In 1835, Susanne would have been between 45 and 48 years old. She had once been a wealthy woman, at least in land, if not in money. Because of circumstances discussed in Susanne Lavallè FWC in a Left-Handed Marriage, she no longer owned large plantations. She may have been trying to re-establish herself to provide for her children, when [1]she made two different purchases of land with the Louisiana Land Office.
One was bought on May 25, 1835 and another with John Baptiste Lacombe on May 29, 1838. She paid one hundred dollars and seven cents for the first tract and one hundred dollars and nine cents for second. Valery Dauzat, her children’s father, was not mentioned on either sale.
First Land Purchased from the Land Office
It is the third entry in Figure 2 and the certificate below, Certificate number 1074 in Figure 3. The description for this land reads “the East half of the South-East quarter of Section 31 in Township two North of Range Six, East of the basis meridian in the District of Lands, subject to sale at Opelousas, Louisiana, containing Eighty acres and seven hundredth of an acre.”
Second Land Purchased from the Land Office
Three years later, the second purchase of land was done with John Baptiste Lacombe as the assignee. It is the last entry in the tract book in Figure 2. According to www. Bankrate.com, “In legal terms, an assignor is a person, company or other entity that holds rights to a piece of intellectual, physical or other property and transfers those rights to another person, business or entity known as the assignee.” Susanne was to transfer her rights to the property to John Baptiste Lacombe.
Instead, one year later, on May 11, 1839, she sold the property to [2]James Rey Jr. The file name for this document was posted by Ellen Dauzat and I, subsequently, retrieved the file from the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse.
It is translated as follows:
To Mr. James Rey Junior, merchant, also domiciled in the above-said parish, here present and accepting acquirer for himself and his heirs and assigns. A piece of land situated on Bayou des Glaises in the Parish of Avoyelles, designated as follows: “The lot South West half of the South East quarter of the section numbered thirty one in the township number two North of the thirty first degree of North Latitude of Range number Six East, and containing eighty &7/100 Acres.” which piece of land belongs to the seller for having purchased it from the U.S., according to Certificate No. 1940 of the Register of the Bureau of Lands at Opelousas. The present sale is made for and in consideration of the sum of $150.
The co-ordinates for the designated tract on this sale were incorrect on this sales document. Instead of the South West half of the South-East quarter, it should have been [3]West half of the South-West quarter.
Zenon Lemoine
Zenon Lemoine [4]was a wealthy plantation owner and the owner of my maternal great-great grandfather, Ursin Augustin (1808-1901) and his family until his death in [5]1850. He’d bought property from the government after Susanne did, on October 6, 1845 (4th entry in Figure 2 and 3rd entry in Figure 5, below).
Susanne’s [6]land is in the East half of the Southeast quarter and Zenon Lemoine is in the West half of the Southeast quarter. They’re both in section thirty-one.
Power of Attorney
She received a letter from the Land Office, dated May 22, 1845, stating there were “illegaties” with her property on Certificate Number 1940. Because of that, the sale of the property she’d bought with John Baptiste Lacombe, as the assigner, on May 29, 1838, had been canceled on May 22, 1845, and she had a right to a refund. She, evidently, brought the letter to Zenon Lemoine to help her handle her business regarding the land and to settle any “illegaties.” She gave him, her power of attorney on February 7, 1846. The Power of Attorney stated he was a lawyer. Other documents I’ve seen, including the census, stated he was a farmer.
The following is the body of her [7]contract that she made with Zenon Lemoine.
Before me Ferdinand B. Coco Notary public in and for the aforesaid parish of Avoyelles and in presence of the undersigned competent witnesses, personally came and appeared Susanne Lavallais FWC of the aforesaid parish, who declared that whereas on the 29th May 1838 as assigner of John Baptiste Lacombe, she purchased from the land office at Opelousas, Louisiana, the West half of South West quarter of Section 31 in township No 2 North of Range 6 East, containing eighty acres and 7/100. For the sum of one hundred dollars and nine cents as will appear by the Certificate No. 1940, and whereas the said entry has been cancelled in consequence of certain illegaties alleged by letter of commissioner of General land office dated 22 May 1845 and that she is therefore entitled to have the said sum of $100.00 refunded to her in compliance with law on this subject. Wherefore, she does hereby nominate, appoint and constitute Zenon Lemoine, also of the aforesaid parish her true and lawful attorney to recover and receive the aforesaid sum of one hundred 00/100 Dollars for his own benefit and proper use, empowering and authorizing her said attorney to do and perform whatever she may deem necessary for the purpose of carrying fully into effect the object of the present procuration, hereby ratifying and confirming whatever her said attorney shall and may lawfully do. This done and witnessed at Avoyelles on the day and year above written in presence of James Ray Jr. and Celestin Moreau, witnesses of lawful age and domiciled in this parish who have signed with the appearer of me, notary after the reading thereof the said Susanne Lavallais not knowing how to write, sign by making her mark. The words for his own benefit and proper use interlined approved of before signing.
Susane x Lavallais Witnesses Rey C Moreau Jr. F.B. Coco Not pub
Money Refunded
I’m not sure what the illegaties were. It may have been the fact that the co-ordinates of the property were wrong on the sales document to James Rey Jr. or that the land was sold to James Rey Jr. instead of John Baptiste Lacombe as stated in the original agreement or maybe something else entirely. The cancellation of Susanne’s sale invalidated the sale to James Rey Jr.
James Rey, Jr., was present at the creation of this Power of Attorney agreement and witnessed it. Zenon Lemoine requested the $100 be sent to him to do with as he wished. I don’t know why the money would be sent back to him to do with as he wished. Because James Rey was present, maybe it was so that Zenon Lemoine could refund to him whatever money he’d paid to Susanne, if he had paid her for the land or maybe it was a fee for Zenon’s services.
Below is a note on the Louisiana State Land Office tract form noting the money for Certificate Number 1940 had been [8]refunded in the fourth quarter of 1846.
The Children
This a list of the children I verified through [9]baptism records. There may be others, because some Church records were destroyed during the Civil War.
- Valery II was baptized on 8 Nov 1812, by Father Buhot. His godparents were Rafael Dauzat and Francoise Bouchard.
- Lucille Dauzat born about 1820. *Certificate from Ellen Dauzat. Her godparents were Joseph Matelot and Aimè Joffrion.
- Evariste – There isn’t a birth record for him, but he is shown as Angelia Dauzat’s brother on her birth record. On the 1850 census, he is living two houses down from Susanne. He was born in Louisiana. He could not read or write and he was blind.
- Lutsene was baptized at age 8 months, on 19 Nov. 1822 by Father Rossi. Her godparents were Valery Dauzat Jr.and Eugenie Dauzat.
- Lucien Valery was baptized at about 3 months old on 4 July 1824 by Father Martin. His godparents were Pierre Normand Jr. and Madelaine Dupuis. Lucien Dauzat lived right next door to his mom on the 1850 Census. He was 23 years old, born in Louisiana and could not read or write. He married Louisa Lavallé (Lavallais), my grandfather’s sister, on February 16, 1848. On the 1850 census, he is living with Frozing Broussard, a 25-year-old white female. On the 1860 census, Lucien is living with his wife, Louisa Lavallais.
- Aurelien was baptized on 16 November 1826, in Avoyelles Parish by Father Martin. His godparents were Francois Gaspard and Theresa Gaspard.
- Angelia was baptized when she was several months old, on October 30, 1829 by Father Martin. Her godparents were her brother, Evariste Dauzat and her sister, Lucie Dauzat. Angelia married George Lavallé (Lavallais), my grandfather and her first cousin once removed, on March 27, 1852. Rosa Angeline Juneau Clayton (Figure 1) was her granddaughter.
- Adrienne was born on 15 January 1831 and baptized on 1 May 1831 by Father Martin. Her godparents were Valery Dauzat and Lutsene Dauzat, a brother and sister. She is listed on the 1850 census with her mother. She was 19 years old.
More Children
Other persons who I did not find listed in the baptism records, but other researchers and myself, including Ellen Dauzat, believe may be children of Susanne and Valery are Varcille Dauzat and Valere Dauzat. Varcille is a biracial male on the 1850 census, born about 1820, living beside the Lavallais family in dwelling no. 412. On the other side of him in dwelling 411 is Ludcinde Gaspard, whom many believe is Susanne’s daughter, Lutsene. If this is so, then he would be living beside his sister. Valere is another biracial male on the 1850 census, living in dwelling no. 408.
They all live in the same general area of Susanne, Valery and the Lavallais family. I have found no evidence of there being another family of Dauzats being Free People of Color, other than Susanne’s children. This lead me to believe these two Free People of Color are a part of this Dauzat family. However, I have no document (someone else may) that say these two are children of Valery and Susanne, so I will continue to look for more verification.
The Final Years
Susanne Lavallais was buried on [10]February 22, 1852. She’s on the [11]1850 census with her daughter Adrienne Dauzat and two grandchildren in dwelling number 442. In houses beside her are her sons, Lucien and Evariste. Although the families on either side of them are shown as farmers, there is no designation for their households as to what their occupations were. By this time, she is sixty years old.
The Land
On the 1850 census, she is living in the Marksville area in Ward 2. The first land she purchased from the government, Certificate No. 1074, is in the Bordelonville area, by Bayou des Glaises, in Ward 6, as shown below, [12]map segment shared by Jessica Jones. The census doesn’t show her owning the property she’s living on in Ward 2. However, the census doesn’t show the Lavallais Family owning the property they’re living on either on the 1850 census and they owned the forty acres they were living on. So, the same could be true for the property where Susanne’s living.
I haven’t found a document selling the Bayou des Glaises land in Ward 6 or anything canceling the sale on that property. Nor have I found a succession or probate document for her when she died. Therefore, I don’t know what happened to that property. I’m not saying these documents don’t exist, just that I haven’t found them. As a genealogist, I know that because I haven’t found them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. They may be discovered at any time.
Reflections
She seemed to have been a dedicated Catholic, baptizing her children in the Catholic faith. Her relationship with Valery Dauzat had been a long one. It seems that all her children had been for him. She’d owned and lost large plantations, some of them with him and some alone. What happened to her last eighty acres is still a mystery to me. She hadn’t let the fact that she was a Free Woman of Color who could not read or write stop her from participating in the buying and selling of land and taking part in the commerce of Avoyelles Parish. She appeared to have been an independent hard-working lady.
Was it a Left-Handed Marriage?
On the church records, where Susanne’s death is recorded, there is a notation that says, “Spouse of Valery Dauzat.” This notation makes me wonder. Why was it there? They were not living together on the 1850 census. Valery Dauzat lived alone in dwelling no. 427, shown on the page before Susanne’s residence. So, their living together wouldn’t have been the reason for this entry.
Church Records
Besides that, the Catholic Church was particular about noting whether persons were married or not. Their early baptism records showed l/s or l/d for legitimate son or legitimate daughter of, meaning the parents of the child were married.
For example, [13]Valery Dauzat II was baptized as the natural son of Valery Dauzat I and Susanne Bouchard (Lavallé was the dit name for Bouchard), which meant they weren’t married, because he was not their legitimate son. However, [14]Lutsene Dauzat was baptized as the legitimate daughter of Valery Dauzat and Susanne Bouchard, which meant that according to the church, they were married. On the other baptisms of their children, however, the notations were not l/s or l/d for legitimate son or daughter.
This information was taken from abstracts from the original records. As we know, abstracts don’t have all the information and sometimes they have the wrong information, because sometimes people make mistakes. This is another reason why getting as many documents as possible to prove a theory is important. Locating original documents, if possible, are also important.
Was it a Left-Handed Marriage?
Still, the fact that she is noted as being his spouse on two occasions in Catholic Records, the l/d on Lutsene’s baptism and the notation of Spouse on the burial record, make me wonder if there may have been a secret ceremony of some kind and an effort to hide that fact. Secret, because it was against the law for a white person to marry a Person of Color. Could this not have been a left-handed marriage, after all? But, a legal one? I may never know, but I’ll keep searching for answers.
Come back and join us for the next blog.
Sources
[1] U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Tract Book Details, Louisiana, Volume ID 215, Page 44, https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/tractbook/default.aspx?volumeID=215&imageID=0045&sid=4rz23w0e.tei#tractBookDetailsTabIndex=1
[2] Avoyelles Parish Louisiana, Susanne Lavalais to James Rey Junior, filed May 11, 1839, Conveyance Book O, Pages 45 and 46, Avoyelles Parish Courthouse, Marksville, Louisiana
[3] U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Tract Book Details, Louisiana, Volume ID 215, Page 44, https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/tractbook/default.aspx?volumeID=215&imageID=0045&sid=4rz23w0e.tei#tractBookDetailsTabIndex=1
[4] Parents for Ursin https://thecourageofmyancestors.com/parents-for-ursin-augustin/ and The Trials of Ursin Augustin https://thecourageofmyancestors.com/the-trials-of-ursin-augustin/
[5] Ducote, Willie, Hydropolis Burials 1850-1859, Book II, Funeral Registry, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church of Mansura, Page 2, Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
[6] U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, Accession Nr: LA 1310_.434, State Volume Patent, Louisiana, 10/1/1845, Cancelled: No https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=LA1310__.434&docClass=STA&sid=112iubxj.52v#patentDetailsTabIndex=2
[7] Avoyelles Parish Louisiana, Susanne Lavallais to Zenon Lemoine Power of Attorney, Conveyance Book S, No. 6359, Pages 156 and 157, Avoyelles Parish Courthouse, Marksville, Louisiana
[8] U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Tract Book Details, Louisiana, Volume ID 215, Page 44, https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/tractbook/default.aspx?volumeID=215&imageID=0045&sid=4rz23w0e.tei#tractBookDetailsTabIndex=1
[9] St. Paul Baptism Records, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church of Mansura, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
[10] Ducote, Willie, Hydropolis Burials 1850-1859, Book II, Funeral Registry, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church of Manasura, Page 7, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
[11] Ancestry.com, 1850 Census, Louisiana, Avoyelles Parish.
[12] Library of Congress, Map of Avoyelles Ph, La., https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4013a.la000245/?r=0,-0.293,1,1.695,90
[13] Ducote, Alberta Ducote, Hydropolis Baptisms -1807-1824, Book 2 of St. Paul of the Apostle Catholic Church of Mansura, page 24, Avoyelles Publications, Marksville, Louisiana
[14] Ducote, Alberta Ducote, Hydropolis Baptisms -1807-1824, Book 2 of St. Paul of the Apostle Catholic Church of Mansura, page 24, Avoyelles Publications, Marksville, Louisiana
Another great family article! Thank you Susane!
Thank you Joyce.