Around the same time it became illegal to bring slaves from Africa into Louisiana; it later became illegal to import slaves into the rest of the United States. times as a smuggler and privateer, he became very wealthy. 5 , Mexican outpost further south along the Gulf Coast, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States, "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: GENERAL QUESTIONS", "Jean Laffite as a Father | Historia Obscura", "The Legend of Jean LaFoote Advertising Week 360 AW360", "Cinnamon Crunch (Cap'n Crunch) Cereal | MrBreakfast.com", "Then and Now: Lafitte's Anchor at Disneyland Park", "20 Things You May Not Know About Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean Ride", "History and a Behind the Scenes Look at the Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction in Disneyland", "Why is the Name Jean Lafitte Everywhere at Disneyland", History of the second war between the United States of America and Great Britain: declared by act of Congress, the 18th of June, 1812, and concluded by peace, the 15th of February, 1815, Jean Lafitte: Gentleman Pirate of New Orleans, "Jean LaFitte's piratical topsail schooner", History, photos and movies about Jean Lafitte, Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law, Jim Hawkins and the Curse of Treasure Island, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean_Lafitte&oldid=1142807831, Recipients of American presidential pardons, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, pirate, privateer, spy, naval artillery officer, slave trader. He found his first Spanish gold coin in the year 2017. Long-lost pirate ship may lie in Texas lake / Historical - SFGATE In a personal note, Lafitte reminded Blanque that his brother Pierre was still in jail and deserved an early release. Baytown cousins believe they found missing pirate ship In 1948, John Andrechyne Laflin approached the Missouri Historical Society with a French-language manuscript he claimed was a journal Lafitte kept from 1845 until 1850. Britain and the United States declared war in June 1812, but until 1814, most of the fighting took place on the east coast or northern border of the United States. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. On September 3, 1814, the British ship HMS Sophie fired on a pirate ship returning to Barataria. History suggests there is a possibility that hidden treasuresgold coins, doubloons, precious jewelryare somewhere beneath the surface just waiting to be found! Jean Lafitte: History & Mystery - National Park Service Catiche became pregnant and gave birth to their son, Jean Pierre, on November 4, 1815. Lafitte and several of his men rowed to meet them halfway. [85] Almost half of the combined crew refused to sail as pirates; Lafitte allowed them to leave aboard his largest ship, the brig General Victoria. Jacques St. Germain, The Infamous Louisiana Vampire, Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure, History of the Louisiana Snowball and Its Flavors. (The United States and the United Kingdom had prohibited the Atlantic slave trade after 1808, but Spain continued to import slaves to the Caribbean.) While his fleet took a hit, Lafitte himself managed to evade capture. The Galveston Legend of the Infamous Pirate Jean Lafitte [114][115] When the historical society could not authenticate the claim, Laflin approached Louisiana author Stanley Arthur. Jean was a handsome man by all accounts, of great personal charm and became . treasure of Jean Lafitte. Lafitte escaped. [4], Some sources speculate that Lafitte was born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (known as Haiti since it gained independence in 1804). On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. According to one account, published in 1885, The Historical Guide to New Orleans, Jean Lafitte died of sickness on the island of Mugeres, off the Yucatan, in 1826. Key to remember is that Lafitte was a business man, who turned merchandise that he acquired into money. And whether it's a pirate's ship or not, they hope it's a clue to their ultimate treasure. Enslaved Africans there gained their independence from France in 1804 and renamed this territory as Haiti. "It started for us with this family story," Cody Hix said. Numerous novels and stories refer to Lafitte's exploits. years later! Look it up. What: Lecture and book signing. 23 Lost Treasures of Louisiana At its height, the colonists and privateers earned millions of dollars annually from stolen or smuggled coin and goods. . On the trail of East Texas' buried treasure Jean Lafitte Facts for Kids Legend said it was a ship Lafitte sunk or said he sunk in the Old Sabine River while being pursued by a federal gunboat. Jean Lafitte | American Battlefield Trust They had his only known son, Jean Pierre Lafitte (d. 1832). Why the pirate Jean Lafitte was known as The Terror of the Gulf of It's okay, because we're here to bust them! A privateer has permission from a government at war to capture any enemy ships. North of Tatum, in the middle of the woods, lies . Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. Lots of glass also. He is considered something of a historic anti-hero in Louisiana and around the Gulf of Mexico, having engaged in smuggling and piracy for a number of years yet - during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 - helped defend the city from the . [123][124], There were also plans to connect the Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion attraction and Tom Sawyer's island using Laffite. Lafitte's fate has remained a mystery for 183 years. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte".This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him. Lafittes final resting place is unknown. Check out our jean lafitte selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our prints shops. Beyond Oak Island: 50 MILLION DOLLAR PIRATE TREASURE *Jean Lafitte's Researchers say the vessels sit in 25 feet water depth at the north of Big Bradford Island. , Jean Lafitte, Gulf terror and Christmas pirate [97][Note 3] The Gaceta de Cartagena and the Gaceta de Colombia carried obituaries that noted, "the loss of this brave naval officer is moving. Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure - Pelican State of Mind jean lafitte ship the pride Podcast: Jean Lafitte, The Texas Pirate in Galveston, Texas After his three children were grown, Lafitte fell sick in his 50s. The brothers stripped down their original ship and used its guns to outfit the new one. Jean Lafitte - Buried Treasures of the Notorious Pirate of the Gulf Dissatisfied with their role as brokers, in October 1812 the Lafitte brothers purchased a schooner and hired Captain Trey Cook to sail it. THE LEGACY OF JEAN LAFITTE IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA By W. T. Block Reprinted from TRUE WEST, Dec., 1979, p. 26ff; . This story was told to me several years ago by a man in his 80 s Back in 1940 or 41 two men hired to clean up around what is said to be Lafittes red house disapeared after a few days. Jean Pierre, her son with Jean Lafitte, died at 17 during a cholera epidemic in New Orleans in October 1832. From Pirates to shipwrecks along its coastline to its history of explorers it's no wonder that Florida has lost treasure to be found. You would eventually merge onto the hold of a buried ship on Tom Sawyers Island. His maternal grandmother and mother, both Conversos, fled Spain for France in 1765. Pierre was to inform about the situation in New Orleans. jean lafitte shipwreck found. After Napoleons exile to St. Helena by the English in 1815, the story says Lafitte put a double in his place and smuggled him into the United States, but that Napoleon died on the trip. The Spanish ships were heavily armed privateers or warships and returned heavy fire. The Americans took custody of six schooners, one felucca, and a brig, as well as 20cannon and goods worth $500,000. I have no doubt that the Historians will decry what Ive said here, and Im cool with that, I know what I saw and found, and I know what others saw and found. One story even Jean Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. [5] No samples of his writing survive, except his signature; his surviving letters were always written by a secretary. 5, 7. [53], Likely inspired by Lafitte's offer to help defend Louisiana, Governor Claiborne wrote the US Attorney General, Richard Rush requesting a pardon for the Baratarians, saying that for generations, smugglers were "esteemed honest [and] sympathy for these offenders is certainly more or less felt by many of the Louisianans". By 1810 he was in Louisiana with his older brother Pierre. Metal detector companies may be the only satisfied Merchants and planters came to Barataria for auctions, which Lafitte held outside New Orleans to avoid the law. The Sabin, a ship belonging to Robert Kleberg and Van Roeder, is said to have sunk with valuables off Galveston Island. Guides educate the public on wildlife, Cajun culture, and life on the bayou. In approximately 1784, his mother married Pedro Aubry, a New Orleans merchant, keeping Jean with her. In 1807 the United States outlawed trade with Great Britain and France because of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The Laffite Society, which promotes historical research and education about Lafitte's life and times, meets the second Tuesday of each month. Nice little interesting overview but the bit many accounts say lafitte settled in Galveston casts unnecessary doubt, The settlement in Galveston (Campeche) is firmly established in the history, theres even a museum there about it. [41] The legislature appointed a committee to study the matter but, as most of their constituents benefitted by the smuggling, they never authorized the militia. Baratarias swamps and bayous stretched south of New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. The Legacy of Jean Lafitte in Southwest Louisiana [32] Because the US Navy did not have enough ships to act against the Baratarian smugglers, the government turned to the courts. The smugglers wounded one of the officers and safely escaped with the contraband. Jean Lafitte - Wikipedia Josh Gates investigates the legends swirling around the storied life and death of French pirate Jean Lafitte who is reputed to have buried treasure at sites in coastal Louisiana. Yes I visited his home the Mason rouge in Campeche Galveston tx. It also mentions reports of larger sums of the treasure being buried in the appropriately-named small town of Lafitte, Louisiana. He was so wealthy that he built his own secret smugglers colony on the islands south of New Orleans. They married and had two sons together, Jules Jean and Glenn Henri. On November 10, 1812, United States District Attorney John R. Grymes charged Lafitte with "violation of the revenue law. 'Jean Laffite Revealed' unearths notorious Gulf pirate's second act [44], Captain Nicholas Lockyer, the commander of the Sophie, had been ordered to contact the "Commandant at Barataria". Suzanne Johnson features a living Lafitte in her urban fantasy series, Jean Laffite is a character in the historical fiction novel Ashes & Ecstasy by Catherine Hart, Published March 1st 2000 by Leisure Books (first published November 1st 1985), In the 1960s and 70s a barefoot cartoon pirate named, Lafitte: the pirate of the Gulf a book from 1836, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 13:45. In her children's story, Victor and the Pirate: A Story of New Orleans During the War of 1812 (1947), Ruby Lorraine Radford features a fictional child who encourages Lafitte to defend New Orleans. Jean Laffite | Biography & Facts | Britannica [92] By the end of 1822, Cuba had banned all forms of sea raiding. He said his ships would sail as pirates. By 1812 Lafitte was the leader of the Baratarians with headquarters on Grand Terre, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. The Temple was located just North of what is today Little Lake, in Lafittes time it was Little Lake Barataria, where Bayou Perot and Bayou Rigolets meet. Despite Laffite warning the other Baratarians of a possible military attack on their base, a US naval force successfully invaded in September 1814 and captured most of his fleet. That was problematic for New Orleans merchants, who had relied heavily on trade with Caribbean colonies of other nations. Smugglers would purchase the slaves for a discounted price, march them to Louisiana, and turn them in to customs officials. The Treasure of Jean Lafitte - National Park Service A number of details about Jean Lafitte's early life remain obscure and often sources contradict each other.