in July 1859, Elaisa had already passed away in May 1859. However, her husband, Henry Callis, was awarded some of the estate belonging to Hilaire. When he died, Hilaire was worth approximately $40,000 which in today's money would be approximately $900,000 (almost).
Hilaire's plantation was sold at a public auction on September 1, 1859 to his two son's-in-law, Sidney and Wesley Singleton, who had married Hilaire and Catherine's daughters, Lucille and Marie, respectively.
The sale of the plantation caused some problems - and later a court case - because the Singleton's wanted to pay the family in Confederate money which was quickly losing value. This court case is also how we were able to connect Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN Jeansonne Callis back to her parents and her connection is further confirmed by the Southwest Louisiana Records book and the succession records of her parents.
ORIGINAL INFO SUBMITTED BY RUBY BUTLER:
Elizabeth "Eliza" Johnson Steen, married to Henry Callis (3 Feb 1844).
Eight children from this marriage before her death. Francis Emaline, Lucy K., S.E., Daniel dubois, Henrietta, Elias, Charlotte A.l, and Margaret W.
Buried in the Old Section of Pleasant Hills Cemetery.
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
According to the Southwest Louisiana Records book (a book of church records), Elaisa was born on 14 June 1818 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This date is different from the date of 1 July 1817 on her headstone, but we're not sure why there is a difference; however, we've elected to go with the date found on her headstone. Elaisa's date of baptism is also listed in the Southwest Louisiana Records book and is given as 11 August 1818 at the St. Landry Church, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.
We had originally believed that Elaisa was born in New Iberia, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, but the SWLR records book indicates birth in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish which makes sense as her parents were living in St. Landry before her birth and after. I recently found an 1823 succession record for a John Steen, who was a brother to Elaisa's father, and the record indicates the residence of Elias Steen on the Bayou Fusilier.
I would also like to address the issue of her name. Ancestors of Elaisa, including my sister and I, believed her given name to be Elizabeth and shortened to Eliza. However, the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR) indicates she was born and baptized as Elaisa, not Elizabeth. In addition, one of my cousins who has done extensive research on Elaisa and her descendants, recently indicated to me that he has never found any record with her name given as Elizabeth and she herself did not appear to ever use the name Elizabeth. She does appear on census records and her headstone as Eliza which would be a version of Elaisa. We believe that people spelled it as it sounded and as was normally spelled.
Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN was the 5th child of Hilaire Elias Steen (c1780-1859) and Catherine STELLY (1793-1856). Her siblings were:
Lucille 'Lucy' (1810-1844), Augustine (1812-aft 1880), Marie Arsene 'Mary' (1814-1858), Emelie (1816-1817), Elias (1821-1827), Catherine Minerva (1824-1923), Jean Baptiste 'John' (1827-1862), Felice 'Philise' (1830-bef 1856), Sidney (1832-1913) and Wesley Steen (1832-aft 1900).
Elaisa appeared on the following census records with her parents and siblings:
1820 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
1830 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
On 20 September 1836, she married first Thomas C. Johnson/Jeansonne (c1800-c1840) in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. This information is obtained from the 'Louisiana Marriages to 1850' records and the Southwest Louisiana Records book (SWLR). Her marriage in the SWLR indicates:
STINE [STEEN], Eliza m. 20 Sept. 1836 Thomas C. JOHNSON [Jeansonne] (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. # 69)
JEANSONNE, Thomas C. m. 20 Sept. 1836 Eliza STINE (Opel. Ct. Hse.: Mar. #69)
Family history had indicated that Thomas was said to be a doctor, and until recently, we had not found any records to substantiate that. However, my sister recently went to Louisiana (Jan 2012) and did find a record that indicated his name as Thomas C. Johnson, M.D. so apparently he was a doctor. His parents are believed to have been were Francis Jeansonne/Johnson and Martha SMITH.
We also learned that Thomas left Louisiana sometime before May 1838 - probably after the birth of his daughter, Mary in March 1837 but definitely before May 1838. His leaving is mentioned in a lawsuit against him and it appears that Thomas was in financial trouble when he left Louisiana.
We don't know exactly what happened to the marriage of Elaisa and Thomas, but it's probable that Thomas died and then Elaisa remarried in 1844 to Henry Callis. Given that Thomas was a doctor, there were several outbreaks of yellow fever in the late 1830's into the 1840's and he could have taken ill from that and died. My cousin believes that Thomas may have died in New Orleans, but it appears that he probably died in Tennessee.
Elaisa and Thomas had one daughter, Mary War Nan JEANSONNE (1837-1918).
Our family has shown Mary's maiden name as Johnson, but we have learned that Jeansonne is the French spelling of Johnson (and sounds very much like Johnson when pronounced) and believe that over the years it was changed from the original spelling of Jeansonne to Johnson OR it was originally Johnson and when the Johnson family moved to Louisiana, they took on the French spelling of Jeansonne.
Mary's birth is recorded in the Southwest Louisiana Records book as:
"JOHNSON, ---- (Thomas & Elisa STEEN ) b. 9 March 1838 (GC Ch.: v. 1, p. 146)" Note: GC ='s Grand Coteau.
Either Thomas Jeansonne/Johnson died or Elaisa and Thomas divorced as Elaisa remarried on 3 February 1844 in Sumner County, Tennessee to Henry Callis. Elaisa and Henry had seven children:
Francis Emaline (1844-1920), Lucy E. (1847-1933), Daniel Dubois (1849-1926), Henrietta (1851- ), Elias (1853-1939), Charlotte A. (1855-1859) and Margaret W. Callis (1858- ).
Elaisa and Henry appear on the following census record:
1850 - District9, Sumner Co., Tennessee
Elaisa died on 1 May 1859 in Obion County, Tennessee of pneumonia. This information is confirmed in the Register of Death found in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885.
My cousin knew that Elaisa's maiden name was Steen, but beyond that, we did not know about her parents. About two years ago, I wrote every Steen in the Abbeville, Louisiana area to ask if anyone knew of her. I found out that the current owners of Steen's Syrup Factory in Abbeville are relatives of Elaisa's - they are descended from one of Elaisa's brothers which means that they are also descended from Hilaire Elias Steen and Catherine STELLY.
This information allowed us to go further back on Elaisa's heritage and to learn her parents names which, up to that point, had been unknown to us. Through diligent research, we have also learned the names of all of her siblings, her grandparents, etc.
Family story had indicated that Elaisa's parents owned a large plantation in the New Iberia area. We have found that her parents, did indeed, own a large plantation, but it was located on the Bayou Vermilion in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Her parents also owned a plantation on the Bayou Fusilier in St. Landry Parish at one time, too, but we haven't found the full records for that property yet.
Elaisa's father, Hilaire, had purchased 698 superficial arpents (approximately 590 acres) of land in February 1817 on the Bayou Vermilion and it was here that he built his plantation. This information is confirmed in conveyance records and Hilaire and Catherine's succession (probate) records. However, it also appears from census records and sugar indexes that Hilaire had property on or near the Bayou Teche and Bayou Fusilier. Whether he had a home there as well as land, we don't know, but it does appear that he at least used the land to produce sugar cane. . It could also be that Hilaire's land stretched from the Bayou Vermilion to the Bayou Teche.
When Elaisa's mother, Catherine STELLY died in October 1856, Catherine's estate was valued at over $70,000 which in today's money would be over $1,700,000. Because of Louisiana's forced heirship laws, half of Catherine's estate from her community property she shared with her husband, Hilaire, went to their children. By the time Hilaire died in July 1859, Elaisa had already passed away in May 1859. However, her husband, Henry Callis, was awarded some of the estate belonging to Hilaire. When he died, Hilaire was worth approximately $40,000 which in today's money would be approximately $900,000 (almost).
Hilaire's plantation was sold at a public auction on September 1, 1859 to his two son's-in-law, Sidney and Wesley Singleton, who had married Hilaire and Catherine's daughters, Lucille and Marie, respectively.
The sale of the plantation caused some problems - and later a court case - because the Singleton's wanted to pay the family in Confederate money which was quickly losing value. This court case is also how we were able to connect Elaisa 'Eliza' STEEN Jeansonne Callis back to her parents and her connection is further confirmed by the Southwest Louisiana Records book and the succession records of her parents.
ORIGINAL INFO SUBMITTED BY RUBY BUTLER:
Elizabeth "Eliza" Johnson Steen, married to Henry Callis (3 Feb 1844).
Eight children from this marriage before her death. Francis Emaline, Lucy K., S.E., Daniel dubois, Henrietta, Elias, Charlotte A.l, and Margaret W.
Buried in the Old Section of Pleasant Hills Cemetery.
**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
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**Please note that the pictures of the headstone and cemetery that appear on Elaisa's memorial page were taken by my sister, T.L. Galbraith in 1991 and credit should go to her for taking those. My sister and I have the pictures on our family tree on Ancestry.com and Ruby borrowed those pictures from our tree and then added them to findagrave (Ruby originally added Elaisa's memorial). Many thanks to Ruby for adding them, but I want to make sure that credit for taking the pictures goes to T.L. Galbraith. The picture of Elaisa were given to our family by Linda CALLIS Allen who is also descended from Elaisa; Linda gave us permission to use the pictures.
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