Rosette Rochon facts for kids

Rosette Rochon (1767–1863) was an important businesswoman in New Orleans during the 18th and 19th centuries. She was known as a successful "free woman of color" (Gens de couleur libres), which meant she was of mixed race and not enslaved. Rosette became very wealthy by investing in many different areas, such as dry goods, cattle, banking, and real estate. She was one of the most famous free women of color in New Orleans, alongside Eulalie de Mandéville and Marie Thérèse Metoyer.

Life Story

Rosette Rochon was born in 1767 in Mobile, which was a colony at the time. She was one of five children. Her father's family, the Rochons, were shipbuilders from Quebec. Her mother was a woman of mixed race named Marianne.

Early Life and Moves

When Rosette was old enough, she moved to the colony of Saint-Domingue with a man named Monsieur Hardy. This was a common arrangement for women of color in that historical period, often providing them with social connections and support. While in Saint-Domingue, Monsieur Hardy either passed away or their arrangement ended. In 1797, during the Haitian Revolution, Rosette moved to New Orleans. There, she later had similar arrangements with two wealthy white men from New Orleans, Joseph Forstal and Charles Populus.

Becoming a Businesswoman

Rosette Rochon became very active in business, especially in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She bought and sold real estate, meaning she invested in land and buildings. She owned many properties that she rented out to others. Rosette also opened grocery stores, gave out loans, and bought and sold mortgages (which are like loans for homes). She also rented out enslaved people, a common practice at the time.

Rosette traveled often between New Orleans and Haiti. Her son, who was Monsieur Hardy's child, became a government official in the new country of Haiti. Rosette's friends in New Orleans included famous people like Marie Laveau, Jean Lafitte, and successful free black builders and real estate investors Jean-Louis Doliolle and his brother Joseph Doliolle.

Investing in Faubourg Marigny

Rosette Rochon was one of the first people to invest in a neighborhood called Faubourg Marigny. She bought her first piece of land there in 1806 from Bernard de Marigny. Bernard de Marigny was a wealthy Creole who was dividing his family's large plantation into smaller lots to sell. He preferred to sell land only to people who spoke French, not English. Even though this choice might have cost him money, he felt more comfortable with French-speaking, Catholic free people of color. Many of them were related to, or had connections with, white Creole families. Because of this, many of the buildings in Faubourg Marigny were built by free black skilled workers for free people of color or for French-speaking white Creoles.

Rosette Rochon could not read or write very well, but she was a very smart businesswoman. She passed away in 1863 at the age of 96. She left behind an estate (all her money and property) worth $100,000, which would be worth millions of dollars today.American slave owners