Bagneris Origins: Heloise
The Bagneris family in North America begins with Heloise, a Black/Mulatto enslaved female purchased as an individual by Jean Baptiste Alexis Bagneris (40) in St Charles (German Coast) at the age of 26 from Michel Aime (brother of infamous sugar plantation tycoon, Valcour Aime) in 1819 for $1,200 (piastres) equivalent to roughly $31,000 in today’s currency. This record infers her birth year as 1793 and states that she was born in “Louisiana Creole”. She is listed as only being able to speak French at the time of sale.
In 1828, she is listed as a F.P.C. (free colored person) on a bill of sale of property meaning that she was freed by Alexis Bagneris sometime between 1819 & 1828, owned by Alexis for 9 years at maximum. Heloise and Alexis had a plaçage marriage (an unofficial social marriage granting freedoms and property); in 1835, B. & Rosette Frere sold her a piece of land and in 1837, she sold a piece of land to Alfred Duhart indicating a level of wealth and status gained as Alexis’ placée (wife).
In the 1840 Census in New Orleans 3rd ward, she is living with 3 female F.P.C.s between the ages of 10 & 23, 1 male F.P.C. between the age 10 & 23, 1 male F.P.C.s under 10, and 1 female F.P.C. under 10 believed to be the children of Alexis Bagneris, who died in 1839 at the age of 60, 20 years after the purchase of Heloise; her daughters, Marie Mathilde (17), Elizabeth (16), Cecile Eglantine (14), her sons, Emile (10) and Jules (5) but the final female occupant is unknown but likely an infant. In the 1850 census, she is living in New Orleans 2nd ward with her daughters, Marie & Elizabeth Bagneris (27 & 26), Marie’s children, Jules & Marie LaNeuville (2 & 6mo), and Elizabeth’s children, Arthur & Denis (8 & 4). In the 1860 census, she is listed as living in New Orleans 9th ward with her daughter, Cecile (32) and her daughter’s husband, Emile Saulny (34).
1850 is the last census record that Heloise appears on and it is unknown when she passed away but it is assumed to be before 1860 even though oral stories states her death to be in 1861. She would have been around 68 years old.