Marie Laveau
Full Name
Marie Laveau
Date of Birth
September 10, 1794
Place of Birth
Date of Death
June 15, 1881
Place of Death
Education
Marie Laveau grew up on her father’s plantation where she was educated and studied to be a hairdresser
Spouses Names
- Jacques Paris (m. August 4, 1819; his death unknown)
- Common-law marriage with Louis Christophe Dumesnil de Glapion (from about 1826 until his death in 1855)
Children Names
Marie Laveau had fifteen children with Louis Christophe Dumesnil de Glapion, but only two survived to adulthood:
Parents Names
- Father: Charles Laveau
- Mother: Marguerite Darcantrel
Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo, renowned in New Orleans. She was a free woman of color and part Choctaw. Laveau was a hairdresser catering to wealthy white and Creole women, which allowed her to gather a network of informants. She also worked as a nurse, which included minor surgery and caring for the sick in her own home, as well as ministering to prisoners on death row. Laveau entered into a common-law marriage with Louis Christophe Dumesnil de Glapion after her first husband, Jacques Paris, disappeared. She lived with Glapion until his death and had fifteen children, though only two reached adulthood. Known as the “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans,” Laveau was a respected and feared figure who led a multiracial religious community. She was a devout Catholic, attending mass daily, and integrated her Catholic faith with African traditional beliefs. Laveau’s work in Voodoo was both spiritual and practical, as she offered consultations and held ceremonies. Despite her association with Voodoo, she was remembered as one of the kindest women who ever lived, dedicating much of her later life to charitable works