Francois Boisdore

Francois Boisdore, a free man of mixed French and African Creole heritage, owned land on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans between the neighborhoods of Treme and Marais. In 1828, he agreed to build a house for Marcely Cornu on Bayou Road in Treme. That same year, he married Josephine Sophia Livaudais and declared himself the son of Dubruisson Boisdore and Adelaide Boisdore. He bought three lots on Villere Street at Bayou Road in 1841 and sold property on Esplanade Avenue in 1844.

Francois Boisdore and his neighbor Louis Dollioie resisted the city’s efforts to widen Esplanade Avenue through their land until a fair agreement could be reached. Negotiations lasted from 1832 to 1837. Another neighbor, Jean Mager, had a plan drawn up for the sale of fifteen lots in 1839, showing Boisdore and Dolliole’s land clearly. Boisdore had the rest of his land surveyed and sold it in 1844.

The Boisdore family remained influential in land development, business, culture, and politics. Francois Boisdore Jr. worked as a bookkeeper for Pierre Cazenave, a prominent undertaker and embalmer. He was also known for his skills as an orator, advocating for the Republican cause and later becoming a school teacher after the Civil War. He passed away in the late 1890s.

Louis Boisdore, another free man of color, likely a cousin of Francois, married Louise Fernandez in 1827 and claimed to be the son of Louis Boisdore and Charlotte Morand.