Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-24

tones IN the New Orleans land Office,
under the title Of Register de loss
Primeros DecretOs de concession de
terra. The order is as follows;
Al Captain D'n Joseph VaIliere en-
el DistritO de Arkansas, una pOrcion
de terra situada sobre eI Rio Blanco Y
extendiendO desde los Rio Norte
Grande, cibalos, hasta el origien de
dichO Rio Blanco diez legues en- pro-
fundidad.
Baron DE CARONDELET.
Under this order Charles Trudeau,
the Surveyor General, surveyed a tract
of land, beginning at the junction Of
the White river with the great North
Fork, in the upper part Of Arkansas,
and extending ten Spanish leagues, or
about forty miles, On each bank OF the
White river, winding up through the
southern part of Missouri, and then
extending TO the west and southwest,
ending at the source of the extreme
westerly branch Of the White river in
the western part Of Arkansas. The
tIact Is made up of
SIX MILLIONS OF ACRES.
and, on the map Of to-day takes IN
Ozark, Douglas, Stone, Barry, Chris.
tiau, and Taney counties in Missouri,
and about a dozen counties IN Arkan-
sas, making a tract so miles wide and
l20 miles long. The report of Charles
Trudeau was fled IN October, 1928, IN
the Surveyor Generals Office in New
Orleans, accompanied by a map, repre-
senting the tract from the junction of
the Rio Norte Grande and the Rio Glib.
OlOs, extending westward along the Rio
BlancO, including a large part Of the
Rio TOsque. Don Joseph Valhere re.
ceived the grant of six millions Of acres, /
and six years later, in 1893, he died in
testate, possessed Of the largest lot Of |
real estate ever owned by a royal sub |
ject. His heirs, whoever they were at /
that time, if they knew anything of his |
vast wealth, did not attempt to make |
the land theirs. In four years after
Valliere's death the land was receded
back to France, and France in Decem- /
Der of the same year, 1903, ceded ali Of |
the province of Louisiana to the United |
States for and IN consideration of Sl5,-
100000. The Int-ndant Of Louisiana |
under the order Of the Captain-General |
of Cuba, who, after the cessiOn of the |
lands to France, had control Of the /
sent the records to Havana, |
and they were stored among the royal
archives.
HOW THE RECORD WAS FOUND.
Nearly forty years after the death Of
Don Joseph Yalliere, a gentlaman who
was able to read Spanish, while search
ing the records in the land Office and
Surveyor Generals Office in New Or
leans for another grant, found the
entry of the land in Don Joseph Val
Liere's name. At that time the United
States gave the land warrants at Sl.2j
an acre, and at this estimate the heirs
IF the old Spanish captain were worth
S7 100000. He knew descendants of
Valliere, and told them of their vast
possession. In 1871 Achilles GOdin,
James Brooks, Matilda Brooks, James
Scull, Mane tie Scull, John Dodge,
Ellieneth Dodge, Francis W. Vaugine,
Odiel Vaugine, Greed Taylor, Paul
Vaugine, Harriet Vaugine, Francis Val
iere, and Julia Valliere, at that time
the only surviving heirs Of Don Joseph
Valliere, gave a deed to John Wilson
Df Missouri, for an undivided half Of
The land. Wilson is said to be in Cal
.fOrnia, and his grantees are Joined
With the VallIere heirs IN prosecuting
.he claims. The claimants are resi-
tents Of Arkansas, and are nearly all |
If them poor persons, and most of
hem were absolutely ignorant of their
ancestry. Mr.. DUryea, N taking hold
# their claims, found both the origin
Il order and the report OF the survey,
)ut was not able to fiji d the final grant.
IN this depended the whole value Of
he claim, which under the new ap-
,raisal of the unentered lands of the
IOYernment-namely, $3.50 an acre
lmoun ed 10 Sl5,OO0,000.
he VALIDITY OF THE CLAIM ESTAB-
LIsHED.
All the old parchments and records |
n the New Orleans land Office were
earched, but IN vain. At length it
vas traced to the roval archives in Ha-
ana, and the Spanish authorities
urnished Mr.. Duryea with an autben-
icated copy of the original and final
rant of the land to Capt. Valliere. |
after describing the tract Of land rs
eported in Trudeau's survey, the grant
In consequence Of the power which
las been conferred on me by our Lord
be King God preservel, l grant IN his
oyal name to the said Don Joseph |
Talliere, captain Of the regiment Of
Infantry Of Louisiana, the said portion
above, in order that he may ,