Funded in part by Western IA Tourism Region
Premiere Avant-Garde
One of the most spectacular French immigration to the United States occurred in the year 1848. At 9 o'clock in the morning, on February the 3rd, the steamship ROME slowly left the harbor of Le Havre, France with 69 men aboard sailing to the New World to establish Icaria. .
The ROME was a 3-masted, square-rigged vessel, built in Bath, Maine, in 1847. It weighed 673 tons and was142' 4" length x 32' 3" beam x 16' 1-1/2" depth of hold. The ROME departed from France on 03 February 1848, arriving at the port of New Orleans, Louisiana, 55 days later on 27 March 1848.
Listed here are the surnames men sailing America to establish the ideal Utopian community. One year after they arrived, only 20 members of the Premiere Advant-Garde remained with the Icarians in New Orleans. Those names are marked with an asterisk.
Icaria Colonies 1. Barroux
2. Belietz*
3. Berson
4. Berthet*
5. Biltz, aine
6. Bilitz, jeune
7. Bira*
8. Boissier
9. Boissonnet*
10. Boue
11. Bourgeois
12. Buisson*
13. Buisson
14. Cardot
15. Caudron
16. Champeau*
17. Champeau*
18. Chauvin
19. Cochard
20. Collet
21. Conefray*
22. Crombez
23. Damours*
24. Dargelas
25. Douzin
26. Drouard
27. Esnault*
28. Gouhenant
29. Grillas*
30. Guerin
31. Guillot
32. Hedouix
33. Hidou
34. Jacob
35. Labranerie*
36. Lafosse
37. Larbalestier*
38. Layaux
39. Leclerc
40. Levy
41. Lucus
42. Ludwig
43. Marchand, A.*
44. Marchand, L.*
45. Marinelli*
46. Maurice
47. Mazoir*
48. Meslier*
49. Noity
50. Myet
51. Paquot
52. Pasquier
53. Paul
54. Pettit
55. Picquenard*
56. Piquee
57. Rougier*
58. Rousset
59. Roveira
60. Sacreste
61. Sauge
62. Sieyes
63. Teyssier
64. Therme*
65. Thorel
66. Uker
67. VandenEden
68. Vtardot
69. Wocquefenning
