Lacour, Alexandre, and Cange

One genealogical tip we have heard often is to look into the origins of godparents. Sometimes they will lead you on the right path to uncovering more ancestors or finding connections with other families. In this post, we will post our musings on a Rose Adelaide Lacour, a woman in the valley of Bainet during the late 18th century and early 20th century. 

She first caught our notice when, in 1807, her name appeared as a godmother of a child born in 1804. This child, the daughter of a Pierre Minaud and a Louise Alexandre, apparently had a father who knew how to read and write. It is possible that Pierre Minaud was a son of a Francois Mineaud, a colon who owned land in the valley but died in 1784.

Rose Adelaide Lacour also appeared in 1820, when she was listed as the godmother of a child of Jean Baptiste Alexandre and Marie Therese Cange. Listed as residents of the valley section of Jacmel, it is probable that this Lacour is the same woman as the one who appeared in 1807. Now, however, her name is attached to another Alexandre. It makes us wonder if, perhaps, Louise Alexandre and Jean Baptiste Alexandre may have been relatives. We also wonder if Jean Baptiste Alexandre was the same person as the "Cadet Alexandre" listed as a father of a Cange Alexandre whose name appears in the 19th century Bainet records as a resident of the valley. 

Now, with a little bit of digging through the digitized parish books for Bainet and Jacmel from ANOM, one can trace Rose Adelaide Lacour's origins back into the 18th century. Notarized records also indicate that the Lacour habitation was purchased by Pierre Celin Cange in 1767, for example. Rose Adelaide Lacour herself was baptized in 1778 in Bainet, and was the daughter of Catherine Rosalie Lacour. Catherine Rosalie Lacour, was the daughter of Guillaume Lacour and Marie Jeanne Rosaire. Rose Adelaide Lacour was an illegitimate child and so was her mother, until her mother's parents wedded in 1774. When they did so, they legitimized Catherine Rosalie, who was born in 1754. Now, Marie Jeanne Rosaire herself was also illegitimate, only appearing as the daughter of a Magdelaine Franque in Jacmel. As for Rose Adelaide Lacour's grandfather, Guillaume, he was the son of Guillaume Lacour and a Marie Laboissier. In 1781, a Guillaume Lacour passed away, probably the same Guillaume who was Rose Adelaide's grandfather. Last, but certainly not least, in 1793, also in the valley of Bainet, a Marie Rose Lacour was baptized. Her mother was Rose Lacour, presumably Rose Adelaide Lacour, and her godfather was her uncle, Louis Lacour. Her godmother, a Marie Arbouet, also shows the family's links to other residents of the valley section of Bainet. An illegitimate Lacour baptized in 1784, son of Marie Jeanne Lacour, had Funel de Seranon for a godfather.

Unfortunately, this digging into the roots of Rose Adelaide Lacour did not reveal anything about the Alexandre and Cange we are looking for. The fact that she was connected two at least 2 Alexandres in the valley tells us some connection existed, but perhaps only as neighbors. The Cange, on the other hand, were linked to her family since the mid-1700s if not earlier. If she was the godmother to a child of Jean Baptiste Alexandre and Marie Therese Cange, we assume this Cange was part of that same family. In addition, when she was named as the godparent of Louise Alexandre's child in 1807, the godfather, Louis Jean, signed his name. Jean Charles Cange later had a son in 1825 named Louis Jean, perhaps after the same man? And that Louis Jean Cange had a godfather named Desire Alexandre. There were clearly connections among all these people, with a Lacour, Alexandre, and Cange link plausible.

 However, this ultimately does not elucidate for us the exact parentage of Marie Therese Cange, the daughter of Jean Michel Cange and Cherilise Alexandre. Unless the Haitian penchant for naming children after their grandparents was at play, it seems unlikely that Cherilise Alexandre was the daughter of Jean Baptiste Alexandre and Marie Therese Cange. Alternatively, Jean Michel Cange could have been a son of Jean Charles Cange and Cherilise Alexandre could have been related to Desire Alexandre. Perhaps Desire was the older brother to "Cadet" Alexandre, the husband of a Marie Therese Cange and father of Jean Baptiste Alexandre fils and Cange Alexandre.