The good friends, St. Denis and Manuella, would have met the boat when it arrived at Natchitoches. Manuella would not have missed this wedding for anything. After all Victoria was of her own people and who in Natchitoches could best represent her.
Now for the part of Gonzalez’s letter stating that a priest could not marry a couple without the proper notices of the betrothal being read on three consecutive Sundays. This is true in most cases, but, there is an old saying that the French always had a way for everything, and so in this case they had a way which was recognized by the Church. Due to the shortage of priests in Louisiana there was a ceremony of marriage called “jumping the broom” and in the eyes of witnesses this was considered a just and true marriage. The couple vowed that the wedding would be solemnized as soon as a priest was available (Quite often in recent years this procedure was looked upon as a joke but in the year 1735 in Louisiana it was no joking matter). Here, too, a time element was necessary. Possibly somewhere en-route to Natchitoches this party pulled the boat onto the bank long enough to make a broom of switch cane and the two witnesses, Lagrosse and Lemoine, watched as DerBonne and Victoria jumped the broom. This was necessary. You will note that the wedding took place after mid-night or right at mid-night, the beginning of another day. When the couple told Father Vietry that they had jumped the broom yesterday they did not lie, they had witnesses to prove it. Father Pierre Vietry had no choice but to marry them.
Just so you do not get the wrong impression of Jose Gonzalez you should know that in his letter he states that Padre Vallejo was going to Natchitoches the next day and that Victoria would return with him to receive blessings of her family. Later maps of Natchitoches show that DerBonne owned more land than St. Denis, the Commandante of the Natchitoches Post. Gonzalez could have refused Victoria her dowry because she eloped. Either she got the dowry or DerBonne was an excellent trader. With twenty eight known competitors in the same profession, I believe he got the dowry, and Papa Gonzalez saved face and his position by the elopement happening as it did. And, too, I believe Jose could have written that letter before the elopement and put down the facts just as they occurred.
In July of the same year Francois Lemoine married Victoria Manuella Garcia. And so ... the Arroyo Honda barrier came down.
VII
INCIDENTS OF THE YEARS, 1735-1742
In 1735 Justine de Louche was the first to settle in the area of Cloutierville, Louisiana.
In 1736 Manuel Flores and Carlos Bustimento demanded the same privileges allowed Sanchez, that the Spanish Governor of Los Adais give them title to their land. This was granted and soon to follow were grants to Solice, Toro, Rodriguez, Martinez and Garcia. These family men soon became independent and also became traders among the Indians.
In this same year Benites Franquis de Lugo replaced Sandoval as Governor of Los Adais. An old enemy of Sandoval, he placed him under arrest and stripped the ex-governor of his wealth and rank. He was charged with deserting the post at Los Adais and going to live at San Antonio de Bexar, thereby neglecting the duties of his office; and for recognizing the Arroyo Hondo boundary instead of the west bank of the Red River, thus allowing the French to build a new fort on that side of the Red River.
The friends of Sandoval appealed to the Viceroy to send witnesses to Los Adais to investigate the charges of Governor Lugo.
In 1737 Fernandez de Jauregui y Urritgua, who was at that time Governor of Nueva Leon, a region which adjoined the Coahuila and Tejas country, came to Los Adais as a visatador (witness). He questioned the population, visited the post at Natchitoches and made inquiries there. Lieutenant Gonzalez explained the conditions of the presidio, the shortage of manpower and food and how nearly all the necessities necessary to sustain life had to be obtained from the French.