By now, it is common knowledge that Beyoncé KNOWLES is Louisiana Creole through her mother. It is also now widely known that her grandparents Lumas BOYANCÉ and Agnès DEROUEN were natives of the prairies to the west of New Iberia in Iberia and Vermilion Parishes, and that Agnès’s mother, Odilia BROUSSARD, was born a slave on her father’s plantation in the area.1There are innumerable publications on this topic. Here are a handful. Sue Reid, “Beyonce’s Family Tree Reveals …,” published 8 Aug 2018, web, accessed Aug 2018; Tyina Steptoe, “Beyoncé, Creoles, and Modern Blackness,” University of California Press Blog, published 29 Feb [2018?], web, accessed Jan 2019. – My note: this article, which is unsourced, has many genealogical inaccuracies. For instance, the author writes that “the Beyincé family traces its roots to French Canada,” and goes on to name one of those French Canadians. Lumas BOYANCÉ, born along the Vermilion-Iberia Parishes border, was the son of Alexandre BOYANCÉ and Marie OLIVIER. Alexandre and Marie both were born in what is now Iberia Parish. Alexandre’s father, Jean BOYANCÉ fils, was born at Noaillac, Département de la Gironde, France. His birthplace is indicated in his parochial death act at Église Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine (Abbéville, La.), dated 27 July 1894, Registre des sépultures vol 3, p 40. His birthplace is also identified as France in decennial censuses: 1860 US Federal Census, Population Schedule, Louisiana, Attakapas County, Lafayette Parish, enumerated on 28 July 1860, census page 100, dwelling 751, line 5; 1870 US Federal Census, Population Schedule, Louisiana, Vermillion Parish, Town of Abbeville – Subdivision #109, enumerated on 1 June 1870, census page 1, dwelling 3, line 13; 1880 US Federal Census, Population Schedule, Louisiana, Vermilion Parish, Abbeville, enumerated on 17 June 1880, census page 31, dwelling 19, line 7. Lumas’s paternal grandmother, Angéline Élizabeth GREEN, was born in Louisiana, as were her parents, Marie OLIVIER, and her parents Raphaël Joseph OLIVIER and Agathe PRÉFÉRÉ. None of Lumas’s known/documented ancestors were born in Quebec (“French Canada”). Steptoe also asserts that “Before the Civil War, Louisiana-born members of the Beyincé clan lived in Saint James, Iberia, and Vermilion parishes.” As shown above, Lumas’s grandfather was born in France and lived in Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes. Lumas’s father, Alexandre, likewise lived in the same parishes, in addition to neighboring Iberia Parish (the family lived on the border of all 3 parishes, in the area around Lake Peigneur). Alexandre and his siblings do not appear in federal decennial censuses before 1870 because they were slaves. The GREEN/DUHON and OLIVIERs were not from St. James Parish (they had been in what is now Lafayette, St. Martin, and Iberia Parishes for generations going back to the colonial period. Iberia Parish did not exist until 1868 – so no records for such a parish under that name exists before the Civil War. Before 1868, Iberia Parish was part of St. Martin Parish, from which Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes were also carved. Liz Rowley, “Who is Tina Knowles …,” MIC, published 8 Feb 2016, web, accessed Jan 2019.
The relationship between Joséphine LACY and Éloi-Réné BROUSSARD, who were Odilia’s parents, has been of considerable interest in recent years. Though, not without its share of contrived juicy creation stories. On the one hand, some descendants insist that Joséphine and Éloi-Réné married. On the other hand, tabloids are eager to sensationalize the relationship as exceptional. In this article, I will demonstrate why both groups are wrong in their assumptions and assertions and, in addition, will offer new revelations on 8 generations of Beyoncé’s roots in Creole Louisiana. To ensure I address each point, the structure of the article will seem mechanical or choppy. Apologies in advance.
Click the numerals at the foot of each page to read each section. The numerals appear below the footnotes used on each page/in each section.
• Page 2 The marriage of Éloi-Réné BROUSSARD and Joséphine LACY
• Page 3 Éloi-Réné and Joséphine’s relationship tied to BROUSSARD slaves
• Page 4 Acadians, Privilege & Slavery
• Page 5 Broussard Affection for Rosalie’s Family
• Page 6 Summary
Feature image provenance: Wikimedia Commons, Noemi NUÑEZ, Madrid, 12 Dec 2008, license CC-BY-SA
References
| 1. | ↑ | There are innumerable publications on this topic. Here are a handful. Sue Reid, “Beyonce’s Family Tree Reveals …,” published 8 Aug 2018, web, accessed Aug 2018; Tyina Steptoe, “Beyoncé, Creoles, and Modern Blackness,” University of California Press Blog, published 29 Feb [2018?], web, accessed Jan 2019. – My note: this article, which is unsourced, has many genealogical inaccuracies. For instance, the author writes that “the Beyincé family traces its roots to French Canada,” and goes on to name one of those French Canadians. Lumas BOYANCÉ, born along the Vermilion-Iberia Parishes border, was the son of Alexandre BOYANCÉ and Marie OLIVIER. Alexandre and Marie both were born in what is now Iberia Parish. Alexandre’s father, Jean BOYANCÉ fils, was born at Noaillac, Département de la Gironde, France. His birthplace is indicated in his parochial death act at Église Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine (Abbéville, La.), dated 27 July 1894, Registre des sépultures vol 3, p 40. His birthplace is also identified as France in decennial censuses: 1860 US Federal Census, Population Schedule, Louisiana, Attakapas County, Lafayette Parish, enumerated on 28 July 1860, census page 100, dwelling 751, line 5; 1870 US Federal Census, Population Schedule, Louisiana, Vermillion Parish, Town of Abbeville – Subdivision #109, enumerated on 1 June 1870, census page 1, dwelling 3, line 13; 1880 US Federal Census, Population Schedule, Louisiana, Vermilion Parish, Abbeville, enumerated on 17 June 1880, census page 31, dwelling 19, line 7. Lumas’s paternal grandmother, Angéline Élizabeth GREEN, was born in Louisiana, as were her parents, Marie OLIVIER, and her parents Raphaël Joseph OLIVIER and Agathe PRÉFÉRÉ. None of Lumas’s known/documented ancestors were born in Quebec (“French Canada”). Steptoe also asserts that “Before the Civil War, Louisiana-born members of the Beyincé clan lived in Saint James, Iberia, and Vermilion parishes.” As shown above, Lumas’s grandfather was born in France and lived in Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes. Lumas’s father, Alexandre, likewise lived in the same parishes, in addition to neighboring Iberia Parish (the family lived on the border of all 3 parishes, in the area around Lake Peigneur). Alexandre and his siblings do not appear in federal decennial censuses before 1870 because they were slaves. The GREEN/DUHON and OLIVIERs were not from St. James Parish (they had been in what is now Lafayette, St. Martin, and Iberia Parishes for generations going back to the colonial period. Iberia Parish did not exist until 1868 – so no records for such a parish under that name exists before the Civil War. Before 1868, Iberia Parish was part of St. Martin Parish, from which Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes were also carved. Liz Rowley, “Who is Tina Knowles …,” MIC, published 8 Feb 2016, web, accessed Jan 2019. |
Thank you for sharing your fine work.
Thank you for all of your work
Always good to trace accurate family history informstion!
Dr. Christophe Landry’s research is excellent. Thank you very much for this blog.
It’s so hard to put into words what I’m thinking after reading this work. There is no doubt the institution of slavery was and still is a black eye on our society. But Josephine’s story tugs at the heart strings in a “love conquers all” sort of way. It’s proof that B’s ancestors were making lemonade long before she became famous! Thanks for your time and commitment in making this post!
Great read. Learned about new connections to people I’ve known for years.