Marie Marguerite Rose

Innkeeper

• Born: 1717
• Birthplace: Western Africa (modern Guinea)
• Died: August 27, 1757
• Place of death: Louisbourg (modern Cape Breton Island)

Also known as: Marie Marguerite Rose Laurent

Significance: Marie Marguerite Rose was an enslaved woman in the colony of New France. She was emancipated after nineteen years of servitude and became an innkeeper. She was one of very few Black Canadians to become members of the merchant class in the eighteenth century and is remembered as Canada’s first known Black businesswoman.

Background

Very little is known of Marie Marguerite Rose’s early life. She was born in western Africa in 1717 and was either kidnapped or sold to slave traders. She was taken to New France when she was nineteen years old and sold to a French officer, Jean Chrysostome Loppinot, in 1736. Lippinot was posted at the Fortress of Louisbourg on Île Royale, modern-day Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. French enslavers customarily had those they enslaved baptized; her previous identity was erased, and she was christened with a French name: Marie Marguerite Rose. Her tasks included housekeeping for the Loppinots, cooking, and caring for the family’s twelve children.

Life’s Work

In the eighteenth century, Marie Marguerite Rose was one of more than 1,330 enslaved persons in the territory that is modern-day Canada. On Île Royale, more than 350 enslaved persons worked for French families. The majority, like Marie, lived in the military fortress. France founded Louisbourg in 1713 to defend its interests in North America. It is located at the southeast edge of Louisbourg Harbor and served as a gateway to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. As such, it was a valuable commercial and fishing center.

British forces captured the fortress in 1745. The Loppinot family returned to France. Although enslavement was outlawed in France, Marie and her son remained with them in Rochefort. They returned to Louisbourg with the Loppinots in 1749. After nineteen years of being enslaved by the Loppinots, Marie was emancipated in 1755. She married Jean Baptiste Laurent, a Mi’kmaq hunter and trader.

Marie had a variety of useful skills that she could use to survive and thrive as a free woman. She was reported to be a good cook and seamstress. She made preserves. She knitted and dyed clothing and made soap. After her marriage she decided to open an inn. She selected a location not far from the Louisbourg barracks. Her tavern proved to be a success in large part because of the quality of the food and the French brandy she served.

Documents indicate that she was well-regarded by some members of the merchant class. A letter that survived from a businessman in Europe who would not be returning to New France asked her to attend to some business on his behalf. He had given her power of attorney to conduct his business with another merchant in Louisbourg. At the time, French law did not permit women to do such things without a man’s involvement, but the merchant put his confidence in her negotiating skills. Marie conducted business with many merchants in operating her inn, including her former enslaver, who in addition to his military career was an importer of goods.

Marie died in 1757, two years after opening her business and a year before British forces again captured the fortress. Historians say the inventory of her belongings at the time of her death offers insight into her status and wealth. Her wardrobe consisted of numerous brightly colored garments of imported fabric; she may have purchased the fabric or had her clothing made in France. She owned two necklaces, one of pearls and one of garnets, jewelry that was typical of women of the upper classes. She also owned a light flintlock musket.

Impact

Marie’s accomplishments were remarkable given her status, gender, and race. As an enslaved Black woman for about half her life, she had few opportunities. When she was emancipated, she found the resources to start her own business within the community where she had been enslaved. She operated a thriving inn and was accepted by the businesspeople in her community. Although little information is known about enslaved people in New France, some elements of her story have survived because of her accomplishments. She has been represented at Louisbourg by historical interpreters for many years. As more about her life has been discovered and published in the twenty-first century, historians said it was important that Canada learn more and preserve and share her story. An archaeological dig at the site of the Loppinot home was conducted toward this end. In 2008 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) designated Marie Marguerite Rose a person of national historic significance. A commemorative plaque is located at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.

Personal Life

Marie gave birth to a son when she was twenty-one years old. Because his father was unknown, the infant was also enslaved by the Loppinot family. The boy, Jean, died at the age of thirteen. Marie married Jean-Baptiste Laurent (some sources say Jean-Pierre Laurent), who was probably a Mi’kmaq, in 1755.

Bibliography

Donovan, Kenneth Joseph. “Slaves in Ile Royale, 1713–1758.” French Colonial History, vol. 5, 2004, pp. 25–42. DOI: 10.1353/fch.2004.0004. Accessed 27 June 2023.

“Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada.” Parks Canada, www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page‗nhs‗eng.aspx?id=303. Accessed 27 June 2023.

Lane-Jonah, Anne Marie. “Everywoman’s Biography: The Stories of Marie Marguerite Rose and Jeanne Dugas at Louisbourg.” Acadiensis, vol. 45, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1–198. Available at Èrudit, www.erudit.org/en/journals/acadiensis/2013-v42-n2-acad‗45‗1/acad45‗1pp01/. Accessed 27 June 2023.

“Marie Marguerite Rose National Historic Person (1717 – 1757).” Parks Canada, 9 Feb. 2023, parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/personnage-person/marie-marguerite-rose. Accessed 27 June 2023.

Mcneil, Greg. “Uncovering the Story: Parks Canada Podcast Explores Slavery at Fortress Louisbourg.” SaltWire, 1 May 2023, www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/lifestyles/uncovering-the-story-parks-canada-podcast-explores-slavery-at-fortress-louisbourg-100848902/. Accessed 27 June 2023.

O’Connell, Mark Joseph. “Marie Marguerite Rose: A Story of Early-Colonial French Chic and Emancipation…” Seneca Canadian Fashion Resource, 4 Feb. 2022, fashionresourcecentre.com/?p=3168. Accessed 27 June 2023.

Roach, Christian. “Fortress of Louisbourg to Add Content About Historical Black Presence.” CBC News, 11 Dec. 2021, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/parks-canada-fortress-slavery-louisbourg-1.6281735. Accessed 27 June 2023.