The Carriere line began in France. Marin Janot 1(dit La Chapelle), a carpenter was born in 1627, the son of Robert Janot and Jeanne De Pienne of La Chapelle-sous Monthouson near Chateau Thierry. He came to Canada in 1653.
There he married Françoise Benard 2on 30 Aug 1655. She was the daughter of Pierre Benard and Catherine Rivarin of Pourry, France.
Marin Janot and Françoise Benard had several children, among them a daughter, Cecile Janot, before Marin died by drowning on 24 July 1664. Cecile Janot 3married André Carriere, the son of Francois Carriere and Elizabeth Malauzet of Ste. Catherine.
André had been born in 1640 and died 5 Dec 1715. He and Cecile were married at Montreal on 17 Nov 1670. They had ten children. 4André died in Louisiana on 8 Feb 1734.
André, fils, arrived in Louisiana with Bienville and settled at Bay Minette near Mobile, Alabama in 1708. He was deeded a tract of land in New Orleans and resettled there. He was killed by Indians in 1723, leaving a widow and three small children. He owned two lots in New Orleans and a plantation below the city 5
François and Joseph followed André to Mobile in 1716. Both men moved to New Orleans when that city was founded in 1718. Both had plantations deeded to them by Bienville. Francois died 8 Feb 1734.
Joseph married Marguerite Trepagnier 6Among their children were
All were baptized at the Church of St. Louis.
Joseph, fils, married Marie Louise LaVergne 7who bore him several children. They moved from New Orleans up river to the German Coast. (See See Appendix E
In 1772, Joseph sold his farm in St. Charles Parish and, in 1775, he bought another farm in Opelousas. Sometime in the interim, he moved from St. Charles to Opelousas. He appeared for the first time, in the census of 1777, as a resident of that town. This census, however, lists his given name as Jacques, which was incorrect.
This census also listed Joseph as having eight slaves. Among these slaves were Francoise and three of her children, Joseph, Victoire and Joudt, who were also children of the master.
On 12 Jan 1780, Joseph sold his ten-year old slave son to Laurent Bailly. Angered by the rejection by his father and his separation from his mother, Joseph, the slave, changed his name to Damas.
On April 9, 1798, Laurent Bailly freed Damas "in remuneration of his good services and for the great fondness that I have for him." This act of emancipation did not stipulate the date when freedom would occur.
On 23 Nov. 1800, while on his deathbed, laurent Bailey dictated his last will and testament to Don Martin Duralde, Captain of the Militia and Civil Commander of the District. This document contained two items about Damas. The first indicated that among the debts owe him was one from Alexis Fulton for "a note of a cow plus twenty-five piastres for the rent of Damas, his mulare, plus a barrel of salt, etc."
The second reference was in the acts of emancipation for a number of his slaves, including Damas, "who he had already freed" but stated that the actual date of freedom should occur when the executors of his will deemed appropriate.
Bailey died soon after he executed his will, but the actual date of Damas' freedom does not appear in the records.
Joseph, the master, had died in 1790 and Francoise, the slave, had been inherited by Francoise, the daughter, and her husband Antoine Langlois.
In 1802, Damas tried to buy his mother's freedom. The record of his appeal to the commandant of military and civil affairs tells the story. On 30 January 1802, according to the Original St. Landry papers, he thus addressed the court:
Mr. Martin Duralde, Captain of Militia, Civil and Military Commander of the Opelousas--
Damas, free mulatto and resident in this jurisdiction comes to you, Sir, with the most humble respect and has the honor to expose to you that wishing to buy the freedom of his mother named Françoise, the negress slave of Mr. Antoine Langlois, who is fifty years plus, he has consequently offered to the master one hundred dollars more than what she cost him in the year 1795. (?)
He refused to accept the $100 from the supplicant and asked him for a price considerably higher than the slave is now worth either because of her advanced age or because of her infirmities. The supplicant afterward proposed to the master that the negress in question be valued by two arbiters chosen by Antoine Langlois and two others chosen by the supplicant so that the estimation be done and (he will) pay right away that amount and at the same time execute the Act of Freedom of the black lady to the authority. But Antoine Langlois refused on the spot to agree.
Because of that, he begs you very humbly, Sir, to force Mr. Langlois to accept the price arrived at by the estimators which have been chosen as mentioned and that each one accept the price proposed by the estimators. The price will be paid on the spot by the supplicant which at the same time has the obligation to execute the Act of Freedom in front of you, Sir.
This is a favor he hopes to obtain on your equitable justice and he will pray for your long life.
Opelousas this 30 day of January 1802.
Let it be said to Sir Antoine Langlois, in order to acquiesce, if the proposition is acceptable is permissible. In case of a refusal in writing from him, the supplicant will have recourse to the Superior Court to decide what will be done, the subject being beyond our competence.
At Opelousas this 30 January 1802
The following page shows a copy of the original document. The translations have been altered slightly to make them more readable. The originals contained no punctuation marks or capital letters. This combined with the structure of the French language makes for difficult reading.
The response came on 26 February 1802.
On 26 February 1802, Françoise was emancipated by Antoine Langlois as recorded in this Original St. Landry Paper:
Before us, Martin Duralde, Captain of Militia and Civil and Military Commander of the Opelousas, before the Sirs Michel Bernard Barriere, resident priest of Attakapas and Jean Gradeyer, our witness present, was present in person Sir Antoine Langlois,resident of this parish, and in her name and consent of his legitimate spouse, Lady Françoise Carriere, he declared and recognized that under the demand of Joseph Carriere, also know as Damas, free mulatto, here in person and agreeing in mutual accord among them, he has given and gives to Françoise, the black slave mother of Joseph Carriere, which he received from the succession of deceased Sir Joseph Carriere, father of his wife, the Freedom, in order to enjoy from this moment on and for always. In accordance with all the privileges and prerogatives that all free people enjoy without distinction of social state and all this at the cost of the sum of $450 dollars in money effective --- of Mexico from which he has received four hundred dollars cash and the other fifty dollars remaining will be paid within five months from this date, by means of which Sir Antoine Langlois in his name and his wife's name and his heir's names abandon and renounce all rights of master on the negress slave, Françoise, so that she (shall) be free, independent and master of her will and actions and that she be affranchised from all kinds of servitudes, and that the money advanced by Joseph Carrier may not give him pretext to make her dependent on him neither to anyone else nor to exact from her any duties or money, and that if she wants to do any acts out of gratitude she may do so if she wishes.
The mentioned Sir Antoine Langlois having consented to the freedom on these conditions set freely by her son, Damas.
Acted upon in our house of Attakapas the 26 of February 1802 and the parties having declared not being able to sign, made their marks before witnesses already mentioned and under out command.
Marque du Sieur--Antoine Langlois
Marque du Jh Carriere--dit Damas, mulatto libre
Msgr Bernard Barriere, Priest--Signature
The ability to pay four hundred fifty dollars for his mother's freedom would indicate that Joseph Damas had a skill which enabled him to earn above average wages. It must also be remembered that he was married with two children at that time.
Joseph Carriere and Josephine Fusilier must have united around 1794. They were parents to nine identified children, only one of whom was a girl 8.
All of the group still lived in Opelousas at the time of the 1850 census except Joseph who had moved to Baton Rouge.
Luis' baptism record at St. Landry Church was written in Spanish and stated that the baptism occurred on 9 Oct. 1802 of a seven month old infant. The godparents were Don Louis Touiac and Maria Louisa, a free quarteroon.
Gilbert's baptism record was written in French. The translated record stated:
In the year 1805, 18 Sept. I cure of Opelousas have baptized solemnly Gilbert, free mulatto, aged nine months, son of Joseph Carriere, free mulatto, and Josephine Marie. The godparents were John Fuselier and Frances Laurent.
I am sure church record could reveal much more about the family if full access was allowed. At any rate, it is possible that Joseph and Josephine moved away from Opelousas for a time. The census of 1810 shows a Damas as a white male living in a household with two free people of color in New Orleans. It may have been that Joseph was light-skinned and was taken for white. The census of 1820 shows a Lucien and a Julien, both white, residing in separate households. No other Damas is listed in any record for that period.
Gilbert Damas, our direct ancestor, married Françoise Marks, who had been born in 1812 in St. Martinville, the daughter of Françoise Marks (white) 1781- 26 Sep 1826, and Adelaide Meillard, a free woman of color.
François had been born in Malon, France, the son of Antoine Marks and Beatrice Masson.
Adelaide Meillard was the daughter of Louis Meillard and Isabelle Delachaise.
Gilbert Damas, pére, and Françoise Marks had at least two children, Gilbert, fils, born about 1835 and Leontine, born about 1840.
Gilbert, pére, died 20 December 1863 9.
Françoise remarried a few years later to Eugene LeBlanc, a shoemaker. She lived until 18 March 1905 10 .
Gilbert, fils, had three children by Adeline Caleb Swayze, a slave, the daughter of Caleb Swayze and Rebecca , both slaves. The children were an unidentified boy and two girls, Adelaide born in 1857 and Lucia born on 1 May 1858 11 . When the Civil War ended, the marriage of Gilbert and Adeline was blessed by the church on 19 March 1870 12 .
The translation of the marriage record of Gilbert and Adeline reads:
In the year 1870 and the 19th of March, I the undersigned Catholic priest of the parish of St. Landry, after having assured myself of the license of the notary of the ---have received in the presence of the signed witnesses the mutual consent of marriage of Gilbert Damas and of Adline Caleb, both of this parish and I gave them the nuptial benediction (by faith of which ---) for their children, Adelaide aged 13 yrs and Lucia, aged 11 years.
The censuses of 1870 and 1880 show Lucia living with Françoise LeBlanc, her grandmother. Adelaide lived with Gilbert and Adeline until her marriage to Benjamin O. Eaglan.
Gilbert, fils, died 19 Feb. 1917, and Adeline on 19 June 1922 13 .
Little is known about when Lucia left Opelousas. She was supposed to have left to marry Charles Hetzel in Nebraska since interracial marriages were not allowed in Louisiana. Whether or not a marriage occurred is questionable. At any rate, my father Frederick Joseph was born 21 Feb 1888 in Omaha, Nebraska.
The census of 1890 was burned and Omaha City Directories do not generally include women. Charles Hetzel does not show up in a city directory until 1893. At that time he was an employee of the Hetzel Brothers Grocery, headed by his oldest brother, Frank 14
No subsequent records have been found.
Lucia died about 1894 but no records have been found. Charles brought Frederick to live with his grandparents in Opelousas, and in 1895 Charles left Omaha to live with his own parents in Gordon City, Sheridan County, Nebraska. They are shown in the U.S. Census of 1900.
3.Dictionaire Généalogique Des Familles Du Québec. p. 204; Lussier, Monseigneur Iréné, Dictionnaire National Des Canadiens Français. p. 224