Creole Casbons

In an earlier post I introduced a large clan of Casbons who presently live, or whose ancestors lived in Louisiana. They were living in Louisiana by the late 1700s, well before any of my English ancestors. In that post, I speculated about their origins and made the statement, “hopefully a member of that family is doing research or will be motivated to do so.”^[1]

Well, I’m happy to say that somebody has been doing research on that family. I was gathering data on the Louisiana Casbons in early February when I came across a book, titled Casborn Creoles of Lousiana: Legally Divided in Black and White, by Anisa Faciane Watts, MLIS, first published in 2017. A preview of the book was available on Google Books, and after reading the preview, I knew that I had to get a copy.^[2] After a little more searching, I learned that it could be purchased from Lulu.com, an online self-publishing website. The website can be accessed here.

I received my copy of the book a little over a week ago. Since then, I’ve corresponded with the author several times. Here’s the cover.

I’m really excited about this book and want to tell you more about it. Ms. Watts was born in Louisiana and now resides in Detroit. The book’s title is based on her mother’s maiden name, Casborn, and it traces the genealogy of that surname. Although, the spelling is slightly different, the surnames Casbon and Casborn have common origins in Louisiana, and should be considered as part of the same extended family. Both spellings of the name appear in the book.

Using a combination of traditional genealogical research and DNA test results, Ms. Watts has done some amazing work on her family’s origins. The fascinating result is that the Casbon/Casborn surname in Louisiana has origins from both Spain and France. Ms. Watts has traced one line of the family to Juan Casabon, born in Spain about 1690 (her eighth great grandfather).^[3] One of her third great grandmothers is descended from this line. On the other hand, a man named Jean or John Marie Cazaubon emigrated to Louisiana from France in the 1830s.^[4] He is a third great grandfather.

Descendants of these men married others with mixed ethnic and racial origins, including various European countries, North and West Africa, and Haiti (a mixture of African & French). This mixing of cultures and races encompasses the definition of Creole. The term doesn’t seem to have an exact meaning, but various definitions include being descendants of French or Spanish settlers, or born in the West Indies of African descent, whether they identify as white or black.^[5] This distinguishes the Creoles from the Cajuns, who have an unmixed ancestry from France or Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia).^[6] According to Ms. Watts, many of her ancestors (even before the American Civil War) were free men and women “of color.” None of her ancestors are known to have been slaves or former slaves.

The descendants of Juan Casabon and John Marie Cazaubon eventually settled in Plaquemines Parish, where they intermarried. I’ve never been to Plaquemines Parish, but it looks like a fascinating place, and I would love to visit someday.

You can see from the map that the northern border of the parish begins just below New Orleans, and the parish then extends south and east into the Gulf of Mexico, divided in two by the main channel of the Mississippi River. On the map it appears fragile and delicate. Flooding and hurricanes are a perennial threat.

The Casborn spelling seems to be more common in the male lineage of John Marie Cazaubon (French), while Casbon is predominant in the Juan Casabon (Spanish) line. Ms. Watts has done extensive research into both lines and written detailed listings of descendants in the book. Everyone with these surnames and roots in Louisiana would benefit from having this book.

What is of greater interest to me is the introductory material in the book, which takes up about 30 pages. This contains some fascinating background information on the history of Louisiana, important migrations, slave laws, racial history and politics, and definitions of important terms.

One particular discussion is of the “one drop rule,” the idea that a person with any ancestor of sub-Saharan African ancestry (i.e., “one drop” of black blood) was (and still is) considered black.^[7] In the American South, this idea became incorporated into laws that legalized racial discrimination (“Jim Crow laws”). However, the rule has also been applied by those who identify as black to define their own identity or that of their children.^[8]

A side effect of the one-drop rule was that it became advantageous for white or light-skinned people of mixed descent to “pass” as white people. Ms. Watts explains how some of the Louisiana Casbon/Casborns were able to pass as white. This is evident in various censuses over the years, where related families are classified as mulatto, black, Negro, or white. This phenomenon accounts for the second part of the book’s title, Legally Divided in Black and White.^[9]

As a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies, I’m interested in all instances of the Casbon surname, not just those of English origin. I have a much better understanding now of those Casbons who have Louisiana roots. All of our stories reveal a unique and rich heritage, that hopefully helps us to have a better appreciation for who and what we are today.

^[1] Jon Casbon, “The French Connection,” 9 February 2017, Our Casbon Journey (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/the-french-connection/ : accessed 3 March 2018).
^[2] “Casborn Creoles of Louisiana: Legally Divided in Black and White”, online preview, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books/about/Casborn_Creoles_of_Louisiana_Legally_Div.html?id=MDpLDwAAQBAJ : accessed 3 February 2018).
^[3] Anisa Faciane Watts, MLIS, Casborn Creoles of Louisiana: Legally Divided in Black and White, 2d ed. (ZAP Publishing, 2018), p. 32.
^[4] Watts, Casborn Creoles of Louisiana, p. 81.
^[5] Watts, Casborn Creoles of Louisiana, p. 81. p.28.
^[6] Watts, Casborn Creoles of Louisiana, p. 81. p.29.
^[7] “One-drop rule,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule : accessed 4 March 2018), rev. 3 Mar 18, 13:31.
^[8] Susan Donaldson James, “Halle Berry Cites ‘One-Drop’ Rule in Battle Over Whether Her Daughter Is Black or White,” 9 Feb 2011, ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/halle-berry-cites-drop-rule-daughter-black-white/story?id=12869789 : accessed 4 March 2018).
^[9] Watts, Casborn Creoles of Louisiana, p. 81. p.29.