The mapping of the Cap-Français cadastres is made possible thanks to the rich data included in the cadastres for each plot and complementary maps that provide graphic representation of the town in the eighteenth century. We transcribed the cadastres into three separate Excel spreadsheets and plotted these data on a redrawn plan of Cap Français from 1786 using QGIS. Using the house numbering system from 1786 and using QGIS, we drew each plot (each of which corresponds to a place of residence, a business, or government house) and gave it the corresponding code from 1786. From there, we linked the information contained in each cadastre to each plot. Thus, the cadastre data concerning a plot and its drawing on QGIS are linked. Through this, it is possible for the researcher to click on any given plot and find out the name of the owner, the tenants or its value, according to one or more of the cadastres.

Attaching the data from the 1776 cadastre to the QGIS project was less straightforward, since the plot numbering system dates from 1787. The 1776 cadastre thus contains no information on the precise location of the houses described therein. But the cadastre does indicate the order of the houses in the town’s streets. Using this data, we assigned a code to each line of the 1776 spreadsheet manually, street by street, plot by plot, based on the later 1787 plan. 

We are currently in the process of mapping cadastre of 1803. From there, we will create the digital interface making this data accessible to as many people as possible in the form of an interactive map.