The earliest known settlers were the Lovelaces who came by 1802, or earlier. This was Richard, Thomas and George Lovelace, having come from South Carolina to Natchez, Mississippi in 1776, lived there about eighteen years, then settled at what was afterwards known as Fort Adams, below Natchez for four or five years. Then they went to Red River, a short distance below Alexandria for two or three years before coming to the Sicily Island area.
It was not long afterward that other settlers began coming in. Some others here by 1813, were Edward, William and John Lovelace, Henry Holstein, Rhesa Bowie, Rezin Bowie, Andrew Carthey, Richard Green, Moses King, Samuel Lightner, Michael Hooter and Zachariah Kirkland.
Dr. A. R. Kilpatrick, in De Bow's Review, Vol 12, describes the lives of these early settlers:
The early settlers expenses were small, and their wants but few. A few pecks of salt, a few pounds of coffee and sugar were the most indispensable items. In dress, the material was fabricated out of wool and cotton, with the wheel and loom, all that was needed in the family. Calico and checks were quite rare, and only worn on extraordinary occasions; one fine dress lasted many, many years.
The men spent much of their time in the woods hunting, and wild game supplied the daily food the year round. The men adapted their dress to their pursuits and manner of life, wearing what is called a hunting shirt, leggins and moccasin, with a coarse hat, or rather a cap, made of the skin of some animal.
Many of them engaged in rafting to New Orleans. If a trip was undertaken to the city, several of the settlers would club together what stock of peltries and other saleable articles they possessed, purchase, or rather build a flat boat, and so float down to New Orleans, dispose of their goods, purchase their supplies, and work their way back, a long and laborious procedure, or sell boat and all for cash, and walk back home. The expenses of the trip were then divided by persons who sent goods to New Orleans.
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