Marie Rosalie Préjean Pécot (1741-1813) was born in French Canada to Charles Préjean and his third wife Marguerite Simon (12 children total—six by Marguerite). In 1756, the family’s home, along with those of many others, was burned by the British. The French-speaking colonialists were then ordered to leave and were put on various ships to unknown destinations. Marie Rosalie traveled with her sister, Natalie, separated from the rest of their family; they are believed to have landed in Boston or Philadelphia. They later moved to Saint Domingue and here, Marie Rosalie, having been widowed, married François Pécot (second marriage). During the Revolution in Saint Domingue, François was beheaded, alongside the couple’s oldest son. Marie Rosalie and some of her children, as well as her sister, escaped and found temporary residence in Jamaica, only to be exiled from there because the British once again feared the French. This time, she made her way to Louisiana. After living briefly in New Orleans’ French Quarter, she and Natalie were reunited with their sisters Cécile and Marguerite. Marie Rosalie then moved to Acadiana to be near these sisters.
Click the link below to see how Marie Rosalie’s story has survived.
Mary Anne DeBoisblanc (b. 1925), a descendant of Marie Rosalie, is a self-taught artist, who has specialized in depicting images of Acadian life, both in Louisiana and elsewhere. Drawing from both history and memory, she chooses as her subjects daily life often rendered in folk art style.
Mary Anne DeBoisblanc Gallery, from photographs of paintings in various galleries, archives, and private collections. To contact the artist, call 504 828 7663:
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- “Acadian Dance in the 1920s”
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- “Black Baptism”
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- “Cabbage Patch”
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- “Carolyn Ivy Shimek as Little Girl”
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- “Carolyn’s Mom”
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- “Catholic Priest”
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- “Chitimacha Wife and Caucasian Husband”
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- “Country Fair”
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- “Digging for Gold”
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- “Evangeline”
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- “Fais Do Do”
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- “Felicien”
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- “First Communion”
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- “Folse House”
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- “Four Sisters and a Daughter”
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- “General Toussaint”
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- “Grandfather Pecot’s Drugstore”
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- “Grandpa Goes on a Housecall”
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- “Here Comes the Train”
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- “Homeplace- A Pecot Home”
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- “Jacques Burning Sugar Cane”
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- “Jean Lafitte”
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- “Jumping the Broom”
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- “La Charivarie”
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- “Longfellow”
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- “Mail Wagon”
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- “Marie Rosalie”
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- “May Pole 1”
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- “Mrs. DeVince Bienvenu”
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- “Mrs. DeVine Bienvenu Parades Through the French Quarter”
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- “Orphan Train Brings Millie”
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- “Pecot Homeplace”
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- “Pompie”
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- “Prejean Homestead”
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- “Prohibition”
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- “Reunion”
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- “Roadster”
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- “Robichaux Home”
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- “Robichaux Landing”
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- “Royal 1”
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- “Royal 2”
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- “Royal Couple”
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- “Second Line”
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- “String of Pearls”
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- “Sugar Mill”
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- “The Traveling Store”
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- “Three Nuns”
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- “Three Royals”
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- “Tignon Black and White”
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- “Tignon White”
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- “Voodoo”
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- “Vote Leblanc”
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- “Wedding”
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- “Widow and Her Three Children Go to Mass”
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- “Zydeco”
Mary Ann De Boisblanc Collections, Newcomb Archives, Newcomb College Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
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