Nordman UA dissertation 1990

Date: 9 Jun 2023 to 9 Jun 2023
Location: Mobile, Alabama, United States
Surnames/tags: Mobile, Alabama, USBH, Free people of color Nordman, Mills, Chastang, Louison, Collins, Andry, Jane Simon, Dupree, Dubroca, Parent, Villars, Bernody, Lamport, Swan, Mejat, Mitchell, Bournody, Broux, Brue

By Nordmann, Christopher Andrew. (1990) "Free Negros in Mobile county, Alabama." A Dissertation. Doctor of Philosophy, in Dept of History, The University of Alabama.

• This page is an effort to index the families named in the dissertation, and link to Wikitree profiles created for these family members. Note that all information listed here is directly from the dissertation, an errors in transcription are the fault of the transcriber. None of Nordmann's direct sources have been written here. Most of Nordmann's references are baptismal records in of the Catholic church, Acts of Legislatures, and Last Wills. Link to Nordmann's Linkedin profile is included at the bottom of the page.

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"Free Negros in Mobile county, Alabama. A Dissertation".

Dissertation description: A doctoral dissertation prepared for the University of Alabama, History Dept, in 1990. The dissertation details the sources for Creole families of the Mobile, Alabama, region through the colonial period, in the 1700 and 1800s.

The thesis of Nordman is that both parents of the free negros in the Southern states exhibited caring for their offspring. Examples are from a single county, in the Colonial period. Caring for their spouses and children's material well being is documented through Wills and acts of legislature to manumit enslaved people, and provide materials support. Caring for their spiritual well being is documented through baptism records of the Catholic church. The details are presented for almost a dozen families of area of Mobile county, Alabama, in the Colonial era.

• Authors mentioned: Christopher Andrew Nordman, 1990. Gary B Mills, 1981, in the Journal of American Hsitory, 68, June 1981. P. 16-17.

• Families: Chastang, Louison, Collins, Andry, Jane Simon, Dupree, Dubroca, Parrent, Villars, Bernody, Lamport, Broux or Brue, Swan, Mejat, Mitchell.

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• Chastang family. Two white brothers: Dr. John/Jean Baptiste, and the descendents of his brother Joseph. Their associations with Andry, and enslaved persons without surnames.
  • Dr. John or Jean Chastang b 1754 (an anglo physician), and Louison Unknown, one the people enslaved by his brother Joseph. Louison purchased her and her children's freedom in 1803, presumably with money provided by Jean Baptiste Chastang.
  • Joseph Chastang, who had a anglo descendent Simon Chastang, who developed a long term relationship with Anastasia Andry b 1798, a free person of color.

• Andry family. Simon Andry, and the associations with the families of Dupree, and Chastang, and enslaved persons with unknown surnames.
  • Simon Andry b 1750, and one of his enslaved persons Jane Unknown. She was named Jane, and later became known as Jane Simon.
  • Their 7 children: Romaine, Euphrosine, Maximilian, Sylvester, Maria Judee, Felix, Anastasia Andry b 1798.
  • Euphrosine had a relationship with a white man Maxmillian Dubroca.
  • Anastasia Andry b 1798, a free person of color, develops a relationship with an anglo Simon Chastang b 1793 a descendent of Joseph Chastang. The relationship included 5 children, including Clara Chastang b 1819.
  • Clara Chastang b 1819, daughter of Anastasia Andry. Clara also develops a relationship with a white man William Dupree b 1815.

• Dupree family. William Dupree b 1815 was white, and Clara Chastang b 1819, who was a free person of color. Their 4 children, listed in the 1850 census with Clara as Chastangs, then in 1860 census with Clara as Duprees.

• Dubroca family. The 3 white sons/children out of a dozen children of Louis Valentin Dubroca b 1736: Hillaire, Maximillian, and Hugh. Their families, with the families of the Chastang, Andry, Broux/Brue, Dupree, and enslaved persons without surnames.

• • Hillaire Dubroca b 1778.
  • Hillaire Dubroca b 1778 an anglo man, and Marie Isabelle Chastang daughter of John Chastangs and Louison. Their children Bazile 1809, Louisa 1812, Irene 1814 (died young), Arsene 1815, and Josephine 1817. Hillaire acknowledged his mulatto children in his will.
  • Hillaire Dubroca b 1778, and a woman named Isabella Unknown. Isabella was an enslaved woman of another person's household who was not manumitted, they had a daughter Virginia born 1823.

• • Maxmillian Dubroca b 1776 an anglo man, and Euphrosine Andry b 1787 a person of color. Their 6 children, Josephine 1803, Clara 1805, Maximilian 1808, Nesin 1810, Sylvester 1814, and Felicia 1816.
  • Josephine's 1803 mulatto husband Lawrence Broux, also written as "'Brue'" in censuses. Lawrence Broux Josephine's husband was a trusted member of the family and was named executor of Maximillian's Will.

• • Hugh Dubroca birth unknown who was a white man, and Mimie Unknown, who was owned as an enslaved person by Hugh. As executor of Hugh's Will, Hugh's brother Maxmillian Dubroca petitioned the state legislature to have Hugh's heirs receive their deeds, after Hugh's Will manumitted the children, but the Will was not fulfilled before Hugh's death.

• • And descendent James Dubroca b 1842 (grandson of Hilare Dubroca, great-grandson of Dr Jean Chastang. Aside, he may possibly be the descendent of Creole daughter Catherine Bernoudy of Frenchman Bernoudy Registe Bernoudy b 1760. Bernoudy link is not in the dissertation). James Dubroca, and Mary Jane Dupree b 1847 (daughter of Clara Chastang and William Dupree).

• Collins family. Their associations with the families of Chastang, Villars, Parrent, Barnody, Swan, and enslaved persons without known surnames.
  • Josef Collins b 1732. Charles Parrent manumitted Julia Villars, an enslaved person. Julia had two children, both baptised with the surname Collins, and baptism records left the father unnamed. The children were probably children of a man named Josef Collins, whose Will later states that he lived with Julia Villars for many years.

• • Julia's son Augustin Collins.
  • Julia's son Augustin Collins who married Margarete Chastang, a free person of color. Their children include Polite Collins b 1796.

• • Julia's son Honore Collins. Honore owned a number of slaves. Honore's will and the act of Legislature are dated around 1819.
  • Julia's son Honore Collins was a free person of color, and formed a relationship with an enslaved woman Roseta. In 1818, the Legislative Council and House of Alabama authorized Collins to manumit Rosette. They had several children who were named in the act of the Legislature, including a son named Faustin.

• • Honore Collins also had a son named Maximillian Collins.
  • Maximillian Collins was also known as Jacques, and as Yellow Jack" during the War of 1812. Maximillian was an enslaved person of Mon Louis Baudin (note Wikitree duplicate Bodin-51 and Bodin-51 for Baudins of of Mon Louis Island, as of June 2023). Maximillian was described in the act of Legislature as a child by a previous alliance, and he requested to be manumitted by executors of the Will in the act of Legislature. Maximillian developed a relationship with one of his enslaved people, Hortense Bornoudy b 1775.

• • Associated families:
  • Charles Parrent. Either Charles Parent Sr b 1738, or Charles Jr b 1789 was probably the former owner of enslaved Julia Villars. In 1850 Census, Charles Jr is in the Slave schedule as owner of 35 enslaved people.
  • Bernody, Hortense Bornoudy b 1775, an enslaved woman who married Maximillian Collins, son of Honore Collins.
  • Swan and Collins family. Roswell Swan an anglo sea captain, and Augustin's daughter Polite Collins b 1796.

• Mejat family. Geanty Mejat of Mobile and Pensacole, and Nannette Pouche.

• Michael Mitchell, who named children of several women in his Will.

Sources

Author: Christopher Nordmann. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophernordmann/) As of June 2023.

• Nordmann, Christopher Andrew. (1990) "Free Negros in Mobile county, Alabama." A Dissertation. Doctor of Philosophy, in the Deptartment of History, The University of Alabama. Nordman UA dissertation 1990

Link. (http://findingafricanamericanancestors.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/8/8/11883350/dissertation_ch_1001.pdf)