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Chronicling America
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Newspaper Le Pionnier De L'assomption (Napoleonville [La.]) 1850-185?

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About Le Pionnier De L'assomption (Napoleonville [La.]) 1850-185?

Napoleonville, the seat of Assumption Parish, is located along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in coastal southeast Louisiana. Tradition says that the town took its name from a French settler who had served under Napoleon Bonaparte. The population grew rapidly in the 1890s and was nearing 1,000 by 1900 (it has since fallen to about 600). Sugar cane became the parish’s principal crop in the early 1860s and continues to be important.

Dubbed the “Official Journal of the Parish of Assumption and the Town of Napoleonville,” the Pioneer of Assumption provided its readers with a wealth of national and international information. The paper originated as a French-language journal, Le Pionnier de l’Assomption, and was the first newspaper in the parish. It was founded on September 7, 1850, by Eugene Supervielle (1824-1868), a French émigré, and F. A. Devilliers (d. 1857). By 1853, the paper was being published in both French and English. Ownership would change over the years with Amadéo Morel (1813-1867) becoming proprietor in 1855 and Conrad L. Mavor both editor and proprietor the following year. Under Mavor’s management, the paper’s title changed to the Pioneer of Assumption.

French immigrant Charles Dupaty (ca. 1829-1884) bought the paper in 1858. Two years later, he sold it to his brother Joseph (ca. 1822-1867) while he voyaged to Mexico to support Maximilian I. Upon Joseph’s death in September 1867, Charles returned to Napoleonville, resuming his role as editor and becoming involved in the state legislature; he was also elected mayor of Napoleonville, a position he would hold for two terms. At Charles’s own death in September 1884, his widow Susan Young Dupaty (ca. 1843-1929) took over the paper’s management. In 1895, it changed its title once more to the Assumption Pioneer, by which it continues to be published as of 2013. By 1896, it was being printed in English only. Susan Dupaty would continue to manage the paper until 1903, after which it came under the editorship of a prominent local family, the Gianellonis.

The Pioneer of Assumption was published weekly on either Sunday, Tuesday, or Saturday. During the 1850s, it was principally a political journal, though issues were filled with a mix of judicial, local, national, and international news. The paper also included an official town directory, as well as literature, essays, and domestic advice. One of the contributors was Prudent d’Artlys, pen name of Hippolyte-Prudent de Bautte (1821-1861), a political refugee from France and editor of the newspaper Le Meschacébé in Lucy in nearby St. James Parish. The Pioneer of Assumption was one of the few Louisiana newspapers that did not suspend publication during the Civil War.

Provided By: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Le Pionnier De L'assomption (Napoleonville [La.]) 1850-185?

Dates of Publication

  • 1850-185?

Created / Published

  • Napoleonville [La.] : Supervielle & Devilliers

Headings

  • -  Napoleonville (La.)--Newspapers
  • -  Louisiana--Napoleonville
  • -  United States--Louisiana--Assumption--Napoleonville

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly, Aug. 1, 1852-
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Sept. 8, 1850)-
  • -  "Journal officiel de la paroisse Assomption."
  • -  "Journal politique, agricole, litteraire et commercial."
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  In French, with some notices in English.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 2 (Sept. 15, 1850).
  • -  Pioneer of Assumption 2332-5445 (DLC)sn 88064275 (OCoLC)17970154

Medium

  • v. ; 54 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn86090609

OCLC Number

  • 15059989

ISSN Number

  • 2377-8415

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Le Pionnier De L'assomption Napoleonville La. -185?. (Napoleonville, LA), Jan. 1 1850. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86090609/.

APA citation style:

(1850, January 1) Le Pionnier De L'assomption Napoleonville La. -185?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86090609/.

MLA citation style:

Le Pionnier De L'assomption Napoleonville La. -185?. (Napoleonville, LA) 1 Jan. 1850. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn86090609/.