COTE DES ALLEMANDS - THE GERMAN COAST
The German Coast was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River — specifically, in St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes of present-day Acadiana. It was so called because of its large population of German pioneers, who in 1768 joined with Acadians from the Cabannocé Post area to march on New Orleans and overthrow Spanish colonial governor Antonio de Ulloa. Later the Germans and Acadians united again, this time under Spanish colonial governor Bernardo de Gálvez, to fight the British during the American Revolution. Most of these German Coast settlers hailed from the Rhineland region of Germany and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. Some settled beyond the German Coast, particularly along Bayou Lafourche, and at other places today bearing their name, Bayou des Allemands and Lake des Allemands ("Germans Bayou" and "Germans Lake," in French). Eventually, these Germans intermarried with the Acadians and their descendants, began to speak French, and were transformed along with the Acadians and other frontier settlers into the Cajun population. Sources: Brasseaux, Founding of New Acadia; Taylor, Louisiana; Wall et al., Louisiana.
Several generations of our deGruy and Brou families lived in the area known as the German coast. Eventually, our ancestor in each those families, left their fathers' farms and headed for the city, New Orleans.