Free People of Color and the Business of Survival in Antebellum New Orleans
When New Orleans became a part of the United States in 1804, the population of the French Quarter was 8,222 with 1,565 free people of color, just over 30% of the total free population. The free black population flourished throughout the Spanish era of the late 18th century only to face uncharted territory upon joining the United States in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. Despite increasingly strict regulation upon the lives of these men and women, they dug their heels into New Orleans society with their considerable influence in the realms of religion, real estate, commerce, the arts, and more. This tour highlights the homes of six families of free people of color in the French Quarter who flourished in familial unity and financial success despite their uncertain circumstances.
Access: Walking
Distance: ~.75 miles, 15-30 minutes
Stories 6
The Beaurepaire Family: Freedom to Slavery and Back Again
The house today marked 727-729 Burgundy Street, relatively unchanged since the early 1800s, has a history that reflects the tricky navigation of enslavement and freedom by a family called the…
The Dolliole Family: Builders, Architects, Patriots, and Community Leaders
A prominent family of free people of color, the Dollioles made a name for themselves as prolific builders, civic leaders, and savvy businesspeople integral to the development of New Orleans. Through the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Dollioles owned at least 36 properties and constructed over a dozen of them.
The Cazelars: Wealth Preservation in a Racially Mixed Family
Jean Pierre Cazelar, a white man of French descent, was the wealthy patriarch of a prominent multi-racial family in 19th-century New Orleans. Though Cazelar intended his children to inherit his entire…
The Tio Family's Resilience
The Tio family is best known as a prominent contributor to early jazz of the 20th century, notably the addition of a “Mexican Tinge” to the genre. However, the Tios were, in fact, native New…
Romance or Power Imbalance? The Hazeur Family
A wealthy man, Louis Hazeur De Lorme (ca. 1760-1828) was a highly respected man in his community. He shared a large indigo plantation with his brothers-in-law, Francois and Louis Xavier three and half…
Dorothée Lassize's Family Business
Harriet Martineau, Saxe Weimar, and numerous other antebellum writers described New Orleans free women of color as promiscuous, seductive characters who sought partnerships with wealthy white men so…Tour curated by: Emily Clark, Kate Mason