Charles Frederic d’Arensbourg (sometimes written D’Arensbourg or Darensbourg) (1693–1777), born Carl Friedrich Arensburg, was an early leader in the settlement of the

German Coast The German Coast (French: ''Côte des Allemands'', Spanish: ''Costa Alemana'', German: ''Deutsche Küste'') was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans, and on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Specifically, from ...

region of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

.''The settlement of the German coast of Louisiana and the Creoles of German descent''
by Hanno Deiler (page 38). American Germanica Press, Philadelphia 1909 - archive.org

Early life

Carl Friedrich Arensburg was born in 1693 in

Stettin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

, to ethnically

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

parents, and baptized on 25 January 1694. His father, Johann Leonhard Arensburg, was master of the Royal Mint, while his mother, Elisabeth Eleonora Formandt-Manderstrom, came from a family that had been ennobled in 1703. He served as an officer in the army of

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

, and fought at the

Battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava took place 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. The Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated the Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would l ...

. King Charles XII presented him with an inscribed sword in thanks to his military service. After the war, Carl moved to France from his home in Arensburg after it was invaded by Russia. He later took service with John Law's

Mississippi Company John Law's Company, founded in 1717 by Scottish economist and financier John Law (economist), John Law, was a joint-stock company that occupies a unique place in French and European monetary history, as it was for a brief moment granted the enti ...

, after being attracted by the prospect of fortune in the new world. While applying to the French for his colonial concession, he signed his name as the more French sounding ''Charles Frederick d’Arensbourg''. Sailing out from the Port of Lorient, Charles landed in Biloxi on 4 June 1721 aboard the ''Portefaix'' and accompanied by about thirty other Swedish officers and hundreds of German families.

German Coast Settlement

By the time the German settlers had arrived in

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

, many had died from disease. Originally assigned to lead the people to establish a settlement in what is now

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, Charles abandoned this plan as the Mississippi Company had left them undersupplied and without food, shelter or transport. He instead led the settlers to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

where he befriended Governor Bienville. He had tried to secure passage back to France, but Bienville convinced Charles to instead settle in the fertile lands west of New Orleans. The Germans were given government land grants along the Mississippi River, divided into four areas (Karlstein, Hoffen, Mariental, and Augsburg). D’Arensbourg grant, the largest, was named Karlstein in his honor. With the help of a team of 80 lumberjacks, carpenters and other workers provided by The Mississippi Company, the German settlers built three European styled villages in the area. He settled on a plantation within the concession and married a fellow German settler, Margaret Metzer.''The settlement of the German coast of Louisiana and the Creoles of German descent''
by Hanno Deiler (page 41). American Germanica Press, Philadelphia 1909 - archive.org Despite setbacks, the German colony soon prospered and became key in supplying food to nearby New Orleans. Charles remained in Louisiana the rest of his life, leading the German settler community for more than fifty years, both as a civilian and military leader. He was made a Chevalier de St. Louis in 1765. Many of the German colonists were displeased with the new Spanish colonial governor Ulloa, and when the 1768 rebellion took place, d’Arensbourg organized a militia and marched them into New Orleans to assist the rebels. Ulloa soon abandoned the colony, but when Spanish forces returned, the rebellion leaders were arrested and executed. Despite being charged with treason by the Spanish, d’Arensbourg escaped execution though sentenced to death, due to his age. He died in 1777, at the age of 84, having been predeceased by his wife the year before.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:d'Arensbourg, Charles Frederick People of Louisiana (New France) People from St. Charles Parish, Louisiana People from Stockholm Order of Saint Louis recipients 1693 births 1777 deaths