At Alexandre Dupre's home on the April 6, 1822 … acting on a petition of 12 inhabitants and an order of election from Parish Judge Francis M. Guyol … there was a meeting to form a police jury for Terrebonne Parish.  The following men represented sections of the parish.

Present:
   Francis M. Guyol - Parish Judge - President
      1st Section - no representative
      2nd Section - Lanford Banos
      3rd Section - Pierre Gaethiot
      4th Section - John McHenry
      6th Section - Joseph Boudreaux
      8th Section - no representative
   William L. Watkins - Senior Justice of the Peace
   George Toups
   Charles Dupre - Justice of the Peace
   Leandre B. Thibodeaux - Justice of the Peace

The first 4 resolutions were on the organizing of the police jury and the appointment of officers.

April 8, 1822

5th Resolution - All roads must be built and maintained by inhabitants bordering on roads.  They must be 25 ft. in width and ditched.  When they pass through woods, trees must be cut 40 ft. in width.

6th Resolution - All fences must be made out of cypress slabs 4 1/2 ft. in height.

7th Resolution - Owners along Bayou Terrebonne must clean and maintain 10 ft. of bayou for navigation.

8th Resolution - Erect a courthouse and bridge on the land of Alexandre Dupre.

9th Resolution - Authorized Alexandre Dupre to charge $10 per day for the rent on his home and refreshments served to the police jury.  Also stated that the police jurors decline their allowance authorized by law, and the funds be donated to the parish for 5 years and a day.  It passed by a vote of 5 to 1.

10th Resolution - Thanked Mr. P.L. Thibodeaux for being the father and founder of Terrebonne Parish.

11th Resolution - Three parish assessors were elected for 1822: Leandre Thibodeaux, P.L. Thibodeaux, and George Toups

12th Resolution - Stated that all parish regulations should be recorded in both French and English.

13th Resolution - Set the pay of the parish clerk at 12 1/2 cents per recorded work.

14th Resolution - The assessors will levy a tax of $300 on all parish lands (re: State Legislature's Act of 1823)

15th Resolution - The sheriff will receive $1.50 per day for attending police jury meetings.

1st Monday of June 1822

16th Resolution - Owners will pay a fine if their animal(s) break down a fence made according to the law.

17th Resolution - Hog owners will not be allowed to cut off both ears of the hog (destroying its markings).  The fine shall be $25.  Owners will record their brands (and a charge of $1) with the parish judge.

18th Resolution - All keepers of grog houses or taverns will pay $10 each year for a license.

19th Resolution - Anyone cropping public lands and making ditches must build and maintain bridges for the use of the public according to the following:  planks or pickets 2 1/2" thick and 12 ft. long and pegged to 5 strong joists.

There was a petition by 12 freeholders and inhabitants to the parish judge asking him to call the police jury into session as soon as possible.  He did so on Nov. 30, 1822.

20th Resolution - A parish auditor was appointed, his pay set at any amount he thinks reasonable for his services.

21st Resolution - No one will be allowed to drive any wild beasts in any manner, or he will be guilty of trespassing and fined $5.

22nd Resolution - Added another $500 property tax for the expenses of running the parish.

After a petition of 12 freeholders of the parish, a session was called by the parish judge on Sept. 1, 1823.

23rd Resolution - A committee was appointed to build the first parish prison/jail, along with two wooden stocks.  $250 was allotted.

24th Resolution - Two constables were appointed: one for wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and one for wards 5, 6.

25th Resolution - The sheriff's compensation for attending meetings was increased from $1.50 to $2 per day.  It also allowed 5% as compensation for the collector of parish  licenses.

1st Monday in July 1824

26th Resolution - Rejected the acceptance of the parish jail because it was not built to the proper specifications.  Something had to be worked out with the builder to correct the matter.

27th Resolution - Build a 25 ft. road with a ditch on each side from Terrebonne to Thibodeauxville in Lafourche interior, utilizing popular subscription or labor of the inhabitants bordering the proposed road.  An inspector will be appointed so that the proper width will be maintained and the labor is made to do the work correctly.

28th Resolution - Set taxes for 1825: 30 cents/$1 on estimation of price of tax list made for the state and 62 1/2 cents per head per slave

29th Resolution - Appointed a parish treasurer from the police jury and three trustees for the parish public schools.

30th Resolution - Whenever an unbranded bull comes out of the woods he may be shot by anyone.

31st Resolution - Whenever someone kills a tiger, he may present its head to the parish judge to receive $5.

32nd Resolution - Cancelled resolution 20 and abandoned the office of parish auditor.

33rd Resolution - Since Hubert Belanger donated land to dig a canal, he is released from paying for a license to run his grog shop.

34th Resolution - All ward syndics must notify all of the inhabitants of his ward to cut their grass and weeks by the end of July. 

35th Resolution - Appointed a constable for the Bayou Cannes ward.

36th Resolution - Assessors will be paid $10 per tax list.

June 8, 1826

37th Resolution - At the next meeting, Joachim Porche and Charles Dupre will explain why they should not be charged a $30 fine for not attending the police jury meeting that day.

38th Resolution - The key to the parish court house will be kept by the parish judge.

39th Resolution - The account of the public road inspector from Terrebonne to Thibodeauxville is judged improper and was returned to him.

June 2, 1828

40th Resolution - The auditing committee appointed by the police jury reported that the books were $10.12 out of balance.  The police jury ordered the parish ex-treasurer to pay that amount to the parish.

41st Resolution - Ordered that the warrant given to the ex-treasurer (see resolution 40) be immediately burned.

42nd Resolution - The public road from the drainage ditch that goes into Bayou Terrebonne will be divided into sections by as many property owners as abuts the road.  Stakes will mark off each property owners portion so that they will know which portion of the road to Thibodeauxville to maintain.

43rd Resolution - The annual salary of the road inspector (for the road from William Hammond's plantation to Thibodeauxville) is set at $10.

44th Resolution - Named the chief of patrols for each ward and fixed the maximum size of the patrols in rotation so that every white man in each ward will serve in the militia.  It also stated that no one is allowed to carry firearms except on orders from his chief in all accordance with the Black Code.

45th Resolution - The accessor's salary for 1828 was set at $10.  He must supply a list of all people who had to work on the public roads in the parish.

46th Resolution - A $5 fine will be assessed to anyone who allows their animal to die of a contagious disease on the side of the road.

April 8, 1829

47th Resolution - Appointed three road commissioners to survey a road from the head of Bayou Grand Caillou and Buffalo Bayou and Bayou Black.  These settlements are rapidly being settled.  The road to Grand Caillou will follow the left descending bank of Bayou Terrebonne to the Robert Barrow Plantation, then cross Bayou Terrebonne to the head of Grand Caillou.  Property owners must clear the land of cane or saplings to 60 ft. wide at their own expense.  The resolution will be published in newspapers in New Orleans and Donaldsonville.

48th Resolution - Jean Dupre and his wife are allowed to emancipate two slaves: a mulatto woman named Luderine, age 25, and her son Vincent, age 6.  This is done according to the civil code, since they are under 35.

49th Resolution - Appointed an inspector of parish roads with an annual salary of $40.  He must inspect the roads at least once every three months.  He will be fined $10 for each neglect of duty brought by inhabitants before a justice of the peace.

50th Resolution - C.B. Watkins was authorized to repair the parish prison to keep the bats from getting in.

October 15, 1829

51st Resolution - Authorized the parish treasurer to call on the sheriff for the parish's share of the tax that has been collected. 

52nd Resolution - Authorized $300 to build a bridge across Bayou Terrebonne to connect with the Grand Caillou road (see resolution 47).  The money is to come from the 1829 taxes ($200) and the 1830 taxes ($100).

March 18, 1830

53rd Resolution - The chiefs of parish patrols will be allowed to search negro cabins for renegade slaves off limits, uness they have written permits from their masters.  The penalty will be 15 lashes … and 20 if they resist.

54th Resolution - Any slave having written permission from his master can visit his wife on another plantation … provided she has the same permission from her master.  The parish patrols may not bother them if they have the proper permissions.

1st Monday of June 1830

55th Resolution - The auditing committee found a balance of $23 to the parish credit.

June 7, 1831

56th Resolution - A road will be laid on the right descending bank of Bayou Terrebonne to connect with the Grand Caillou road where it crosses Bayou Terrebonne at the Barrow Plantation.

57th Resolution - Anyone wishing to hunt wild cattle in the parish must first take an oath before the parish judge not to kill branded cattle.

58th Resolution - Three commissioners were authorized to contract for a new court house and jail to be built.  The three were Mr. L. Barrios, Mr. Tanner, and Mr. Ellis.  The cost is not to exceed $3000.  The building will take place on land donated to the parish by C.B. Watkins on the right descending bank of Bayou Terrebonne one arpent front by 1 1/2 arpents deep.  The land is bound by the public road and the lands belonging to Alexandre Dupre and Mr. Watkins' land.

Twenty freeholders petitioned for a meeting to be held, so one was called into session on July 25, 1831.

59th Resolution - Henry C. Thibodeaux was appointed as an interpreter to the police jury.

60th Resolution - The clerk of the jury shall number the resolutions of each meeting.

61st Resolution - The amount set for the construction of a court house and jail (see resolution 58) was increased to $5000.

62nd Resolution - The property tax was set at $1200.  A tax of 50 cents per slave was set.  The license fee for a grog shop in 1831 was set at $100.

63rd Resolution - The parish roads were divided into districts and an inspector will be placed over each district (instead of having a single inspector; see resolution 49)
 1st District - Lafourche interior line to the lower line of Tobias Gibson
 2nd District - Lower line of Tobias Gibson to the lowest settlement on Bayou Terrebonne
 3rd District - Grand Caillou road bridge which crosses Bayou Terrebonne to Bayou Dulac
 4th District - Bayou Black to its junction with Little Bayou Terrebonne

64th Resolution - Allocated $75 to build the Bayou Black road in the 4th District

June 18, 1832

65th Resolution - The property tax was set at $1200.  A tax of 50 cents per slave was set.  Grog shops must pay $15 plus 1/2% on all merchants invoices of business.

66th Resolution - The parish clerk's salary was set at $50 per year (payable in two payments of $25).

Thirteen freeholders petitioned for a police jury meeting, and one was held on December 29, 1832.

67th Resolution - The meeting was organized to force the former sheriff Caleb B. Watkins to settle with the parish treasurer for taxes collected.  The parish treasurer is authorized to seize Mr. Watkins' securities until the tax settlement is made.

68th Resolution - The fees paid by grog shops is changed so that a tax of $15 per merchant is set, a $50 license fee is imposed, and the 1/2% tax is repealed.

69th Resolution - All cabateur men or peddlers must get a $15 license from the parish treasurer in order to do business in the parish.

70th Resolution - Everyone below the lower line of William Bisland's land on Bayou Terrebonne is excused from ditching their road.

August 5, 1833

71st Resolution - Authorized a suit be declared against the former sheriff for the tax settlements for the years 1829-30 and 1831.

72nd Resolution - Authorized the parish judge to borrow (from any bank in Louisiana) $5000 for eight years.  The funds are to be used to build a new court house and jail.

73rd Resolution - The inhabitants of ward 4 (from the head of Bayou Little Caillou to the line of ward 5) are exempted from allowing cattle to roam at large on the western side of Bayou Terrebonne.  This repeals the 1822 ordinance requiring a fence between Bayou Little Caillou and Terrebonne.

May 5, 1834

74th Resolution - Evariste Porche (parish treasurer) was authorized to accept a donation in the name of Terrebonne Parish.  The donation was a piece of land, one arpent front by the entire depth; bounded above and below by the lands of C.R. Grinage and L. Belanger.  The land is to be used to build a new court house. 

75th Resolution - Authorized the parish treasurer to pay $2500 to the order of judges of the second district and of this parish.  This is for the building of the new court house, to be built according to the contract made by the said judges with Mr. McMaster.