Last year I explained how, after doubting my cousin Peanut’s claim that we were related to Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen, I had to eat some crow. While digging into my ancestry, there it was. Marie Adele Laveau was our great-great-great grandma.
At first, I was over the moon ecstatic. I excitedly told Peanut she was right —and apologized for doubting and dismissing her claims.
But a part of me remained incredulous. As I explained when I first wrote about it, I planned to reach out to Jeffrey Holmes, the proprietor of Strange True Tours New Orleans. When I had interviewed him for Haunt Jaunts once upon a time, before I’d done the Ancestry.com research, I had mentioned Peanut’s claim about being related to Marie Laveau.
Jeffrey recommended a friend of his, Carolyn Morrow Long, who’s an authority on Marie Laveau. She’s an academic who’s written a book about her and everything.
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He said she kept a meticulous family tree of all of Marie Laveau’s descendants. If anyone might be able to help solve the mystery, it was her. I asked if he could connect us, which he did.
So I reached out to her, confident Marie Adele Laveau was proof positive I was related to the voodoo queen, but still wanting a second opinion all the same.
Consulting a Marie Laveau Authority
No sooner had I crafted my email and hit send than I went to do some research to learn more about my third great-grandma. That’s when I realized, “Oh shit! I’ve just announced to the world via social media she’s my great-great-great grandma but she’s not! The Marie Laveau’s middle name was ‘Catherine.’ Mine’s was Adele. And look…the birthdates don’t match up.”
Of course wouldn’t you know I’m mostly ignored on socials, but that post got a lot of interest. #Humiliating
I quickly crafted another email to Carolyn explaining I may have answered my own question. But there was still one more mystery, and there was a chance I still was related to the Marie Laveau somehow. I didn’t know who Marie Adele’s parents were.
Carolyn didn’t know either, but she confirmed what I had already figured out: Marie Adele wasn’t the Voodoo Queen. She shared a detailed family tree with me. Nothing in that lineage pointed towards mine.
Crap.
Well, it wasn’t the first time I’d been mistaken and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last.
But I’m not going to lie. I was disappointed.
Marie Adele and Joseph Augustin
But because I didn’t know who Marie Adele’s parents were, there was a chance there was still a connection. I wasn’t quite sure how to try and track that info down though. Nor did I take the time to try and learn. I was kind of bummed about the whole thing to be honest. And it seemed too daunting. Or maybe I was just trying to avoid more disappointment. At any rate, even though it nagged at my conscience, I ignored it.
But every time Ancestry.com emailed me about a new vital record hint to check out, I’d excitedly click hoping it would be one about Marie Adele.
In a way, the hints sort of involved her. They were often for Marie Adele’s husband, Joseph Adolphe Augustin. He’s turned out to be an interesting guy though too. Before learning about him, I had no relatives with Civil War ties that I knew about. He changed that. He fought for the Union!
I knew who his mom and dad were, and I knew the children he and Marie Adele had together. But if my Marie Laveau had any connection to the Marie Laveau, it remained elusive.
Until a new relative introduced themselves.
Warlock Asylum’s Missing Puzzle Piece
On January 4, Warlock Asylum replied to my Tweet about posting my first fiction podcast episode.
Congratulations Cousin and Happy New Years!
— Warlock Asylum (@WarlockAsylum1) January 4, 2022
Cousin? I racked my brain trying to figure out which of my cousins was on Twitter with that name.
Well, the answer was waiting to reveal itself in my Spam folder.
I didn’t know that until Jan. 13 though. I was trying to find another email from Willow Croft who had crafted a kick-ass horoscope for Haunt Jaunts.
That’s when I spotted another curious email that had gone to Spam. The subject line immediately caught my attention: “Laveau Family and Ancestry.”
On Jan. 4, the author writing as Warlock Asylum emailed me to introduce himself. (I’m not sure if he wants his real name revealed. I’ll ask. But I will say he’s a cool dude with a story of his own, including that he’s a writer and a musician!)
In part here’s what he wrote:
I am also a certified genealogist and found your website while doing some research. on my 3rd great-grandmother Marie Adele Leveau who married J. Adolphe Augustin. My aunt Marie Philomene Augustin, who later married Ernest LaCroix – was actually named after her aunt and daughter of Marie Catherine Leveau (born 1801 approx), named Marie Philomene Glapion born 1835. In any event, we are cousins.
Two things happened after I re-read that a few times. Stunned silence followed by a raucous “Whoop!” (Hey, my tennis coach didn’t nickname me Whoop Whoop Whoopsie for no reason!)
Marie Adele Laveau’s Parents
I asked for more info on how Marie Adele connected us to the Voodoo Queen. Among the info he shared in that reply was this:
So who was Marie Adele Laveau? She was the niece of the infamous Marie Laveau and the daughter of Marie Laveau’s brother Laurent Charles Laveaux (born approx.. 1803). Additionally, the ancestors that we share in common are Joseph Adolphe Augustin and Marie Adele Laveau. So my guess is that we are near 3rd to 4th cousins. Additionally, the Augustin line originated in Sardinia, Italy. So the infamous Marie Laveau is your aunt. Congrats!
So now I at least know who her father was. Valuable info!
And exciting too. She may not be my third-great grandma but she’s something. A grandaunt of some sort I believe? I’m not sure. Maybe my new cousin will have that answer? Speaking of…
Family Roots
I hope Warlock Asylum knows what he’s in for claiming me as family. lol
Seriously though, how cool is this to discover a fellow ancestor with famous roots? But even cooler, he’s a creative type too!
Well, I like to think of myself as creative but am I really? My only true talent is shenanigans.
But I appreciate creativity. I’m going to have fun checking out his work more, both the writing and the music.
And of course he’s now added important info to the book. He helped solve the mystery once and for all.
At least about the Marie Laveau Voodoo Queen connection. But what other storylines may develop now thanks to him?
Because Marie Laveau is a superstar in her own right, but I’m finding that so are other folks in my family tree. They may not have recognizable names, but they have stories too. One’s I’m feeling compelled to share.
Including now Warlock Asylum’s.
And can I just say how cool it is that that’s his pseudonym? Whereas it might make others raise eyebrows, I’m all, “I might suspect we’re kindred spirits at the very least with a name like that. But finding out we’re kin? Yeah. Totally digging it!”