SAHS is pleased to recognize the outstanding research effort of Metoyer descendant, Cornell Celestine for his recent book, My Rachal Family of Color in Isle Brevelle, Louisiana. He donated to the SAHS a copy of this excellent contribution to Isle Brevelle history and heritage.... Cornell is also creator of the website, rootsofcolor which helps families connect with information about ancestors. (((SEE SUBMITTED BIO BELOW))) Cornell August Celestine was born December 17, 1950 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the second born son, from the union of Beverly Celestine Sr. and Dolores Moran who produced five other siblings. His father, Beverly Celestine Sr., was a descendant of Felix Celestin and Philomene Monconduit of the German Coast Parishes. Felix Celestin’s family migrated from Haiti after the revolution in 1790 to Louisiana. Our Monconduit family migrated from the Brittany region of France, mixed with Belgium and French Acadians from Canada. Cornell‘s father’s mother was Angeline Si’ mon; the daughter of Jean Baptist Simon whose father was white and mother was a descendant of the Washas Indian tribe. He married Eugenie Jasmin; daughter of Augustin Jasmin and Rosalie Roberts, all of who lived in the German Coast Parishes. Currently I have written books and documented their lineage for their descendants. Cornell’s mother, Dolores Moran, was the daughter of August Moran and Orean Rachal. August was the son of Albert Moran Sr. and Philomene Bellow. Albert’s ancestry can be traced to Louis Morin. Philomene Bellow’s ancestry can be traced back to Donato Bello. Dolores’ mother, Orean Rachal, can be traced to Jean Baptiste Barthelemy Rachal and Augustin and Suzanne Metoyer; Children, Jean Baptiste Maxille Metoyer and Aspasie Anty. He has written books on the Metoyer family and the Colony of Isle Iberville. Cornell was baptized at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 2015 Louisiana Avenue, New Orleans, LA. He attended grade school at St. Raymond Catholic School. After hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, St. Raymond joined with St. Leo Catholic Church. In 1956, Cornell’s parents purchased a home in Ponchartrain Park; one of the first suburbs for People of Color. The family attended St. Gabriel Catholic Church, where he made his First Communion and Confirmation. He graduated from John F. Kennedy Senior High School in 1968. Class of 1968 was the first integrated graduating class from John F. Kennedy. Later, he attended the Louisiana State University, whose name was soon changed to the University of New Orleans, Lakefront Campus. In 1970, Cornell left home; New Orleans, LA and moved to the San Francisco Bay area. There he began his thirty-five year tenure with the City and County of San Francisco. His first job was working in the Tax Collectors Department then as a Purchasing Clerk. Later he hired on with the Muni Railway System as a Transit Scheduler and Operator. In 2006 he retired. In 1972, his grandmother, Orean Rachal Moran gave him a copy of this book “The Forgotten People” by Gary Mills and Elizabeth Shown Mills for my birthday. She said it was a book about her family and that they owned plantations and were Free People. Well it didn’t take him very long to read and finish the book. He was so excited when he saw the names of people that his Uncle Bruno Rachal and Orean Rachal Moran would tell stories about. Soon he found himself at the National Archives in San Bruno and the Mormon Temple in Oakland going through reels after reels to find my ancestors. In 1978, Cornell met and married his wife Azeb Mesfin from Ethiopia, while visiting in Sweden. They had no children together, but Azeb had one son, Hans. While in the Bay Area, Cornell took up residence in Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, Pinole, and Richmond. Oakland was where he lived the longest, because it reminded him of home. In the late 1980’s Cornell met Kathleen Balthazar, publisher of the Cane River Trading Co. He purchased Kathleen’s book “The Genealogy of the People of Cane River”. The information in this book helped Cornell immensely to understand the lineage of the people of the colony. A few years later, he met Mickey Moran, his cousin from Cane River, who embraced him and gave him the complete lineage on the Moran ancestors. Soon after, Cornell became one of the founding members of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, where he met many people from Louisiana who had migrated to the Bay Area in the 1950’s. Then he met, cousin Betty-Jo Metoyer Roque and Dr. Harlan Mark Guidry, who inspired him to continue his research and to write his book, “My Rachal Family of Color in Isle Brevelle, Louisiana”, that was completed on February 25, 2014 the day his father passed on to Glory. Cornell is a member of the St. Augustine Historical Society, the Creole Heritage Foundation, the Natchitoches Genealogical Society and the Association de Genealogic D’ Haiti. Cornell’s ultimate goal is to identify and connect the People of Cane River and the people of German Coast, LA. Cornell has designed a website: rootsofcolor whereby descendants can submit their request for deliverables retrieved from the U.S. Census. This will help families connect with their ancestors’ history. Special thanks and appreciation to all the people who helped support him along the way. And to those who continue to provide their guidance, knowledge and sincerity as he moves closer towards pursuing his dream, he thanks you greatly. Cornell August Celestine Family Researcher
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 13:49:13 +0000
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