The Creole Genealogical and Historical Association, Inc., CreoleGen, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are a group of family historians and genealogists who are focused on researching and documenting the lives of ethnically diverse Louisiana and Gulf Coast Creole families.
Lolita Villavasso Cherrie
Lenora Gobert
Janice Duplantier Smith
Jari Christopher Honora
We work under the definition of “Creole” as derived from its original meaning among the French and Spanish colonials to mean “of this place.” The term “creole” was used to define any person descended from European, African, and/or indigenous people, who was born in the colonial expansion empire of Nouvelle France and Nueva España (New France and New Spain), areas now known as part of North America and the Caribbean. Those modern-day persons who can claim Creole heritage include whites, blacks, and people of blended ethnicities.
CreoleGen provides wide-ranging opportunities to share information through our website, field trips, literary sources (book reviews and publication of new material) and partnerships with libraries, societies, and academic institutions.
We believe it is vitally important for people who have been denied access to historical information about their family makeup, origins and place in history to discover and share this information. This helps establish a sense of place and builds self-esteem. We truly believe that …
“… If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go.”
– James Baldwin
CreoleGen exists to be an aid in family history discovery.
Lolita Villavasso Cherrie—Founder and member of the Board of Directors
Lenora Adrienne Gobert—Founder and member of the Board of Directors
Janice Duplantier Smith–Founder and member of the Board of Directors
Jari Christopher Louis Honora—Founder and Consultant
Do you accept new members?
I am a decendant of Marie Laveau. I would like to be registered with your organization and put on your mail list.
Trying to find information on my Greatgrand Mother Mary Lavizon. If anyone has any thing to share it would be greatly appreciated.
My last name is of my fathers side… but my moms side is Gobert…. I’m trying to find out more about my family linage. I would love any information! My moms also has told me we have people In Louisiana and Texas and many more… I’m sure I’m on the right path..
Hi Persha, I emailed you outside of the CreoleGen site for more information.
Trying to find information on my grandmother, Louise Melonson Fontenot who was born in New Iberia, La. Her mother was Celeste Viataw Melonson married to
Alexion Melonson. They moved to Raywood, Texas. She had a sister, Lucille and a brother who they called Tom.
She married David Fontenot the first. My (great grandfather). they had 9 children I believe my grand father was David Fontenot jr.
And Tom is my Great Great Grandpa!
Bonjour Marion! I would recommend that you begin with the U. S. Census which was taken every ten years (1930, 1920, 1910, etc.). You can use a free trial or subscribe to Ancestry.com or use the free site http://www.familysearch.org. Bonne chance, chere! (Good luck).
would anyone have any photos of ; hildred Mathieu – pearl dejoie—-and Shirley Antoinette Randolph? they were class mates of McLane ricardo haddocks from 1940 thru 1943–1944. would love to see one of him also .
hi my grandmother is Hildred Mathieu.
Hi, My name is Mac Ames. My husband’s family hails from Louisiana. His mother is from New Orleans and his father is from Lake Charles. I’m putting together a book of linage for our children and would like information on the origin of the Ames surname. If you have any information, it would be greatly appreciated.
Trying to get creolegen/Indian info on my Great Grandfather Francis or Frank Justin DOB Feb 1867 Louisiana his spouse’s Mary or Marie Justin (Baptiste) DOB Jan 1863. Grand Father Joseph Rogers Justin Sr. 1897, Father Melvin F. Justin DOB 1928
So amazing Xavier Ruau is. My grandfather. I have never seen but one picture of him years ago,and this picture was destroyed by hurricane Katrina.
This is my grandmother and my father, Moses P. Thompson Jr. was her only son who is buried here in San Francisco, California where I currently reside. I am one of two children from his first marriage to our mother, Ms. Ethel Lee Gaudin also of New Orleans. My older brother, Mr. Sidney M. Thompson also resides in San Francisco, California.
Regarding my recent post I am referencing Mrs. Virginia Barnes Thompson was my grandmother. I am thankful to have found your website as I am researching our family history to establish a Development Center in her name based on the stories my father told me of her life. I now have confirmation.
Thanks you for establishing this web site. You are making a great contribution to retailing the unique history of The Creole Culture as defined in your “About Us” page. “Creole” used to define any person descended from European, African, and indigenous people, who was born in the colonial expansion empire of Nouvelle France and Nueva España (New France and New Spain), areas now known as part of North America and the Caribbean. It is a very important Bookmark in the Pages of the History of Humanity.
I would like to know more inquiries about my Francois creole ancestors from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Josephine Francois (4th great grandmother born abt.1830), Honore “Pahte” Francois (4th great grandfather born abt. 1830), Justin Francois (3rd great uncle born abt. 1854), Julien Francois (3rd great uncle born abt. 1856), Augustine Francois (3rd great aunt born abt. 1859), Francois Francois (3rd great uncle born abt. 1860), Honore Francois (3rd great uncle born abt. 1862), Hypolite Francois (3rd great uncle born abt. 1863), Adelide Francois name transition “Eliste Jefferson” (3rd great grandmother born March 1864), Lucien Francois (3rd great uncle born abt. 1868), Josephine Francois (3rd great aunt born abt. 1870), and Camilite Francois Fisher (3rd great aunt born Oct. 1870). If you can find more information about my Francois creole ancestors than what I have given you all, it will be very, very appreciated. Thank you all and May God bless you all.
My family is Francois as well Josephine francois is my Great great grandmother through her daughter Lovida Morehead and My Grandmother Minerva Richard. Josephines mother was Zelia Francois and her father was Jochim Francois. Anyway we can connect the dots just shoot me an email
Hello Ansar, I am grateful that you have connected for some assistance. I will hopefully be going to Louisiana State Archives Building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to see if my creole ancestor records can give me more in depth inquiries about them in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. You can connect to me anytime. Thank You.
My Great grandmother’s name was Brigitte François from Grand Bayou in Plaquemines Parish Louisiana , but that’s the extent of my knowledge of the Francois side of my family .
Hello , my name is Anthony Frederick and my great grandmother was Brigitte Francois from Plaquemines Parish Louisiana . I have the names of her parents but that’s all for now . You can reach me at acfjaf69@yahoo.com to discuss the info we have . I look forward to hearing from you .
I really enjoy reading all of your newsletters.
The quality of the writing and the images are really good.
Many years ago, I knew someone who had a 1932 Roneagle yearbook, but when he passed away, the yearbook disappeared too.
I’d love to get a copy of the entire book. If you know of anyone who has a copy and might be willing to copy it for me (at my cost), please let me know.
I don’t know if this is an appropriate request, but the book has pictures of my mother and other relatives.
Thank you sharing and preserving our history.
Hi Helen, Just send me your mom’s name and that of her friends. I will see if I can make you a few copies of pages they are shown on. I don’t think the entire book can be copied since it is quite old and needs some repair. Send these names to me at Lolitac454@aol.com…….Thanks for sharing, Lolita
Hi Lolita,
Thank you for the offer to copy my mother’s picture. I actually have a picture that was reprinted for me from the librarian at McD 35.
I’m still hoping to find an actual yearbook or perhaps a digitized version of the book.
Thank you for all that you and the staff do to make the website successful
I’ll let you know if I can get a digitized copy.
I was browsing through a recent issue of the AAHGS News and was surprised to discover that there was no Louisiana Chapter listed among the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Chapters. Do you know if this is an oversight?
Dr. Adams,
It is not an oversight. AAHGS is a fine organization but it has not made many inroads into the deep South. There are no chapters in Louisiana or Mississippi and (I believe) only one in Alabama. AAHGS has requirements which must be met for the development of new chapters, which I have considered pursuing before. Thank you for your ongoing interest!
My mother was Estelle Banks Blans and her poems are in “Arrows of Gold”. How can i get a copy of the book>
Mrs. Brown, You can find used copies from time to time on Amazon.com. Thanks for reading our posts – please continue to visit and support CreoleGen!
Eugenic Bethancourt and Louis Arnoult were my great-grandparents. Thank you for sharing their story. Do you have any additional information about the family?
Researching family members of Olivier, LA
New Orleans and surrounding areas of Iberia Parish
Trying to find out more information about Aristle LeBlanc, Sr. and Elvina LeBlanc. These are my mothers mother and father. They are from Carencro, Louisiana
RE: Frank Peter Farrell (A Heart Big Enough for every colored Child…)Would you be kind enough to share your sources for my great grandpa Frank’s parents? My sources (i.e., my dad, Wilfred Wesley Farrell & Great Uncle Houston Farrell) shared with me that Frank’s dad’s birth name is “Francesco Peter Mascari”; and his mother, Rosa’s second marriage was to a Farrell in which a daughter was produced. After Rosa died, the daughter “raised” Frank and subsequently changed his name to Farrell because of the disparity of being Italian in New Orleans at the time. We do have a Victoria & Charles Farrell in the gene line, but they are the children of Frank Peter & Victoria Hurst. I have a deliberate and detailed family tree that has been checked and re-checked and verified via source data. I am very excited about your article as it gives me pics of my ancestor! Thanks much!
I have considered and so far,
Hello Patricia, all of the sources used for this post can be found at the end of the story.
My father’s side of the family is from Natchitoches originally, our surnames are Meziere, Sanches, Trichel, Grappe, Perot, Brevel, etc. But the reason I am commenting on your post is that I recognized the Mascari name from my mom’s family tree! Her family came from Termini Immerese in Sicily; their surnames include Spicuzza, Mascari, Spalla, Pusateri, Cianciolo, etc. I am very interested how a branch of the Mascari family came to New Orleans. Have you had genetic testing? I would be curious if we are related.
Cindy
Hello Jari…Yes we are related! Aunt Carolyn was an amazing woman. Sorry for sending so many messages and hope to talk with you soon!
My great grandmother was born in 1901,she said both her parents were Creole (her father was light skinned with red hair,mother was dark skinned with long hair). She said she was born in Louisiana she went by Tenner McClendon.But when look up , research shows Caucasian women…She may have taken that name. I was told my grandmother ,my great grandmother daughter,who was light skinned, came to New Jersey when she was 3 years old and spoke French…never talked about her dad too much, I think he was white,or Creole passing as white. She once said she lived on a plantation but not as a slave…her name was Marie may have been born around 1920s…They have been long passed away…people say my dialect is diffrent…My mom is 72 and her birthday is July 12…I would like to find out some information about her family to give to her if able
Your family story sounds very interesting however we do not provide personalized information on our blog. We do provide a service for CreoleGen to conduct family history research. Please see our “Services” page. Additionally, you should look into getting involved with a genealogy society in those locations where your family lived. They can be very helpful for you to conduct research on your own.
Lolita, is there any way that I could get a copy of the 1942 Tom Thumb Wedding picture (Groomsmen also)? I was only 3½ years old when the picture was taken, so of course I have no memory of it, but I can see myself behind a bouquet of flowers. my printer is not working so I cannot make a copy myself. If there is a charge for getting the picture, please let me know and I will send it to you. Thank you for your assistance and thank you for the terrific website. Lorraine
This is my first visit to the CREOLEGEN site. Thank you for such great work and I hope to be active as a supporter and contributor.
Does anyone have information on the Montegut family? I have a gap from 1840’s-1940 for the family, and have census data from when the census began, but not much before that.
Thanks
I was the school’s “Sweetheart” in 1958….I and Nathaniel Henricks (my escort). Still have the program…could you use a picture?
Shirley…. If you can scan the picture, just send it Lolitac454@aol.com. I would love to incorporate it as a more updated version of “Miss Sweetheart” into this article. Just want to make sure it was from McDonogh 35 also. Thanks…Lolita
Y’all just all kinds of fabulous! Thank you for keeping us educated and informed.
I have found pictures of my family here. Thank you
Hello. I am currently working on a history project that honors, recognizes and memorializes high schools in Louisiana that served African American students before desegregation in 1970. We are interested in both Catholic High Schools and public high schools. We are making progress but we need more information. Do you have info on St. Mary’s Academy, Xavier Prep, St. Augustine, Holy Ghost, Notre Dame High School of Shreveport, and all other Catholic High Schools in Louisiana? Would love to talk/communicate with someone that has access to history, yearbooks that we can scan and photos as well. Please check out the site and thanks in advance for your help. The goal is to share this history with the Smithsonian African American Museum of History and Culture, The Library of Congress, and all of the HBCU’s in Louisiana. We have to preserve and share our important history! the site is: http://www.africanamericanhighschoolsinlouisianabefore1970.com
Hi Dwight,
I have written to you on this topic. I hope it will be beneficial. Please refer to the article “Dr. John H. Lowery-Pioneering Donaldson Physician, Business & Civic Leader” for my response. Thanks so much for visiting Creolegen……..Lolita
My family history is deeply rooted in “FAZENDVILLE”. The connections being the “Charles, Dalton, Calvin, Etienne, Cager, etc. My Great Great Grandmother is Celestine Charles whom is the daughter of Treville Charles & Pamelia Francois-Charles. One of her brother’s is Homer Milton Charles and there is an article written about him on this Web site. I am connected to Battleground Baptist Church and my family were longshoreman along the port of New Orleans and worked at the Sugar Refinery, etc. Thank you for providing a place to connect with other individuals to connect the missing dots. I am still piecing together my family history, so anyone that is familiar with any of the names listed above please feel free to reach me at brejdalton@gmail.com.
Bonjour!
My name is Ruby Irene Pratka and I’m a freelance writer normally based in Canada. I’m currently travelling through West Africa and working on a series of articles for the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, a weekly newspaper in Quebec City. I have a somewhat odd request that I’m hoping you could help me out with.
I recently visited a historic site known as the Maison des Esclaves (Slaves’ House) or Wood home, in Agbodrafo, Togo. A secret room under the house was used as a holding pen for captured slaves before they were sent to North America. Descendants of the original family continued to live in the home until 2006, when they moved out and turned it into a museum. I spoke to a guide there who said that the story of the house was largely forgotten until the family was contacted in 1998 by a group of African-Americans from New Orleans, who were researching the history of slavery and the African diaspora and planning a study tour from New Orleans to Cape Town via West Africa, visiting various African diaspora sites. According to the guide, the tour did eventually happen and the delegation did visit the house, but the guide didn’t keep any contact information for them. I haven’t (yet) been able to find anything about this tour on the Internet. My goals are to 1) if at all possible, corroborate the guide’s story about the existence of this study tour, 2) find out a bit more about who these New Orleans researchers were and the sites they visited, and 3) ideally get a few names of participants and interview them about their experiences on the tour.
Do you or someone you know know anything about about a delegation of people from New Orleans who travelled to West Africa to research African diaspora history in 1998? I saw that the former congressman William Jefferson was part of an official delegation that visited six African countries in 1998, but Togo wasn’t one of those countries, so I don’t think that’s it.
I’ve contacted the New Orleans Museum of African American History (they’re in the midst of a reorganization and couldn’t help me), the Smithsonian museum of African-American History (have said they will look), the Africana Studies Department at Tulane (no response yet) and the public library (which referred me to your site, among a few others.) Can you help?
Thank you,
Ruby I. Pratka
I am a descentant of the Epps family who lived at 2878 Maurepas St. Thier golden anniversary was published in this paper. I would like to receive their obituary. Also my uncle Earl Epps who lived on Paris ave. My computer is being worked on but a temporary address at this time is:norma.weldon2@aol.com I would like any info and I am willing to join/ pay for it in reference to my family . I can be reached by phone #757-647-0739 . I appreciate any help you can provide to me. THANK YOU! I am not a computer savvy 86year lady Much rather receive a call.
Hi Norma, The telephone # you sent me is incorrect. Please send me the correct one so I can reach you…Lolita
I am looking for information about the Girardy family – Joseph moved to Louisiana from French Canada. He had 4 daughters with his wife Marie Jeanne Henry – one of the daughters married Henry Joseph Millon. I believe from what I have found out that some of the descendants are free people of colour. I’d love to know more about them all. Any help greatly appreciated!
Hello,
I hope you are well. My name is Kristin, and I found some postings on the creole gen site on the Pullman Porters that included info on one of my ancestors, Rev. Honore D. Mouton, who was married to Rosalie Gaspard. Rosalie Gaspard lived at 1410 St. Ferdinand St., in NO at the time of her death. Her funeral was at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (the one on Annette St., not the other one), and is buried in St. Roch Cemetery. She died in 1935. Other last names in my family include Walter (Luther, Joseph)and Francois (Pauline,Gregoise are firs names). I am in New Orleans visiting and hoping to be able to connect with some of my family here since my family has long since moved to California from Louisiana. Is there any chance you would have anymore info on these last names? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I am on a quest to connect to my past. Thank you for your time!
Hey Kristin, my name is Tori Anderson. I believe we may be related. My great-great-grandfather was named Honore Mouton. He was one of their children. I would love to connect to see if we are indeed related.
My last name is Motley i know a Motley I’m sure who is my cousin from Louisiana and Motley’s from Kentucky. My father told me we have a graveyard full of Motley’s not far from a plantation full my ancestors. Would like to know more
Hi James—I know there were Motleys at Elm Hall Plantation in Napoleonville. There is a church and cemetery there, Christ Episcopal Church. Don’t know if that’s the one but hope this helps.
Correction: Barthelemy Rousseve was not a member of the Comité des Citoyens. That was my dad’s mother’s father Numa Eloi Mansion.
I am looking for information about Octave Bocage. He was born in Louisiana about 1835. In 1857 he married Germaine Haydel. Together they had 21 single birth children. Only six living to adulthood.
Hi, I’m trying to locate information about my great- great grandfather, Juste (Justin ) Bertrand. My great-grandmother was his daughter by Elena Rodriguez. Her name was Laura Mary Bertrand. She attended Corpus Christi Church every day until her death in 1961. She was born about 1874. No record of marriage exists between Elena and Juste but he is listed on her birth certificate and death certificate. Perhaps he died in Yellow Fever epidemic becaus shortly after 1876, Elena married Henry Gervais. If anyone knows anything about this , please let me know.
Good afternoon,
My name is Tammy C. Barney and I write a column called “Back in the Day” for Verite News. I am writing a short column about Mary D. Coghill and I want to publish a photo of Miss Coghill that I found in the post, “The History of Joseph A Craig School.” Is that possible?
Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.
Sincerely,
Tammy
Tammy C. Barney
Back in the Day
Verite News
Yes, you can publish the photo of Mary Coghill that you found on our post.