30°52′15″N 91°12′52″W / 30.87083°N 91.21444°W
Feliciana Parish, or New Feliciana, French: Paroisse de Félicianne, was a parish of the Territory of Orleans and the state of Louisiana, formed in 1810 from West Florida territory. Given an increase in population, it was divided in 1824 into East Feliciana Parish and West Feliciana Parish.
Feliciana is a Spanish word meaning "happy land". Formerly part of the French La Louisiane, the area was settled largely by French colonists by about 1775, when it came under Spanish control during the American Revolutionary War. It was named by Spanish Governor Galvez.[1] In 1777 he married a widow named Marie Félicité St. Maxent and honored her in the name.[2]
The town of Jackson was founded in 1815 as the seat of justice for Feliciana Parish, before the parish was divided into two jurisdictions. The town also served as a land office and as a center for learning and culture. Legend holds that the town was originally called Bear Corners for the many wild black bears crossing nearby Thompson's Creek. It was named by Anglo-American settlers after General Andrew Jackson, who reportedly camped there with his troops on the return trip from the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
- ^ "History of East Feliciana Parish". Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ ST. MAXENT, Marie Félicité (Felicítas) Archived 2016-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, in Louisiana Historical Association's Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, retrieved on 6 June 2017.