Riverlake Plantation
Riverlake Plantation House was also owned by a free man of color living in Pointe Coupee Parish, Joseph Decuir; the plantation is believed to have been constructed in 1870. Joseph Decuir was actually the brother of Antione Decuir, making Joseph Decuir my paternal fifth-great grandfather. Riverlake is a Creole-style plantation and an antebellum mansion, located along False River in Pointe Coupee Parish; Riverlake plantation was also the home of the famous Louisiana author, Ernest Gaines.
Austerlitz Plantation
In the year 1783, a purchase of 1800 acres of farmable land from a group of local native Americans was made on Fausse Riviere, or False River. Approximately 53 years later, a free man of color, named Antoine DeCuir, would go on to cultivate this same land; this 1783 land purchase from native Americans was done by his father. Spanning from approximately, 1832-35, DeCuir would undergo the construction of his plantation that would take the eventual name Austerlitz Plantation, located in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Decuir was quite wealthy and was born into a family of mixed race, having "mulatto," or "quadroon" features. Decuir also happens to be my fifth great-uncle.
Cedar Grove Tchoupitoulas Plantation
The most fruitful legacy, however, must be afforded to Antoine Dublecet (1810-1887) and his wife Claire Dublecet/Pollard. Born near Baton Rouge, LA, Dublecet was born to both a free mother and father. His father co-owned the lucrative Cedar Grove Tchoputolias sugar plantation that Antoine soon inherited, and when he marriedClaire Pollard in the mid-1830s they together built a plantation empire. Claire Pollard was a wealthy free black woman who owned her own plantation with an estimated 44 slaves. Together they managed both plantations, growing his wealth considerably until Claire passed away in 1852. Despite this, his empire continued on. By 1860, Dublecet owned more than 100 slaves and was Louisiana’s wealthiest slaveholder. Their nine children were all educated in France, and two of their sons became medical doctors. In addition, from 1868-1878 Dublecet also served as Louisiana's first Black State Treasurer. At the time of his death in 1887, Antoine Dubuclet was a wealthy man; he was widely regarded as one of the richest men in all of the South, richer even than his white neighbors. According to historians’ estimates, his net worth was around $265,000, estimated to be around 200 times the average annual income. As well as being a land and slave-owning member of society, he was also well-respected among his southern peers.
