Hey, I am trying to find out the identity of CLEMANCE marie MASSE, who was a free black woman who married Pierre Barnabe at Grand Coteau, Louisiana in 1820. She is listed as being the NATURAL daughter of Pierre SAM and Francoise MASSE. I know the "natural" reference meant that her parents werent married and that her father recognized her. I am wondering whether or not she is kin to me because in the 1860 Lafayette Parish census, I found a CLEMANCE SAM(b1799) enumerated in the household of Jean-Baptiste Jean Louis, a free black man, who was the husband of my ggg grandfathers(Jean-Pierre SAM) sister, Angelique SAM. Also in the house is Adolphe and Philomene SAM. Adolphe is her brother. I believe that this CLEMANCE must be the sam Clemance Marie Masse that married Pierre Barnabe in 1820. There must be a reason why she was living with my relatives.
The MASSE surname that is mentioned can be traced to the freed slaves of Andre MASSE, an early settler in the Attakapas/Opelousas region who arrived sometime in the 1740s. He was the largest slaveowner in the 1766 Opelousas census(20 slaves). He freed all of slaves before his death. I was wondering if any knows any info about the identity of Clemance or her parents or any possible relationships to my antebellum SAM ancestors.