Louisiana as a Spanish Colony- - -

Bernardo de Gálvez, Count of Gálvez...

Don Bernardo de Galvez (1746-1786), native of Nacharavialla, Matlaga, Spain, and fourth Spanish Governor of Louisiana, decisively defeated the British in September 1779 at Manchac and Baton Rouge, which resulted in the capitulation of Natchez.

In 1780 and 1781, he dislodged them from their strongholds at Mobile and Pensacola.

For these exploits, he was made a Count by King Carolos, III, of Spain and allowed to use a replica of his ship and the words "Yo solo" (I alone) on his coat of arms.

Besides supplying arms and provisions to the American patriots and seizing British frigates, these victories cleared the Gulf of Mexico region of the British and left the entire Mississippi Valley in friendly hands, thus aiding the American Patriots in their struggle for independence.

Pearl Mary Segura

Read more about Bernardo de Gálvez.

Chapter History

On February 3, 1925, Galvez Chapter was organized in the home of Mrs. Grace Bordelon Agate with 12 members present. These ladies came from Bunkie, Evergreen, Jennings, Lafayette, New Iberia, and Shreveport. Months of time and dozens of letters were required to find enough eligible women to form a chapter. Most South Louisiana women were not eligible for membership because of the political status of Louisiana during the American Revolution. At the close of the French and Indian War, the Louisiana territory west of the Mississippi River was ceded by France to Spain, so Louisianians were not American colonials. Galvez Chapter had to get its membership from the pioneer families who had moved westward from the New England states and the states along the Atlantic seaboard.

Many years after Galvez Chapter was founded, interested people in New Orleans, Lafayette, and St. Martinville did extensive research in Louisiana, France, and Spain on the Galvez Expedition. The only fighting which took place west of the Mississippi River during the American Revolution was in Louisiana. It was determined that descendants of the men in this expedition were eligible for membership in the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

 In 1929, we joined with New Iberia Chapter in marking the graves of a soldier of the Revolution buried there and of a real daughter of the Revolution buried in Opelousas.

 On March 21, 1976, Galvez Chapter marked the grave of Jean Mouton, a patriot of the Revolution, as the Chapter's Bicentennial project. The grave is located in St. John's Cemetery, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Over the years Galvez Chapter has grown from a small chapter with twelve charter members to a large chapter with over 140 members.

Membership Information