Charles Trudeau (politician)

Charles Laveau Trudeau (correctly written, Charles Trudeau dit Laveau) (1743–1816), also called Don Carlos Trudeau, served as the acting mayor[1] of New Orleans in 1812 (May 23 – Oct. 8).[2] His name includes a French honorific, dit Laveau, a tradition often used to carry forward the name of a revered Woman in the family; in this case Charles' paternal great-great-grandmother, Marie Catherine de Lavaux (1621, Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France – 1688, Montreal, Québec, Canada).[3] There were also other reasons for "dit names"[4]. In many cases the men of the family use only the surname (in this case Trudeau) or in combination with the "dit name"; the Women often use only the "dit name", as in the case of his daughter, Marie Laveau. In records after 1850, most "dit names" were dropped in favour of one name or the other.[5]

Charles Laveau Trudeau was the Surveyor General of Spanish Louisiana from the early 1780s until he resigned in 1805 (in the U.S. Territory of Orleans period), or about twenty years. His name on maps and grants is recorded as Don Carlos Trudeau. A few years later, he served as recorder, and as president, of the city council. It was during his tenure as recorder that James Mather resigned and Charles Trudeau became interim mayor.[6]

Charles Trudeau was born in New Orleans during the French regime to Jean-Baptiste Trudeau and Marianne Carrière. He married Charlotte Perrault (or Peyraud). The couple's children were: Caroline, who married Thomas Urquhart; Celestine, who became the second wife of General James Wilkinson; Josephine, who married Manuel Andry, Jr.; and Manette, who married David C. Kerr.[7] He is also the father of Marie Laveau, whose mother was Marguerite Darcantel, a "free woman of colour"[8].

See also

References

  1. ↑ Trudeau administration page at New Orleans Public Library site, accessed 05 April 2015.
  2. ↑ John Kendall's History of Louisiana, 1922, Chapter VI, accessed 10 Sept 2015.
  3. ↑ "Catherine Delavaux (1621–1688)". Généalogie.Québec. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  4. ↑ "What is a Dit Name and Why Is It Important to Family History?". Genealogy Today. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  5. ↑ "The nicknames and "dit names" of French-Canadian ancestors". Library and Archives Canada Blog. 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  6. ↑ Ibid.
  7. ↑ Letter dated 28 November 1807, from Trudeau to Mayor Mather at Louisiana Digital Library, in French, with biographical profile, accessed 05 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Dictionary of Louisiana Biography - L - Louisiana Historical Association". www.lahistory.org. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
Preceded by
James Mather		 Mayor of New Orleans
May 23, 1812 – October 8, 1812		 Succeeded by
Nicolas Girod
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