Summary

Marion, free mulatresse, petitioned the Superior Council to sue the estate of D’Ausseville to recover the wages withheld from her by his illegal actions. Marion reported that before her enslaver died in 1735, he recorded her manumission with the clerk of the Superior Council. Dausseville, as Attorney of Vacant Estates for the Colony, knew this and hid her manumission. Thus Marion was included in the sale of St. Julien’s estate under the false pretext that St. Julien owed the Company of the Indies. Using Article 20 of the Code Noir, Marion petitioned Louisiana governor Vaudreuil and commissaire-ordonnateur Salmon who granted her her freedom before referring her to the Council to pursue her back wages. When the Attorney General petitioned the governor and commissaire-ordonnateur for Marion’s freedom on November 23, 1743, he revealed that St. Pierre de St. Julien was her father. After Marion filed her petition for back wages, the bailiff cited Mr. Aufrere, the proxy of the estate for the heirs of Dausseville, to appear at the next session of the Superior Council. Throughout these records, Marion identifies herself and is identified by others using several names such as Marion, Marie Charlotte, and Marie.

Transcription
Translation
Notes

Transcription (French, diplomatic)

[feuille 1 recto] [digital 2]

A Nosseigneurs du Conseil Superieur
de la Province de la Louisianne

Supplie humblement marion mulatresse Libre
Disant, que Le feu Sieur S^t. pierre S^t. jullien
son premier maitre, Luy ayant donné sa liberté
par un Ecrit fait en presence de tesmoins
Le 9^e 8^bre 1735 deceda peu de tem[p]s apres [;]
on fist Linventaire de ses biens meubles et
immeubles, de même que de ses papiers et en [le] faisant
Le feu Sieür amyault Dausseville, Lors procureur
aux bien vacan[t]s se saisit de ce papier furtivem.^[en]t
Sans Le faire Inventorier [;] et voulant avoir Lad.^[i]te mulatresse le cacha et La fist vendre, comme
Ses autres Effets sous Le faux pretexte que
Led.^[i]t S^[ieu]r. S^t. Jullien devoit a la Compagnie des
Indes, plus quil navoit valant [;] il Sen rendit
adjudicataire pour une Somme de Quinze Cent
Livres en papier et elle ne dist mot parce qu’on
Luy faisoit accroire que cetoit pour payer la
Compagnie, mais Les Comptes du d.^[it] feu S.^r S.^t
Jullien ayant en fin êté reglés et jugés et Setant
trouvé de quoy payer Lad.^[i]te Compagnie, elle
sest adressée a Monsieur Le Procureur General

[f. 1 verso] [dig. 3]

du Roy et Suivant Larticle 20 du Code Noirⁱ. Luy donna Son memoire pour demander a jouir. de La Liberté qui luy êtoit accordée [rayé] [s’] il. eut La bonté de S’interresser pour les opprimes [;] et Sur
Les representations quil fist au Conseil Sa liberté
Luy fust accordée par Messieurs de Vaudreüil
et Salmonⁱⁱ, qui Sur Les autres demandes
La Renvoyerent Se pourvoir au Conseil pour
Le payement de ses gages ou dedommagement du temps
quelle a servy led.^[i]t S.^[ieu]r Dausseville d’autant plus
quelle doit rembourser a la Suc.^[cessi]on une Somme
de quinze Cent Livres prix de Son achapt
qui na pas même Sorty de ses mains pour La
quelle le S^r. Barbin La poursuit actuellement [;]
Et Comme il ne Seroit pas juste quil eust eû
pour rien Le Service dune personne Libre
quil ne retenoit esclave que par un petit tour
de Malice Elle vous Supplie quil luy soit
permis, Nosseigneurs[,] de faire assigner
au premier Conseil Le S^r. Aufrere chargé
de procuration des heritiers et Creanciers du
feu S. Dausseville pour Se voir Condamner
a Luy payer une Somme de Vingt Livres

[f. 2 recto] [dig. 4] par mois depuis Le jour de La mort
du S^r. S^t. Jullien, jusquau jour de La mort
du feu S^r. Dausseville, pour ses gages
et salaires autant en deduction de la Somme
de 1500 ^tt [livres] quelle doit rembourser ou telle
autre somme quil vous plaira d’arbitrer
pour ses salaires Dommages et interests
Et fait Justice a La N^ouvelle. orl.^[ean]s le 6^e f.^[evri]er

1745.

[Signé:] lenormand

La sup.^[pliant]e

permis dassigner a la
n^[ouv]elle orleans ce 6. Fevr[ier]. 1745
[Signé:] Lenormant

Lan Mil Sept Cent quarante Cinq le vingt
Neufieme de
Mars, En vertu de L’ord^[onnan]ce Cy dessus Lacte de
liberté
accordée par M^r de vaudreuil et Salmon du Vingt
Neuf
Novembre Mil Sept Cent quarante trois dont
Copie Est Cy[-]
Jointe [;] a la Req.^[uê]te de Marion mulatresse
dem.^[euran]te chez led[it] Sr.
Alexandre hab[itant] vis a vis la N.^[ouve]lle Orleans
jay[,] marin
Le Normand huiss^[i]er aud^[iencier] au Conseil
Sup.^[erieu]r de Cette prov.[ince]
dem.^[euran]t a la N.^[ouve]lle Orleans ou Est [ai] Ellu
Domicile soussigné[,]
signiffié Donné assignation au Sr. aufrere
procureur des heritiers et Creanciers de la
suc.^[cessi]on du feu Sr.
Amyault dausseville En son D^[omici]le En Cette
Ville parlant
a sa personne
a Comparoir au premier jour d’aud.^[ien]ce ord^[inai]re.
En lad[ite] Chambre
du Conseil Superieur pour se voir condamner
aud[it] Nom a luy
payer pour six ans neuf mois de Gages la somme
de six cent soixante six Livres a Raison de

[f. 2 verso] [dig. 5]

Cent Livres par An a quoy Elle se restraint
avec les Interests du jour de sa demande [;] et de
quoy
luy fait scavoir Et luy ay par tant que dessous
Laisser Copie tant de l[‘]acte de liberte Req.^[uêt]e
ord^[onnanc]e
que du present dont acte

[Signé:] M. lenormand

[Marginalia:]
Marin mulatresse
Contre
le S[ieu]r aufrere

Translation (English, modern)

[page #1] [digital 2]

To our lords of the Superior Council
of the Province of Louisiana

Humbly, begs Marion, free mulatresse,
saying that the late sieur St. Pierre St. Julien
her first master, having granted her freedom
by a written document made in the presence of witnesses
on the 9th October 1735, [he] died a short time after[;]
an inventory was made of his movable [personal] and
immovable [real] properties, as well as his papers and
while doing so
the late Sieur Amyault D’Ausseville, then Attorney
for Vacant Estates, seized this paper
furtively,
without taking inventory of it[;] and wanting to keep
the aforementioned mulatresse for himself, hid it [the
paper] and had her sold along with
his other effects, under the false pretense that
the aforementioned sieur St. Jullien owed to the
Company of the Indies more than the value of his
estate[;] he made himself the
successful bidder for the sum of fifteen hundred
livres that he paid with a draft, and she said nothing
because she was told that it was in order to pay the
Company[;] but the accounts of the said late sieur St.
Jullien having finally been settled and confirmed by the
judge and having found the means to pay the
aforementioned Company, she
addressed monsieur the Attorney General

[p. #2] [dig. 3]

of the King and following Article 20 of the Code Noir
gave him her statement to ask to enjoy
the freedom that was granted to her, [crossed out word]
[if] he would have the kindness to take an interest on
behalf of the oppressed, and as a result of the case that
he made in front of the Council, her
freedom
was granted to her by messieurs Vaudreuil
and Salmon, who on the other requests
sent her back to see the Council for
the payment of her wages or
compensation for the time
which she served the said Sr. D’Ausseville especially
because
she must repay to the estate a Sum
of fifteen hundred livres, the price of her purchase,
which has not yet left her hands, for
which the Sieur Barbin sues her currently,
and as it would not be fair that he would have had
for nothing the service of a free person
that he only held as a slave by a little trick
of malice, she begs you that it be permitted to her, our
lords, to summon
to the first Council the sieur Aufrere, having received
power of attorney from the heirs and creditors of the late
sieur D’Ausseville to be condemned
to pay her a sum of twenty livres

[p. #3] [dig. 4]
per month since the day of the death
of sieur St. Jullien, until the day of the death
of the late sieur D’Ausseville, for her wages
and salaries as much in deduction of the sum
of 1500 livres that she must reimburse or such
other sum that will please you to arbitrate
for her wages, damages, and interests,
and justice will be served [;] in New Orleans on the 6th
of February 1745.
[Signed:] Lenormand
[For] the supplicant

Permission to assign at
New Orleans this 6th of February 1745
[Signed:] Lenormant

The year one thousand seven hundred forty five on the
twenty ninth of
March, by virtue of the above order, the act of liberty
granted by Mr de Vaudreuil and Salmon on the twenty
ninth
November one thousand seven hundred forty three,
whose copy is here
attached, to the request of Marion mulatresse, housed at
the residence of the said sieur
Alexandre living opposite New Orleans, I, Marin
Le Normand, bailiff-usher in the Superior Council of this
province,
living in New Orleans where I have jurisdiction,
undersigned,
have signified, given summons to sieur Aufrere,
having received power of attorney from the heirs and
creditors of the
estate of the late sieur
Amyault d’Ausseville at his residence in this city,
speaking to him
in person,
to appear on the first ordinary day in the said chamber
of the Council Superior to be condemned in his said
name to
pay her for six years nine months of wages the sum
of six hundred and sixty-six livres at the rate of

[p.#4] [dig. 5]

one hundred livres per year to which she restricts herself,
with interest beginning from the day of her request, and
which I make known to him and I hereby leave copy
below
of the act of freedomⁱⁱ, the requestⁱⁱⁱ, the orderⁱⁱⁱ,
and that of the present document[;] duly noted.

[Signed:] M. Lenormand

[Marginal note:]
Marion, mulatresse,
against
Sieur Aufrere