Ancestors of Damita Jo DeBlanc

(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1975). Robert S. Weddle, San Juan Bautista: Gateway to Spanish
Texas (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1968).
Source: http://www.geocities.com/parish_photogy/int_natchitoches.html
American Cemetery, Natchitoches, LA at Demeziere and Second Sts., Natchitoches. Tree-shaded cemetery
contains many lost graves of early 1700s, marked tombs dating back to 1790s. Emanuela de St. Denis,
widow of founder of Natchitoches, buried here.
Rambin Family: Colonial Louisiana Pioneers
Colonial France, Spain and Native America in the New World.
Source: http://www.angelfire.com/or/rambin/history.html
Mexico
San Juan Bautista : Presidio del Norte
Home of Manuella Sanches de Navarro, wife of Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. The commandant of this
post was either her grandfather or step grandfather. There is much argument and many published items that
are being disputed. Much argument regarding her name stems from the naming practices of the Spanish
during that period in history. But she WAS part of the Ramon family of San Juan Bautista and Presidio del
Norte. She was probably the daughter of Diego (Jr) Ramon's wife from a previous marriage. She was raised
as Diego Ramon, Jr.'s daughter in the home (Presidio: San Juan Bautista) of his father, Don Diego Ramon.
It was common to choose either your mother’s surname or your father’s surname. {A good example of this
is Cabeza de Vaca who chose his maternal grandmother’s name because of a famous forefather.----I have
often wondered if the French "dit" names were not much the same.} The fact that St.Denis was married to a
close relative of Diego Ramon -a powerful --- at one time acting as Governor of All of Spanish Texas
(which included a large part of Mexico)---played an important role in Texas, Louisiana and Mexico’s
history.
A persistent priest named Francisco Hidalgo was based in San Juan Bautista. He and the Ramons built the
missions from Mexico all the way to Nacogdoches. Domingo Ramon and a company that included his
brother Diego (II) and his brother-in-law, St. Denis,were sent to colonize along the Nueces River and to
build missions. In 1718, the San Antonio de Bejar and de Valero churches were built wherethe city of San
Antonio is located today. The chapel in the Bejar mission was called El Alamo.
Major Diego Ramon, who led the expedition which resulted in the placing of the Mission San Juan Bautista
five miles south of the Rio Grande, was an extraordinary person. He was a native of the parish of Santiago
de Queretaro*. Ramon’s name is first found in connection with the history of the mission movement on the
northern Mexico frontier in 1674 when he was a young officer. He was in charge of Governor Alonzo De
Leon’s post at Santiago de la Monclova in 1687. After DeLeon died, Ramon served as interim governor of
Coahuila. He led the expedition which founded Mission San Francisco Xavier forty miles northwest of
Monclova. His name was connected with San Juan Bautista (May 1701) until his death in 1724.
At the age of fifty, Ramon , one -time lieutenant of Alonso de Leon , is a historical enigma…appears to
have been dedicated to the cause of Christianizing the Indians…at the same time, however, he evolved a
lucrative business for himself and his sons …contraband trade with the French. A complete list of Spanish
Presidios and Missions in Texas. (under construction)
St. Denis (Don Luis de San Dionis / Louis Juchereau de St.Denis) is said to have led a French expedition
up the Red River as early as 1700. He claimed that he had crossed Texas in 1705 and made contact with the
Spaniards at San Juan Bautista. (The Spaniards left no record confirming this.) There is record of a later
contact "Relacion hecha por Don Luis de San Dionis y Don Medar Jalot de viaje que ejectaron desde la
movila hasta el Presidio de Diego Ramon"- Is his companion possibly JOLY St. Denis was the
commandant of Biloxi when Cadillac issued him a passport on September 12, 1713. He was to take 24 men
and as many Indians as necessary to go in search of the mission of Father Hildago. He was to purchase
cattle and horses for the French province of Louisiana. The party set out from Mobile in late September.