Nepomuceno de la Cerda

Juan Nepomuceno de la Cerda was born in 1752 at Los Adaes, which is in modern-day Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. It was said he was a descendant of a Spanish conquistador who was on De Soto's expedition.^{[citation needed]} The only Spanish conquistador with the surname was Captain Antonio de la Cerda who participated in the Conquest of Mexico with Cortez.

Nepomuceno was the son of a Spanish soldier who was the commander of a fort in San Antonio, Texas at the time of his birth, and his mother was a Caddo Indian in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Some records suggest that his father's name was Francisco de la Cerda and that the family came from Toledo, Spain. On census records, de la Cerda was recorded as "Spanish/Indio".

Nepomuceno de la Cerda and his brother, Francisco, both traveled as soldiers in the Spanish army. The de la Cerda brothers were scouts and bodyguards that protected Catholic priests who were exploring the Indian tribes of Louisiana and Texas. It was during this time that Spaniards in Louisiana were ordered by the King of Spain to remove to San Antonio, Texas. Many of the Spaniards died along the way from illnesses.

Nepomuceno and his brother were among the 76 Spaniards to sign a petition to the King of Spain in the fall of 1773 to move back to east to Louisiana. They were allowed to move as far east as Nacogdoches, Texas. Both of the de la Cerda brothers were granted leagues of land for their services.