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Bibliography
for Tracing French Noble
Familes Africans Europeans The
French On the 24th of
November, 1783, the King of Spain signed The Royal
Cedula of Population. This decree opened up the
island of Trinidad to Catholics from any country
that would swear fealty to the Spanish Crown. The
effect on Trinidad was drastic and immediate. In
1773, the population was approximately 1,000 people
of all races. By 1797, the population had swelled
to 18,627. What had been an underdeveloped and
backwater settlement, became a significant colony
in the West Indies. The largest pool
of potential colonists that fit the conditions of
the Cedula were the French, and they came in
droves. These settlers came mostly from other
French colonies, such as the French West Indies,
Acadia (Canada) and Louisiana. In his book, The
History of Trinidad, E. L. Joseph notes that
the idea for the Cedula originated with a
Frenchman, and he postulates that his ultimate goal
was to take over control of the colony from the
Spanish. The influx of French settlers did just
that, and the island became a Spanish colony in
name only. The French
brought with them a strong sense of community, and
managed to preserve their customs and language. Of
this group of immigrants, the whites and about one
quarter of the people of color were land owners,
and their primary language was Patois, their
French Creole dialect. They were called the "new"
colonists, to distinguish them from the older
Spanish people. The older, wealthier families were
an elite group. They were white, Catholic, of
legitimate birth, and an aristocratic family. One
could also enter this group by marriage. These families
lived in large estate houses, with many servants
and ornate furnishings. They dressed formally for
dinner, and strict manners were observed. As a
result, Trinidad rapidly became known as one of the
most cultured societies in the West
Indies. It became
accepted for the French planters to have colored
mistresses. The resulting offspring were sometimes
legitimized and educated abroad by their fathers.
Many of these offspring eventually settled in the
southern part of Trinidad. After the
surrender of the colony to the British, these
French proprietors lost much of their political
power, but their plantations continued to prosper
until the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Many
accepted the buyout offered by the British
government for their slaves, and sold their lands.
When sugar fell on hard times, many planters made a
second fortune growing cocoa. A second group of
French emigrés consisted of French noblemen
that fled France during the revolution. Some came
directly to the West Indies, but many were allowed
to join British units to fight the revolutionaries.
They ended up fighting in the Caribbean battles of
the 1790's, and settled in Trinidad after
hostilities ended. Over time, the
elitism of the French subsided as they
inter-married with other ethnic groups. The
descendants of the French remain a significant
force in Trinidad to this day, especially in the
professions, as lawyers, doctors, and
educators. (The information
on this page was obtained primarily from The
Book of Trinidad, edited by Gérard A.
Besson, and Bridget M. Brereton. Port-of-Spain:
Paria Publishing Company Ltd., 1991.) |
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