It's okay, because we're here to bust them! Jean lists his age as 32 and his birthplace as . Lafitte visited in March 1817. Treasure hunter Christian Roper is searching for Jean Lafitte's buried treasure that could be worth over 50 million dollars today - he meets with Rick and Ma. He is best known for his role in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Jean Henri Laffite's father, Jean Louis Laffite, was a ship captain who died on August 1, 1782, aboard the privateer ship "EL POSTILION" during a hurricane in route . Governor Claiborne of Louisiana once offered a $500 reward to anyone who captured Jean Laffite; Laffitte offered a counter reward of $5,000 to anyone who captured the governor. [94] For the first time, Lafitte was legally authorized to take Spanish ships. 2001-11-18 04:00:00 PDT Wallisville, Texas -- Using a machete, Anahuac Jack hacks through branches . [48] He had also been told in August that American officials were planning an assault on Barataria with forces under the command of Commodore Daniel Patterson. Most of the people were locals, from Lafourche Parish, the southern part, mainly Cut Off and Larose and the Gheens area, and also from the Des Allemands location. Jean had taken the helm of a band of pirates when the U.S. found itself at war with . The Pride | Baghdad on the Bayou | Obsidian Portal And the ship berry bros found look for gold on land nearby. That was more of his commerce center, again where he exchanged merchandise for coin. Title Smuggler. In-between Matagorda Bay and the mouth of the Sabine River, there are dozens of lost treasure tales associated with the infamous 19th Century buccaneer, and over the years there have been countless attempts undergone to recover some of the lost loot that Lafitte supposedly hid. There's Lafitte's Treasure Casino right off the Grand Coteau exit on I-49; Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Acadian-Cultural Center and the Lafitte Oaks on Jefferson Island, where the pirate is said to have buried some of his treasure. Thankful for their help with the American victory, in February 1815 President James Madison offered pardons to the Baratarians for any crimes committed against the United States. knowledge (or educated guess) of Lafitte being the best privateer around, United Lafitte and several of his men rowed to meet them halfway. Jean Lafitte - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Mention the name "Jean Lafitte" to people of a certain age and they will immediately think of Cap'n Crunch cereal and its mascot and namesake, whose ship, the SS Guppy, was often attacked in commercials by Jean Lafoote, the Barefoot Pirate.Unlike in real life, Lafoote's punishment was to get his own breakfast cereal -- Jean LaFoote's Cinnamon Crunch. The Baratarians. Jean Lafitte was the youngest of eight children (five boys and three girls). [48] Lafitte had copies of the letters sent to Jean Blanque, a member of the state legislature who had invested in the Barataria operation. Families with the surname Lafitte have been found in Louisiana documents dating as early as 1765. . How many ships did Jean Lafitte have? - KnowledgeBurrow.com Jean Laffite's treasure in the Sabine River - Lone star treasure Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. . [61] The British began advancing upon the American lines on December 28, but were repulsed by an artillery crew manned by two of Lafitte's former lieutenants, Renato Beluche and Dominique Youx. Probably inside the hidden stairs that went to the first floor of his mason rouge. I grew up back there, in those waterways, in that area and found many interesting things. The Treasure of Jean Lafitte - National Park Service Much to the Louisiana State University alumnus (Geaux Tigers), fanatic of all things sports, pugs, and Star Wars, and teller of the occasional dad joke. The Laffites moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. . Workers would reload goods into smaller batches onto pirogues or barges, for transport through the many bayous to New Orleans. [91] When Lafitte and other pirates operating in the area began attacking merchant ships carrying legal goods to Cuba, they angered Cuban officials. Catiche died July 2, 1858, around the age of 65. [35] Lafitte soon acquired a letter of marque from Cartagena, but never sent any booty there. Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. After Jean's reported death in the mid-1820s, the widowed Catiche took up with Feliciano Ramos. 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. The city of Cartagena in present-day Colombia had rebelled against Spain and gave permission through letters of marque for privateers, including Lafittes men, to capture Spanish ships and the goods and slaves on board. The old 1938 cross marked "Jean Lafitte, Re-exhumado, 1938" was made to mark the burial site of a bone that was found washed up on the beach where the old cemetery eroded into the sea. The Dread Jewish Pirate Jean Lafitte - Tablet Magazine On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. [He] is supposed to have captured one hundred vessels of all nations, and certainly murdered the crews of all that he took, for no one has ever escaped him. The corsairs aimed the artillery at the Karankawa, killing most of the men in the tribe. The Laffite Society, which promotes historical research and education about Lafitte's life and times, meets the second Tuesday of each month. Little is known of Laffite's early life, but by 1809 he and his brother Pierre apparently had established in New Orleans a blacksmith shop that reportedly served as . Jean Lafitte was a Privateer Captain in the early 19th century. They took 80 people captive, but Lafitte escaped safely. Jean Lafitte proves to be an aberration as he acted as patriot to the United States during the War of 1812. [4] He notes that still other contemporary accounts claim that Lafitte was born in Ordua, Spain, or in Westchester County, New York, north of Manhattan. He landed ships at Grand Terre and Cheniere, and then brought the merchandise to The Temple to be auctioned. and an infant son[who?]. Lafitte named his colony Campeche, after a Mexican outpost further south along the Gulf Coast. Before we dive [63] On land and sea, the former pirate gunners earned praise as the battle continued. Lafitte escaped. The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. 1776 - ca. My grandfathers mother lived next to his mother and we were told of the storys on where some was at. Jean Lafitte - Wikipedia [87] The congressional delegation in Louisiana began to demand that the federal government do something to halt the smuggling, and more US Navy ships were sent to the Gulf. Lafittes men did resist arrest by American federal agents and soldiers, wounding, murdering, and capturing several. I always wondered why the searchers were only local, and that an organized big search never happened but it never did. Lafitte then was supposed to have buried Napoleon in the town of Lafittes Perrin Cemetery; later Jones and Lafitte himself supposedly were buried there. [20] As the schooner did not have an official commission from a national government, its captain was considered a pirate operating illegally. and its inlets. Enslaved Africans there gained their independence from France in 1804 and renamed this territory as Haiti. [31], As the smuggling operations reduced the amount of revenue collected by customs offices, American authorities were determined to halt business at Barataria. A mysterious shipwreck is capturing imaginations as a team of researchers sift through the remnants of an early 19th-century vessel located 150 miles off the Galveston Island coast.. [24] They outfitted it with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. Thus, on August 13, 1814, Captain Nicholas Lockyer of the British ship Sophie sailed on that mission. Jean Lafitte is thought to have died in 1823, whilst attacking a Spanish ship. Claiborne took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson as acting governor. Jean Lafitte - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help It was, at least initially, relatively free of scrutiny from any of the governments in the region. April 23, 2022. These Letters of Marque would give the Captains and Crew permission to capture and steal the ship and cargo of the issuing government's enemies. [99] In 1843, Mirabeau B. Lamar investigated many of the Lafitte stories and concluded that, while there were no authentic records of death, Lafitte was likely dead. Jean Lafitte's fabeled ship, The Pride, sunk well over a hundred years ago. [23], The brothers soon acquired a third ship, La Diligente. Actually, his men attacked several American ships but apparently did not kill any crewmen, possibly because they did not fight back. Jean Lafitte (c.1780 - c.1823) - Genealogy - geni family tree The ones found their range from the late 1770;s to 1814 or so. What: Lecture and book signing. His warnings were not believed at fi rst and the U.S. Army and Navy went ahead with a planned attack on Lafittes base at Grand Terre. [3], Lafitte and his brother Pierre also claimed to have been born in Bayonne. [90] In late April 1822, Lafitte was captured again after taking his first American ship. [7], According to Ramsay, as a young man, Lafitte likely spent much time exploring the wetlands and bayou country south of New Orleans. There is no . [4], Some sources speculate that Lafitte was born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (known as Haiti since it gained independence in 1804). In exchange, the king asked for Lafitte and his forces to promise to assist in the naval fight against the United States and to return any recent property that had been captured from Spanish ships. In January 1808, the government began to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807, which barred American ships from docking at any foreign port and imposed an embargo on goods imported into the US. [101] In 1909, a man was given a six-year prison sentence for fraud after swindling thousands of dollars from people, by claiming that he knew where the Lafitte treasure was buried and taking their money for the promise to find it.[103]. It destroyed four ships and most buildings. They had 3 children together: Jean Antoine Lafitte, Lucien Jean Lafitte, and Denise Jeanette Lafitte. When he attacked some United States ships, the government sent in troops to capture him. Although General Andrew Jackson, commander of the American troops, originally described Lafitte as a hellish banditti, he finally accepted Lafittes help because of the ammunition, cannoneers, and knowledge of the area Lafi tte could supply. Jean Laffite was a French pirate and privateer born circa 1780. "[26] For several months, the Lafittes would send the ships directly to New Orleans with legal cargo and would take on outgoing provisions in the city. The headquarters consisted of a two-storey building facing the inland harbor, where landings were made. For the town named after him, see. To this day, . Galveston after his adventures in Louisiana. The Treasure Map of Jean Lafitte - Legends of the Hidden Temple Wiki [8], Biographer William C. Davis suggests a different childhood for Lafitte. The Americans took custody of six schooners, one felucca, and a brig, as well as 20cannon and goods worth $500,000. [92] By the end of 1822, Cuba had banned all forms of sea raiding. Lafittes image changed from pirate to patriot during the War of 1812. Lafitte possibly took an assumed name, John Lafflin, and may have given that surname to his younger two sons. He had to take a pirogoe which is a wood boat that would have sank if all the treasure would have been on board. In 1814, the U.S. sent a naval force to invade Lafittes fleet and was mostly successful, seizing many of Lafittes comrades and ships. [89], Over the next few months, Lafitte established a base along the coast of Cuba, where he bribed local officials with a share of the profits. Several times customs officials and soldiers tried to capture Lafi tte in the swamps, but they were usually captured, wounded, or killed by the Baratarians. Very old 3 x 3 nches by 2 inches. This article provides images of newspapers from 1921, and one column in particular that talks about Lafittes treasure. The legend of Jean Lafitte survives in the history and mystery of south Louisiana, where Lafi ttes bayous and backwaters still meander toward the Gulf of Mexico. On April 18, he sailed for New Orleans to report his activities. [16] Barataria was far from the US naval base, and ships could easily smuggle in goods without being noticed by customs officials. You can see a small door that was covered. In 1807 the United States outlawed trade with Great Britain and France because of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Check out our jean lafitte selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our prints shops. They will haunt you in your dreams for making a According to HendricksLake.com, created by author and independent researcher Gary L. Pinkerton, this is where six wagons of silver stolen by Jean Lafitte from a ship called the Santa Rosa were allegedly washed up. These men were pardoned after testifying that they had deserted from Lafitte's ship in Galveston when they discovered that it did not have a valid privateering commission. 15 Places to Find Lost Treasure in Florida (Maps and More) "Jean Laffite Revealed". [60] Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was so short as to potentially allow the British to encircle the American troops. In 1818, the Campeche colony suffered hardships. Several of Lafitte's men were arrested and convicted of piracy. . It also mentions reports of larger sums of the treasure being buried in the appropriately-named small town of Lafitte, Louisiana. Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and on May 7, 1821, departed on The Pride. By 1805 he is believed to have been running a warehouse in New Orleans and possibly a store on Royal Street. After securing victory, Jackson paid tribute in despatches to the Laffite brothers' efforts, as well as those of their fellow privateers. But the treasure is in my best belief to be in Galveston. Merchants and planters were eager to buy the goods and slaves Lafitte smuggled into south Louisiana. [37] The following month, the governor offered a $500 reward for Lafitte's capture. We use cookies to provide you with the best possible browsing experience. ships as a last-ditch effort to gain an advantage in the pivotal Battle of New A statue dedicated to the pirate Jean Lafitte can be found next to the water by the fishing boats In February 1823, the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, severely wounded from an encounter with Spanish warships, sailed his schooner General Santander westward from the coast of Cuba into oblivion. Within a short period, Lafitte's men abandoned their ships, set several on fire, and fled the area. At this time an English captain offered Lafitte $30,000 and a commission to help the British attack New Orleans. [101] Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure at many locations, including Galveston and sites along coastal Louisiana, such as Contraband Bayou in Lake Charles. [44], Captain Nicholas Lockyer, the commander of the Sophie, had been ordered to contact the "Commandant at Barataria". [49] He sent a message to the Americans that few of his men favored helping the British but said he needed 15 days to review their offer. on Grand Terre. That night his remaining men reboarded the General Victoria and destroyed its masts and spars, crippling the ship, but they left the crew unharmed. Who was Jean Laffite? The expert cannon fire of Jacksons troops, including Lafi ttes Baratarians, contributed to the American victories during the New Orleans campaign that culminated with the Battle of New Orleans on January 8,1815. [5] No samples of his writing survive, except his signature; his surviving letters were always written by a secretary. [88] In October or November 1821, Lafitte's ship was ambushed as he attempted to ransom a recent prize. Like a little wooden barrel. Jean Lafitte, a famous pirate, buried his treasures along the coasts of Florida. [33], Although under indictment, in March 1813 Lafitte registered as captain of Le Brig Goelette la Diligente for a supposed journey to New York. Search for buried booty in Texas treasure hunt - KSAT floor after a shipwreck. While his fleet took a hit, Lafitte himself managed to evade capture. Lots of glass also. unclear why Lafitte had to bury his treasure or even where he was last seen. Let us know in the comments Smugglers would purchase the slaves for a discounted price, march them to Louisiana, and turn them in to customs officials. Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to When Patterson's men went ashore, they met no resistance. treasure of Jean Lafitte. He and another treasure hunter named Dan Beckingham found 4.5 million dollars worth of gold in the shallow waters of Florida. In later years, he was described as having "a more accurate knowledge of every inlet from the Gulf than any other man". For the first time, it was made available for research. They were tried for piracy, and found guilty. and brother in the early 1800s. By 1810 he was in Louisiana with his older brother Pierre. . Having lived Beyond Oak Island: 50 MILLION DOLLAR PIRATE TREASURE *Jean Lafitte's SS Jean Lafitte - Wikipedia The mysterious sunken pirate ship contained about $5 million in silver and gold coins.