Louisiana Creole History Creole Heritage Month Why October: The History Behind Creole Heritage Month Louisiana did not pick the month at random. The choice ties Cane River to a Creole world that stretches from Haiti to the Seychelles. By The Kinstructure Company · October 8 2026 · 4 min read It Started With a Single […]
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They Called Them “Maroons”
An 1854 Opelousas Courier notice printed in French and English calls the same men runaways and negres marrons. A four-step method for reading runaway notices as genealogical evidence.
Ten Dollars and Two Hundred: A Reward Differential in 1850 New Orleans
On June 26, 1850, a New Orleans paper ran two runaway notices on one page. Ten dollars for one man, two hundred for a light-skinned woman who could pass as white. The price was a confession. This is the documented record.
When the Notary’s Hand Recorded Her Life: Reading Spanish Colonial Notarial Acts as Biographical Sources
The Spanish colonial notarial archive in New Orleans is one of the most underused biographical record sets in Louisiana genealogy. A four-step method for reading the acts as biographical sources, with free public archive access included.
Francisca Montreuil: The Baker Who Bought Her Children Out of Slavery
Francisca Montreuil was a baker in Spanish New Orleans who bought herself and her children out of slavery one signature at a time, then built an estate that crossed into American rule. This is her documented record.
When the Citation Cannot Be Verified: How to Audit Compiled Research Before You Rely On It
A citation in compiled genealogical research is not credible because it has been quoted for thirty years. It is credible because it can be located and confirmed. A four-step audit method.
Rose Nicaud of the French Market: The Coffee Woman the Legend Could Not Hold
Rose Nicaud sold coffee in the French Market for forty years. Born enslaved and sold six times, she became a free woman of color named in the city’s own record. This is her full documented story, beyond the legend.
The Man Who Saved the Voices: Alcée Fortier and Black Creole Louisiana
Born June 5, 1856, Alcée Fortier transcribed a landmark collection of Black Creole folktales in the French dialect. This is how to use the record he kept and refuse the wall he built.