From the history channel.com


THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE:
April 30, 1803


On April 30, 1803, representatives of the United States and Napoleonic France conclude negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, a massive land sale that doubles the size of the young American republic. What was known as Louisiana Territory comprised most of modern-day United States between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, with the exceptions of Texas, parts of New Mexico, and other pockets of land already controlled by the United States. A formal treaty for the Louisiana Purchase, antedated to April 30, was signed two days later.

Beginning in the 17th century, France explored the Mississippi River valley and established scattered settlements in the region. By the middle of the 18th century, France controlled more of the modern United States than any other European power: from New Orleans northeast to the Great Lakes and northwest to modern-day Montana. In 1762, during the French and Indian War, France ceded its America territory west of the Mississippi River to Spain and in 1763 transferred nearly all of its remaining North American holdings to Great Britain. Spain, no longer a dominant European power, did little to develop Louisiana Territory during the next three decades. In 1796, Spain allied itself with France, leading Britain to use its powerful navy to cut off Spain from America.

please forgive my typo in the heading--it is Louisiana Purchase.

When did you tell me your family landed,1620 or 1720.What was the setup when people like your ancestors arived..

Well, one batch arrived on the Mayflower, and founded Plymouth Colony in 1620 (the Fullers from Norfolk, England).
Another batch came 10 years later to the Massachusetts Bay Colony , 1630, and then later founded Connecticut.
It was wilderness, high mortality rate, starvation, disease, you had to be hardy. Strict religious leaders--you'd be fined for not attending church, etc.

One batch of relatives got fed up in Massachusetts and left due to religious differences and thus founded Connecticut--kinda a Utopian place where people were more tolerant..... a ggggggrandpa founded Hartford. These people made every attempt to get along with the natives and basically wanted to be left alone--which is why they left England to begin with.:)

Well done rendova,if you can trace back all that,your family must be amongst the very first European settlers..Did they have ant input into The War of Independance,do you know..

Yes, I do, god rest their merry souls.
Their names were Zachariah Callaway, Abner Spencer, James Jr Spencer, Ithamar Spencer, Daniel Van Voorhees, Ephraim Kibbe,and Jacob Bonham.

All just farmers or tradesmen who got fed up with being told what to do and how and when to do it.
I'm an American!
By that I mean--I am not better than anyone, and no one is better than me. We are all born equal, but with hard work and a bit of luck, you just might make something of yourself here.
Glad my family came here.

Yea know how they felt,gettin fed up with the wife telling me how to do things,seriously considering taking one of those illigals off you guys hands..

The welcome mat is always out....:)