(French) Descendant of Gautier (ruler, army).

The scattered distribution of the surname Gauthier in Louisiana today reflects the settlement by Frenchmen of that name at different places and times within the state since the early eighteenth century. Between 1719 and 1721 at least 13 persons named Gautier or Gaultier — soldiers in the French Army or workers for the various land concessions-arrived in Louisiana.* As far as is known, few of these early arrivals left descendants in any number.

However, one of the soldiers, René Gautier dit LaFleur (age 18), attached to the militia at Natchitoches Post, was destined to be among the chief forebears of the clan in the colony.

At Natchitoches René Gautier became the official interpreter for the surrounding Indian tribes and eventually, in 1742, married a local Frenchwoman, Jeanne Laurent.

Their only known son, Guillaume, as a young man journeyed southward to Pointe Coupee, where in 1773 he wed Élizabeth Hennette of Illinois, rearing a large family on his farm on False River.

After the death of his first wife Guillaume married Élizabeth Rabalais in 1792 and shortly thereafter moved most of his family to the Avoyelles Prairies.

Two of his sons by his first wife-Guillaume, Jr. (m. 1793 Euphrosine Labbé, 1814 Hélène Olinde), and François (m. 1803 Éloise Delage) - remained with their families in Pointe Coupee,7 whereas sons Joseph (m. Eugénie Roy), Hypolite (m. 1815 Marguerite Juneau), and Godefroy accompanied their father to Avoyelles.

There, with the families of Guillaume s sons by his second wife - Léon (m. 1826 Amélie Lemoine) and Célestin (m. 1825 Artémise Lemoine)-they established the largest branch of the Gauthier clan in Louisian. Settling first just south of present Mansura, during the early years of the nineteenth century various members of the family obtained land along Bayou des Glaises and Bayou Savage near present Cottonport.

Today that section is still the stronghold of the Gauthiers in Avoyelles Parish, which now contains about 20 percent of the state's households. In recent years probably many Gauthiers of Avoyelles have moved to Alexandria and Baton Rouge.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries several Gauthiers from France, some of whom possibly were refugees from the French Revolution, settled in the Attakapas, mainly in or near St. Martinville.

Few records exist for most of these people or their descendants in Louisiana. However, the line begun by Charles Gauthier, born in New York ca. 1794 of French immigrants, became the more noted of the clan in the Teche country. As a child of 10 years Charles accompanied his parents (Charles Gauthier and Eugénie LeGrand) to New Orleans.

Married first to Marcelite Cormier (1826) and second to Marie Lebert (1846), Charles sired six sons, who carried on the Gautheir name in St. Martin Parish and westward into the Calcasieu near present Jennings.

On land purchased a few miles north of St. Martinville, Charles established himself as a successful planter, an occupation continued by most of his sons: Clairphe-Martin (m. 1849 Élise Andrus), Homer (m. 1869 Alida Melançon), Arcade (m. 1875 Marie-Louise Bienvenu), and Louis-Charles (m. 1876 Marie Locker).

In contrast, son Anatole (m. 1865 Marie-Tabithe Andrus), two years after his marriage moved into the Calcasieu, where he purchased an 800-acre farm near Jennings, first raising cattle, later cultivating rice.

Likely, the Gauthier families who migrated into southeastern Texas after 1900 were members of Charles's line.

Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes were also homes of a few Gauthier families. In 1788 a Joseph Gauthier and wife Thérèse Carette, both of unknown provenience, lived on Bayou Lafourche, but at that time they apparently had no children.

Later, in 1823 a Pierre Gauthier, native of Terrebonne Parish (possibly a son of Joseph?) married Pélagie Crochet in Houma;17 their three sons all settled with their families along Bayous Terrebonne and Petit Caillou.

Today few Gauthiers remain in that area