A Guide to the French and American Claims Commission 1880-1885

<p>The U.S. Civil War was fought mostly on southern soil where many foreign residents suffered significant monetary and personal losses. In 1880 the United States and France set up a commission to examine claims from French citizens living or doing business in America between 1861 and 1866. Over 700 claims were adjudicated although few were paid any significant amount of money. The case files housed at the National Archives are a treasure-trove of information about these immigrants and their families their origins their occupations as well as the operations and conduct of both southern and northern troops who fought literally in their backyards. The majority of the claims were filed from Louisiana although a hundred or so came from Mississippi Alabama Arkansas California Georgia Illinois Indiana Kentucky Missouri Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas and Virginia. These French immigrants had come from metropolitan France most from small villages although a few hailed from large venues such as Paris Bordeaux Nice Nantes and Nancy. A substantial number also came from the French Antilles: Saint-Domingue (Haïti) and Martinique. Others were natives of southern Belgium the Rhinepfalz (Bavaria Germany) and Monaco born French between 1799 and 1815 during the reign of Napoleon.    A select few of the claimants were wealthy businessmen and French noblemen who had assets but had never resided in the United States.  Although the claimants’ wealth and social status varied greatly tragedy and hardship beset them equally. From Champagne Charlie Heidsieck who earned lost and recovered a fortune in America to women like Marie Dugout who fled France with her daughter and her paramour to start life over in Louisiana each story is unique and compelling. Sadly only a handful of claimants or their heirs received enough money to compensate for their losses.</p>