More Gory Searching

Jean-Baptiste Marillac married a woman of Montes and Gory parentage in 1787. 

A quick perusal of ANOM's Baynet parish record revealed some more information that strengthens my theory for Anne Marie Joseph Gory's origins. Her godfather, Jean-Baptiste Marillac, was actually related to her and shared her Saugrain ancestry. Moreover, Marillac was linked to the Gory through his marriage to a daughter of François Monteise (Montes) and a Gory. Indeed, it is possible that Jean-Baptiste Marillac was actually married to the aunt of Anne Marie Joseph, if indeed Victoire Gory was the same person as Victoire Suzanne Monteise. 

Marguerite Louise, the older sister of Victoire, was born in 1761. 

Although I would like firmer evidence to connect Anne Marie Joseph to Victoire Suzanne Monteise, our case rests on slightly stronger ground. We have identified this specific Jean-Baptiste Marillac, who was baptized in 1758, and linked him to the Saugrain and Gory through birth and marriage. The fact that he was Anne Marie Joseph's godfather further establishes a connection. Indeed, the fact that he was married to Marguerite Louise Montes, the possible older sister of Victoire, makes it possible he was an attractive candidate to be Anne Marie Joseph's godfather (her uncle). Furthermore, we have yet to locate any other Victoire living in that section of Bainet besides the older Marie Victoire Gory, who was probably not Anne Marie Joseph's mother (she would have been far less likely to still be alive in the 1850s). It is possible Victoire Suzanne dropped the Montes name because her father was dead by 1787 if not far earlier.

Jean-Baptiste Marillac appears to have been born in late 1757, baptized in February 1758. His godmother was a Bainet Saugrain married to François Gory. We also see that Jean-Baptiste Marillac was a grandson of an enslaved woman, Suzanne, who had multiple children in the 1720s. At least one of her children was sired by Louis Saugrain. Her daughter, Marie Barbe, used the Saugrain name and married a Marillac.

Anne Marie Joseph Gory's godmother, Marie Marthe Marillac, was probably the brother of her godfather, Jean-Baptiste Marillac. If she was the brother of Jean-Baptiste Marillac, who was a Saugrain through their mother, then Marie Marthe was also a relative of Anne Marie Joseph. 

So, now that we have established the familial link between Jean-Baptiste Marillac and Anne Marie Joseph Gory, what do we know of the deeper origins of the Gory name in Bainet? Despite appearing rather early on as a godfather to several children, the first Gory we know of, Louis Gory, did not leave behind much of a paper trail. Our current theory is that he was the father of not only Jean-Baptiste Gory but François Gory, too. François Gory died in about 1760, around the age of 40. His brother, Jean-Baptiste Gory, died in 1791 around the age of 80. They both appear to have been sons of Louis Gory, a "free mulatto" who was still alive in 1746. 

Jean-Baptiste Gory died in May 1791. If he was 80 at the time of his death, then Louis Gory must have been born sometime in the later decades of the 1600s. Our current theory for Anne Marie Joseph links her to Jean-Baptiste and François. 

If Louis Gory was not a native to Bainet, from whence did he come? The other Gory or Gaury in early 18th century Saint-Domingue were in Croix-des-Bouquets and Cavaillon. The Croix-des-Bouquet Gory was a woman from Saint-Christophe, Anne, who died in 1732. Her father, Pierre Gorry, was presumably the son of another Pierre and his "mulatto" wife, Marie. The Cavaillon Gaury in the 1720s was a woman said to be a native of Île-à-Vache. Perhaps the origins of Louis Gory can be found in the Sud, although I cannot recall any census from 1703 or other records identifying a Louis Gory in that region. But I can imagine him moving to Bainet parish from another area once administered by the Compagnie de Saint-Domingue. Or, like others who migrated to Jacmel and Bainet parish, he could have come from Leogane or Croix-des-Bouquets.

In 1723, Louis Gori (Gory) was the godfather of a child of Mathieu Renard (probably related to Jacques Renard, a native of Saint-Christophe) and an enslaved woman. In that same year he was also the godfather of a child born to free blacks Soliman and Marie.

Sadly, we are still in the dark as to the origins of Louis Gory. We can guess he was born in the late 1600s, perhaps the 1680s. Our evidence suggests he was a "mulatto" and was well-connected to a number of other Bainet habitants, including free blacks like the Soliman. We are not sure where else to look for possible traces of Louis, either. Perusals of ANOM materials from Croix-des-Bouquets, Les Cayes, Léogâne, and other parishes has not revealed anything so far.

Here Louis Gory was identified as a "free mulatto" in yet another example of him acting as godfather.

To sum it all up, our current understanding of the available evidence suggests the earliest Gory in Bainet was a "mulatto" named Louis. Jean-Baptiste was his son, as was likely the case for François. Anne Marie Joseph's godfather was also related to the Gory via Saugrain ancestry and marriage to a Gaury who also had a Monteise father. Our theory suggests Anne Marie Joseph's mother was the sister of Jean-Baptiste Marillac's wife. Being her uncle, it is no surprise to see him act as her godfather.

A crude family tree for Anne Marie Joseph Gaury's parents.