In the Valley of Bainet

Although the Cange of the valley of Bainet are only one group of interest to us, we decided to revisit them in our efforts to piece together the origins of families in that part of Bainet. Again, we were forced to consider that some of the Cange in the valley are indeed descendants of people living there in the colonial era. For instance, Pierre Louis Cange, identified above as the owner of a habitation at Petit Harpon in 1806, was probably the same Pierre Louis Cange born in the valley of Bainet in 1791. 

Baptized in 1792, Pierre Louis was the son of Pierre Louis Cange and Marie Elisabeth Barreau. Interestingly, his godmother was a Bejin or Begein, Marie Jeanne Begein. The Bejin name survived in the valley of Bainet, and Habitation Bejin was where our great-great-grandmother was born. This suggests that the Cange of the valley of Bainet and the Bejin were connected in the late 18th century. Pierre Louis Cange was also still living in the area after independence, too. 

Indeed, it was probably this very same Pierre Louis Cange who registered the birth of a son, Jean Baptiste Cange, in 1826. The godfather of the child, a Julien Cange, is unknown to us but presumably a relative. Nonetheless, the evidence supports the idea that this Pierre Louis Cange was likely the one born in 1791. In addition to him, we have suggested that another Cange in the valley of Bainet, Jean Charles, was probably Jean Charles Celin Cange born in the 1780s in the valley of Bainet. There was also a Barthelemy Cange residing in the valley of Bainet during the 1820s, who served as the godchild of a child of a Francillon and a Varache (of Cange origin). 

Knowing the pattern of naming children after their grandparents, we wonder if a later Barthelemy Cange, born sometime in c.1841 in the valley of Bainet, was related to him. This later Barthelemy Cange, the son of Zamir Cange and Alphonsine Fiefe, married in 1884. His marriage certificate indicates he was 43 years old, so we assume he was probably born in c.1841. His father, Zamir, however, would have been probably born in the 1810s or 1820s, and was perhaps a son of Barthelemy Cange. Considering the longevity of the Fiefe and Cange names in the valley of Bainet, we consider it possible that Zamir was related to our Jean Michel Cange in some form or another. 

We also know that an Alexandre was married to a Marie Therese Cange, having a child together in 1818. Their child had the same godmother, Rose Adelaide Lacour, as a child born in 1804 of a Louise Alexandre in the valley of Bainet with Pierre Minaud. And the godfather of Louise Alexandre's child was a Louis Jean, the same name given to a son of Jean Charles Cange with Marie Jeanne Barthelemy. All of these people, living in the valley, must have known each other, assuming Louis Jean and Louise Alexandre were still around in the 1820s. Jean Baptiste Alexandre, married to Marie Therese Cange, may have been married to one of the Cange related to Pierre Louis or Jean Charles Cange. The godmother of Louise Alexandre's child was the same godmother to Jean Baptiste Alexandre's child, perhaps suggesting that she was a friend or relative of both. Louise Alexandre's child had a godfather named Louis Jean, which was also the name of Jean Charles Cange's son born in 1825. And last but certainly not least, the godfather of Jean Charles Cange's son was a Desire Alexandre. Our theory is that Jean Michel Cange and Cherilise Alexandre may have been a product of these Cange and Alexandre families.

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. 

Gustave Alexandre in the Valley

While reperusing early 19th century records of Bainet that have been digitized, we were reminded of a child, Louise Francoise, born in 1825 to Gustave Alexandre and Genevieve Plaisir. The godparents of the child were from two well-rooted families in the valley of Bainet, Dure and Boursiquot. The godfather, a Joseph Dure, was probably the same Joseph born in 1805 in the valley to a Louis Dure and Marie Charlotte Boursiquot. The child's godmother, Marie Louise Boursiquot was probably related to Joseph Duret. 

We are convinced that the Alexandre of the valley section may have been related to or connected in some other fashion to the Duret, Cange, and Boursiquot and Begin. Sadly, we still lack any other record of Gustave Alexandre and his possible relations to Desire Alexandre (the godfather to a child of Jean Charles Cange also born in the 1820s) or whether or not these 3 Alexandre were related to the Jean Baptiste Alexandre who was married to a Marie Therese Cange, also in the valley. However, the Alexandre in the valley may have been close to a Lacour, too, since Rose Adelaide Lacour served as the godmother to a child of Louise Alexandre in 1806 and the child of Jean Baptiste Alexandre and Marie Therese Cange in 1820. When one traces the origins of the Lacour back a few generations, one finds they too were deeply rooted in the valley. 

Early Bainet, Jacmel, and Some Origins of Gens de Couleur

1703 Census translated and transcribed by De Ville.

We here at the blog are very interested in the history of Bainet. Thus, we could not resist preserving a copy of De Ville's translation of a 1703 census for the Jacmel quarter, which included Bainet. Taken just five years after the Compagnie de Saint-Domingue established Jacmel in 1698, it shows how underpopulated that region of Saint Domingue was in the early 1700s. The only plantations appear to have been indigo, and the entire black population was around 107 individuals (3 were free). Unexpectedly, there was a large gender imbalance among the white population, with about 12 adult women and 30 adult males and 9 garcons carrying arms. 

The black population also had more adult males than females, but the difference wasn't as stark. Moreover, the underpopulated Jacmel quarter only had indigo plantations or farms, with only 7 of the listed households owning an indigoterie. Presumably the rest, the vast majority, grew subsistence crops or provided services to the Compagnie de Saint Domingue or the owners of the indigo plantations. Perhaps some of the less fortunate whites were formerly indentured laborers, brought by the Compagnie or an earlier entity, and were only beginning to establish themselves as habitants by 1703. 

Baptism of Jean Baptiste Cange in 1719

Bainet's presence in the list can be found in numerous names listed here, whose largely mixed-race descendants formed an important part of the area in the rest of the 18th century. For example, Sougrain, Robin, Cangé and possibly Moreau, Bonnefoy, and Lemaire were surnames used by various free people of color families in and around Bainet, Jacmel, and Grand-Goave for the rest of the century. Presumably, they are the descendants of the white colons already in the area in 1703, and the enslaved or free people of color who married or bore children by them and their descendants. Historians have often pointed out the prevalence of interracial marriages in Bainet during the early decades of the 1700s, particularly that of white men lacking property and propertied women of color. 

Baptism of Jeanne Butet in 1709, the woman we suspect was a sister of Marguerite Butet

For instance, one of the surnames we have been researching, Cangé, was associated with a very large number of people in the area who were descendants of a Jean Celin Cangé who married a free "mulatto" named Marguerite Butet (probably the daughter of Rene or Louis Marin Buttet). While we are still unsure of who the two adult Cangé listed in this 1703 census was, we believe the Cangé name was brought to the area by two brothers or cousins. The first baptismal record for a Cangé born in the area, Jean Baptiste Cangé, indicates his parents were Jean Cangé and Marguerite Courville. 

1728 baptism in Jacmel parish of Marie Jeanne, child of Jean Cange and Marguerite. Jeanne Butet was the godmother.

It seems possible that the Jean Cangé who married Marguerite and began having several children (Jean Baptiste, Louis Celin, Pierre, Marguerite, Marie Jeanne) was probably one of the children listed in the Cangé household in 1703. Perhaps his wife's surname was mistakenly written as Courville in 1719, but she seems to have used Butet in most records identifying her (unless Jean Celin remarried another Marguerite in the 1720s). She was also connected to a Jeanne Butet, fille naturelle of Rene Butet and a free black woman, who moved to Jacmel and married a Boursicot. Some of their descendants would marry, too, further solidifying the family and property ties between some of the Cangé and Boursicot in the Jacmel and Bainet parishes. 

Baptism of a child whose godmother was Marguerite Butet, still alive in 1776

Regardless of the ultimate origins of the Cangé name in Saint Domingue, the marriage of Marguerite Butet and Jean Cangé was advantageous for both. Marguerite, through her father and uncle, had ties to early planters and administrators in the colony. Marriage to Marguerite could have helped the Cangé politically and economically, eventually paving the way for them to establish a coffee plantation in Grand-Goave. Clearly, in 1703, the Cangé household did not own an indigo plantation and they only owned 2 female slaves and 3 horses. Strategic marriage with a woman of color whose family were landowners and serving in the administration of the colony must have been a step up for Jean Cangé and increased the status of his mixed-race progeny. His free people of color children and grandchildren usually married other free people of color, and established themselves as coffee planters and left behind many descendants. We believe that it is likely most people with the Cangé surname and roots in Bainet, Jacmel, and Grand-Goave are descendants of these people in some fashion, as well as the enslaved majority of the population in the colonial era. Unfortunately, it is far more difficult to trace our enslaved forebears, but that will obviously occupy much of our future research into Bainet's history during the 18th century. 

Cange Revisited, Part 2

The father of Jean Charles was baptized in 1760, also available on ANOM's website

Although we still face the huge problem with a lack of documents for the period from 1796-1803 and several years missing for the 19th century Bainet records in the Haitian National Archives, we thought it might be useful to expand on our last post. Using an 1827 birth act recorded for someone born in the same valley section of Bainet as our great-great-grandmother's father, plus the name of the godfather, we deduced the possible identity of his parents. We found it likely that our great-great-great-grandfather, Jean Michel Cangé, born in or about 1829, was the son of a Jean Charles Cangé and a Marie Jeanne Barthelemy. We would like confirmation with an acte de naissance, but the range of years for Jean Michel's birth have not survived. 

The 1729 baptism of Pierre Cangé, son of Jean and Marguerite (Butet, we think).

As previously stated, we searched for records of a Jean Charles Cangé born in the late colonial period, since we assumed Jean Michel's father was at likely at least 20 or older when the other son was born in 1825. We located one Jean Charles Cangé in our region in the late 18th century, baptized in 1789. That Jean Charles Cangé was the son of a Jean Pierre Cangé and Marie Louise Sougrain. Surprisingly, Jean Pierre Cangé was born in 1760, and baptized in Leogane. His father's name did not appear in the baptismal record, yet his marriage record identified him as Pierre Celin dit Cangé. Sometime between 1760 and his marriage in 1783, Jean Pierre's father recognized him.

In 1768, a Terrien married Elisabeth Cangé. Her parents, Jean Celin and Marguerite Butet, were described as free "mulattoes" 

The trouble now becomes identifying this Pierre Celin dit Cangé. There were far too many people carrying variations of Pierre or Jean or a combination of the two in 18th century Bainet, Jacmel, and Grand-Goave. This may have arisen from the original Cangé in this part of the island, which included 2 adult males according to a 1703 census. It is possible that these two adult males included a Jean and a Pierre who each passed on their names. We know that a Pierre Cangé baptized in Jacmel in 1729 was the son of a Jean Cangé and his wife, Marguerite (both presumably mixed-race). His godfather was named Pierre Cangé, perhaps a brother, cousin, or uncle of his father. Our original theory was that the Pierre Cangé baptized in 1729 married a Petit, and became the progenitor of several more Cangé in the 1750s-1770s. If he was the father of our Jean Pierre, born in 1760, he does not seem likely to have ever married his illegitimate son's mother.

If, however, the father of Jean Pierre was a Pierre Celin Cangé whose paper trail was recorded in Grand-Goave and not the same person as Pierre Louis Celin, we cannot identify him at the present stage. The Pierre Cangé born in 1729 seems like the best candidate based on age and known living locations. However, we still have to figure out his alleged "legitimacy" and if there was a Pierre Celin Cangé who did eventually marry the mother, Marie Francoise Geoffroy. The Petit-Harpon, Leogane, and Bainet connections make us inclined to see Jean Pierre as a grandson of Marguerite Butet, but we need more documents to affirm that theory. Either way, understanding Jean Pierre as born out of wedlock might have made him someone of lesser social standing?

Pierre Cange

 

Checking Saint-Domingue's press also included some surprising finds of free people of color families. One of them, a large one whose surname is borne by many Haitians today, appear in this article from the 1780s. Apparently he sired 10 children.