After Jean Lafitte and his Baratarian crew finished fighting in New Orleans, and received their promised pardon, Lafitte could not maintain a simple private life for long, so he returned to life on the high seas. Enslaved Africans there gained their independence from France in 1804 and renamed this territory as Haiti. Most historians doubt the authenticity of these claims but have not been able to disprove them. . Jean Lafitte (c. 1780 - c. 1823) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. . [28] The residents of New Orleans were grateful to the Lafittes for providing them with luxuries otherwise prevented from importing by the embargo. Legend holds that the Pirate Jean LaFitte, or in some other versions Santa Anna, left treasure at Hendrick's Lake near Tatum. [60] Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was so short as to potentially allow the British to encircle the American troops. They were held in port under custody of the United States Marshal. A treasured mystery, The Treasure Map of Jean Lafitte - Legends of the Hidden Temple Wiki Jean Lafitte - Buried Treasures of the Notorious Pirate of the Gulf It's not known who her father was. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte".This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him. Jean Lafitte spent most of his time in Barataria managing the daily hands-on business of outfitting privateers and arranging the smuggling of stolen goods. That was problematic for New Orleans merchants, who had relied heavily on trade with Caribbean colonies of other nations. So, where could On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They submitted booty from captured British ships to the American authorities at New Orleans, and booty from all other ships was often channeled for sale on the markets through Lafitte's operation. Although the handbills were made in Lafitte's name, Ramsay believes "it is unlikely [the handbills] originated with him". parties, as the Mystery of Jean Lafittes Unfound Treasure seems to be a voyage His men burned the Maison Rouge, fortress, and settlement. They had 3 children together: Jean Antoine Lafitte, Lucien Jean Lafitte, and Denise Jeanette Lafitte. $130,000 of Jean Lafitte's treasure is thought to be buried near Bolivar Point. Jean Laffite | Haunted Mansion Wiki | Fandom He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". Jean Lafitte - World History Encyclopedia there were treasure legends, and the most common story is that Lafitte stranded a ship, a Spanish ship with gold, in Matagorda Bay in Corpus and was taking it to St. Louis on some wagon trains over roads that don . In 1958, Laflin self-published an English translation of the journal. [9], Acknowledging that details of Lafitte's first twenty years are sparse, Davis speculates that Lafitte spent much time at sea as a child, probably aboard ships owned by his father, a known trader. treasure of Jean Lafitte. Rogers was a member of Jean Lafitte's pirate crew in 1812. What books would you recommend about this pirate? Several times customs officials and soldiers tried to capture Lafi tte in the swamps, but they were usually captured, wounded, or killed by the Baratarians. A grand jury indicted Pierre Lafitte after hearing testimony against him by one of the city's leading merchants. When: 2 p.m. May 22. When you cross Bayou Des Allemands on Hwy 90, looking down the bayou to the south its a short ride to where the primary temple location was. In February 1823, Lafitte was cruising off the town of Omoa, Honduras, on his schooner General Santander. [86][Note 2], Lafitte and his men continued to take Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico and often returned to Galveston or the barrier islands near New Orleans to unload cargo or take on supplies arranged by Pierre. . [82] Maison Rouge is believed to have stood at 1417 Harborside Drive near the Galveston wharf, but the foundations there have been dated to the 1870s. Let us know in the comments Jean Lafitte - Etsy [75] Lafitte interviewed all newcomers and required them to take an oath of loyalty to him. 3. He had been credited with much, and accused of plenty, yet there is doubt even. One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the US but had prepared their vessels to flee. Although General Andrew Jackson, commander of the American troops, originally described Lafitte as a hellish banditti, he finally accepted Lafittes help because of the ammunition, cannoneers, and knowledge of the area Lafi tte could supply. [93], In June 1822, Lafitte approached the officials in the Great Colombia, whose government under General Simn Bolvar had begun commissioning former privateers as officers in its new navy. Jan 25, 2007. Constructed in the 1720s, the structure stands today as possibly the oldest building in the United States housing a bar (Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar).[105][106]. Do you have How many ships did Jean Lafitte have? - KnowledgeBurrow.com His treasure [7] Lafitte likely helped his brother to sell or trade the captured merchandise. North of Tatum, in the middle of the woods, lies . The silver that Lafitte accumulated from selling captured slaves, cotton, and other goods was stored in wooden kegs or casks. They created a base on the small and sparsely-populated island of Barataria, in Barataria Bay. Jackson agreed to do so. Jean Lafitte (1776-1823) - Find a Grave Memorial Later, in return for a legal pardon, Laffite and his fleet helped General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans to defend the city during the War of 1812. He requested approval to raise a militia company to "disperse those desperate men on Lake Barataria whose piracies have rendered our shores a terror to neutral flags". [11] This was the last year that Napoleon failed to regain control of Saint-Domingue. [5] No samples of his writing survive, except his signature; his surviving letters were always written by a secretary. Jean Lafitte | the Pirate King | Authorized Biography The information I found about the Don Felipe treasure was research I did online not sure if it . The slave smuggling business expanded in 1809 when Jean joined his brother in the Crescent City and the two found a new source of enslaved people: French privateers commissioned to attack Britain . are why the mystery is still such an interesting topic todaymore than 200 An 1802 newspaper ad mentioned a blacksmith named Lafi tte, but no first name was given and the shop was not at the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip streets where the business known as Jean Lafi ttes Blacksmith Shop stands today. Jean Lafitte, Gulf terror and Christmas pirate They feared that Lafitte and his men might side with the British. In September 1814, British military officials sought Lafittes help in their campaign to attack the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. When a giant storm hit the region, the raft was washed away and destroyed. You can see a small door that was covered. What if these stories are factual? Actually, his men attacked several American ships but apparently did not kill any crewmen, possibly because they did not fight back. Rogers started his own pirate fleet in 1818. . jean lafitte shipwreck found. was born in France around the year 1780 and traveled to the United States when "Finding out who Lafitte really was," Cody Hix said. pardoned by General Andrew Jackson in praise of his efforts and accomplishments He withdrew his battered troops and ended French involvement in North America, selling the US what became known as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803: French-claimed lands west of the Mississippi River. and the fear of being captured, Lafitte allegedly buried his treasure with the wrong move on Lafittes mason rouge. In 1966, Louisiana authorized a state park to be established at the present site of the Barataria Preserve. What: Lecture and book signing. Most of Jean Lafitte's life remains shrouded in mystery, including his name. The buccaneer Jean Lafitte and other pirates sailed the Gulf to . A family in Baytown, Texas tell their story as they believe they found one of Lafittes sunken ships. Thousands of miles away, and two centuries later, from where Laffite made his name, in Lincolnton, North Carolina, people continue to visit . The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1983.123.8. [20] As the schooner did not have an official commission from a national government, its captain was considered a pirate operating illegally. Laffite is believed to have been born either in Basque-France or the French colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean. This information begs the question, though, How did Jean Lafitte have treasure in the first place, and if he did, why would he leave it behind?. Jean-Baptiste Francisco Lafitte (1782-1823) - WikiTree Some speculate it was Jean. Mention the name "Jean Lafitte" to people of a certain age and they will immediately think of Cap'n Crunch cereal and its mascot and namesake, whose ship, the SS Guppy, was often attacked in commercials by Jean Lafoote, the Barefoot Pirate.Unlike in real life, Lafoote's punishment was to get his own breakfast cereal -- Jean LaFoote's Cinnamon Crunch. that the treasure was on board one of Lafittes vessels and sank to the ocean [36], In October, a revenue officer prepared an ambush of a band of Lafitte's smugglers. Jean Pierre, her son with Jean Lafitte, died at 17 during a cholera epidemic in New Orleans in October 1832. His life and death remain as mysterious as the swamps and bayous of Barataria. "[64] Jackson named Jean and Pierre Lafitte for having "exhibited the same courage and fidelity". Is his last name spelled Lafi tte or Laffi te? Their patrols and interventions reduced the number of active pirates in the region. In the popular Japanese manga/anime series, Jean Laffite is a character in the historical fiction novels, Jean Lafitte is a character in the (2014) science-fiction, mystery novel, Tom Cooper uses Lafitte's and treasure in his novel. He wrote Jean Laffitte: Gentleman Rover based on the journal. Found bones of mamouth and Indian tools. Jean Lafitte (ca. Nice little interesting overview but the bit many accounts say lafitte settled in Galveston casts unnecessary doubt, The settlement in Galveston (Campeche) is firmly established in the history, theres even a museum there about it. They will haunt you in your dreams for making a War & Affiliation War of 1812 / American. Key to remember is that Lafitte was a business man, who turned merchandise that he acquired into money. Louisiana's most well-known buried treasure mystery still to this day is the unfound treasure of Jean Lafitte. [44], Captain Nicholas Lockyer, the commander of the Sophie, had been ordered to contact the "Commandant at Barataria". Jean was sent to Galveston Island, a part of Spanish Texas that served as the home base of Louis-Michel Aury, a French privateer who claimed to be a Mexican revolutionary. A hurricane in September resulted in flooding of most of the island, and several people died. Lafitte escaped. Was he a pirate, a patriot, or both? Around the same time it became illegal to bring slaves from Africa into Louisiana; it later became illegal to import slaves into the rest of the United States. [43] Lafitte's ship grounded in shallow water where the larger British ship could not follow. because Lafittes treasure was thought to be underwater there. [82] Lafitte reportedly took immense amounts of treasure with him, and was accompanied by his mulatta mistress[who?] This story first appeared in a local newspaper in the 1920s from an unnamed source and has no basis in fact. Hendrick's Lake treasure is focus of Houston historian's upcoming book Having lived The most notorious New Orleans smuggler and gentleman pirate was Jean Lafitte. Uninterested in exports from New Orleans, customs agents rarely checked the accuracy of the manifests. . Jean Lafitte, sometimes spelled Laffite, was born in approximately 1780 in either France or Saint Domingue (modern day Haiti) and according historian H.W . Official Blog of Pelican State Credit Union. His maternal grandfather had been executed by the Inquisition for "Judaizing". Jean Lafitte was the youngest of eight children (five boys and three girls). [116], In 1980, the manuscript was donated to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Texas. Could it be that there were multiple burial locations both men served under Governor Bernardo de Galvez during the American Revolution and can be found listed on the New Orleans Militia Roster. Mystery and legend surround the life of Jean Lafi tte. Long-lost pirate ship may lie in Texas lake / Historical treasure could be wreck of Jean Lafitte. Most of the people were locals, from Lafourche Parish, the southern part, mainly Cut Off and Larose and the Gheens area, and also from the Des Allemands location. They married and had two sons together, Jules Jean and Glenn Henri. Jean Laffite was a French pirate and privateer born circa 1780. On September 3, 1814, the British ship HMS Sophie fired on a pirate ship returning to Barataria. The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. ), privateer and smuggler who interrupted his illicit adventures to fight heroically for the United States in defense of New Orleans in the War of 1812. [85] Almost half of the combined crew refused to sail as pirates; Lafitte allowed them to leave aboard his largest ship, the brig General Victoria. He was accompanied by a Royal Marine infantry captain, John McWilliam,[45][46] who had been given a package to deliver to Lafitte. [61] The British began advancing upon the American lines on December 28, but were repulsed by an artillery crew manned by two of Lafitte's former lieutenants, Renato Beluche and Dominique Youx. Luckily, there is more info from Sotto himself about this project that can be found here. #1. By midmorning, 10 armed pirate ships formed a battle line in the bay. . Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure - Pelican State of Mind These questions Look it up. [41] He was arrested, tried, convicted, and jailed on charges of "having knowingly and wittingly aided and assisted, procured, commanded, counselled, and advised" persons to commit acts of piracy". Lafitte also always insisted that he was a privateer, not a pirate. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. And where? treasure to speak of. For the first time, it was made available for research. Jean Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. British forces sought access to the Mississippi River to gain control of the interior of the US. The legend of Jean Lafitte survives in the history and mystery of south Louisiana, where Lafi ttes bayous and backwaters still meander toward the Gulf of Mexico. From Pirates to shipwrecks along its coastline to its history of explorers it's no wonder that Florida has lost treasure to be found. "I think he realized very quickly in Galveston that it was not going to work, as evidenced by how short lived that . 1512. Other documents of the period place his birthplace as St. Malo or Brest. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte".This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him. [79] It was being developed for cotton culture, as invention of the cotton gin had made short-staple cotton profitable. There are many stories about famed pirate Jean Lafitte, but one places his lost buried treasure at the bottom of a lake right here in East Texas. [88] In October or November 1821, Lafitte's ship was ambushed as he attempted to ransom a recent prize. Pierre Lafitte had another son, his namesake Pierre, born from his first marriage to Marie LaGrange, who died in childbirth. Probably inside the hidden stairs that went to the first floor of his mason rouge. History suggests there is a possibility that hidden treasuresgold coins, doubloons, precious jewelryare somewhere beneath the surface just waiting to be found! The crew would create a manifest that listed not the provisions that had been purchased, but smuggled items stored at Barataria. Experts with . Jean Lafitte was born September 25, 1781. One of the pirate's captains had attacked an American merchant ship. During his life he acted as a soldier, sailor, diplomat, merchant, and much more, demonstrating natural gifts for leadership.[14]. Wounded in the battle, Lafitte is believed to have died just after dawn on February 5. [67] By early 1817, other revolutionaries had begun to congregate at Galveston, hoping to make it their base to wrest Mexico from Spanish control. In 1821, the schooner USSEnterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf. knowledge (or educated guess) of Lafitte being the best privateer around, United It destroyed four ships and most buildings. The fleet anchored off Grande Terre and the gunboats attacked. [36] The proclamation was printed in the nationally read Niles' Weekly Register. The fortune is said to have been stolen from the Spanish by Jean Lafitte. These men were pardoned after testifying that they had deserted from Lafitte's ship in Galveston when they discovered that it did not have a valid privateering commission. Following Lafitte's departure from the Texas coast in 1821, James and Mary Campbell remained in the region, ultimately settling on a plot of about 1500 acres at Campbell's Bayou (Articles, 1998).