B. 17 Jan 1718 in Post Mobile, New France
M. (1) 7 Nov 1731 in New Orleans, New France
Husband: Joseph Turpin
M. (2) 19 Mar 1750 in Kaskaskia, New France
Husband: Joseph de LaMirande
D. before 15 May 1758 in (probably) Opelousas, Louisiana, New France
Hypolite Chauvin de La Frénière was of a mixed-race, and her birth was due to some unusual circumstances. Born on January 17, 1718, Hypolite was baptized the following day at Post Mobile in present-day Alabama. Her father was Nicolas Chauvin de La Frénière, a French-Canadian plantation owner, and her mother was a Native American slave known only by the name Catherine. Nicolas was unmarried at the time, which may have factored into why Hypolite’s paternity wasn’t hidden.
The origins of Hypolite’s mother Catherine can be deduced from her father Nicolas' travels. From October 1716 to October 1717, he was on a trading expedition with his brothers that went through present-day Texas into Mexico. About nine months before Hypolite’s birth, he was at Mission San Juan Batista south of the Rio Grande. It seems highly likely that Catherine was a slave living at the rugged Spanish outpost, and Nicolas acquired her there, likely in exchange for the goods he was trading; people of the region had little currency, but lots of slaves. Catherine may have been a member of a tribe in northern Mexico, although she might have been brought there from hundreds of miles away by slave traders.
Was Hypolite a slave at birth even though it wasn’t indicated on her baptism? It’s possible. She was named after Nicolas’ sister-in-law, who was also her godmother, Hypolite Mercier, suggesting that she had the status of a family member. But it wasn’t unusual for the French to baptize their slaves. Also, on a census taken in 1721, there was no indication Nicolas had a free-born daughter in his household, only a number of Indian and African slaves, and “5 French servants.” Perhaps as a small child, her identity as a free person wasn’t decided yet.
It’s likely that Hypolite had no memory of Post Mobile because when she was a toddler, her father moved to a place just outside of the new settlement of New Orleans. By the mid-1720s, Nicolas was running a large plantation with over 100 slaves. He got married in about 1724, and soon Hypolite had several younger half-siblings. Whether or not her mother was still among the household isn’t known. A census taken in 1726 showed that Nicolas had three children, and Hypolite must have been counted as one of them.
Hypolite’s life dramatically changed at age 13 when she was married to a French-Canadian man named Joseph Turpin. The wedding took place in New Orleans on November 7, 1731; her father was present at the ceremony, but her mother was absent and was only mentioned as being a former “servant” of Nicolas, implying she either had been freed, sold or had died. The newlyweds travelled up the Mississippi River, and settled in the Illinois outpost of Kaskaskia, where Joseph had been living. Within a year or two, Hypolite gave birth to a daughter.
As a woman who was half Native American, Hypolite wasn’t out-of-place in Kaskaskia. During the time she lived there with Joseph it was a lively trading outpost on the Mississippi, and many early French settlers had married Indian woman, including Joseph’s brother Louis. The result of this was a large percentage of the population having Native American blood. By the 1740s, Kaskaskia started to become more of a farming community, supplying New Orleans with the types of crops that wouldn’t grow on the Gulf Coast.
Surviving records from Kaskaskia are scarce, and there are no baptisms naming Hypolite and Joseph as parents. Besides the daughter born in about 1732, there was a son born in the 1740s or as late as 1750; other children who may have died young are unknown. In late 1749 or early 1750, Joseph Turpin died, and on March 19, 1750, Hypolite married a man named Joseph de LaMirande. They left Kaskaskia probably during the spring of the following year, heading to New Orleans, and she gave birth to a son on June 13th. Then they settled in the town of Opelousas, where Hypolite had her final child, a daughter.
Hypolite’s second husband Joseph had started out life as a fur trader, but once in Opelousas, he became a plantation owner, acquiring many slaves. Unfortunately, Hypolite died a few years after they settled there, likely in early 1758 because her husband remarried that May. She was only about 40-years-old at the time of her death.
Over time, Hypolite had many descendants in both the Illinois/Indiana and Louisiana areas. Two of her grandchildren in Louisiana had colorful stories. Her grandson Arsene LeBleu captained a ship for the legendary pirate, Jean Lafitte. And her granddaughter Catherine LeBleu married Charles Sallier, who founded the town of Lake Charles. Lafitte was said to have been in love with Catherine and family lore says that he once gave her a brooch. The story goes that when her husband saw her wearing the brooch, he became enraged and shot her, then fled thinking he killed her. But the bullet hit the brooch and she survived the shooting. Sallier was never heard from again.
Children by Joseph Turpin:
1. Marie-Madeleine Turpin — B. about 1732, Kaskaskia, New France; D. after 1810, Natchitoches, Louisiana Territory; ; M. (2) Pierre Texier dit LaVigne (1728-1770), 12 Jan 1751, Kaskaksia, New France; (2) Antoine Cusson, 1774, Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory; (3) Joseph Auger, about 1778
2. François Turpin — B. (probably) about 1750, Kaskaskia, New France; D. 1 Oct 1809, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Marie-Josephe Levron dit Metayer, about 1777, (probably) Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory
Children by Joseph de LaMirande:
1. Louis Joseph LaMirande — B. 13 Jun 1751, New Orleans, New France
2. Marie Rose Josephe LaMirande — B. about 1752; D. 15 Jul 1794, Opelousas, Louisiana Territory; M. Marin Barthelemy LeBleu dit Comersac (1722-?), 16 Oct 1769, Pointe Coupee, Louisiana Terriitory
Sources:
The Family of Nicolas Chauvin de La Freniere, Sadie Greening Sparks, 18 Oct 2000, sadiesparks.com
Race, Sex and Social Order in Early New Orleans, Jennifer M. Spear, 2010
Sacramental records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Volume 1, Section 1, 1704-1739, Michael L. Farmer, Ann Calagaz, 2002
The History of Kaskaskia, Illinois, in a Family History Context (website)
Pointe de l’Eglisse: Acadia Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc., by Gene Thibodeaux (website)
Le Bleu’s Landing: Fine Cuisine & Gifts (website)
