The son of Thomas Durnford, a black Englishman who first came to America in 1762 to British West Florida to serve as secretary to his cousin Elias Durnford, a British army officer and civil engineer who is best known for surveying the town of Pensacola and laying out a city plan based on two public places now known as the Plaza Ferdinand VII and the Seville Square. There he would remain employed until after we won our independence.
In 1776, Thomas settled in Louisiana to become a sugar plantation owner. The Viceroyalty of New Spain was still intact, and Louisiana was still part of the Spanish Empire.
In 1781 the Spanish drove the British from West Florida. Leaving the British commerce so vital to the continued existence of the population intact. By the end of the century, Thomas left for New Orleans which was still under Spanish rule as well to continue his success there.
In 1800 Thomas fathered a child Andrew Durnford with Rosaline Mercer, a free black woman from New Orleans. Thomas also met and became friends and business partners with John McDonogh, a white New Orleans merchant.
Thomas couldn't leave his property to his common law wife and child because they were unmarried. John McDonogh loaned Thomas a substantial amount of money to buy another plantation and together they purchased property south of New Orleans to start another sugar plantation. Andrew Durnford is born free, then educated as a young man as a physician also being fluent in both French and English.
In 1803 Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase lands from France.
In 1812 Louisiana became a sovereign State within the United States.
By the 1820's, Durnford’s sugar plantation grew, and the man himself climbed steadily through Louisiana society. Durnford paid $7,000 for seven male slaves, five female slaves and two children. Soon after that he traveled to Virginia to acquire 24 more slaves to work his land.
In all, it’s estimated that Durnford owned more than 80 slaves at the peak of his operations, earning a small fortune off their hard work. The Durnfords compensated their servants also granting them an option to work extra hours to purchase their freedom sooner. His servants were also educated and well taken care of.
On May 3, 1826 Thomas Durnford dies. McDonogh was close personal and business friends with Thomas Durnford. Also his principal creditor. Upon Thomas’s death, McDonogh became friends with Andrew. It was to be a lifelong relationship for both men. It is to McDonogh’s passion to retain all correspondence that we know so much of Andrew’s life.
Andrew would soon marry Marie Charlotte Remy, a black woman, and they named their first son Thomas "McDonogh" Durnford after him, and McDonogh was the child’s godfather. Andrew and Marie Charlotte (whom he affectionately called ‘Remi’) would have two additional children, daughters, one of which, Rosella, who appears not to have survived infancy.
Andrew believed slavery was wrong yet abolition impossible in his lifetime. He would take a trip in 1835 to Richmond Virginia to buy more slaves (with his black body servant, Barba), Andrew purchased two black female slaves, Wainy and her young daughter Merceline.
Merceline was near the same age as his daughter Rosema so it’s more than likely they grew up together as playmates with Wainy as their caretaker. Later he would take on Wainy as a mistress and they had a baby together named Albert.
In 1846 Andrews son Thomas received a B.A. degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania (paid for by his father). But we have no record of Thomas continuing for an M.D.
In 1850, John McDonogh dies at age 71, He believed in freeing indentured servants and sponsoring their return to Africa. In his will, he would free his 83 indentured servants. He also instructed the executors of his will not to demand immediate repayment of the remainder of Durnford's loan. They were to allow Andrew to continue to repay according to their original schedule.
The difficulty in determining what exactly happened with Thomas after John McDonogh, passed away comes to an end since he was the only one who saved their letters. Now the records of Andrew’s family nears an end.
In 1857. Andrew and his wife, Remi, made certain the security of Wainy by giving her and her daughter, Merceline, to their daughter, Rosema.
In 1859 Andrew Durnford dies, in his will only free's a single slave, his illegitimate son Albert.
In 1879 there was a biographical catalogue published by Lafayette College that states Thomas as ‘a gentleman of leisure; interested in literary pursuits, and divides his time between New Orleans and Paris.
Indentured servitude was the work release program of the times. Before being released they were required to learn a skill that would contribute to a growing new world. Calling them slaves is inaccurate because they gained their freedom eventually and was given land. Slaves do not.
There was language that I'll get more in to over the next few blogs, that was a condition of release that a servant was required to be able to care for themselves, or they had family to hold their title, meaning they took on the responsibility to house, protect and feed them. It would be cruel to let a retarded, crippled or inbred servant go free to starve to death.
There was no welfare. You worked or you starved. They didn't take time out's for hurt feelings. For that period in history when you consider the alternative, Indentured servitude was a pretty good deal. See you in the next blog!
Sincerely,
Lonnie T Locke LMT
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