Alex Genealogy

Alex Genealogy AlexGenealogy is built on over 17 years of personal research into my family’s deep Louisiana Creole & Cajun roots.
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What began as a passion has grown into a platform to share the unique stories, documents, and cultural history I've uncovered along the way.

02/15/2026

On 27 Apr 1825, the heirs of Pierre RICHARD and Marguerite DUGAT, Cajuns, came together to file a claim to the St. Landry Parish courts with claims that claiming that Celeste, a negro woman aged about 28 years and her children, to-wit, JEAN LOUIS, 12, CADET, 10, SOSTHENE, 8, VALIERE, 6, CELESTIN,3, and CELESIE, 1, were all slaves for life belonging to the estate of Pierre RICHARD and Marguerite DUGAS, all together valued at $2000. They claim that Celeste and her children were pretending to be free. They claimed that Celeste was not the Theotiste that Pierre RICHARD freed. During this time they were enslavers themselves. After hearing the depositions of the people summons to court and Celeste providing her emancipation. On 14 May 1827, Judge Seth LEWIS declared that Celeste and her children were declared free and are entitled to the rights and privileges of this state for free people of color.

Credibility is the quality of being trusted and believed, anchored in competence (expertise) and character (trustworthin...
02/15/2026

Credibility is the quality of being trusted and believed, anchored in competence (expertise) and character (trustworthiness). Key components include demonstrated knowledge, consistency, and honesty, often established through credentials and reliable communication. It directly impacts behavior by increasing consumer confidence and persuasion, while in legal settings, it is assessed through witness consistency, lack of bias, and accuracy.

Here is a little history about Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, a small place but yet the strongest of Louisiana's French I...
02/14/2026

Here is a little history about Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, a small place but yet the strongest of Louisiana's French Influence. In 1910 the Parish of Evangeline was created from the Western section of the larger St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.

These are the following known Louisiana cities within Evangeline Parish:
• Ville Platte
• Chataignier
• Mamou
• Pine Prairie
• Soileau
• Belair Cove
• Jean-Reed

Ville Platte:
Ville Platte, once known as “Flat Town” from its geography, is the Parish seat of Evangeline Parish. Ville Platte was founded by Marcellin GARAND, a Major in the Army of the French Empire during Napoleon. He received of the two land grants giving in that area. He later became the first post master of the town in between the years 1842-1848.

These are the most common surnames of families found in and around Ville Platte, Louisiana:
Garand, Vidrine, Soileau, Tate, Fontenot, Jack, Seraille, Carmon, Wilson, Thomas, Anderson, Ardoin, Deville, Beliar, Daire, Freeman, Deshotels, Derouen, Savant, Poullard, Delafosse, Ortego, Steven, Aclisse, Lafleur, Arvie, Stevens, Manuel, Franks, Chapman Brignac, Etc.
I found that a large majority of the Blacks of the Ville Platte area came from the Larose and Belair Fontenot families.

Mamou:
Mamou, once known as “Mammouth Prairie “ from early court documents was platted in 1907 by C.C. Duson, legendary Sheriff of St. Landry Parish. Mamou is known for its agricultural lands and music. A large percentage of the town still speaks French. Mamou is small town but is larger than any major city when it comes to Culture and Tradition. Many of its inhabitants still speak French. The food there is very delicious. During my genealogical research I met and interacted with a lot of relatives there. Many of the Blacks there were Catholic but later converted to Baptist.
Chataignier is a small unincorporated area of Evangeline Parish.

These are the most common surnames of families found in and around Mamou, Louisiana:
Landreneau, Goodley, Papillon, Bushnell, Caeser, Guillory, Bordelon, Saucier, Thomas, Fontenot, Manuel, Reed, Grandey, Deville, Ardoin, Medicis, Chapman,
Etc.

What do you all enjoy the most about the Alex Genealogy page???
02/14/2026

What do you all enjoy the most about the Alex Genealogy page???

When people say there are no records of Black people, that has not been my experience. The records are there. However, w...
02/14/2026

When people say there are no records of Black people, that has not been my experience. The records are there. However, when you descend from people who were once treated as chattel property, the search requires patience and an understanding of French and Spanish when conducting genealogical research in Louisiana.

On October 20, 1763, in New Orleans, my ancestor Jean Baptiste and his mother Louison were sold, and that transaction was recorded. That was thirteen years before 1776, before the United States was established.

This document is older than the country. It names Louison. It names her son Jean Baptiste. It records the date and the place. More than 260 years later, that record still exists. The paper survived, and so did their names. Identifying them required extensive research. This was not discovered in a book. I had to do the groundwork. So my encouragement to you is to keep searching and do not become comfortable believing the narrative that the records do not exist.

The face I give whenever I see someone showing those AI photos on ancestry!!! 😂
02/13/2026

The face I give whenever I see someone showing those AI photos on ancestry!!! 😂

I love crawfish and genealogy!!!! What about you?? Half the time I don’t even know what’s going on unless it’s concernin...
02/13/2026

I love crawfish and genealogy!!!! What about you?? Half the time I don’t even know what’s going on unless it’s concerning the two 😆

Hey cousins!!!!!!
02/13/2026

Hey cousins!!!!!!

Indentured Servant vs. Slave for Life: Telling the Truth of Our HistoryContext is everything when analyzing history thro...
02/13/2026

Indentured Servant vs. Slave for Life: Telling the Truth of Our History

Context is everything when analyzing history through documentation.

There will always be disparity when one side downplays the truth or when descendants of privilege are unaware of the extremities of what occurred due to misinformation or lack of interest. Some people had a head start. Others were never allowed to start.

I recently examined early records of a wealthy white planter in Opelousas, Louisiana, John TAYLOR, who indentured three of his daughters to skilled individuals. The contracts used the term indentured servitude. That phrase requires context.

Indentured servitude was a contractual agreement binding parties under law. It often functioned as structured apprenticeship to secure training and protect estate interests. On June 8, 1807, John TAYLOR indentured his eight month old daughter to Genevieve VILLIER so she could be trained in specific skills. These daughters were heirs. The agreement positioned them to inherit, manage property, and retain wealth.

That is fundamentally different from lifelong enslavement.

On May 13, 1857, a document records Thomas W. COLLINS of Georgia selling an enslaved man named Edward, a thirty year old carpenter, to Walthall BURTON of St. Landry Parish for $2,500. Edward was described as copper in complexion. He was enslaved for life. No contract. No inheritance. No legal standing. No consent. He was treated as property under law and subject to permanent separation from autonomy and family.

These were not parallel systems.

The descendants of the indentured daughters went on to become prominent and prosperous politicians in the region. The descendants of enslaved people were legally barred from voting or holding office. That difference was structural. It was written into law.

When you see the term indentured servitude in a document, do not equate it to chattel slavery. One operated within a framework of legal rights and inheritance. The other was a racialized system of perpetual bo***ge enforced by statute.

The mass emancipation of enslaved people sought to dismantle an inhumane system, yet even after emancipation, legal barriers continued to deny equal opportunity. We are all American, but all of our ancestors did not share the same pursuit of happiness.

I descend from free people of color who were among the largest slaveholders in Opelousas. I also descend from Acadians, from enslaved Africans, and from French settlers. My ancestry places me on multiple sides of this documented history. Because of that, I refuse to tell a partial story.

My hobby has turned into a never ending case study. The deeper I research, the clearer it becomes that law, race, property, and inheritance shaped generations long after slavery formally ended.

Through documentation, I have uncovered numerous mixed race unions that could not be legalized under the laws of the land. Their descendants often faced contested inheritance because legal status, not bloodline alone, determined recognition and access to wealth.

The truth is in the documentation.

I do not whitewash history. Every document preserved in an American courthouse is American history. Not selective. Not edited for comfort. All of it.

Some ancestors accumulated estates. Others were estates.

That is not division. That is record.

Documentation beats conversation.

I truly love helping people feel more connected to their family history.Last night, within the first ten minutes of a Br...
02/13/2026

I truly love helping people feel more connected to their family history.

Last night, within the first ten minutes of a Brick Wall service, I was able to push a client back another generation. They were searching for more information, and almost immediately I located the marriage citation of their ancestor. Not only that, I uncovered that the ancestor had been married previously, something the family did not know.

That moment right there is why I do this.

Watching someone realize their story is deeper than what they were told never gets old. Seeing a supporter become a client and then become excited about documented proof is always worth it.

This is not just building a tree. This is verification. This is context. This is making sure the foundation is solid.

For those of you who have been thinking about having your family tree verified, I do provide that service.

Book your discovery call and let’s explore more together.

And no he isn’t Louisiana Creole!!! What I respect about JOSE ALVARADO is that he was slept on. Undrafted because of his...
02/13/2026

And no he isn’t Louisiana Creole!!!

What I respect about JOSE ALVARADO is that he was slept on. Undrafted because of his height. Playing in a small market where a lot of people simply were not watching closely. But the Pelicans fan base knew. We saw the defense, the steals, the heart, the discipline. He did not just become this player. He already was that. The spotlight just caught up.

And that resonates with me in a different way.

Because in my own work, I have been doing this for years. Writing the Catholic Diocese. Walking cemeteries. Sitting in courthouses. Digging through succession records. Building real relationships in the communities I research. Connecting families who did not even know they were connected. There were no cameras around when I started. No national outlets. Just consistency.

Now when people search certain surnames or certain Louisiana regions, they discover the AlexGenealogy platform. When they see History Channel or NBC, they say, “Oh he’s really doing it.” But I have been doing it. The visibility just caught up with the labor.

Recognition does not create the work. It reveals it.

And what makes it even more interesting is that I cannot separate sports from genealogy. When I see my favorite athletes wearing their family surnames across their backs, I automatically think about lineage. I think about migration. I think about ancestors.

For those who may not remember, I was one of the researchers who helped uncover that my cousins PAUL GEORGE and JOE YOUNG are descendants of twin sisters who were freed from bo***ge by their grandfather, a wealthy free man of color in Opelousas, Louisiana. That discovery came in 2015 when JOE YOUNG was drafted to the Indiana Pacers. Sports and genealogy collided in real time.

So now watching JOSE ALVARADO on one of the largest stages in the world, hearing his name chanted in opposing arenas, seeing that surname on the back of his jersey, I cannot help but be curious about the story behind it. That is just how my mind works.

I actually made a post about him being my favorite player, and now I am genuinely interested in diving into the family genealogy. And yes, I will be making some trips to catch games in New York.

I have realized I have a strong support base in New York, along with family there as well. So this might turn into more than just basketball. It might turn into connection.

Shout out to you, New York. I see y’all. Looking forward to linking up soon.

Sports. History. Family. Legacy.

All connected!!!

New York Knicks

02/13/2026

It is important to understand the context between indentured servitude and chattel slavery before trying to compare the two. Historical documents must be read carefully and within the legal framework of their time.

For example, in 1807, John TAYLOR indentured his 8-month-old daughter to Genevieve VILLIER, all of Opelousas, Louisiana. The contract parties were white and consented within a legal system that protected their status, inheritance, and future. It was a contractual agreement with terms and an endpoint.

Now compare that to an 1857 document where Thomas W. COLLINS sold Edward, a 30-year-old enslaved carpenter, to Walthall BURTON, also of Opelousas, for $2,500.

Edward was not a contracting party.
He did not have free will.
He did not have legal standing.

His life, along with his family, could be willed, transferred, or sold from plantation to plantation as property. There was no expiration date. No consent. No protected inheritance. No contractual agency.

Those are fundamentally different legal realities.

One involved recognized legal persons entering an agreement within a system that preserved rights.
The other involved the transfer of a human being as movable property.

If we are going to discuss history honestly, we must distinguish between systems instead of flattening them.

Documentation reveals the difference.

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