Louis Gory and Saint-Christophe

Another surprise while perusing digitized records from 1730s Jacmel available on Family Search is a marriage contract from 1737. In that year, Jacques Begin married Marie Catherine Renard, both of Bainet. Marie Catherine, the daughter of Jacques Renard and Gregoire Godard, was also a niece of Louis Gory. Since we have never found evidence of Louis Gory marrying anyone (although early parish records from Grand-Goave have been lost, so perhaps he was married earlier before moving to Bainet), we assume Gory was perhaps a half-sibling of Jacques Renard or Gregoire Godard. The Godard and Renard connection is no surprise since Gory was the godfather to several children of Renard or Godard parentage in Bainet during the 1720s and 1730s. For instance, in 1738, he was the godfather to the child of Jacques Begin and Marie Catherine Renard. In 1723, he was the godfather to a child of Mathieu Renard. And in 1729, he was the godfather to a child of Jacques Renard and Gregoire Godard, Francoise.

Moreover, an examination of censuses from 17th century Saint-Christophe, where Jacques Renard hailed from, reveals Renard, Godard and Gorry families. In the case of the Gorry, we know Anne, a daughter of Pierre Gorry and Marguerite Moreau, married another Saint-Christophe native in Croix-des-Bouquet in 1704. When she died in 1732, she was said to have been 50 year sold, suggesting she was born around 1681. However, The 1671 census establishes that Pierre Gorry was married to a "mulatto" named Marie, not Marguerite. However, in 1671, this Pierre Gorry had 1 son and 2 daughters (and no slaves or servants), meaning that there may have been another Gorry who married Marguerite Moreau and had Anne before leaving Saint-Christophe for Saint-Domingue. Alternatively, the name may have been miswritten in the 1671 census.

Besides Pierre Gorry appearing in the 1671 census for Saint-Christophe and in the 1690 Roll (his name appears there twice, perhaps one being a son), the Godard and Renard were also on the island. A Pierre Godard appears in the 1671 census, unmarried but with a white servant. Francois Renard likewise appears. While the exact nature of the connection Louis Gory had with the Godard and Renard in Bainet is still unclear, it does appear very likely that their families were connected in Saint-Christophe. Sadly, we are still unsure about any specific African ancestry Louis Gory had, nor can we establish the origins of Marie, the black mother of his sons in Bainet. But the Saint-Christophe connection certainly seems likely based on other colonists in Bainet hailing from there. Similarly, for him to be named as an uncle to the child of Renard and Godard and as godparent to several related children means something. Perhaps Louis was the son of one of the 2 daughters listed in the 1671 census, and due to being illegitimate, he used his mother's surname? But his father may have been a Godard or Renard? Just wild speculating here, but it does all point back to Saint-Christophe. 

The "Indien" Prunier Connection

One surprising and random discovery made from examining the Baynet and Grand-Goave parish records is the find that the Prunier claimed "Indian" ancestry. Although we are missing adequate details on the origins of the Prunier, it would seem that two daughters of Michel Pitiot and Marie Victoire Gory married Prunier men. The earliest indication of a connection is the 1782 marriage of Christophe Prunier to Therese Anne Zabeth. Christophe Prunier's father's name is not given, but his mother was identified as a deceased "mestive indienne" named Marie Louise Petit. Christophe Prunier was thus claiming part "Indian" heritage or ancestry through his mother. This could have been something done at a time of increased racial prejudice against those of African ancestry. Again, to indicate what a small world Bainet and Grand-Goave were, our friend Jean-Baptiste Marillac was a witness to this wedding.

However, other sources from Baynet parish may elucidate this alleged "Indien" ancestry of the Prunier. There was indeed a teenager named Marie Louise, of the "Indian" nation, who died in in 1755. Marie Louise's father's name is difficult to read, but it looks like Don Pedre, Indien. She also died on the habitation of Peronneau (Louis?), which could be a useful clue. After all, the Perronneau habitation in 1764 appeared in a map, showing it to be on the coast and not too far from Baynet's bay. It was likely a cotton or indigo plantation. So far, however, it establishes that there was an "Indien" man with a daughter who passed away in 1755, supposedly around the age of 13. If that age is accurate, she probably is not the mother of Christophe Prunier. If the estimated age is off by a few years, and she was perhaps closer to 16, then perhaps she was indeed the mother of Christophe Prunier.

Another possible connection to the "Indien" origins of Prunier can be found in the death of a Pierre Petit, an "Indien." This Pierre Petit, who died in Jacmel in the year 1780, was around 50 years old and married to a Marguerite. Her surname is difficult to decipher and we have not figured out who she was. However, if this Pierre Petit was the same person as the "Don Pedre" identified as Marie Louise's father, this could be helpful. After all, Baynet and Jacmel were neighboring parishes and perhaps, by 1780, Pierre had moved there. 

Alternatively, in 1771, a Marie, with no name but designated as an Indien, died in Bainet. Said to have been around 40 years old, this Indian Marie could also have been the mother of Christophe Prunier. Unfortunately, the surname Petit does not appear. Moreover, no connection to the Pruniers or Pierre Petit is obvious from this. If Marie Louise Petit was from Baynet or Jacmel, then she may have been the one who passed away in 1755. Exactly where she came from is unknown, since they could have had Amerindian or Asian Indian ancestry. Alternatively, Christophe Prunier may have also called his mother a "mestive indienne"to just avoid the stigma associated with blackness?