Eulalie and her children were assets worth fighting over and Scholastic Normand sued her husband, Terence Mayeux for control of them. Moreover, the enslaved Jacob from Africa, once owned by Marguerite Vickner, (also spelled Wickner, Wienaire, Vicknair) may be Eulalie’s father and the person from whom the African-American Jacob line from Avoyelles Parish descends. Eulalie goes from being an enslaved valuable asset to a free landowner.
The Lavallais and Jacob families are deeply intermingled. In the generation before me alone, three of my father’s sisters married Jacobs. The main permanent picture on this site is of one of my aunt, Hester Estelle Lavallais Jacob’s family, along with my father and mother. There have been pairings and rumors of pairings as far back as we can go back. I don’t believe my great grandfather, the enslaved Simon (1807-1867) and Eulalie (1825-before 1910), my step-great grandmother, was the first couple, but they’ll be the first I’ll discuss.
The Beginning
My search for Eulalie was different from my search for Unity FWC. I knew her name not long after I began researching, because her name was on the wedding certificate of her son, Hilaire Lavallais (See The Lavallais Lineage on Reclaimingmyancestors.com blog by Jessica), who was the brother of George W. Lavallais. Some of Eulalie’s children could be found either living with her or around her on the 1870 census.
An Amazing Clue
Because of that, I knew the names of her children well and while reading “The Normand Family of Louisiana” Book, page 248, I read “to the negro woman Eulalie, aged 33 years, and her two children: Melina, aged seven years and Ludger, aged two years……the said negro woman Eulalie has born four children to wit: Paul, aged 11 years, Marie, aged 8 years, Hilaire, aged 6 years and Eulalie, aged about 3 years……” The names and ages of the children, Ludger, Hilaire and Eulalie matched for this being the same Eulalie that had been Simon Lavallais’ second mate. This was long before I knew Simon was enslaved on Pierre Normand’s plantation.
My father had told me his grandfather, Simon, had belonged to a Normand. However, the Normands were a large family and I didn’t know where to start. Randomly looking at Normand files had not benefited me, until I discovered Eulalie on a Normand plantation in this book.
Ancestral Trees
Ancestral trees on Ancestry.com, Familysearch.com and other places can be a help or a hindrance. When you find one of your ancestors on a tree, see if the information is sourced. If it is, then check the sources. If that checks out, the data is probably sound. If it’s not sourced, use the information as leads to do an investigation. Don’t copy information to your tree without verifying the facts. Even the most capable and conscientious person can make a mistake.
Eulalie’s maiden name was given as Jacob by my cousins who maintain the 9 Jacob tree on Ancestry.com. On the 1870 census (above) and on her son, Hilaire’s wedding certificate, she’s shown as Lavallais, because of her relationship with Simon. “How did they know her name was Jacob?” I wondered. Always do your own due diligence, even if the tree is maintained by competent and careful persons.
To confirm her maiden name was Jacob, I ordered a death certificate for her daughter, Eulalie “Amie” who married Joseph (Jean fils) Augustine. On that certificate, the mother’s maiden name was shown as Lilie (a variation of Lalia) Jacob. I try to get at least two documents, more if possible, to prove facts. The name Jacob is used as her maiden name in Figures 12 and 13, as you will read later. Hence, I verified Eulalie’s maiden name as Jacob on three documents.
Research Challenges
The picture illustrates another one of the challenges of researching handwritten records. The writer has an unusual way of making their Ls. I know that’s an L, because I’ve seen it on a certificate whose last name was Lewis and the L was made the same way. Also, it’s spelled Laulade, instead of Lavallais. It’s the correct person, though, because it says she’s the “wife of Joseph Augustine” and her father’s name was Simon Lavallais. Furthermore, Eulalie’s nickname was Amie and one of her son’s name was Adolph Augustine, same as the informant. Therefore, this is the correct person.
Jacob
The next tip from my family on the 9 Jacob Tree is about Jacob, the one from whom the Avoyelles Parish African-American line descends. The source information from Ancestry.com contains some evidence and the identifying features of the document from which the evidence was obtained. It’s a good idea to get the original record, if possible, because sometimes the data may not be correct and even if it is correct there could be additional facts left out that may further corroborate what you’re trying to prove. Below is the source for Jacob.
Sales Document for Jacob
The following copy of this record was in the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse. It is faded and hard to read. It was signed on December 22, 1817. This documentation was not in French, as stated, and Africa was hard to see and spelled with two fs. Below is the heading with the document number 787, which is the same number shown on Ancestry.com, and the title “State of Louisiana, Parish of Avoyelles – [1]Margarette Wickner – Sale of Slave to Pierre Normand, the son.”
Below is a the wording of the section pictured below showing Jacob’s name and the description of him. The passage reads:
“said Margarette Wickner, hath bargained sold and conveyed, and do by these present bargain, sell and convey unto Pierre Normand the son, his heirs and assigns, a certain Negro man named Jacob of the Nation of Africa about thirty years of age. The said Margarette Wickner warrants the said Negro man Jacob to the said P. Normand the son, his Heirs and assigns forever, against all…”
More Evidence for Jacob
Eulalie and Jacob appear on the [2]Succession of Pierre Normand the father, a document in French, dated May 14, 1844. Jacob is number 2 and Lalia (Eulalie) is number 5.
2 The slave Jacob, Negro, aged around 55 years, adjudicated to William Edwards, the last and highest bidder for the sum of $400, subject to rheumatism. W. Edwards and P. Normand. J. Rebouché
3 The slave Margueritte (having an obstruction of the breast), Negro woman, aged around 48, and her twins, Julie and Julienne, Negro girls, aged around seven years, adjudicated to Widow Pierre Normand the father, for the sum of $1,115. M. Gremillion. Mlin. Bordelon.
4 The slave George, Negro, aged around 24, and adjudicated to Jean Pierre Normand, the last and highest bidder, for the sum of $1,215. J.P. Normand. Justin Normand. F.B. Coco.
5. The slave Lalie, Negro woman, aged around 20 years and her child, Melina, Negro girl, aged around two years, adjudicated to Pierre Normand, the son, for the sum of $1,155. Pierre Normand. J. Rebouché, Justin Normand, Le Bordel
Translation by Judy Riffel
Clues that Match
Jacob is about thirty years old in 1817. In 1844, his age would be about fifty-seven. The Jacob on the succession is fifty-five, thus the right age range. The 1817 sales document says he was born in Africa and on the 1880 census, Eulalie says that her father and mother were born in Africa. Although on the 1900 census, she says they were born in Louisiana. Still I think it’s a valid clue, because the birthplace of Africa doesn’t come up often. Jacob was sold to Pierre Normand fils (1774-1844) in 1817, therefore, they could have been on the same plantation when Eulalie was born about 1825. They’re on the same above succession in 1844. When Eulalie became free, she took the maiden name of Jacob, which I believe came from the enslaved Jacob owned by Pierre Normand fils.
The enslaved have few records, because they were property, didn’t own anything and, usually, had only one name. A lot of times, it was a common name that a lot of the enslaved had and it’s not on an index. One must, normally, go within the document to find their names. It’s a tedious process and getting two or more documents to strengthen a claim is not an easy task.
Her Early Life
On the 1900 census, Eulalie said she was born in May 1825. I believe her father was Jacob. I have not confirmed her mother’s name.
Simon was apportioned to Pierre Normand (1774-1844) in 1828 when Marguerite Vickner passed away. Eulalie would have been about three years old, little more than a toddler. As she grew up, she would have been interested in boys her age. Simon was in a relationship with Unity FWC and having children with her. In 1841, at sixteen, Eulalie had a baby girl and named her Melina.
In early 1842, her owners, the Normands had marital problems and decided to separate their assets [3]“separes de corps”. Whether it mattered to Eulalie to whom she was allocated, I don’t know. She had no choice in the decision. At the age of about twenty, she and her young daughter are listed on a sales document between Pierre Normand (1774-1844) and Margaret Marcotte, [4]The document is dated April 16, 1842 and is in French. This document was translated by Cathy Sturgell Lemoine.
depth and, therefore, containing the quantity of 130 arpents of surface area, bound on the south by the land of the said Pierre Normand and on the north by the piece described in the compositions of the second lot, and East the South half divides the piece described in the composition of the second lot, and East the South half divides the piece where the said Pierre Normand lives;
3. The slave, George, nègre, age of about 23 years;
4. The slave, Lalie, Negro woman, age of about seventeen years and infant child age about 6 months.
She, Melina and Simon are counted in the assets of Pierre Normand (1774-1844). In August 1842, Simon’s wife, Unity FWC, died.
The Courtship
In 1844, Pierre Normand père (1774-1844), died and Eulalie and her child were then adjudicated to Pierre Normand fils (1799-1876) shown in Figure 7. The enslaved Simon (See Simon in a Dangerous Confrontation) was also adjudicated to Pierre Normand fils (1799-1876).
Sometimes in 1844, I believe a romantic relationship began. They had their first child in 1845, when he was thirty-eight years old and she was twenty. It was a boy and they named him Ludger.
Another Move
[5]It seemed that Pierre Normand fils had acquired more than his share from his deceased father’s succession. To equal things out, he [6] sold to his sister, Scholastic Normand (Mrs. Terence Mayeux) Eulalie, then aged twenty-three and her two children, Melina, aged seven and Ludger, aged two on July 26, 1847.
Once again, the enslaved Simon is separated from his wife and child. Like before (See Simon in a Dangerous Confrontation), he must carry a permission slip from his owner when he goes away from his own plantation to visit Eulalie and his children, [7]because he could be stopped by any landowner and questioned. He managed somehow, because they had four more children before the lawsuit in 1860.
Eulalie, Cause of a Lawsuit
In 1860, after Eulalie had been there thirteen years, [8]Scholastic Normand became distressed with the financial position her husband, Terence Mayeux, found himself in. She made use of a strategy that other Normand women and quite a few other women in that time had used. It was a way to stop their husband’s creditors from seizing their property. They could stay married, but separate their assets. Thus, she sued her husband for the control of Eulalie and her children, very valuable possessions. In the case of [9]Scholastic Normand vs. Terence Mayeux, dated December 19, 1860, the judgement reads as follows:
In the above entitled cause. The Judgement by default not having been set aside and three judicial days having elapsed and the law and the evidence being in favor of plaintiff’s demand, it is ordered, adjudged, and decreed the plaintiff Scholastic Normand retake the slaves Eulalie and her five children to wit: Ludger, a boy aged 15 years, Paul, a boy aged 11 years – Marie, a girl aged 8 years – Hilaire, a boy aged 6 years and Eulalie, a girl aged 3 years, as her separate or paraphernal property and that she has the sole management and exclusive management, thereof, free from the control of her husband and the community of acquits and gains, heretofore, existing between plaintiff and defendant be dissolved and the said parties be separated in property…
Therefore, Scholastic won her suit and gained total control over the assets which held a lot of the couple’s net worth. Melina is not mentioned in this documents; thus, I do not know what happened to her. Maybe, she’d been sold already or had passed away. It appears Eulalie and her other children remained there until Freedom came in 1865. This would mean the children had been fortunate to remain with their mother and not be sold away from her while they were enslaved, except maybe for Melina.
Freedom
I believe the family,joined together after slavery, because Eulalie and Simon had three more children up to his death in 1867. On the 1870 census (shown in Figure 2), she’s living with Hilaire and her daughter, Eulalie, along with the three additional Lavallais children, Oscar, Louis and Sidonia (which is Simonia). Ludger and his family are living next door. Her occupation is farm laborer. She is no longer living near Scholastic Normand on the last plantation she lived when she was enslaved. Instead, she’s living near P. P. Normand, son of Pierre Normand fils (1799-1876), her owner when Ludger was born and second cousin to Simon. She and her family are likely farm hands on his plantation.
New Relationship
She began a relationship with Louis Ricard. He stood as Godfather and Eulalie Jacob as Godmother to Bertha Adelma Lavalée at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. She was the daughter of Eulalie Lavalée, Eulalie’s daughter.
Translation: #70 Bertha Adelma Lavalée. 25 July 1876, I baptized Bertha Adelma, born on 27 Mar 1876, daughter of Eulalie Lavalée. Godfather: Louis Ricard Godmother: Eulalie Jacob Signed: J. Janeau
On the 1880 census, she’s shown as Ulilie Ricard, the wife of Louis Ricard. They may have gotten married, but I have not found a marriage license. In addition, it states her father and mother’s birthplace was Africa and she cannot read or write.
Home Ownership
Louis Ricard died about 1888. He’d owned the land they were living on and at the auction sale on his Succession on the first day of March 1888, Eulalie Jacob purchased that land for herself. It was [10]”a certain tract of land situated in Par-en-haut in the Parish having a front of four arpents on the west and a depth of three arpents.” She had twelve acres to harvest. For a woman, who could not read or write, unfamiliar with conducting business and couldn’t speak English, she’d come a long way; from being a valuable asset that is owned and fought over by someone else to owning her own property.
Life Well Lived
Eulalie is a 75-year-old widow on the 1900 census, living alone. Her daughter Eulalie “Amie” Augustine lived in House 454 and she’s in House 456. On this census, it says she’d been a laundress. Additionally, she could not speak English, which was not unusual at that time. She’d born nine children (which lines up with the number I have) and six were alive. She had eight children with Simon plus Melina. They were Ludger (1845-1886), Paul (1849-), Marie (1852-), Hilaire (1854-), Eulalie “Amie” (1857-1927), Oscar (1861-), Louis A. (1865-) and Simonia (1867-1901).
I have found no death certificate, but I believe she died between the 1900 and 1910 census.
The Next Blog
Ursin Augustine, my great-great grandfather will be the subject of my next blog. Augustine family, I have some new information I’m sure you’ll be interested in. The mothers of Simon’s other children will be in a future blog down the line.
To not miss an installment, please subscribe in the sidebar.
The Sources
[1] Margarette (Marguerite) Wickner to Pierre Normand fils, Avoyelles Parish Courthouse, Conveyance Book B, pages 357 and 358
[2] Succession of Pierre Normand père, Avoyelles Parish Courthouse, Conveyance Book R, pages 83 and 84
[3] Legal expression designating the fact for two married persons to no longer live under the same roof following a judgment terminating the obligation of cohabitation. … The separation of body entails the end of the obligation of conjugal life, without questioning the marriage. Per Cathy Lemoine Sturgell owner of My Louisiana Lineage website
[4] Pierre Normand, Vendee of Their Goods vs. His Wife and Marguerite Marcotte Wife of Pierre Normand vs. Her Husband, Avoyelles Parish Courthouse, Conveyance Book P, pages 503 and 504
[5] Normand, Mark Joseph. “The Normand Family of Louisiana.” The Daughters of Pierre Normand, Volume 2, Slaughter, Louisiana, 2012
[6] Pierre Normand to Mrs. Terence Mayeux, Avoyelles Parish Court House, Conveyance Book T, pages 202 and 203
[7] Black Codes https://www.accessible-archives.com/2011/08/the-black-code-of-louisiana-1806/
[8] Normand, Mark Joseph. “The Normand Family of Louisiana.” The Daughters of Pierre Normand, Volume 2, Slaughter, Louisiana, 2012
[9] Scholastic Normand versus Terence Mayeux, Parish Courthouse Archives
[10] Succession of Louis Ricard, Avoyelles Parish Courthouse, Probate Book F, page 116
Great info. Excellent work. Congrats!
Thank you very much, Calvin. I appreciate it.
Thank you, Calvin.
So interesting! Thank you for taking the lead in this research
Thank you so much, Ladricca. That means a lot to me.
This research is fantastic. I believe the some of my direct family member were in the Succession document of Pierre Normand document in French, dated May 14, 1844. Jacob was the father of Francoise. I would like to ask if you could email me the French and English version of this document.
Hi Edmond. Thank you so much for your response. I appreciate it a lot. Francois is not on the Succession of Pierre Normand, dated May 14, 1844. I’m forwarding you an email with a further explanation.
Fantastic. I wish I could do so much for the Cadorees and the Fontenots! Love your writing. Please keep it up.
Cousin Michelle Cadoree Bradley
Thank you Michele. I really appreciated the work you did with the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury Minutes. It had references to my great grandmother, Unity’s and my grandfather, George Washington’s emancipation. So, thank you, too.