Beyoncé's Acadian-to-Cajun Roots
Did you know that Beyoncé had deep Cajun and Acadian roots? Explore the superstar's genealogy all the way back to 17th-century France.
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Beyoncé’s Acadian-to-Cajun Roots
“My daddy Alabama, momma Louisiana
You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma”
Beyoncé in 2011 (courtesy Parkwood Pictures Entertainment, LLC)
Dig into Beyoncé roots and you’ll find they lead back to Alabama, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia. Dig even deeper and you’ll find a mix of Creole, Cajun, Acadian, French and African roots. The Texas bamma was born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4th, 1981 in Houston, to Mathew Knowles and Célestine "Tina" Ann Beyincé. Her sister, Solange Piaget Knowles, was born on June 24th, 1986, also in Houston. Beyoncé’s name is derived from her mother’s maiden name, though it was often spelled Buyince and Beyince in generations past.
Beyoncé grew up in Houston and spent most of her spare time dancing, singing and performing. By the age of 8, she was already performing in talent shows with an all-girl pop group. By 1996, the group became Destiny’s Child. That was the start of a very successful career; Beyoncé eventually went solo and is now one of the word's best-selling music artists. She is also a songwriter, record producer and actress. In 2005, Beyoncé launched a clothing label with her mother Tina. In a nod to her maternal roots, the fashion line was called House of Deréon, named after her grandmother Agnes Derouen.
What’s the difference between creole and cajun?
Creole normally means a person of French descent mixed with Spanish and/or African and/or Native American genes. However, this identity has evolved over the years and is very fluid (read a more detailed explanation here). Cajun, on the other hand, is a derivative and anglicized version of the French term “cadien”, the short form of “acadien.” The majority of Acadians came to Louisiana from Acadia during the 18th century’s Great Upheaval and the deportation campaigns by the British. Contrary to popular belief, the Acadians weren’t sent directly to Louisiana by the British, but fled or migrated there from various other places because of the common language.
Beyoncé’s Enslaved Ancestors
As we keep climbing Beyoncé’s family tree, we come across her grandmother Agnes Derouen’s mother, Odelia Broussard. On multiple census records, Odelia is recorded as “mulatto.” Considered a derogatory term nowadays, it signified the first-generation offspring of a black person and a white person. Here’s an extract of the 1880 U.S. census for the village of Petite Anse, Iberia, Louisiana. It shows E. R. [Eloi Rosemond] Boussard, Odelia’s father, as a 56-year white sugar planter, and Josephine Lesse, Odelia’s mother, as a 40-year old mulatto house keeper. All their children are also recorded as mulatto.
Was Josephine a former slave? Probably. Though it appears that Eloi and Joséphine might have married at the New Iberia church in March 1873, they certainly had children years before this date. In looking at an 1860 U.S. slave schedule for Eloi, the data about the unnamed enslaved persons do match the ages and sex of his future wife and children (slavery was abolished in the U.S. in 1865).
Photos reportedly of Eloi Rosemond Boussard and Josephine Lesse
Eloi Rosemond Boussard’s father, Rosemond Broussard, died in 1864 and left an estate file. His after-death inventory, drawn in French, lists enslaved people as part of his property. The tradition of owning enslaved persons was unfortunately passed down to his children. An excerpt of this inventory is below.
Beyoncé’s Acadian Roots
Going back several generations along the Broussard branch, we find Beyoncé’s Acadian connection: Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil (click here for an explanation on dit names). Born circa 1702 in Port-Royal, Acadia (present-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia), Broussard was widely regarded as a hero of the Acadian resistance during the Great Upheaval years. In the 1740s, the French attempted to regain Acadia from the British through numerous battles, often with the help of French Canadians. Broussard participated in the 1747 Battle of Grand Pré, which saw the French claim victory. Broussard joined the French in many more of these raids. Two years later, an expedition to Dartmouth in the company of native Mi'kmaq left some civilians dead. As a result, a bounty was put on his head by the governor of Massachusetts.
The Acadian flag
Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil in Acadia, 2009 painting by Herb Roe
In 1755, the British laid siege to the fort of Beauséjour (near present-day Sackville, New Brunswick). Though the French surrendered, Broussard and his men still tried to attack the soldiers that were guarding it and even capturing a British officer. He was commended for his bravery by the French commander. At this time, the British started deporting Acadians from their homes, which likely led Broussard and his family to flee into the woods. For the next five years or so, Broussard and his sons continued to fight the British and tried to hamper their efforts. Even after the fall of Québec and Louisbourg (on Cape Breton) in 1761, a few Acadians were still fighting back. British colonel William Forster wrote of these Acadians: “These people are Spirited up in their obstinacy by one BeauSoleil . . . and one or two others who have already rendered themselves so obnoxious to the English that they are conscious of the treatment they deserve at our hands.” By November, a starving and destitute Broussard surrendered. He and his family were imprisoned for the next two years until the Treaty of Paris was signed. Legend has it that Broussard then sailed to Saint-Domingue, Hispaniola (present-day Haiti) with a group of Acadians. Finding it difficult to adjust to the hot and humid climate, the Acadians left Hispaniola in 1765 and sailed for Louisiana instead. Broussard was appointed militia captain of the Acadians in the region of the Attakapas, which included the parishes of Saint-Landry, Saint-Martin and Lafayette. He died in October of that year and was buried at Beausoleil, near present-day Broussard.
Did you know that famed Franco-American singer-songwriter and poet Zachary Richard wrote a poem about Broussard? It is called the Ballad of Beausoleil. Read it here.
Are you related to Beyoncé? See if you can spot any relatives you may have in common. Beyoncé and yours truly, The French-Canadian Genealogist, are 9th cousins, twice removed (click here for a handy family relationship chart).
Family Photos & Images
Unconfirmed photo of Beyoncé’s great grand-father, Eugene Derouen
Unconfirmed photo of Beyoncé’s great grand-mother, Odelia Broussard
Signature of Eloi Rosemond Broussard from his father’s 1866 estate file
Obituary for Beyoncé’s maternal grandfather, Albert Lumis Beyincé/Buyince (The Galveston Daily News, 12 Aug 1982)
Obituary for Beyoncé’s maternal grandmother, Agnes Derouen (The Galveston Daily News, 6 Jul 1980)
Want to build your very own family tree? Check out our genealogy services page to learn more.
Sources:
d’Entremont, C. J. “BROSSARD, Beausoleil, JOSEPH,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 3, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/brossard_joseph_3E.html.
Gerdes, Caroline, “Cajun or Creole?,” October 2012, National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/intelligent-travel/2012/10/04/cajun-or-creole/.
Hawgood, Alex, "Catching Up With the Matriarch Behind Beyoncé and Solange," The New York Times, January 21, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/fashion/tina-knowles-lawson-beyonce-solange-matriarch.html.
Norment, Lynn, "A family affair: Beyonce & Tina Knowles launch fashion line House of Dereon," Ebony, December 2005.
“Joseph « Beausoleil » Broussard, héros têtu de la résistance acadienne,” Aujourd’hui l’histoire, Ici Radio-Canada, https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/aujourd-hui-l-histoire/segments/entrevue/143390/joseph-beausoleil-broussard-heros-resistance-acadienne-maurice-basque.