The Family: LeMercier du Quesnay, a Catholic Creole family.
From France to St. Domingue to Jamaica to New Orleans.
By Jeremy K. Simien

It is said that the fires in the capital city of Le Cap in St. Domingue burned so bright that passengers on departing ships miles from port could read their letters with ease. I remember reading this and wondered what letters would people fleeing in a haste bring with them and what would they read or re-read as they made a daring escape. It occurred to me that in times of extreme stress or hardship, people look for comfort. This allowed me to imagine that perhaps the refugees of St. Domingue, both blanc and affranchi (free people), read the letters written by their extended family members. Perhaps, these letters were correspondence over the looming revolution and the series of revolts that escalated to the burning of the capital and the building of a free republic we know today as Haiti. It is not my attempt to romanticize the memories of families who participated in the slave trade or slavery. Nor am I attempting to belittle or undermine a rightful revolution. It is my attempt, however, to offer insight into the broader story of Creole. I only wish to express history in a way that allows readers to see through the eyes of a group in their historical context. In regards to the family “LeMercier Du Quesnay” a story of persistence and perseverance can be seen. This family traces its origin to Nantes, France before it made an ambitious move to Saint Domingue where generations remained until the revolution. The family owned coffee and sugar plantations. Chances are if you have colonial ties to St. Domingue, this family may have had dealings with your family and also may be related at least by marriage and possibly by blood. After the du Quesnays fled from revolution from St. Domingue they arrived in Kingston, Jamaica in the 1790s. Kingston was then a booming city also host to Plantation life and its system. Here too, they became successful planters of coffee and sugar. They were not like many of the settlers there of Protestant stock; instead they were French Catholics and Creoles. Thus they married the same. Several branches of the family once again left after the 1838 emancipation of slaves and failing plantation systems. They are seen in the 1840s making what seems to be a final attempt to become successful planters in New Orleans. The name Du Quesnay can be found on tombs in St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery and also in St. Louis Cathedral. This is in memorial to Guillaume Arthur Le Mercier du Quesnay (1808-1858). A Roman Catholic priest and later a monsignor in the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor du Quesney was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He later moved with his family to New Orleans.

Below is a sketch that is possibly a study for a painting. It is of Constance Marie Julien, née du Quesnay, born 1841 in Kingston, Jamaica. The sketch was done in New Orleans in the 1860s possibly as a wedding gift. She married Jean Baptiste Théophile Julien in 1864. Marie would live the rest of her life in New Orleans where she died in 1900.

Also below is a circa 1790s miniature portrait from my collection that is likely from the island of St. Domingue. Note the blue-grey wainscoting and tropical green wall color. This is the sort of decorative treatments one sees in West-Indies style homes. This is indicative of such places as St. Domingue, New Orleans and Cuba.

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