The Bagnerises

Written By Christopher E. Williams

Seemingly, all people in the United States with the surname “Bagneris(e)” descend from one of Heloise, a formerly enslaved Creole of Color and her French Creole enslaver and functional husband, Jean Baptiste Alexis Bagneris’ five known children: Marie Mathilde LaNeuville nee Bagneris, Elizabeth Maulet nee Bagneris, Cecile Saulny nee Bagneris, Emile Bagneris, or Jules Bagneris. Although not all of their descendants today identify as Black or of color, I focus on and start their tree with Heloise to honor her and acknowledge that most of their known descendants identify as Black today. Alexis’ tree goes back to his grandparents, Dr. Jean Baptiste Bagneris I, born in Toulouse, France, and Bertrande Bagneris nee De Gavarrota, born in Tolosa, Spain. Alexis’s parents, Jean Baptiste II, also born in Toulouse, and Marie Pelagie Bagneris nee DuVernay, born in New Orleans, New France (Louisiana), has six known children: Jean Baptiste Alexis Bagneris, Catherine Melanie Saucier nee Bagneris, Zenon Gilbert Bagneris, Maria Rose Bagneris, Edmond Bagneris, and Felicite Seraphine Farrar nee Bagneris.

The Bagneris family was a slave-owning family, buying from neighboring families and selling between themselves having owned over thirty enslaved African-descended people over time including Heloise and many of their own offspring, eventually freeing most if not all of them before or upon their deaths. Those enslaved among them were usually used for domestic purposes although many of the enslaved people in their legal possession were purchased from sugar plantations; Heloise herself was purchased by Alexis from the brother of Francois-Gabriel “Valcour” Aime, the largest sugar plantation owner in Louisiana, Michel Aime but it is uncertain at the time if she ever worked in the sugar fields or if she was strictly relegated to domestic labor. Heloise’s children, all Free People of Color granted upon their father’s death, were not known to be slave-owning nor known for a particular wealth and all marrying into other free or formerly enslaved families of color.

“Bagneris” as a surname likely comes from the Occitan regions Bagneres-de-Bigorre, a river town, and Bagneres-de-Luchon, a spa town in the southwest of France (just north of Tolosa, Spain and just south of Toulouse, France). Bagneres, or Banheras in the Occitan language, translates to baths, spas, or waters related to baths/spas. Bagneres-de-Bigorre meaning Baths of Bigorre and Bagneres-de-Luchon meaning Baths of Luchon. Bagneris would then mean People of the Baths/Spas/Waters.

In North America, the Bagneris family uses multiple pronunciations and spellings depending on the regions and familial lines. Some Bagnerises spell the name “Bagneris” as is the standard variation found in the older North American documents as well as with the Bagneris families in France today. Other Bagnerises spell the name as “Bagnerise” with an “e”. Family legend says that two Bagneris brothers are the origins of this spelling divide: brothers in conflict (whether over a lover, an occupation, or racial identification is not known) began spelling their names with the “e” variation and their descendants branched out from there. There is no proof to this story at this time and the spelling variation is likely a result of spelling errors among census recorders.

The Bagneris brothers, Emile and Jules, both spelled their surname like their father, Bagneris with no “e”. However, Jules had six sons with his second wife, Julia Bagneris nee Raymond, with two of their sons using the “e” variation: Pierre Bagneris, Emile Bagnerise, Leonville Bagneris, Joseph Bagnerise, Charles Bagneris, and Michael Bagneris. Emile and Joseph’s descendants all use the “e” variation to this day. None of Jules and Julia’s three daughters used the “e” variation for their maiden names: Julia Liner nee Bagneris, Eloise Jones nee Bagneris, and Edna Gracien Warner nee Bagneris. Jules’ daughter, Marie-Cecile Bagneris, with his first wife, Hersille Bagneris nee Fortier also isn’t recorded with the “e” variation. Jules’ brother, Emile’s children all use the no “e” variation, however, Emile’s grandson, Joseph Bagnerise, used the “e” variation (just as his 1st 1x removed, the aforementioned Joseph Bagnerise).

Whether “e” or no “e”, the Bagneris pronunciation does not changed based on spelling. The pronunciation does, in fact, seem to change with region. Bon-ner-reese is the common pronunciation for most members of the family that left New Orleans for other parishes or states in the 1800s and the closest to the francophone pronunciation and the Occitan spelling, Banheras. You will find that majority of family that pronounces the name this way will live in California and the rest of the West Coast of the United States. Members of the family that remained in New Orleans use the phonetic pronunciation, Bag-nare-es which is an anglicized pronunciation. Bagnerises that stayed in New Orleans mainly descend from Emile Bagneris, the son of Heloise and Alexis, and his first wife, Rosema Bagneris nee DeSmasiller in which the couple had two children: Emile Bagneris and Emilie Pajaud nee Bagneris; or his second wife, Josephine Bagneris nee Maxent in which the couple had one child, Nemour Bagneris. It should be noted that “Bagneris,” “Bagnerise,” “Bon-ner-reese,” and “Bag-nare-es” are all the expected and acceptable spellings and pronunciations of the surnames in North America.

Heloise (1793)

w/ Jean Baptiste Alexis BAGNERIS (1779-1839)

  1. Marie Mathilde BAGNERIS (1823)

    w/ Louis LANEUVILLE

    1. Joseph Francois LANEUVILLE (1845-1847)

    2. Jules Louis LANEUVILLE (1847)

    3. Marie LANEUVILLE (1852)

  2. Elizabeth BAGNERIS (1824-1909)

    w/ Dennis MAULET (1815)

    1. Francois Alexis MAULET (1842)

    2. Joseph Dennis MAULET (1846-1918)

      w/ Angela MIRANDA

      1. Marie Josephine MAULET (1878-1879)

      2. Alicde Joseph MAULET (1879-1957)

      3. Lucien MAULET (1884-1886)

  3. Cecile Eglantine BAGNERIS (1828)

    w/ Xavier FRANCOIS

    w/ Emile SAULNY

  4. Emile BAGNERIS (1831-1901)

    w/ Rosema DESMASILLER

    1. Emile BAGNERIS (1853)

      w/ Esther Theresa ESQIANO

      1. Angelina BAGNERIS (1876-1966)

      2. Anatalie BAGNERIS (1878-1936)

      3. Emile BAGNERIS (1878)

        w/ Rita MARTINEZ

        1. Rita Jeanne BAGNERIS (1901)

        2. Mitchell BAGNERIS (1905-1985)

          w/ Lydia Maria MORET (1902-1980)

          1. Dan Melven ROUSSEVE (1919-1985)

        3. Thelma Louise BAGNERIS (1908-1985)

          w/ Thomas KIRKLAND (1904)

          1. Janet KIRKLAND (1930)

            w/ Richard MORRIS (1924)

            1. [Redacted]

          2. Thomas KIRKLAND (1932)

        4. Aline BAGNERIS (1914)

        5. Blanche BAGNERIS (1920)

      4. America Theresa BAGNERIS (1882-1963)

        w/ Marshall MILANEZ (1875)

        1. Anona MILANEZ (1904)

        2. Delores MILANEZ (1912)

        3. George MILANEZ (1914)

        4. Helen MILANEZ (1919)

      5. Josephine BAGNERIS (1883)

      6. Joseph Valmir BAGNERIS (1884-1917)

        w/ Amelia LEWIS (1894-1957)

        1. Henry Alexander BAGNERIS (1910-1960)

          w/ Mabel SCOTT (1912-1990)

          1. Joseph BAGNERIS(1928-1983)

            w/ Matilda BROWN (1926-2001)

      7. Montponsier BAGNERIS (1885)

      8. Simon BAGNERIS (1887-1974)

        w/ Rosa FONTENOT

      9. Celeste Rose BAGNERIS (1891)

        w/ George Joassin MCKENNA (1890)

        1. George Joassin MCKENNA (1911-1995)

          w/ Leah METOYER (1914)

          1. Dwight MCKENNA

        2. Warren Paul MCKENNA (1915-1992)

          w/ Ezelle SUANE (1915-2007)

      10. Milton BAGNERIS (1894)

        w/ Ethel BEOH (1901)

        1. Thelma Ethel BAGNERIS (1934-2006)

      11. Celanire BAGNERIS (1895)

    2. Emilie Cecilia BAGNERIS (1857-1931)

      w/ St. Marc PAJAUD (1855)

      1. Cecile PAJAUD (1884-1934)

        w/ Henry FERRAND (1882)

        1. Wade Joseph FERRAND (1908-1987)

        2. Thelma FERRAND (1912)

        3. Hilda Elizabeth FERRAND (1913-1979)

        4. Elise FERRAND (1916)

        5. Rita FERRAND (1917)

        6. Henry FERRAND (1922)

        7. Loyd FERRAND (1923)

      2. Barthelmy PAJAUD (1887)

        w/ Bertha Juanita MURPHY (1888)

        1. Ralph Bartholomew PAJAUD (1911-1964)

      3. George Leopold PAJAUD

      4. Semar PAJAUD

    w/ Josephine MAXENT (1848-1899)

    1. Nemour BAGNERIS (1872-1946)

      w/ Louise GUERINGER

      1. Laura Mercedes BAGNERIS (1887-1959)

        w/ Louis Ernest ROUZAN (1886)

        1. Louis Ernest ROUZAN (1907)

        2. Ruby ROUZAN (1910)

        3. Harold ROUZAN (1911)

        4. GIlbert ROUZAN (1922)

        5. Carmelia Mary ROUZAN (1923-2002)

        6. Blanche ROUZAN (1925)

      w/ Jeanne MARQUEZ

      1. Jeanne BAGNERIS (1895-1898)

      w/ Louise Delphine IMBERT

      1. Jeanne BAGNERIS (1908-1922)

      2. John BAGNERIS (1910-1955)

      3. Carmen Rita BAGNERIS (1912-2001)

        1. Paul Henry DUPLANTIER (1931-2006)

        2. Alton Anthony DUPLANTIER (1937)

        3. Renee Paul DUPLANTIER (1938)

        4. Dennis Nicholas DUPLANTIER (1940-1997)

        5. Gerald Joseph DUPLANTIER (1941)

        6. Carmen Rita DUPLANTIER (1943)

      4. Emile Anthony BAGNERIS (1914-1971)

      5. Inez Ann BAGNERIS (1917)

      6. Alexander Joseph BAGNERIS (1918-1985)

        w/ Mildred MEYERS (1929-2014)

        1. Alexander Johseph BAGNERIS (1956-2018)

      7. Lawrence George BAGNERIS (1924-1999)

        w/ Gloria Mary DIAZ (1926-2003)

        1. [Redacted]

        2. [Redacted]

  5. Jules BAGNERIS (1835-1886)

    w/ Hersille Jeanne FORTIER (1832-1849)

    1. Marie Cecile BAGNERIS (1848-1849)

    w/ Julia RAYMOND (1852-1912)

    1. Pierre BAGNERIS (1868)

    2. Emile BAGNERISE (1869-1938)

      w/ Elnora MACK (1880)

      1. Brisco Aquinaldo BAGNERISE (1899-1954)

        w/ Lucylle FERRIS (1907)

        1. Brisco Aguinaldo BAGNERISE (1927-1998)

          w/ Ernestine FOX (1933-2015)

          1. [Redacted]

          2. [Redacted]

        2. Theresa Loreine BAGNERISE (1928-1963)

        3. Veronesa Charmaine BAGNERIS (1928-2006)

      w/ Penny BOWLES (1878)

      1. Richard Hobson BAGNERIS (1903)

      2. Hester Jetta BAGNERISE (1905)

        w/ Asworth Thomas MINGLETON (1899-1969)

        1. Asworth Bagnerise MINGLETON (1930-2004)

          w/ Barbara Jean MOSLEY (1935-2013)

          1. [Redacted]

          w/ Helen JONES (1940-2017)

          1. [Redacted]

    3. Leonville BAGNERIS (1869-1953)

      w/ Fannie MAVIS (1885-1961)

      1. Sigsbee BAGNERISE (1903-1964)

        w/ Euna Myrtle ARMSTRONG (1907)

        1. Gladys Marguerite BAGNERISE (1921-2001)

          w/ James METOYER (1923-1998)

          1. [Redacted]

        2. Sigsbee Anthony BAGNERISE (1921-1999)

        3. Clara Maud BAGNERISE (1922-1979)

        4. Charles Lovey BAGNERISE (1923)

        5. Earl Paul BAGNERIS (1927)

          w/ Polly Ann GOODE (1932)

          1. [Redacted]

        6. Joyce BAGNERISE (1931-2002)

        7. Jerry Joseph BAGNERISE (1935)

        8. Una BAGNERISE (1936)

        9. Huey BAGNERISE (1938)

        10. Dorothy Mae BAGNERISE (1938-1982)

        11. Juone BAGNERISE (1939)

        12. Muriel Odilia BAGNERISE (1941-2004)

          w/ Johnnie Monroe TATE (1943)

          1. [Redacted]

      2. Ravier BAGNERISE (1904-1972)

        w/ Arthur Louis GRABER (1901)

        1. Mercedes GRABER (1921-1998)

          w/ Burel DEJOIE (1919-1985)

    4. Julia BAGNERIS (1872-1941)

      w/ Phillip LINER (1866)

      1. Horace Julius LINER (1895-1952)

      2. Raymond Augustus LINER (1899-1930)

      3. Jefferson LINER (1899-1942)

      4. Ione LINER (1904-1998)

        w/ Adrian Antonio Chazuelle (1896)

        1. Adrian Antonio Chazuelle (1925-1997)

    5. Joseph BAGNERISE (1875)

      w/ Pauline BLUNT (1882)

      1. Everett Richard BAGNERISE (1900-1968)

        w/ Mary (1903)

        1. Joseph William BAGNERISE (1935-2005)

          w/ [Redacted]

          1. [Redacted]

          2. [Redacted]

      2. Bettye Louise BAGNERISE (1903-1997)

        w/ Carl WETHERS (1900)

        1. Thelma Louise WETHERS (1922)

          w/ [Redacted]

          1. [Redacted]

          2. [Redacted]

    6. Eloise BAGNERIS (1876)

      w/ Andrew James JONES (1956)

      1. Sarah JONES (1884)

      2. Stephen Starr JONES (1897)

    7. Charles BAGNERIS (1878-1948)

      w/ Stella ROBINSON/ROBERTSON (1876-1918)

      1. Jules Samuel BAGNERIS (1898-1958)

        w/ Alice TABOR WATSON (1898-1980)

        1. Jules Samuel BAGNERIS (1920-1983)

          w/ Annie Bell YARBOROUGH (1924-2003)

          1. [adopted] Etta Jean YARBOROUGH (1940-1988)

          2. Vera Alice BAGNERIS (1956-2021)

          3. [Redacted]

          4. [Redacted]

          5. [Redacted]

          6. [Redacted]

        2. Vera Ollie Mae BAGNERIS (1921-1979)

          w/ Ernest COTTEN (1923-2003)

          1. [Redacted]

        3. Mary Deana BAGNERIS (1924-1925)

        w/ Samantha LITTLE

        1. Seth "Coke" LITTLE BAGNERIS (1943-2006)

      2. Charles Edward BAGNERIS (1900-1928)

      w/ Alice Jenetta FOXALL (1886-1930)

      1. Helen Emelda BAGNERIS (1911-2002)

      2. Julia Edith BAGNERIS (1913-2000)

      3. Geraldine Bernice BAGNERIS (1915-1981)

    8. Michael Felix BAGNERIS (1880-1930)

      w/ Camelia BAGNERIS (1886)

      1. George BAGNERIS (1923)

    9. Edna BAGNERIS (1886-1930)

      w/ Richard GRACIEN (1879-1925)

      1. Emelda GRACIEN (1902-1984)

      w/ Albert WARNER

      1. Alvin WARNER (1921-1976)

        w/ Lea (1927)

        1. Alvin Warner (1948)

Christopher E. Williams
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