*** Welcome to piglix ***

Rodolphe Desdunes

Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes
RodolpheDesdunes1911.jpg
Born (1849-11-15)November 15, 1849
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died (aged 78)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Alma mater Straight University
Occupation Customs Officer, Journalist, Historian
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Mathilde Cheval Denebourg
Clementine Walker

Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes (November 15, 1849 – August 14, 1928) was a civil rights activist, poet, historian, journalist, and customs officer primarily active in New Orleans, Louisiana. Later in life he moved to Omaha, Nebraska. In Louisiana he was a militiaman involved in the Battle of Liberty Place. Later, he was a member of L'Union Louisianais and wrote for the weekly of the same name. He also wrote for the daily paper, the Crusader, and taught at the Couvent School in New Orleans. In 1890, he was a founder of the Comité des Citoyens which fought the 1890 Separate Car Act through legal challenges, leading to the US Supreme Court Case, Plessy vs Ferguson. He also wrote an important French-language history of Creoles in America called Nos Hommes et Notre Histoire, the first such book written in French by a member of the Louisiana Creole Community.

Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes was born November 15, 1849 as one of at least five children of Pierre Jérémie Desdunes and Henriette Angélique (Sonty) Gaillard along with Pierre Aristide, Joseph, Elmore, and Sarazin. Pierre Aristide was also involved with civil rights. By profession he was a poet, a cigar maker, a carpenter, and owner of a tobacco plantation. He fought in the civil war, and was on the board of directors of the Couvent School created by Marie Couvent in 1848. In 1873 Aristide married Louise Mathilde Denebourg. Rodolphes father, Pierre, lived in New Orleans at least as early as 1840 and was probably born in the city, although the Desdunes family originated in Haiti, probably moving to Louisiana during the 1791 Haitian Revolution. Rodolphe's education was likely provided by family and family friends Armand Lanusse and Joanni Questy, as well as at the Couvent School.

Rodolphe married Mathilde Cheval and lived for some time with her mother, also named Mathilde. Before 1880, they had children Daniel (born in about 1873), Agnes (about 1873), Louise (about 1874), Coritza (born in 1876), and Wendelle (born winter 1876-1877). The Chevals may have descended from early Cheval settlers of the Tremé district, Pierre and Léandre. In 1879, Rodolphe started a relationship with Clementine Walker, born in 1860 and daughter of John and Ophelia Walker. Rodolphe and Clementine had at least four children, Mary Celine (in 1879), John Alexander (1881), Louise (1889), and Oscar Alphonse (1892). Clementine died September 23, 1893. Mary Celine later became known as Mamie Desdunes and was a blues pianist. Clementine lived near Jelly Roll Morton's godmother and Jérémie and Henriette Desdunes were neighbors of Morton's mother. From this proximity, Morton learned the song he recorded as "Mamie's Blues" or "2:19 Blues" and attributed to Mamie, singing, "Can’t give a dollar, give a lousy dime,/ I wanna feed that hungry man of mine." Other associates of Mamie included performer Bunk Johnson and promoters Hattie Rogers and Lulu White. Mamie was born March 25, 1879, married George Degay in 1898, and died of tuberculosis December 4, 1911. Oscar was also a musician and played with his nephew Clarence's (son of Daniel) band, the Joyland Revellers, after Clarence's death in 1933. Rodolphe had three other daughters, possibly by Clementine, named Edna, Lucille, and Jeanne (born about 1893).


...
Wikipedia

...