arpent: Old French measurement of land; slightly less than one acre
Blessed Sacrament: Consecrated host (bread) received by Christians as the body of Jesus
bonnet carré: English for square bonnet
broadsides: Posters
Cannes Brulee: Burnt reeds or cane; area covering Tchopitoulous Coast to St. Charles Parish boundary
carpetbagger: Person from the North who traveled to the South following the Civil War to seek political and/or financial gain
circa: About; in approximate dates
circular order: An instruction of a highest federation or land authority
Code Noir: Set of Louisiana laws governing the conduct of slaves
colony: A settlement far away from the country which governs it
commandant: Person in charge of a colonial government entity
Compagne des Indies: Originally led by John Law, this company had a 25-year management contract and trade monopoly with France to establish the Louisiana Colony.
concession: Large tract of land used for agricultural purposes to feed the colony
concessionaires: Citizens awarded government grants
côté: French word for coast
crevasse: French for deep crack or crevice, as in a levee
delta: Triangle-shaped area of land at the mouth of a river
demonstration library: Pilot program for the library system
diocese: Church territory under the jurisdiction of a bishop
ecclesiastical: Of the church or clergy
El Puerto des Alemanes: Spanish for the “coast of the Germans”
engages: settlers to farm the land for the concessionaires (legally between free men and slaves)
German Coast: Area today referred to as the Parishes of St. Charles and St. John the Baptist; settled by the Germans
home rule: Local form of government
indigenous: Occurring naturally in an area
integration (school): Various parts of the system made into one
interdiction: Punishment by which the faithful remaining in communion with the Church are forbidden certain sacraments or prohibited from performing certain sacred acts
L’anse aux Outardes: Cove of the bustards; site of the first east bank settlement in New Sarpy
land grant: Piece of land granted to an individual or group by the government
Le premier ancien village allemand: First old German village
Les Deaux Freres: Name of German pest ship, translates to “two brothers;” first ship to arrive in Biloxi with Germans in 1721
levee: Dike used to restrain Mississippi River from spreading over the land during high water seasons
Little Red Church: 1860 frame church painted red which became a landmark on the east bank of the Mississippi
Mississippi Bubble: General reference to John Law’s Company of the Indies’ financial plan for reviving the French economy through his new world Mississippi company. So called because it continued to grow in size.
monstrance: Church vessel used for displaying the consecrated host
mulatto: Person of black and white ancestry
ouragan: Hurricane
parish: Division of local government similar to county; was derived from the French “paroisse” and the Spanish “parroquia;” the ecclesiastical division under the charge of a curate
pest ship: Ship filled with disease and unbearable conditions, which delivered the Germans to the Biloxi shores
police jury: Form of local government since after the Louisiana Purchase
port: City with a harbor where ships can anchor
Portefaix: Ship which carried Karl Fredrick Darensbourg to shores of Old Biloxi
progenitor: Originator of a line of descent
Reconstruction: Period after Civil War during which the government was rebuilt
scalawags: Southerners who supported the federal plan of reconstruction
secession: Withdrawal from an organization, group, or union
Sieur: Old French title of rank or respect; sir
“Troop of Horse:” Military unit’s name during the War of 1812
