KEN JENKINS TO BETTY CHARBONNET REID SOSKIN

October 24 , 2000

Betty:

Just a few notes on the history of the CHARBONNET brothers:

I was originally informed the CHARBONNET line was an old line in France, loosely associated with the Landed-gentry and Lower-royalty (my fabricated names) as they were general merchants from the central part of France (which bears out - Thiers in Auverone (Parish of St. Genet) France is almost exactly in the center of modern France).  This region was known for its fine weaponry and swords in the Medieval Europe days - a strange coincidence - as the name CHARBONNET is translated literally in the Surname Books as “coal - bucket” or “black-hat,” which might be a reference to the foundries and such in the area - speculation, of course.

The most interesting fact relayed to me - though unproved - was the CHARBONNET who remained in France were virtually eliminated during turmoil of the French Revolution.  This gives me a graphic image of all the French CHARBONNET at the guillotine having their heads whacked off while back in America the descendants of the two brothers were populating that black-water part of the earth with the only CHARBONNETS that would survive.  In short, the European CHARBONNET died out while the American CHARBONNET survived.  It seemed at one time to be a good story.

However, I have since learned that there are Swiss CHARBONNET and these have continued the line - though in a very small way as CHARBONNET is a rare name in Europe.  In fact, some of the New Orleans CHARBONNET appear to have migrated back to the ‘motherland’[ - so there may be some truth in the fact  that New Orleans was a ‘safe house’ for CHARBONNET for a while.

In 1970 I did a general research on the CHARBONNET line in the United States census ... and found exactly  100 households with that name - all but eight or ten in Louisiana.  The exception was Chicago and California.  You know about the California line - and the Chicago line seems to be a spin-off of New Orleans as well.  The interesting thing about that 1970 census in Louisiana was that all but one family was in New Orleans or the surrounding parishes, that one family being my father-in-law who lived in Baton Rouge at the time.

Researching my wife’s family, she was born in New Orleans, er father, her grandfather etc. - etc. were all born in New Orleans.  I would joke and say our daughter was the first person in her family born outside of New Orleans since the early 1700’s!  It still is true ... I don’t know if you are aware of the New Orleans mentality, but the natives don’t know there is an outside world.  I once met a man there who was a well-known photographer.  His favorite bragging line was (1) he had never smoked a cigarette (2) he had never owned a car, and (3) he had never left New Orleans.  After grilling him, he admitted  that he did take a bus to Baton Rouge for his sister’s wedding, but he said he didn’t think that counted because Baton Rouge was just a poor cousin-city to New Orleans!  He was proud of his life - and I doubt he ever did leave New Orleans again.

I digress;

CHARBONNET is an old and original New Orleans name, but these people did not overpopulate - for whatever reason -0 so there are not a tremendous amount of them today.  The only line that seemed to be prolific was the St. Charles Parish line - and they were planters - and could afford it.

The modern CHARBONNET of today are a mixture - but there are some pretty well-known professionals.  Louis Charbonnet, the African American funeral home owner and former State Representative - well known.  There was a New Orleans Judge - many lawyers - an architect - many Notaries (different function from today - these were city official type positions.)  And there was even an Admiral Charbonnet.  Your family was famous for construction and building.  My wife’s family was originally in the wholesale nursery business.  The Charbonnet in the little town I live (Ponchatoula - 50 miles north of f New Orleans) were school teachers and bankers.  So there were/are some smarts in the family.

The C CHARBONNET had some peculiar characteristics, at least the ones in New Orleans.  I don’t know if y you're are aware of the fact that there is snobbery within the city in regard to the old French-Spanish heritage.  If your family moved in after 1808 - the general time of the Louisiana Purchase resettlement - then you are not considered ‘old family.’  To give an example, my father-in-law’s parents attempted to arrange his marriage - in 1945!  He brought home a prospective bride from California (he was a navy radio-operator in the war) only to be turned down.  He brought home a second prospect - turned down.  He married the third one before bringing her home to his parents.  Although she was a native New Orleanian and a good Catholic, like him -  she was of Irish descent.  They disowned him.

His father and mother had an arranged marriage.  She was in love with a foreigner - an ambassador from Belgium - so the story goes - but her parents forbade her to marry that man.  She (Marie Noeme Louise “Mamie” (LeMAIRE) married George Gustave CHARBONNET because he was a son of one of the people they did business with, and from an old family (the LeMAIRE are also ‘old family’).  The LeMaire’s ran a retail florist shop in the old quarter - sold boutonnieres - you know the area as The French Quarter.

They apparently did not get along very well.  He was a conductor on a street car - it ran in front of their house - she had to be on the front porch every time he came by!  Sounds like he was a bit of a tyrant.  They had only one child - and late in the marriage.

By the 1900’s the Americans had pretty much wrestled economic control of the city away from the ‘old families’ and the sons of the once proud landowners and finance wizards were now more often the semiprofessional clerks and managers, rather than the owners of the businesses.  In New Orleans, Canal Street -as it is known to the tourists - is called ‘the neutral ground.’ It separates the old section (Vieu Carre - French Quarter) from the ‘American” section.  Americans were derisively called “kentucks” up to the 1900s.

The original CHARBONNET - so one researcher said - were given commissions in the French Navy .  From what I can tell, it appears this was probably true.  The father of Jean Barthelemy and Antoine (Claude CHARBONNET fils) has been shown to be a wholesale merchant - apparently with ties to Santo Domingo (modern San Dominique), Nachitoches (then a Spanish fort), and with New Orleans.  I have not researched him - and I assume he never left France - but his two sons of our story seem to  have been his agents.

The story is that they were captured by the British during the American French and Indian War.  I don’t know if that is factual, but it is the right time period.  I once read that the French Royalty of the time took a dim view of ‘parolees’ - where the prisoners when captured are released after signing an oath to not take up arms again - and they  may have been ‘trapped’ in the Americas and unable to go back home without being arrested by their own officers.  In any case, they ended up in Nachitoches as ‘traders’ - Antoine is there in a 1766 census - they both are there for a double marriage in 1868.

Nachitoches, Louisiana (pronounced natc-e-dish for some strange reason) was a sister city to Natchidoches, Texas (pronounced nak-a-dough-chez) - both were established by Spain.  Spain was rather ‘buddy-buddy’ with France during the 1760’s - I suppose they were trying to gang up against those pesky British - soon to be irritating Americans.  Trading was done mainly with the Native-American Indians, and with the few Spanish settlers and missionaries who could stand the isolation (not many navigable rivers that high up) - furs for hatchets sort of business.  The CHARBONNET were there with a few other trading merchants.  Rugged times and rugged living.

There appears to have been a ‘pipeline’ to New Orleans, as the Nachitoches River flows into the Red River, flows into the Mississippi River - you get the idea.  CHARBONNET seems to have known people in New Orleans -- double wedding!

There would have to be compelling reasons to bring up brides and family from New Orleans!  It would seem easier to travel to New Orleans for a wedding rather than the other way - but this might suggest the brides had some reason to be in such a wilderness area.

Jean Barthelemy CHARBONNET married Marie Pelagie (PAIN).  Her daddy was an ex-government official and apparently had served a time at the fort, perhaps as one of its commanders.  Looking at the 1766 census he has a lot of property in Nachitoches.  They were probably full-time residents of the area - if not natives.  The mother Marie Jeanne (ROUJOT) may have been born there ... but they also had a huge plantation down near New Orleans, so there was a connection whereby they probably moved up and down the territory between New Orleans and Nachitoches often - possibly with the supply boats.  Somehow the PAIN dies out as a surname as it is virtually unknown later.  It may have been DuPAIN or another variation that ‘anglicized’ beyond recognition - like DuPRIS, which is common today.

Antoine CHARBONNET married Marie Antoinette (Esnould de LIVAUDAIS).  LIVAUDAIS is a common and well known local name in modern times.  Marie Antoinette was born in New Orleans and apparently,her family was very land-wealthy in the old days.  In addition, her daddy, Jacques Esnould de LIVAUDAIS was a celebrity of the times - ancien Capne de port (former Captain of the Port) - First Lt. vessel La Decourverte” - and an adventurer - so it is not surprising he hauled his family up to Nachitoches for the wedding.

You might want to note some things here:

‘Maria’[ was a common first name for women - all the daughters in the family might have had it.  This quirk sometimes appeared for the men, but less often - all the boys may have had a first name like ‘Jacques.’

Why the double wedding?  The priest had to make rounds, as there was no permanent ‘parish’  in the wilderness.  It was common to have wholesale weddings, baptisms, etc., when the priest was ‘in town.’

Jean Barthelemy CHARBONNET seems to have had the wanderlust.  He is not shown very often in the Nachitoches Post records.  He eventually moved with this new wife to Jeremias - Isle of San Dominigue.  (You may note different spellings of names and places - attribute this to records kept in French-spanish- translated to English).  Researchers say there was a French Colony there on the south side of the island - and it appears there was a community of French sugar plantation owners.  There was a slave revolt - I don’t have the year - and it destroyed the settlement.  Originally, researchers said only one CHARBONNET survived (Louis Rolland CHARBONNET) but now I see others in the family either survived or removed to New Orleans prior to the massacre.  The parents apparently did not survive.

It appears the other two sons, Francois CHARBONNET m: Jeanne (GRILLE),  and Amable Barthelemy CHARBONNET m: Marie Francois Zalome (LANGUILLE) not only survived, but returned to New Orleans.  The daughters are not considered as this study is intended for tracing the CHARBONNET name).  Both of these male lines are shrouded in darkness - and could be an ancestor for our research-connection.

Francois is known to have had three daughters and no sons are known, yet the 1910 census appears to have an unknown ‘son’ in it. As young children often did not survive the times, there may not have been a male heir - but this is not certain.

Amable (may be Benjamin Amable) is known to have had one son and that son had one daughter.  Not much is know.

Antoine CHARBONNET apparently stayed home (at least in Louisiana).  His family descendants are many and diverse - but he died at age 59 and left his widow with property in St. Charles Parish  (about 20 miles above New Orleans) on what was then known as the German Coast - also called the ‘right bank’ north side of the river, look at your map - the river winds - and near what is now called Norco, Louisiana.  The other side of the river (left bank is Edgard, Louisiana - and has connections with the CHARBONNET also - so there must have been good cross river access for the time.

The CHARBONNET land holdings were between the Mississippi River and Lake Ponchartrain - a marshy area today - as all the forests were taken out - but more fresh water back in the early 1800’s though most certainly mosquito infested.  The Widow CHARBONNET    (Marie Antoinette Esnould LIVAUDAIS) was also shown in 1810 in St. Charles Parish - left bank! I get turned around on the properties - needs a lot more study.  I have a new map but need to get it framed so I can see it better.

To be continued ...time to quit.

Ken Jenkins