In 1870, Jules Bayonne, my great-grandfather, was employed as a domestic servant at the Parlange Plantation on the False River, New Roads, Louisiana. Parlange Plantation was built in 1754 by the Marquis Vincent de Ternant on land that was granted by the French crown and is still owned by his descendants today. The plantation became known as Parlange for Charles Parlange, a French nobleman, who married Marie Virginie Ternant, the second wife of Claude Vincent de Ternant. She married Charles Parlange in 1842 follwing the death of her husband Claude.
The Bayonne Family Reunion was held from August 1-3, 2008 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On Saturday, August 2nd, Ms. Lucy Parlange gave us a tour of the grounds and the Parlange Plantation. She was a gracious hostess and we appreciated her hospitality to be able to walk in the footsteps our great-grandfather, Jules Bayonne. She suggested that we take a group picture which I will post in the next blog.
This is a special connection for sure.
ReplyDeleteMs. Bayonne-Johnson, I am a 73 year old white woman who just finished reading an outstanding and enormously moving fictional novel entitled "A Lesson Before Dying", by Ernest J. Gaines. Mr. Gaines was born on a plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish, near New Roads, LA, and he uses the fictional town name of "Bayonne" in all of his books. Mr. Gaines is 85 years old and you could locate him by searching Wikipedia to find out if in fact it was the quarters on the Parlange Plantation that he grew up. I also strongly encourage you to read "A Lesson Before Dying", and his other books, which will give you a clear picture of your ancestors lives and the courage it must have taken just to survive. Good Luck in your search.
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